You can fire underperforming employees. As a customer, you can quit giving business to a vendor. But, is there a time when a business should fire customers?
When should a company change to meet customer demand? When should they stick to their original business plan and consciously choose not to cater to a particular customer?
I have a real-life case study to share with you. I would love your feedback at the end.
I’m writing to you from and about de koffie salon (the coffee salon) in Amsterdam. This is my favorite cafe with the best coffee in Amsterdam. (Not a coffee shop, mind you… that’s where you buy marijuana).
I’ve been coming here and working a few days a week for nearly four years. I love the coffee, the friendly and attractive staff, the free wifi and plentiful electrial outlets.
It is a two-story cafe that can accomodate around 50 people. Each floor has a community table that seats 10 to 15 customers, as well as a few small tables, and some comfy couches. The place fills with students, entrepreneurs, local business people, moms with kids, and tourists lucky to stumble in.
I’ve watched the business flourish as the cafe has grown in popularity. I’ve also seen them struggle, dealing with customers who linger.
Lingerers are a challenge at most coffeehouses. I learned this while marketing and driving customer service at Starbucks. The scene is always the same… The cafe is packed – no seats to be found – yet the cash register isn’t ringing. Customers are nursing the now-cold latte they bought two-hours ago.
However, the biggest challenge at de koffie salon has been customers not returning, complaining that there are so many laptop users they couldn’t find seating.
Instead of being “gezellig” (an awesome Dutch word closely translating to “cozy”), de koffie salon feels like an office.
To balance this out, management created a policy restricting laptop use to the 10-person table on the upper floor.
Below is the announcment posted in the cafe.
Dear Guests,
As of Sunday 22 November 2009 we will be changing our policy regardng the use of wireless Internet and laptops within de koffie salon.
de koffie salon was created to offer a comfortable environment in which to relax, escape the busy city, and be able to have friendly conversation, while enjoying great coffee prepared with care.
Due to the increased use of laptops, the atmosphere has evolved into that of an Internet cafe, this was never our intention.
Therefore, as of Sunday 22nd of November, the use of laptops will no longer be permitted on the ground floor. As a trial, we request all laptop use occur only at the large table upstairs, offering ten workspaces and power outlets.
We appreciate your understanding in the matter and kindly request to not discuss this decision with our staff.
With kind regards,
The Management
They also provided an email address to send comments.
My gut told me this was about money… They’re frustrated that laptop users linger, and take up space for paying customers.
When I came into the cafe this Monday – the first time seeing the new policy in force – it was ridiculous. There were 11 laptop users crammed around the 10-person table. The rest of the cafe was nearly empty. And each seating area – except for the one – now features a NO LAPTOPS sign.
One woman – while waiting for a space around the laptop table – sat on the couches. She opened her laptop and started to surf the internet. She was swiftly told she had to close her laptop, and that it could only be used at the table.
I sent an email.
Among my constructive criticism and alternate sales-driving ideas, I queried “… from the beginning you have provided free wifi and plenty of electrical outlets. What did you expect?”
I didn’t understand why they would encourage something, then quash success.
The owner Rob quickly replied…
Dear Paul,
Thank you for your email.
I understand your disappointment, we are aware that we will lose some customers, and we regret this fact.
At the same time we have had a lot of complaints from customers that did not visit us anymore because there were too many laptop users…
With this new policy we hope to have found a balance and are able to please most customers.
Kind regards,
Rob
de koffie salon
The response surprised me. Perhaps it really was not about money?!?
Evidently, the wall of laptops make the place feel like an office. A space where chatting customers feel they have to be quiet. de koffie salon is losing its charm as a friendly place to catch up and chat over a latte.
As a laptop customer who spends nearly €85 ($125) a month at this place, I am upset for being caged around this table. Should the laptop group – who are there year ’round even when their target customer is not visiting as frequently – go somewhere else?
As a business person, I respect the moxie it takes for them to stick to the principles of their business – even at the expense of losing customers.
What do you think? What would you do? As a business owner? As a customer?
I think I probably would have tried it on a smaller scale to start with, perhaps limiting laptop use to the 2nd floor and seeing what the business results were after a month or so. It’s possible they could wean them down in time, it was just too much of a restriction too quickly.
This is what often happens when a hard and fast rule is put into place. Yes, it’s easier to have staff and customers comply without any flexibility.
I understand why the coffee salon would want to put this rule in place from both an income and an atmosphere perspective, however it could have been handled by a few guidelines to staff.
