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I agree with pooch. People need to be aware of how busy a place is. Sometimes it's nice to be able to work and eat especially if it's during a slow time in a cafe. Please don't ban books. Just the thought of that sent me into a tailspin!

Sure, why not? If a restaurant bans laptops or books, and people stop eating there, I think the restaurant owners will get the message right away. And if people continue to eat there, then maybe there are enough people who aren't concerned about having a laptop at the table.

Restaurants should be able to do whatever they want. Just like I have the option to not patronize them when they have rules I don't like. Would I go to a place that banned laptops and reading? Obviously not if I was planning to read or surf the web. The restaurants that feel the need to institute the rules most probably wouldn't be negatively affected. Though I must say personally, I think this is tragic. I don't want someone telling me how I can and can't spend my time. Why not ban elbows on the tables while you're at it? Or laughing too loudly?

I don't see a problem as long as management makes the rules clear up front. There should be a time limit if the restaurant is busy but other than that, I don't see an issue.

I'm not sure how I feel about laptops, but take away my books and I won't be dining at your restaurant. If I'm eating lunch alone, I want a book to keep me company. ^__^

how about banning CELL PHONES??? nothing annoys me more in a cafe than having to listen to someone's loud cell phone conversation when i'm trying to read or do some writing.

no books? sorry, i won't be back.

If a restaurant doesn't allow people to read while they eat, I'll eat elsewhere. Simple.

I like Pooch's suggestion - provide a warning upfront to customers to allow them to make a decision before they cross the threshold.

Having said that, whatever happened to "the customer is always right"? Obviously, people should comply with minimum standards (dress, behaviour, etc), but why curtail reasonable activities? When I dine alone, I would go mad without some reading material, be it books, newspapers or my work notes.

Restaurateurs are clearly seeking to increase revenue by banning books, but how are they improving turnover by losing the majority of their lone diners?

"The customer is always right" is not license to entitlement. It's a phrase that was used to train retail employees to be polite regardless of the customers behavior to make the customer feel special, but has since been misappropriated to champion self entitlement beyond what is customary.

The banning of books seems to target individuals using the business as a place of study like if they were in a library with food service. I've seen individuals take a booth rather than a 2 person table since their books wouldn't fit on the small table, never mind that the place was busy. Since they didn't think they were being rude, we get places instituting such bans when it becomes more common than naught.

I've known places that "banned" reading material long before laptops were common. One such place was a coffee shop in Evanston, IL. They even had signs up like that deli in the article. I don't think I ever saw anyone offended by the rule, rather I saw people apologize, me included when I was asked to abide by their rules after failing to notice the signage banning reading/studying. This was a college town so it was a bit unexpected, Light reading was tolerated, but you were expected to move on when you were finished eating/drinking; ordering refills was not encouraged, may not have even been allowed unless to go. At first I thought it was weird, but after seeing how busy the place was over time I could see why they had that rule.

lemons said: "So when are they going to start asking people to leave if they carry on a conversation with their tablemates too long? Do they have a timer they start when dessert is delivered?". FYI, When they bring you the bill without being prompted that's a fairly universal sign that the restaurant is waiting for you to leave.

But I digress. Is "the customer is always right" sense of entitlement becoming more predominant than say being civil towards and conscientious of others (the business and other customers)? Is etiquette really passe now, as a recent 20/20 suggests so, thus resulting in businesses taking plausibly draconian actions to control customer behavior? That would be tragic indeed.

yes they should be banned, so should cell phones. you are there to eat, if not ----go home and set up all your electronic crap and work there. Life is short, slow down and enjoy a nice meal with friends or family without all the distractions.

I don't think this is a new problem. It's simply an issue of loitering. It doesn't really matter what you're doing: reading, surfing, filling out tax forms, painting reproductions of baroque masters... if you're doing it in someone's private establishment, you better have paid for something, and you better exit the building once you're finished that something, in a timely manner.

