An online debate has been sparked after a cafe says it was forced to kick out a group of students for not buying much and taking up space. A cafe in the Philippines has people condemning it and praising it for its actions after an altercation at its establishment.
SLO BAR Cafe in Bacolod, Philippines took to social media explaining that 10 students had taken up three tables while only buying two drinks. Staff then asked them to leave to make room for paying customers, and after leaving, the group allegedly left a bunch of negative reviews against the cafe.
Writing on Instagram, the cafe wrote: “How do we approach non-paying customers (mostly students) who want to be seated? We know that they only want to hang out for free and shoot their personal content, but to what extent must we share our space to please these guests? It pains us to get a mob of bad Google reviews from 10 unsatisfied kids saying that our staff were rude and that our food was bad when they occupied three tables and only got two drinks. We do not wish to engage but these things will happen again so it may be better to confront them when we can.”
The post also said that their lead barista and two other workers, who are also students, were ‘trying their best to work, accommodate and keep the cafe in good’, adding that they trust their lead barista’s actions ‘are always rooted in instinct and respect’. They then asked whether the customers understood the damage their negative reviews would do to the business, adding: “Other small cafes would understand. It is basic etiquette for any place to reserve their limited space for paying customers.”
And many Instagram users agreed with the cafe, taking to the post’s comment section to show their support. One person wrote: “These students are proof that the customer is NOT always right, especially when they lack basic etiquette and reek of entitlement.” Fellow coffee business Celery Coffee Stand called the reviews ‘baseless’, saying the cafe should report them to Google for ‘bullying/harassment’.
But not everyone was on the cafe’s side, however. Owner of Noon Cafe, John Nikko Danao, told PhilSTAR L!fe: “We cannot force everyone to order. Little sales still matter and we are already happy to see customers enjoying the ambiance of our cafe and we could not take this away from them.” Nikaela Cortez from Sibs Cafe said they were ‘still customers at the end of the day’. Speaking to L!fe, she said: “Though they may only buy two drinks, and even if ten of them choose to stay, that specific moment can be a chance to attract more customers in the future.” She added that if there is a paying customer, then her cafe would ‘politely ask’ the non-paying ones to share the table.