Typically there are specific high use times where the rule would apply and/or when it appears there is going to be a problem staff could quietly request, on an individual basis, that they move to the table upstairs…though this requires the ability to make judgment calls and evaluate the customer volume and flow before it becomes a problem.
Rick,
This is a tricky one for me. I can see it from both directions.
It is sort of pushing laptop users to see how much they will take.
If they really wanted to discourage laptop use – they could shut-off the wifi.
It would have been interesting if laptop users said… “There are too many non-laptop people here, we don’t have enough room to work.”
But, the vision of de koffie salon is a social, chatty, place to meet and hang. Not shared office.
Thanks for your comment!
This is a very challenging case study. Thanks for sharing.
I agree with Nancy. If you are going to put a new rule in place then do it slowly. In this case the coffeehouse implemented a hard fast rule that was probably quite a shock to most of their customers.
It’s similar breaking a bad habit, like smoking. Cold turkey isn’t the best method and usually comes with a lot of negative side effects. The best method is one that weens the person off the cigs and replaces the void that is left with something more positive.
I also wonder if there are any other alternative that could have nudged customers to change their habits by providing additional value. For example, what if they decreased the number of outlets on the first floor and then modifying the 2nd floor to accommodate more laptops and work stations. So instead of demanding that laptops can only be used upstairs at a single table, create a desirable work area up there so that it would be customers choice to work up there.
Hi Paul,
) last year when they put up giant signs telling people to restrict their Internet use. It was clearly a “regulars versus students (who are also regulars)” battle, and the message they sent was that they valued certain customers above others. The way they did it offended me (and I’m not even a regular) and I haven’t been back much since.
I understand de koffie salon’s challenge, but it sounds like they went overboard in trying to solve one problem. Like Rick, I probably would have tested an upstairs (laptops, business)|downstairs (social) model before I banned laptops from just about everywhere. But this is really about balancing the needs of different categories of clients–in line with your business model.
I had a similar experience at a local coffeehouse (U.S. definition
The bottom line: there’s nothing wrong with targeting the customers you want. The challenge is to do it without alienating everyone else. (Well, and keeping your business solvent.)
Best,
Daria
This story brings to mind what is happening in the US with AT&T talking about limiting power users of their unlimited wireless data plan. It also follows the freemium model of the web. It is extremely difficult to give something to create a behavior and then take it away or charge more for it. Generally people have to find a way to add more value to generate new revenue streams.
In this case, if it was really about the customers’ comfort, they could look at times of day when people are coming in for relaxing coffee vs workshifting and start a policy either, as one commenter responded, for the entire second floor (or large section), or put the ban in effect during only certain rush times of the day. It is a bit ridiculous to be waiting for a spot around the table when the rest of the cafe is open. Approaching the situation to make laptop users understand the motivation in a more conversational way then posting signs and a policy would soothe some ruffled feathers as well.
I’d have to agree with Chris and Rick – the idea of phasing in the restriction slowly may have been a better way to go. I’d even suggest enforcing a version of their policy during their slow hours. That would go a long way towards still showing that they appreciated the business and concerns of both groups.
I say this of course while I’m sitting at a table I work from every Friday morning at one of our local coffee salons…
It is a typical problem: an additional service provided turns the original business into a kind of new one. Fact is, the café needs to make a certain revenue per seat and hour, otherwise they’re out of the business.
If there is a demand for a public workplace, why not rent the seats (incl. power, WLAN and a coffee/tea/soda flat) at a hourly rate?
A conversation near and dear to me- I travel throughout GTA (Toronto) daily and frequent several coffee shops. Some are set up for large turnover and provide booths for 4 patrons (Williams Coffee Pub) where there are no outlets to discourage the inevitable buffoon with a laptop from commandeering a booth for the entire day. Others such as Panera have a login Terms and Conditions that basically say “smarten up during our peak hours and do not hog a table for 4 by yourself”- this then can become enforceable if need be as the place is packed at lunch. Othes like Starbucks now have reduced wifi access to 2 hours per day on the “free access for Bell customers” have limited ac outlets and run those damn blenders so you can’t talk or skype to clients very well.
There are new places such as The Coffee Office that is designed for business road warriors to go in and work in a quiet, secure environment with a printer, resources and a scalable offering. THis is the future but is expensive for many. Students and Moms with demonized children won’t show up though.
