I met Rick at The Lyon’s Den coffee shoppe this morning to talk more about my business plan(s). In addition to enjoying our conversation (he offered lots of great suggestions), the cozy atmosphere of the place and my first taste of Keemun tea, I was struck by a sign I saw posted on a meeting room at this gathering place:
The sign is encouraging people who use the room to buy something while they are there. I find it hard to imagine using such a meeting room facility without buying something … but then, I may be rather extreme in my desire to somehow compensate propietors for their offering(s), as I recently wrote about with respect to fee vs. free wine tastings. I will admit that, under stressful circumstances, I sometimes use a restroom in a fast-food restaurant along the highway without buying anything, but I could not sit in a coffeehouse for an hour or two without purchasing anything there.
It’s interesting that The Lyon’s Den also has a policy limiting the use of its wireless network, based on purchases, as shown on yet another sign posted at the coffeehouse (a topic about which I, and others, commented recently). I guess these signs show that coffeehouse "squatting" isn’t limited to WiFi laptop users.