Coffee shops are a great place to grab your morning brew, catch up with pals, and get some work done. That said, there are some behaviors customers should avoid when they're in their local cafe.
Insider spoke to a group of baristas and former coffee-shop employees to figure out some of the most frustrating things customers do on a regular basis.
Here are eight things you should never do in a coffee shop.
You probably shouldn't complain to baristas about the prices at a coffee shop.
Yes, costs can rack up quickly at a coffee shop, especially if you're ordering an intricate drink made from high-quality beans.
That said, complaining about beverage costs isn't going to endear you to any cafe employees.
"Our number-one [customer] complaint is price," coffee-shop owner Adam McIntyre of The Pedlar in Pai, Thailand, told Insider.
He explained that there's a reason that drinks are priced a certain way, and it's often because of the quality of the products and the labor that goes into making them.
Whether you're in a coffee shop or not, you should never grab change out of a tip jar, even if you're short on cash.
This one seems beyond obvious, but a few baristas told us that they frequently see guests digging into tip jars to make up the difference if they need extra change to pay for their drinks.
Former barista Crystal Diaz told Insider that this is one of the worst things she's frequently seen customers do.
"If they didn't have enough change, [customers] would grab it out of our tip jar ... they would reach in and 'pay' us," she said. "We would tell them that that was our tip money and to not grab from there, and they would say things like 'Well, I'm paying you now.'"
"This then creates a negative [energy] between customers and the baristas, and that is not what we want," she added.
Don't throw liquid coffee into the trash bags, especially if your beverage is hot.
Diaz also said customers should avoid dumping liquids into garbage bags because it can make for a huge mess.
"That creates leakage in the bag when we take it out and causes odors, even sometimes melting the bag itself," she told Insider.
Instead of pouring some of your coffee into the trash can, Diaz said you should ask your barista ahead of time to leave space in your cup if you know you want to add creamer to your drink.
Try to avoid ordering food to-go if you know you plan to sit in the coffee shop and eat it.
When a cafe worker asks, "Do you want this to stay or to go?" try to be honest.
As a customer, it may not seem like a big deal to change your mind and enjoy your to-go order at a table in-house, but making this a habit can cause issues for baristas.
"This is irritating because we take the time to wrap the food up in to-go containers, place the food in a bag, [and] add plastic utensils and napkins, only to have the customer come in, take a seat, and open everything up," said Alexa Shunk, who used to manage a coffee shop in New Jersey.
She told Insider that extra "to-go items" like paper bags and plastic utensils cost businesses extra money, too.
Don't assume that a coffee "top-off" will be complimentary.
Contrary to popular belief, oftentimes you're not entitled to a free refill after you purchase a single cup of coffee.
"When customers ask for their coffee to be 'topped off,' they want their cup filled back up," said Shunk. She told Insider that asking for a "top off" on a coffee that's half-empty is not cool - it's "just a cheapskate way to get out of paying for another cup."
If you don't plan on buying anything, don't make a habit of trying to use coffee shops' bathrooms.
Although some coffee shops won't mind allowing you to use their restroom on occasion, it's best not to make this a regular habit - especially if you don't plan on making a purchase.
"If you're truly in a bind and need to stop in a [coffee shop] to use the bathroom, it's usually acceptable," former barista Beverly Friedmann told Insider. "But if you're someone who routinely uses coffee stores just for bathroom pit stops alone, this is likely getting on the nerves of staff, especially if you pick the same store every day."
"It definitely fills the store with additional foot traffic and prevents paying customers from using the bathroom, especially if they're in a rush," Friedmann added.
If you're going to camp out for a while, don't forget to order drinks or snacks throughout the day.
Coffee shops tend to welcome those who want to get work done, but as a former barista told Insider, if you plan to camp out in a prime seat for hours, buying one cup of coffee at the start of your "shift" isn't enough to earn the use of that desirable real estate.
"Bringing your laptop to [a coffee house] is not only totally reasonable - we expect and welcome it. Workers, writers, and everyone in between are always welcome to sit over a cup of coffee while they type away," said Friedmann.
That said, she told Insider that staff members notice those who stay in coffee shops for hours without making additional purchases - and it can sometimes be frustrating.
Also, be mindful of your fellow customers and avoid turning the place into your personal office.
Friedmann also told Insider that most staff members don't like it when customers try to turn the coffee shop into a full-fledged personal office, especially since it "can get on the nerves of other customers."
Generally, while in a cafe, you may want to avoid signing onto noisy conference calls and spreading out your bags and papers across multiple tables and chairs.
"We once had a customer pull out a full office-style supply kit, sit on her phone for hours (along with her laptop), and spill coffee on the floor in the process. Please be mindful of your fellow patrons and staff," Friedmann added.