There will end up being some ethical decisions from shop owners and patrons alike..in the mean time it’s no fun.
It is a conundrum. Would a possible alternative be to turn off the wireless entirely, and provide a wired router at the table? This way the laptop users could still plug into the internet, but only where the wire would be practical. Also, laptop users might still open up the computers to work on something off-line, but might not linger as long without access to the internet. Of course I suppose that’s completely unhelpful if the users have other forms of wireless internet access in that area.
I would be very interested to know what the actual sales numbers said after a month, two months, and in the “off season”. Mostly because having data is much better than my attempts at speculation.
Stefan,
The local coffee chain here in Amsterdam – Coffee Company – offers 2-hours free wifi with purchase. (A code is printed on the receipt. And you have to log-in within 1/2 hour or the code becomes invalid).
Thanks for your comment!
An interesting dilemma.
Clearly coffee houses initially adopted this notion of being a place to “crash” with your computer to attract people out of their homes and offices. Until recently, other than internet cafes, where else could you pull up a comfy chair, drink an espresso and bang away on your laptop? Home or the office.
Now that laptop users have proliferated in coffee shops, apparently they no longer need to attract these people as clientele.
I hate to use this analogy, but strip clubs have struggled with this very concept. Some strip clubs charge a cover that may or may not include your first drink. After that, if you’re at a table, many strip clubs expect you to buy a drink an hour. I only know this because I’m in marketing research
Coffee houses may have to begin valuing the various “services” they provide in addition to coffee. If they provide a comfy seat and free wifi, what’s that worth? Is it worth expecting a seated, laptop-using customer to make a purchase every hour or so
The rule is too inflexible. They will lose lots of business until it blows over and a new set of customers begins to come in, not knowing the history of the situation. Unless they remove the electrical outlets and other tech accoutrements, they’ll be asking for more issues like this.
Did they not consider alternatives? What about opening a WiFi cafe and telling their laptop customers to go there so the coffee drinkers could enjoy their latte’s in the environment they preferred?
Based on my conversations with other Europeans who are more entrepreneurially inclined, this is a key example of how socialistic tendencies in European culture (top-down, central committee thinking) quashes entrepreneurial and innovative alternatives.
While looking for clipart for this post, I used the word “coffeehouse” as my search term.
A good portion of images in the “coffeehouse” category were of people using computers drinking coffee.
I think there is a mixed message. We have wifi and electrical outlets – but don’t want laptops to clutter the place.
One of the crazy parts of this is that when the rest of the cafe only has a few people – the laptop table is still crammed. They’ve created a demand they don’t want.
I’ll also add this…
They have always had wifi and outlets. It is part of what has drawn people there in the first place.
I feel the regular ‘business/laptop’ users are the ones that help keep this place humming. When it is sunny and warm outside in the summer – the place was empty except we laptop users. One of the other laptop users figured the 8 or so loyal customer/laptop users equate to more than €20,000 in sales (that’s almost $30,000 USD) annually.
I’m affected as a customer – but I’m even more interested in your thoughts as a business owner.
Are they smart to fire this group of customers? Are they sending a mixed message by corralling laptop users, yet keeping the wifi welcome mat out?
Sure, it is their business – they can do what they want… But is this wise?
Tamara, I had AT&T in the back of my mind as well. And in both of these cases the small groups (3% bandwidth hogs and laptop users) are probably the loudest. Am I right about the other laptop users, Paul?
If the owners have a vision and a dream for their what their business should look like, then they will never reach that dream by catering to customers/habits that don’t fit. On one hand I applaud them and think that it is very necessary to know who your customers aren’t but on the other hand I would have a hard time turning away a big chunk of income to achieve that vision.
I’d be curious to see what the place looks like in a few months.
If they are crowding the laptop users out, what are they doing to attract their ideal customer?
Paul,
I too am an occasional laptop user at coffee houses here in Montana. Two of my usual haunts have implemented rules regarding laptop use that I think are reasonable to accommodate both road warriors and the ‘ladies who lunch’ bunch. First, at our community co-op, they provide free wireless (not so many plugs tho) but they request that no laptops be used during the lunch rush hours of 11am – 1pm so that the tables can be freed for diners. The other place implemented a ‘2 hours free’ wireless with purchase then it’s a small fee to keep surfing – and all they did was set up some password protection with their wireless network. Both policies I think are reasonable for the business and all types of users.
