Sydney unplugged: Cafes force punters to power down
Theo Gibson, manager at Hemingway's Manly. Photo: Janie Barrett
The love affair between coffee shops and laptop-wielding customers may be dying out as coffee shop owners revolt against Sydneysiders' demand to be wired up.
Wi-Fi backlash is a trend accelerating among coffee shops, bars and restaurants, where a failure to see the benefits of Wi-Fi-induced turnover is encouraging many owners to restrict Wi-Fi or ban it.
Limited Wi-Fi: Hemingway's Manly manager Theo Gibson. Photo: Janie Barrett
Hemingway's Manly manager Theo Gibson said unlimited free Wi-Fi was robbing the oceanside bar and daytime coffee shop of its social vibe.
"We changed hands nine months ago and we've gone from offering unlimited free Wi-Fi to only offering about 30 minutes for free.
"The change was immediate. People interacted more, they started to listen and talk to each other properly and weren't constantly distracted by a screen," he said.
Theo Gibson serves Nigel Rowden and Rachel Long at Hemingway's Manly, which recently limited the amount of free Wi-Fi given to customers. Photo: Janie Barrett
"We wanted to foster an atmosphere of conversation."
Rather than seeing customer numbers dwindle, Mr Gibson noticed a spike in popularity after Hemingway's changed its Wi-Fi policy.
"We didn't want to be a soulless Wi-Fi hub. We wanted our coffee and bar culture to be about social interaction and fun," he said.
"Dining out shouldn't be about spending hours online. It's about conversation, eating and drinking with friends."
Hemingway's Manly is among a growing number of coffee shops, bars and restaurants forcing punters to power down.
Bay Ten Espresso, a warehouse-styled cafe and coffee shop in Lavender Bay's Middlemiss Street will offer Wi-Fi only upon request.
But expect to be shot a cold look over your hot coffee if you and your laptop overstay your welcome.
"We can get people coming in for two to three hours at a time," manager Nathan Devlin said.
"They sit at a four-person table and they've only bought a small cup of coffee. That's money that isn't going into my pocket, and customers aren't able to get through the door to have lunch," he said.
"I don't like going up to someone and asking them to switch off and move, but we are a cafe where people come to eat, drink and socialise, not an internet cafe.
"You do get the odd person who shoots you a cold look or huffs and puffs about not being able to use Wi-Fi all day long."
While independent cafes are hitting back at serial screen starers, McDonald's has no plans to backtrack on unlimited access to free Wi-Fi.
"If anything, we are looking to further improve the service and increase its speed," a spokeswoman for the fast-food giant said.
However, decisions made by the corporate bigwigs of Sydney's biggest cafe chains does not necessarily translate to good practice on the cafe floor.
Monica Hanna, supervisor at Gloria Jean's in George Street in Sydney's CBD, said if it wasn't for a fear of being rude, she would very much like to tell laptop-wielding Wi-Fi campers to move on.
"We often see customers come in, take up a four- or five-person space and buy the cheapest item on the menu," she said.
"They then set up their laptop and enjoy a few hours of free Wi-Fi.
"Sometimes the Wi-Fi is so overused we can't access the internet on our staff computers."
It seems Sydney's Wi-Fi campers are privy to sitting where they want and for as long as they want without spending much at all.
"It annoys me some people feel they are entitled to use our cafe as their personal internet space," Ms Hanna said.
"I would feel rude saying anything but, being right near to Capitol Theatre, we go through very busy periods, and we need the tables for the families and groups that come in for lunch, tea or coffee."
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-unplugged-cafes-force-punters-to-power-down-20150714-gicg7o.html#ixzz3huYBcdcu
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