Cafe says 'we're not a library' in major new rule as it slams 'rude' customers

A coffee shop has announced a change in policy as it criticised "extremely rude" customersfor their reaction to the new rule.

Coffi is situated on Pilgrim Street in the Georgian Quarter of Liverpool. The café on the city centre backstreet was launched by couple Michael Davis and Natalie Southern in 2021 after they became "spoilt for choice" with the variety of coffee on offer in the Romanian capital Bucharest, where they resided back in 2015.

They brought their coffee expertise back to the city, mainly because they wanted to keep the blend they grew accustomed to readily available. Within Coffi, there is exposed brickwork, understated furnishings and touches of greenery. The upstairs section was subsequently renovated with the concept that people could bring their laptops in to work.

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The café announced last week that it would be banning laptops on the ground floor. Customers will still be able to use laptops upstairs, but the business says the venue is "simply too small" to accommodate laptops on every table, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Coffi also reiterated that bringing in your own food and drink is strictly prohibited as it revealed someone once tried to tuck in to a family-sized tiramisu dessert in the venue. The full statement, released on its Instagram page on August 20, said: "From today, laptops are welcome only on the laptop bar upstairs.

"We've never been able to accommodate them downstairs, or on every table upstairs - our space is simply too small, and we can't afford to turn away groups of people because one or two laptops occupy a table for hours. As we continue to grow, it's vital that we balance the needs of customers coming to enjoy coffee with those needing a space to work.

"When we developed our upstairs area, we put a lot of thought into creating a dedicated laptop bar. Every seat has a plug socket and a hook underneath for bags - please pop your bag on the hook so others can use the laptop bar too. You're very welcome to use the laptop bar for work, but please remember: we are a coffee shop, not a library. If the bar is full, you're of course welcome to stay - but laptops may only be used at the laptop bar.

"Some people have been extremely rude when we've had to explain our stance on laptop usage in the past - please be nice to our team on this. While we're here, a reminder: food and drink from outside are not permitted. Eating your own food in any venue that sells food and drink is - hopefully unintentionally - rather rude.

"You'll be asked once to put it away; if not, you'll be asked to leave. Someone tried to eat an entire family-sized tiramisu upstairs once. You won't outdo that - no point trying!"

Several customers have backed Coffi's new policy in the comments. One supporter said: "It's astonishing that you have to explain your stance on this in so much detail. You're a business, not a change of scenery for someone who's chosen to work from 'home.'".

Another sympathised: "Sad that you have had people be rude to your lovely team about this. I love the thought you have put into designing your seating area, and hopefully everyone can follow the policy and keep it a welcoming space for all."

The anecdote about the tiramisu left others amused. One asked: "Will you ever sell family sized tiramisu? Just a thought.." A fellow supporter joked: "Not the family-sized tiramisu. Some people are doing a live action re-shoot of The Office." Another joined in with a pun, saying: "Did the legal team need to get involved? They're always trying to tiramsue."