Top 5 Cons of a Coffee Shop as a Workplace

Author: Kelley German, Marketing Coordinator | CommonGrounds Workplace

For many of us – our workday is sponsored by coffee. That’s why working at a coffee shop appears like the perfect solution when we’re tired of working from home and longing for a new environment that has more to offer than your Keurig. You walk in to your local hot spot, order a latte from the cheery barista behind the counter, settle in to a cozy booth with a window view and get ready for a productive workday. While that might sound like the perfect setting to the perfect day, the truth of matter is – that is not the reality of working from a coffee shop.

The truth is – there’s some drawbacks to working out of a coffee shop and to get the cold, hard truth we tested the theory and had one of our own spend the day at her local coffee shop to find out if the fantasy matched reality. Let’s set the scene:

8:10am (coffee shop opens at 8:00am) – Walks in the front door and stands in a line of 3 people to order coffee

8:16am – Orders a latte ($4.75) and proceeds to grab a table

8:22am – Coffee order is ready, work day begins

9:00am – Coffee shop starts to get busier (60% of the tables are now taken)

9:30am – Hops on a call (keeps voice low as not to disturb others, but has to speak up in order to be heard)

9:55am – Coffee shop is now extremely busy – line is wrapped around the inside of the store

9:59am – Leaves coffee shop to work from home

Our test agent did not even make it a full 2 hours into her work day without having to leave for a better work setting, but during those 2 hours she had a lot of notes gathered about her experience and reasons why it wasn’t the right environment for a productive work day:

1. Seating

First things first – at a coffee shop, you are not guaranteed a perfect seat (or even any seat) unless you’re willing to wait outside the front doors before opening. Even if you do manage to grab a seat, there’s still drawbacks as it might be located directly under the air conditioner so you freeze, or you could be right by the counter and have to endure listening to longwinded coffee orders, or there might not be an outlet nearby to plug in your devices. Within my first 10 minutes at the coffee shop, I switched seats twice as I ran into all three of these problems.

On top of that, you cannot expect to take up a seat all day and not continually place orders. The latte I purchased was $4.75 and lasted me 2 hours. If I stayed for the entirety of my 8 hour work day, I would have to buy at least 3 more coffees, as well as lunch, which means I could have spent $30 in just one day to cover my seat.

2. Distractions

The reason I ultimately left the coffee shop was due to all of the distractions. For the first hour, the shop was quiet and cozy – soft jazz music was playing in the ground, the sound of the steamer only went off every so often and I was one of four other people starting their work day in the coffee shop. About an hour in, things picked up at a heavy pace. My seat was directly across from the counter, so not only did I have to listen to endless coffee orders, but endless dialogue. Both tables next to me filled up with conversationalists so I was partial to hearing their discussions as well. The occasional hissing of the steam machine became constant and the subtle music was turned way up so it could actually be heard over the roar of the talkers.

3.  Lack of Privacy

In terms of privacy, there was none. The free WiFi I was offered was on an unsecured network, so I was hesitant in what projects I wanted to work on there. Additionally, when my virtual meeting times rolled around, both parties next to me could hear every word I said. I tried to keep my voice low, but in order to be heard over the crowd I did have to speak up. I also had to take all of my belongings with me any time I wanted to place another order or run to my car to grab my charger, since I wasn’t willing to trust my peers to watch my personal items (therefore, running the risk of losing my seat).

4. Resource Limitations

One of the biggest obstacles I faced was that I was limited to just my laptop and whatever supplies I brought along with me (and that fit on my table). Coffee shops don’t offer printing services, pens and paper, cleaning supplies or anything else I might find myself needing during the day. Thankfully, I came prepared and didn’t have a project where I immediately needed to print a document, but my bag was much heavier than when I work in a coworking space and am provided with complimentary resources and amenities.

5. Sanitation

Since the pandemic, the cleanliness of my surroundings is high on my radar. I have become that person who brings wipes with me everywhere and wipes down any surface I’ll be touching since I don’t know who was there before me. This rang true during my coffee shop experience – I did not know who was there before me, but I absolutely knew they had been there (indicated by their crumbs and coffee mug rings). The booths and tables were not six-feet apart, so my fellow “co-workers” in the coffee shop were sipping and snacking within a close distance, and without masks.

Overall, the consensus I came to was that a coworking space like CommonGrounds Workplace is the key to the productiveness of my day. Whenever I work at my desk at my local CommonGrounds space (1700 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA), I put my best foot forward with the work I produce and I constantly run into the “dilemma” of finishing my work early and debating if I want to stay longer to get ahead of schedule. My Workplace Manager keeps the space clean, stocked and well managed so that I have nothing to worry about. Even when I venture out of my office and into the communal lounges and kitchens, the noise level is low and I’m able to find my own space that works for me. Over and over again I’ve heard that CG is a place you can work your way, and after this comparison of working at a coffee shop vs. my desk at CommonGrounds – I can vouch for that.