Insider spoke to a group of baristas and former coffee-shop employees to figure out some of the most frustrating things customers do on a regular basis.
Here are eight things you should never do in a coffee shop.
You probably shouldn't complain to baristas about the prices at a coffee shop.
Yes, costs can rack up quickly at a coffee shop, especially if you're ordering an intricate drink made from high-quality beans.
That said, complaining about beverage costs isn't going to endear you to any cafe employees.
"Our number-one [customer] complaint is price," coffee-shop owner Adam McIntyre of The Pedlar in Pai, Thailand, told Insider.
He explained that there's a reason that drinks are priced a certain way, and it's often because of the quality of the products and the labor that goes into making them.
Whether you're in a coffee shop or not, you should never grab change out of a tip jar, even if you're short on cash.
This one seems beyond obvious, but a few baristas told us that they frequently see guests digging into tip jars to make up the difference if they need extra change to pay for their drinks.
Former barista Crystal Diaz told Insider that this is one of the worst things she's frequently seen customers do.
"If they didn't have enough change, [customers] would grab it out of our tip jar ... they would reach in and 'pay' us," she said. "We would tell them that that was our tip money and to not grab from there, and they would say things like 'Well, I'm paying you now.'"
"This then creates a negative [energy] between customers and the baristas, and that is not what we want," she added.
Don't throw liquid coffee into the trash bags, especially if your beverage is hot.
Diaz also said customers should avoid dumping liquids into garbage bags because it can make for a huge mess.
"That creates leakage in the bag when we take it out and causes odors, even sometimes melting the bag itself," she told Insider.
Instead of pouring some of your coffee into the trash can, Diaz said you should ask your barista ahead of time to leave space in your cup if you know you want to add creamer to your drink.
Try to avoid ordering food to-go if you know you plan to sit in the coffee shop and eat it.
When a cafe worker asks, "Do you want this to stay or to go?" try to be honest.
As a customer, it may not seem like a big deal to change your mind and enjoy your to-go order at a table in-house, but making this a habit can cause issues for baristas.
"This is irritating because we take the time to wrap the food up in to-go containers, place the food in a bag, [and] add plastic utensils and napkins, only to have the customer come in, take a seat, and open everything up," said Alexa Shunk, who used to manage a coffee shop in New Jersey.
She told Insider that extra "to-go items" like paper bags and plastic utensils cost businesses extra money, too.
Don't assume that a coffee "top-off" will be complimentary.
Contrary to popular belief, oftentimes you're not entitled to a free refill after you purchase a single cup of coffee.
"When customers ask for their coffee to be 'topped off,' they want their cup filled back up," said Shunk. She told Insider that asking for a "top off" on a coffee that's half-empty is not cool - it's "just a cheapskate way to get out of paying for another cup."
If you don't plan on buying anything, don't make a habit of trying to use coffee shops' bathrooms.
Although some coffee shops won't mind allowing you to use their restroom on occasion, it's best not to make this a regular habit - especially if you don't plan on making a purchase.
"If you're truly in a bind and need to stop in a [coffee shop] to use the bathroom, it's usually acceptable," former barista Beverly Friedmann told Insider. "But if you're someone who routinely uses coffee stores just for bathroom pit stops alone, this is likely getting on the nerves of staff, especially if you pick the same store every day."
"It definitely fills the store with additional foot traffic and prevents paying customers from using the bathroom, especially if they're in a rush," Friedmann added.
If you're going to camp out for a while, don't forget to order drinks or snacks throughout the day.
Coffee shops tend to welcome those who want to get work done, but as a former barista told Insider, if you plan to camp out in a prime seat for hours, buying one cup of coffee at the start of your "shift" isn't enough to earn the use of that desirable real estate.
"Bringing your laptop to [a coffee house] is not only totally reasonable - we expect and welcome it. Workers, writers, and everyone in between are always welcome to sit over a cup of coffee while they type away," said Friedmann.
That said, she told Insider that staff members notice those who stay in coffee shops for hours without making additional purchases - and it can sometimes be frustrating.
Also, be mindful of your fellow customers and avoid turning the place into your personal office.
Friedmann also told Insider that most staff members don't like it when customers try to turn the coffee shop into a full-fledged personal office, especially since it "can get on the nerves of other customers."
Generally, while in a cafe, you may want to avoid signing onto noisy conference calls and spreading out your bags and papers across multiple tables and chairs.
"We once had a customer pull out a full office-style supply kit, sit on her phone for hours (along with her laptop), and spill coffee on the floor in the process. Please be mindful of your fellow patrons and staff," Friedmann added.
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