Salt Lake City coffee shops crack down on remote work campers
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Some coffee shops in Salt Lake City are trying to keep remote workers from taking over, nixing Wi-Fi and limiting laptops to dissuade Zoom squatters from setting up shop.
Why it matters: Many coffee spots across the country have seen work-from-homers posting up for hours on video calls as they look for a "third space" that isn't their home office — causing overcrowding, hurting sales and detracting from a community feel.
- While many companies are now enforcing return-to-work policies, remote work numbers are still higher now than they were pre-pandemic, per the Census.
State of play: The execution varies, coffee shop owners told Axios. Some spots are all-in on the Luddite game — aka no internet or laptops at all. Others limit their use to certain time stretches or days of the week. And others? Well, they've simply taped over outlets.
Zoom in: Erica O'Brien was among Salt Lake City's first to not offer Wi-Fi at her coffee shop when she opened The Rose Establishment in 2010.
- She told Axios she aimed to foster a safe and comfortable environment that encouraged human connection, even with strangers.
Yes, but: Her unique model at the time prompted some customers to storm out or write bad reviews online, insisting her business would fail.
- People sitting on their computers all day could be detrimental to a coffee shop's bottom line, she noted.
What they're saying: "You can't make money, and then if you don't make money ... you can't pay for the payroll, you can't give raises, you can't grow," she said.
- She's encouraged that other businesses like 9th and 9th's Coffee Garden, which stopped offering internet to customers a few years ago, are joining the trend.
Nick Price operates two coffee shops in town: Three Pines Coffee on Main Street, which lacks Wi-Fi, and Holy Water, which offers it because it's close to the University of Utah and has less foot traffic.
- Price said he doesn't provide internet at Three Pines because the space offers only 12 seats.
- When designing Holy Water, he said he was strategic about where to place power outlets, designating certain areas for people to enjoy their coffee and converse.
- He's looked into ways to impose a limit on how long a customer can use the internet, but he said the technology is expensive.
The bottom line: If you plan to camp out to get work or studying done, Price encourages customers to be considerate.
- "Keep it to 90 minutes or less, or if you need to stay, then you need to get up and buy a new beverage or a pastry or something," he said. "The revenue needs to continue flowing in order for us to continue operating as a business."