Every place allows for some time for patrons to finish their cup or plate, and sit around for a chat or whatever... but some laptop users seem to think a 2 dollar coffee purchase entitles them to occupy a table for hours. I don't think this is reasonable, especially if the place is busy. It's just common decency - you would be annoyed if your own friends stuck around hours after they were welcome, so why is it ok if you do it at a stranger's place of business?

I walked into my neighborhood Starbucks recently and it was packed. Three groups of business types conferring over laptops and blackberries. 4 singles at the little tables by the window doing god knows what on their computers, a huge group of knitters knitting for a cause, and not a single chair for paying patrons. No one I saw had anything left in their single purchase of coffee drink. It's their business, but if it were mine, this would not happen.

When I was a waitress many years ago, our bartender noticed that whenever he turned off the music, after a short period of silence, anyone who'd been lingering would leave! That became our regular way to turn over the tables.

I guess it wouldn't work well nowadays, with people bringing their own entertainment everywhere they go.

I miss the old days!

If the waitstaff wants to turn over the table and you are (overly)lingering, they should tell you they need the table. But in a perfect world you should have the common courtesy to realize that you should move along when you're done eating or having a coffee. If you need an "office" outside your home or place of work, there's always the library if the cafe wants you to turn over your table. If there are customer behaviors the establishment would like to curtail, they have a right to post/enforce those rules. I don't have to eat there if I don't like those rules.

Restaurants should be allowed to ban whatever they wish, just as they're allowed to enforce dress codes.

That said, I wouldn't eat alone at a restaurant that banned books. If I don't have a dining partner, I often feel awkward--even vulnerable--without a paperback to read.

Now that more libraries are providing WiFi and permitting beverages in sealed containers, I'm less grumpy about cafes banning laptops. I understand the argument that people should study or do their work at home, but I have to disagree that this is a solution for everyone. For those of us who are easily distracted, removing ourselves from the distracting environment is a necessary behavioral hack.

Banning laptops shouldn't be necessary. Those of us who work in coffee shops to have a normal level of focus should be considerate of the owners and the other patrons. It's not very polite to spend $1.59 to stake out a table, especially a large one, during busy hours.

In an ideal world, people would move on without being asked. They'd also buy a new drink every hour or so to justify their presence (yes, yes, extra calories--how about that $3 bottled water?). Maybe then, cafe and restaurant owners wouldn't feel the need to ban laptops.

Ooh, this is a hot topic especially in my town of Chapel Hill - a total college town with a lot of professionals as well. There are tons of great little sandwich shops and cafes, some of which get really heavy traffic for breakfast and lunch. They offer free wireless for most of the day, but turn it off during those prime busy hours. I think this is probably the best solution! Those shops are doing great business with their food customers at popular meal times, but also thrive off of students hunkering down and studying for hours at night.

The book vs. laptop argument is getting more hairy, I think, especially with all the wireless reading devices (and I work as a book publicist, so if there's anyone who wants people reading, it's me!). But, what if you're someone (no names...me....) who reads all of their newspaper subscriptions online? How is that much different than bringing a newspaper or a book in to read while you eat? Granted, I don't tote my laptop around in my purse...but if it were small enough and convenient, I probably would. And what about Kindles? IPhones? I guess the real problem is if you stay lingering at the table, obviously, and that could happen with either a book or a laptop, to be fair.

One of the saddest examples I have of this in Chapel Hill - Strong's Coffee. It was this delightful coffee shop that was frequented by students of all kinds. The shop was wonderful, but the problem is that students would set up their study stations at 8:00 am, buy a cup of coffee, get 25-cent refills, and stay there. All. Day. So the store couldn't make enough money to stay open!

All that considered, it should definitely be within the shop owner's rights to determine whatever book/laptop/study policy s/he desires - but it's a fine line between allowing your business to prosper and turning away customers who are turned off by your policies!

cw
www.dumpstersbuffet.com