07 August,2009 08:34 AM IST | | Agencies
Industry savvy, latte-drinking individuals may start finding it harder to conduct their business in coffee shops and small cafes.
The recession has been especially punishing for restaurants, with fewer people going out to eat this summer.
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Small cafes, taking the brunt of the hit because of their relaxed policy towards lingering guests, are starting to put limits on laptop use at the coffee shop.
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"You don't want to discourage it; it's a wonderful tradition," said Janice Pullicino, owner of Naidre's, which like many New York coffee shops, has a laptop prohibition during busy hours, when the cafe depends on flipping tables to make profit.
A sign on the small neighborhood cafu00e9 reads: "Dear customers, we are absolutely thrilled that you like us so much that you want to spend the day... (But)...people gotta eat, and to eat they gotta sit."
Naidre's isn't the only New York cafe taking a stand. Cocoa Bar locations in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side have been placing time restrictions on laptop use, while Espresso 77 in Jackson Heights covered three of its five electric outlets after attempts at laptop limitations failed.
