Bengaluru man invests Rs 70 lakh to open a cafe, faces unexpected problem; explains why some cafes charge so much

Opening a cafe involves more than serving good coffee and creating a comfortable space. For one Bengaluru entrepreneur, a problem involving customers who occupy tables for hours after ordering just one cup has become a major concern. His school friend recently invested around Rs 60-70 lakh to open a cafe in Indiranagar, but some visitors are staying all day with their laptops. A post by Bengaluru-based founder Vikramaditya Shukla has now sparked a conversation about cafe prices, customer behaviour and the challenges of running such businesses.

Shukla took to X to explain how the cafe owner's problem is affecting the business. According to him, a few customers order a single cup of coffee worth Rs 150, open their laptops and spend several hours at the cafe. Some even stay for the entire day.

The problem is that these occupied tables leave little room for other customers. Shukla said people sometimes walk into the cafe, see that it is full and leave without placing an order. However, asking customers to leave is not an easy option either. The cafe owner is concerned that an unhappy visitor could post a negative Google review, potentially affecting the establishment's reputation.


The situation also made Shukla look at the pricing of popular coffee chains differently. Referring to Starbucks, CCD and Third Wave Coffee, he suggested that customers are not just paying for their coffee and snacks but also for the time they spend occupying a seat. He ended his post by asking other cafe owners how they deal with customers who spend hours at their establishments after making a small purchase.

How did the internet react?

The post prompted several suggestions from social media users. One person proposed a simple rule: customers should order another coffee for every hour they spend at the cafe. Another suggested changing the business model altogether. Instead of charging customers primarily for coffee, cafes could charge for the time spent there and offer coffee as a complimentary item. The user also suggested that better seating could come at a higher hourly price, along with better coffee and snacks.

A third user pointed out that some cafes have already tried restricting laptop use, saying they had seen establishments put up signs declaring that laptops were not allowed. Someone else suggested a less direct approach: frequent table cleaning and mopping to discourage customers from occupying seats for too long.