Martin Bosley: Kiwi restaurateur on the acceptable timeframe to stay at a café following Napier incident

A debate about the unwritten rules of café etiquette has surfaced after an incident in Napier.

Reporter Mark Story was asked to leave Napier café Smiths, after being told he hadn't spent enough to stay longer than an hour.

Kiwi restaurateur Martin Bosley says different establishments are likely to have different house rules.

"I think it's common sense... if the place is empty, if there's no one around, you're not casing any problems, it'd be absolutely fine. Cafés want people in them." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So this has been getting a little bit of chat,
hasn't it. A man got tossed out of a cafe
for staying too long. The man was, unfortunately for the cafe,
a reporter, so he wrote about it. He'd had a
breoshe and he'd had a coffee and then after an hour,
then aper cafe told him to leave. Now here's Mark's
story and he was on with Kerry this morning and
he said that he decided to write about his experience
in order to kick off a discussion about whether an
hour is long enough for a customer to outstay their welcome.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
I think to put a time limit on it. That
boils it down a bit too far, because you know,
I didn't use any salt and pepper, I don't have
sugar in my coffee, and I don't use the restroom,
so I'll save the money for toilet paper.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
So paid got in touch with the cafe. They didn't
respond to a request for comment risk return. Martin Bosley's
with me now, Hay boss, hey, how you doing very well?

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Thank you?

Speaker 1 (00:44):
What do you reckon? Would you have kicked him out
after an hour?

Speaker 3 (00:48):
You know it's a tricky one, isn't it? Like what
was you after an hour? No way, not after an hour.
But I mean, I think you've got it. It is
real estate we're talking about, right, and it is a business.
It's not a public space. So different cafes are going
to have differences to help rules. I mean, I know
in Australia it's really common there on their menus to
say that they expect the table to be located within
an hour of you finishing whatever it is you're eating
or drinking, and make it quite clear on a lot

(01:09):
of their sort of house rules as it were. You know,
you know, you might be using the toilet, might be
plugging your laptop to use their power. So I think
it's kind of common sense. But ette you it's the
place is empty, and there's how anybody around. You're not
you know, you're not causing any problems, right, And I
think it'd be absolutely fine. Cafes want people, and the
people are attracted to busy places.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Well that's what I would having people sit and I.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
Having people sitting in there. But I think if you're
if you're sitting there and left, or you haven't done anything,
you have bought anything for at least an hour, and
there's people coming in clearly wanting the tables, and I
think do the right thing to pack up your stuff
and go. But I think you should probably buy something
at least every hour, you know, after every hour and
a half, at least just to pay, just to pay
the rent on the table, which is basically what you're
essentially what you're doing.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
On the flip side, why why do we feel entitled
to sit in a cafe? I mean, like I wouldn't
feel like I was entitled to come around to your
house and just linger for an hour. So why the
entire as went from mark you.

Speaker 3 (02:01):
Know, and that's exactly right, Like it is like coming
to my house. It's like cafes resons their personal expressions
of self. Right, so we open the doors, we might
be wanted to come in and see what is we're doing.
But I think some much there's a perception that they
have public spaces and that we could do whatever you
want of them. You open the doors, I can come in,
I can do what I want. I can feed my children
at the table, I can bring my own food, bring
my own drinks. Sometimes, you know, like we just kind

(02:21):
of forget that actually it's a business, and it is
like someone's going to home and as you say, like
you come around my place back up and now and
as and I'd be like I'm here, that your idea,
anything else like your or your coat.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Now I know the things to watch out for the
coded language buzz. Thank you very much. Thanks mate. Look
at Hotel Martin Bosley resta returf, very very famous restaurateur.
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