How to be a welcome regular

A café that welcomes laptops is doing you a favor. Here is how to make sure it keeps doing it.

Order regularly

A good rule is one order every two hours, more at busy times. If you stay all day, buy lunch there.

Read the room

At lunch and on weekends, tables are worth money. Give up a big table if you are alone, and pack up if people are waiting. Some places, like Estufa in Lisbon, ask for no laptops on weekends.

Keep calls short

Even where calls are welcome, use headphones and keep them short. Never take a call in a kissaten or a reading room.

Share the outlets

Arrive charged, unplug when you are full and never run a cable across a walkway.

Say thank you

Learn the names of the staff, tip when you can and come back. Being a regular is the best way to always have a seat.