Greatly agree that the cafe scene lacks appropriate seating.

Couple that with WFH people camping out all day and the classic cafe vibe can be elusive.

Then there’s all the places that try to minimize seating to encourage you to just get up and go.

There are places where the wi-fi password is printed on the receipt and internet access is timed.

That way, workers don’t have to confront people who “camp out”, and the person is inconvenienced (unless they have their hot spot with unlimited resources).

I’m so glad you agree with me that people “camping out” is an entirely different issue and expectation than what OP has, which makes the initial comment in this thread unnecessarily harsh and mostly irrelevant to the discussion that OP started. 🙂

Yeah but having a cozy space to come and lounge is the draw to that business? I can easily enjoy much cheaper coffee at home or get a quick cup from somewhere with less frills.

Should be some kinda table/ticket live system where you gotta keep ordering stuff to camp out & it's displayed on POS system if youre complying. Kick ppl out with prejudice if they dont

DC has a dead Izakaya scene

Need more public spaces with tables nearby businesses where you can refill

But ofc that'd end up with the spaces turning to piss puddles & the businesses getting replaced by some giant capital firm that can pay the higher rent for park-adjacent real estate

Are people not worried about getting their laptops stolen while they piss out all that coffee?

Varies a lot by area but it Georgetown has a few nice cafes with plenty of seating like blue bottle and Compass on Wisc avenue.

> It’s not some monumental ask for one to be able to sit and enjoy a latte or some other filter coffee drink (as opposed to an espresso) while reading a book or chatting with friends.

This is entirely fine and expected

However a ton of spots are taken up by WFH warriors camping at a coffeeshop all day

You’ve got some good suggestions in here. I’d add Emissary on P in Dupont to the list!

Sunrise Cafe on 17th and L. No frills, filling, affordable, and quick. Sometimes you just want a commodity omelette and starchy potatoes for <$10.

Yeah they do in west Baltimore. But this show is about Chicago

This showed is based on Chicago. About black woman in a Chicago apartment

What would you call a long time? I do tons of computer work (writing, editing, social media, etc.) and a lot of my regular “work” is just wandering around and knowing where to go so that I can make recommendations to people. From what I’ve observed, no… People camping out at coffee shops isn’t the big issue that this comment section is making it.

Most people have things to do and, in this city especially, there are many conversations that can’t be had in public. Plus, many places aren’t really super comfortable to post up in.

There’s a small minority of people who do hog up space and sure they are very noticeable when that happens. But it is overly dramatic to pretend as though the few people who do camp out at coffee shops are impactful enough to warrant a place literally restructuring their business model - which is based on volume and add-on items, anyway. Not dine in.

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Well it's either going here, or going to the source, Japan. Visiting DC is much cheaper for people. Seeing the blossoms in Ueno Park is nice but the cost and time to get there is a bear.

ZING!

A hour??!

Yes. It’s significant

Is it? Esp with work from home as popular as it is now.

Feel like most people who “drink in” at this shops end up posting up for a long time

Some of the comments here could’ve been written by Ayn Rand.

Thank you! Lol I saw the downvotes/comments and was like “shit am I wrong on this?” I know coffee shops are “private” but they’re still public spaces

Starbucks was founded in 1971 and went nationwide in 1986. Pretty sure most businesses adapt their business model in response to the market over the course of 50 years. Especially when you consider the difference in commercial rent in 1970’s Seattle to today’s Washington DC, you can see how a low-margin establishment with a low per-head spend cannot survive without high customer turnover. Customers camping out all day isn’t conducive to high turnover.
I can put that in PowerPoint if that helps :)

I've only had both Republic Cantina and La Tejana once each so maybe my opinion is wrong, but I thought Republic was MUCH better.