Why not cater to the obvious – you have 2 very distinct markets here – casual conversationalists and laptop users. Open a place for the laptop users and one for the coffee folks. You get both target markets patroning your business.
Find out what the laptop users want and need where you can make money there and the same for the casual coffee person.
On the flip side, I think there needs to be some education as a society that the customers need to be held accountable for how long they are taking up space when others want to use and enjoy the same thing.
We’ve lost respect and being mindful of others, which I think is ashame, as to how long we monopolize something based on our own needs and not think about others who are influenced by our actions, both the business and other customers.
I assure you that I am very mindful of how long I am at our local coffee house and how much I buy from them during the amount of time I am there. That’s how I was brought up and we do that in restaurants and the like.
The business owner is in business to make money, which requires some kind of sale.
In Spain this problem is an old one in our ancient ‘cafés’ when writers stood the whole evening with just one coffee. The solution: with educated manner, waiters remind the client -every hour aprox.- the need to purchase another consumption.
In the Amsterdam case I think the solution is to do this in a more modern and creative way: they can provide a limited free wi-fi connection linked to consumption (starting with 30 min for a coffee and increasing time as the purchase increases). This permits the owner not to change mission and vision of the cafe while maintaining profitability and customer satisfaction. You cannot bias your mission by a complimentary service like the wi-fi access. People wanting to spend whole mornings working in the coffeeshop should go to an internet cafe or just pay for it.
In Spain this problem is an old one in our ancient ‘caf?s’ when writers stood the whole evening with just one coffee. The solution: with educated manner, waiters remind the client -every hour aprox.- the need to purchase another consumption.
In the Amsterdam case I think the solution is to do this in a more modern and creative way: they can provide a limited free wi-fi connection linked to consumption (starting with 30 min for a coffee and increasing time as the purchase increases). This permits the owner not to change mission and vision of the cafe while maintaining profitability and customer satisfaction. You cannot bias your mission by a complimentary service like the wi-fi access. People wanting to spend whole mornings working in the coffeeshop should go to an internet cafe or just pay for it.
In Spain this problem is an old one in our ancient ‘caf?s’ when writers stood the whole evening with just one coffee. The solution: with educated manner, waiters remind the client -every hour aprox.- the need to purchase another consumption.
In the Amsterdam case I think the solution is to do this in a more modern and creative way: they can provide a limited free wi-fi connection linked to consumption (starting with 30 min for a coffee and increasing time as the purchase increases). This permits the owner not to change mission and vision of the cafe while maintaining profitability and customer satisfaction. You cannot bias your mission by a complimentary service like the wi-fi access. People wanting to spend whole mornings working in the coffeeshop should go to an internet cafe or just pay for it.
In Spain this problem is an old one in our ancient ‘caf?s’ when writers stood the whole evening with just one coffee. The solution: with educated manner, waiters remind the client -every hour aprox.- the need to purchase another consumption.
In the Amsterdam case I think the solution is to do this in a more modern and creative way: they can provide a limited free wi-fi connection linked to consumption (starting with 30 min for a coffee and increasing time as the purchase increases). This permits the owner not to change mission and vision of the cafe while maintaining profitability and customer satisfaction. You cannot bias your mission by a complimentary service like the wi-fi access. People wanting to spend whole mornings working in the coffeeshop should go to an internet cafe or just pay for it.
In Spain this problem is an old one in our ancient ‘caf?s’ when writers stood the whole evening with just one coffee. The solution: with educated manner, waiters remind the client -every hour aprox.- the need to purchase another consumption.
In the Amsterdam case I think the solution is to do this in a more modern and creative way: they can provide a limited free wi-fi connection linked to consumption (starting with 30 min for a coffee and increasing time as the purchase increases). This permits the owner not to change mission and vision of the cafe while maintaining profitability and customer satisfaction. You cannot bias your mission by a complimentary service like the wi-fi access. People wanting to spend whole mornings working in the coffeeshop should go to an internet cafe or just pay for it.
In Spain this problem is an old one in our ancient ‘caf?s’ when writers stood the whole evening with just one coffee. The solution: with educated manner, waiters remind the client -every hour aprox.- the need to purchase another consumption.
In the Amsterdam case I think the solution is to do this in a more modern and creative way: they can provide a limited free wi-fi connection linked to consumption (starting with 30 min for a coffee and increasing time as the purchase increases). This permits the owner not to change mission and vision of the cafe while maintaining profitability and customer satisfaction. You cannot bias your mission by a complimentary service like the wi-fi access. People wanting to spend whole mornings working in the coffeeshop should go to an internet cafe or just pay for it.
