By RNZ A journalist who has been banned from several Hawke’s Bay cafes after getting kicked out for spending too long working at one of them says there were plenty of tables, and he just wanted to spark a conversation about remote working etiquette . With a growing tribe of office nomads, more people are settling in at a cafe with a coffee and a laptop to work. But how long is too long to keep the seat warm, and does it depend on how much you spend and how busy it is? Hawke’s Bay Today deputy editor Mark Story found out the hard way when he was asked to vacate an Ahuriri eatery after an hour recently.
And after seeking comment from the owner about the incident, Story was told he was banned from all of the owner’s cafes. Story initially bought a coffee and a brioche, and was then asked to move on because the cafe was “mindful of paying customers”. “But there were three or four tables free, so I thought it was a little odd.
“As I said in my piece, I’ve never been accused of undereating in my life, so that was novel. It was just a bit puzzling, so we put the question out there, how long is too long in a cafe? “It’s important to say I wasn’t offended because I’m a journalist, I’m interested because I’m a journalist and we seek those stories and engage the public.” Story sent an email to get comment, and did not get any response, so rang the cafe.
“The owner got on the line and asked if it was newsworthy and I said ‘I think so’, and then she sai.
