These concerns are not exaggerated . I work in an independent cafe . Many of my friends work in or are owners of independent cafes and restaurants . We have all commiserated about the expectation of having free wifi . I have experience kicking people out who have ignored my cafes seating policy . No matter how gently you do it , it is unpleasant to say the least . What policy would you put in place to minimize confrontation and encourage business ? Let ' s say you try a seating time limit . People will flagrantly ignore it and get pissed if you try to enforce it . They will point to an empty twotop and say , But you ' re not that crowded ! while you try to find space for a table of four that is ready to lay down thirty to fifty dollars for drinks and food . So you try thirty minute passes that come with a purchase . A system that is expensive to set up and maintain . A system that customers will come to expect every time they come . A system which , if it goes down , requires immediate attention and a possibly expensive service call . And you ' re still only getting two dollars every half hour for a table that can seat two to four patrons . The only places that don ' t struggle with this are large corporate joints that can absorb the cost . When you are small and independent and struggling and people come in and take space away from other potential customers , those people are killing your business . This is real . I see it every day . Not exaggerated . When you threaten not to come back because we don ' t offer wifi for your two to five dollar purchase , we say , I ' m really sorry , but we do have to offer as much space to as many people as possible . We hope you ' ll come back for coffee again . Have a good day ! What we mean is , Good fucking riddance .