The problem goes both ways. There are the people who go to socialize and are loud, obnoxiously making others quietly shouting – strain to hear each other. Then there are the laptop users who spend hours and buy little. I used to go to a coffeehouse in Long Beach, CA where there were lots of people that would camp out for free wifi. But most of them were buying multiple drinks, snacks and even meals. The problem laptop-users were the ones who would start playing music and videos without headphones. Though I think the owner could have gone about the situation in a different way. Perhaps as my former coffeehouse Portfolio in Long Beach did – they put a key on the access and changed it frequently. The staff knew the regulars – and were able to ask those asking for a key for a receipt to show they had made a purchase. but they also had events and art shows and stuff at times – that sent the laptop users fleeing at busier times. A good business plan I think.
I guess the change was just too abrupt with too much restriction. I would have tried restricting the laptops to the 2nd floor first and see how it goes from there.
————–
Andy Michaels
http://www.andy-michaels.com/
I think in the near future this salon will reverse that rule. Let us know if they do.
The staff can be used to “guilt” a purchase in a nice way. That way people, like you, who spend a lot won’t even realize what was happening.
By the way, do they have free wifi at the Coffee Houses.
Interesting take from MP readers, Paul. I can see the dilemma, but frankly, how does any business “control” its customers? It’s a lose-lose situation from any vantage point. Someone will always end up feeling alienated or restricted… and ticked off.
In many ways, having customers linger at a coffee shop makes the place look busy and in demand. even when it isn’t. But, like a restaurant with patrons that nurse their lunch for two hours while diners wait in line for a table, turnover is an issue. And, of course, money has got to be an issue. If someone parks himself for half a day at the cost of a coffee, that doesn’t represent much ROI for the seat.
There’s really no perfect answer. Either way, the business and its staff end up monitoring and policing their policies. So much for a relaxed atmosphere.
I prefer the idea the one floor be reserved for leisure coffee drinkers who chat, and the upper floor for laptop users. If that doesn’t work, they can always charge rent by the hour.
Thank you everyone for your thoughts and comments.
What is also interesting – is the Dutch (and somewhat European) culture is that you do NOT rush a customer. If someone at a restaurant orders lunch and wants to hang out for the rest of the afternoon – that is considered okay.
One of the reasons find European service “slow” and frustrated when they have to “call the waiter over to get their check” is because it is considered rude for the waiter to bring your check before you ask for it.
So, it isn’t that the wait staff is ignoring you – it is that they are allowing you your space and time.
de koffie salon is one of the few restaurants/cafes that busses tables (removes empty glasses) very frequently. (It is there way of encouraging purchase).
Elaine, I agree with you. Allow the upper floor (out of view) to be where laptop toppers go, and the lower level for chatters.
What makes it tough now is there are more laptop users than allocated seats (only 10 seats). So laptops usage is at capacity while the rest of the cafe is not.
This has been a very interesting topic.
How/when do you let your customers morph your brand into something different than you intended?
I promise to provide an update as/if things change.
(I know the 20 or so loyal laptop users are all upset. The update may be that they find new, more welcoming places to work).
I’ll let you know. Thanks again, all!
This is most certainly one of those tricky catch-22 situations. While the coffeehouse will probably start attracting a clientele that turns over quickly, they’re also going to lose those regular customers who stop in multiple times a month to spend hours (and money) working. That said, I don’t necessarily know that it’s a good idea to push away a certain customer in favor of another.
Tessa Carroll
http://www.blogs.vbpoutsourcing.com
The use of laptops in cafes have been pretty common because it’s one way for them to easily market though for me, too much restriction with laptop users is totally wrong. These consumers wouldn’t have to stay anyway without buying any coffee or latte and just enjoy the surroundings. Also, if I would be the owner, I would just limit those wifi consumers by setting them in one area, or which I might call “the laptop section”. If that’s already full then, they have to wait for turns.
i dont know how weird it sounds. But how about the de koffie salon sourcing suggestions from its customers on how handle this issue before making a rule or restrictions – crowd sourcing.
Paul-
We’ve been firing clients for a long time in our professinal CPA firm.
A “clean client list” (as I call it) produces stronger client relationships for those that value our service, and the referrals become more and more solid.
