A sticker placed on all tables warns of the rule: telecommuting is prohibited between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It’s peak time for this cafe in the center of Valencia, located next to the City Hall, which, given the situation, has decided to limit the use of its establishment as a telecommuting space for customers during peak hours.
“We did it because it was already very obvious that people were passing by. There were people who came, asked for a coffee and paid for it immediately and spent the whole morning sitting at the same table”, explains the waitress as she stacks the tables inside the establishment on the terrace, where the rule also applies . He explains that they are not the only ones, that in the bars of the area measures of this style have been applied in front of a scenario that they did not know how to control.
For example, in the cafe next door, the clerk explains that it is very common to see people who arrive with their computers, order breakfast or just a drink and sit down. “It doesn’t bother me, but I understand that my boss doesn’t like that there are people who spend so much time without consuming anything else.”
In the adjacent cafe, where it is common for customers to come in and leave quickly after buying pastries, but where there is also a coffee area, its manager explains that “the owner has removed the Wi-Fi to avoid precisely these situations. People sat down and didn’t leave,” explains the worker.
This trend is also observed in the area next to Carrer Colón. In Carrer Sorní, in one of these establishments that do allow teleworking on a regular basis, they inform the customer that “it is not always possible”. Why? “The place is small and, for example, between ten and eleven past noon is impossible, we need all the tables”, they explain. In the afternoon the limitation is also repeated although, they say, at noon there are no more restrictions because “everything is calmer”.
For those who are curious, there are lists of coffee shops on the internet called work friendly, where it is okay to set up your small office with a steaming cup of coffee and an empanada, for example, but some of those that appear on these lists are businesses which have already limited the hourly access to telecommuters. One of the most popular, also in the central area of ??the Valencian capital, has even limited the areas where you can work remotely. It is not possible at any table to open the laptop, use the tablet or read a book, but there are areas specially enabled for this. This policy is criticized by some customers, who complain that “if you bring a computer, they force you to sit at high tables or at a common table”.
Consulted the Hospitality Federation of Valencia (FEHV), states that “this is a minority situation” and points out that they are not aware that “it is happening routinely in the hospitality industry”. They add that “companies are free to establish the conditions of use of their facilities”, but nevertheless, they appeal to the “common sense of customers” when enjoying the hospitality premises as in places of meeting and recreation and of its gastronomic offer”.
Regarding this decision by some Valencian establishments, La Vanguardia has contacted the Barcelona Restoration Guild to find out their opinion. The answer is that they do not have an opinion as a grouping of hoteliers, since they understand that, as a union, it is not up to them to pronounce “on how restaurateurs should organize their business”.
