The cafe that banned Zoom: Coffee shop owners outlaw laptops after remote ... trends now
A coffee shop has banned laptops after remote workers demanded everyone be quiet for online meetings while they nursed a single drink for hours at a time.
Remote workers typing away in coffee shops at all hours of the working day has become a regular sight since the pandemic but one coffee shop in Canterbury decided to take a stand against the new normal.
The owners of Fringe and Ginge say people working on computers was ruining the atmosphere of their cafe and since the ban people have started talking more and they've 'built a community.'
Alfie Edwards, who owns the business with his partner Olivia Walsh, said it was a 'tough decision' but has been ultimately successful.
He said: 'I think what has changed massively in the dynamic and the way that people work. We had some really bad experiences with people, asking us to turn music off so they could do Zoom meetings.
Alfie Edwards (pictured), who owns the business with his partner Olivia Walsh, said it was a 'tough decision' to ban remote workers but has been ultimately successful
Fringe and Ginge in Canterbury say people working on computers was ruining the atmosphere of their cafe and since the ban people have started talking more and they've 'built a community'
'Then we just sort of figured out it - this is not what it is about.There are so many places you can go and rent desk space, you can work in the libraries.
'There are loads of places where they're dedicated to people working - and they have cafes as well. Here, we just realised we wanted to take hospitality back, have it dedicated to just serving people and letting them have a nice experience.'
Mr Edwards and Ms Walsh set up the cafe in July 2020,