Here is a specific post called “Why I Fire My Clients”: http://thriveal.com/?p=1045
This was very informative, and I agree you need to apply these principles slowly but with precision.
Cheers,
Jason Blumer
Maybe the owner should have changed his business model, and changed his place into a co working or what i like to call Hybrid Office. Since it already had the atmosphere of an office, he should have killed the coffe house idea.
There seems to be a consensus here. And it’s true with both independents and chains. Owners are getting fed up with those who order small lattes and sit for hours to take advantage of the free wifi.
While it probably isn’t a big deal during off-peak hours (mid mornings and between lunch and dinner), it is most certainly a problem for customers wishing to buy a more substantial meal offering. Here in downtown Chicago, one of the chains (I forget which one) is restricting the use of wifi from 11:30AM – 2:00PM…and that makes perfect, reasonable sense to me.
While this can be spun many different ways, the bottom line is the bottom line. The concept seemed sound when introduced years ago – hey, free wifi! Sell more coffee! Now that has evolved and it doesn’t work.
But hey, we all expect something for nothing, right?
UPDATE 14 JAN 2010
Thank you for all of your comments.
The restricted laptop policy is still in place.
The 10-person table still packs, while the rest of the cafe (except in peak times) offers plenty of seating.
Nearly ever 30-minutes, there is an 11th person waiting for the “big table.” They sit with their coffee and laptop at a ‘non-approved’ seat.
If they dare open the laptop – they are swiftly informed of the rules… and over and over… they walk-out upset over (what seems) arbitrary and random.
I’ve been back a three times since I wrote this article. Twice – there was room. Yesterday, I had to squeeze in. We were cramped. It was silly. The rest of the place was nearly empty.
(Made worse by three women who were sitting, talking but without laptops!!! Shouldn’t they be asked to move to a “talking” table to make way for laptop users at the laptop table? Especially of people are walking out, upset?)
I will continue to visit – the coffee is great… However, my plan… If I visit with my laptop and can’t fit… I (rebel me) plan to use my laptop anyway. If they kick me out – I won’t return. Ever.
Instead, you will find me at the Coffee Company. Their coffee is almost as good as the Koffie Salon’s and they have many locations in Amsterdam (Including one closer to my home). They offer 2-hours free wifi with purchase. You get a code on your receipt.
I’ll keep you posted!
My husband and I were in the Koffie Salon a recent morning after not having visited for about a year. My husband was working on a project and so had his laptop open while I was enjoying the newspaper. (There is no longer a wireless connection.) A staffperson came over and asked him to close his laptop and go upstairs. We asked why, and the person said the new policy was meant to encourage people to “socialize with eachother” and not work. First of all we have socialized with people at that table for years! But we mainly want to socialize with eachother. Secondly my husband is involved in projects which require alot of attention, sometimes at very specific times. If he has to tweak a project over coffee on his way to work he should be able to do that!
We felt it would have been much better if they just came out and told us that the reason was financial, clearly the reason for the change. That would have been ok with us. But then the Salon is no different from any American restaurant that hurries people out as quickly as possible once they have finished their meal, i.e. **no lingering allowed,** and not the “home away from home” that the decor encourages people to imagine.
Another thing: in the mornings the place is often full of screaming kids, and also very big dogs. (Why those customers all seem to have such big dogs is a mystery to me.) This is sometimes earsplitting and you often had to be very careful not to trip over one of the animals. But we would never have thought of complaining. We really did think of the place as our home away from home, going almost every morning for the 3 years we lived nearby, and as serving that purpose for others too. Just a nice noisy place where people could do what they want.
We’ll miss the Salon, but we are not going back. We don’t like being forced to socialize by the staff when we clearly want to talk to eachother. And we don’t like being told not to open our laptops.
Christine,
Thanks for leaving your story.
I owe everyone an official update, you’re correct… as of March 1st, 2010 they shut off the wifi the last straw in making the Koffie Salon an unwelcome place for laptop users.
I found out *on* March 1st – showed up and sat at the ‘official laptop table’ and saw the “No WiFi” signs. On top of that, my coffee that day tasted bitter.
My era at de Koffie Salon ended.
I go to the Coffee Company now. I feel welcome there. They have fine coffee and provide 1-hour of wifi with purchase. Their locations are bright with big windows.
(It did used to be a zoo there in the mornings with all the dogs… but like you said… it was a home away from home… so it was okay).
Where is the Coffee Company? Near Utrechtestraat we hope?