Why House Rules Matter in Coffee Culture and Cafe Etiquette

An independent cafe in Seoul clashed with five Chinese-speaking female tourists over its one-drink-per-person dine-in rule. The group ordered two drinks and a dessert, then took seats, and staff asked them to order three more drinks. The tourists refused, an argument followed, and as they left one poured a drink onto the sofa and table.

Companions reportedly gave the manager the middle finger and insults as he followed them out, drawing anger from Korean netizens. The cafe had not explained the dine-in rule clearly at first, since staff assumed the order was to go. The episode shows that coffee culture rests on reading and respecting a venue's house rules before settling in.

Recently, an independent café in Seoul, South Korea, got into a conflict with five Chinese-speaking female foreign tourists over its dine-in rule of "one drink per person." The tourists ordered only two drinks but wanted to seat five people; when asked to order three more drinks, they refused and an argument broke out. As they were leaving, one tourist poured her unfinished drink onto the sofa and table, while her companions gave the manager, who had chased after them, the middle finger and hurled insults. The incident sparked outrage among Korean netizens. Independent cafés frequently clash with customers over house rules, and Front Street Coffee reminds us that understanding and respecting a venue's rules is a prerequisite for enjoying coffee culture.

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According to the Korea Daily, not long ago at a café in Seoul, five foreign female tourists got into a dispute with staff because they were unhappy with the shop's requirement that "each seated person must order one item."

It is said that this independent café welcomed five Chinese-speaking foreign travelers on the 7th of this month. After entering, they ordered only two drinks and a dessert; the staff at the time assumed these customers intended to take their order to go, so they did not carefully explain the café's dine-in rules to them.

However, while waiting for their order, the customers found seats on their own and said they wanted to enjoy their food in the shop. This put the staff in an awkward position. The staff explained that the café has a clear rule for dine-in customers: every seated customer must order at least one drink.

Obviously, the number of drinks purchased by these five tourists who intended to dine in fell far short of the café's rule. When the manager learned of this, he explained the rule to the customers, telling them that if they were sure they wanted to dine in, they would need to order three more drinks before they could be seated.

The customers refused the manager's request to order more on the spot, and the two sides began to argue. Meanwhile, one of the tourists asked the staff to pack up the dessert they had bought, indicating that they no longer planned to stay and dine in the café. The five tourists then left the café with their belongings and the packed dessert.

What the staff never expected was that after the tourists left, the dining area was in a mess, with obvious water stains on the sofa. The manager hurried outside to find them and clarify the situation. According to surveillance footage and witness accounts, one of the customers, who had not yet gone far, turned around, gave him the middle finger, and verbally abused him.

Afterward, the café owner reviewed the in-store surveillance footage and found that these five tourists may have still been angry after arguing with the staff. So after her companions got up to leave, one woman poured her unfinished drink onto the sofa and table, and even deliberately knocked over the cup, apparently venting her dissatisfaction with the café in this way.

The person in charge said that when they saw on the surveillance footage the tourists' retaliatory act of spilling drinks everywhere, and then learned that the employee had been insulted when chasing after them, they felt extremely angry. Korean netizens who learned of the incident were also quite displeased and expressed their anger in the comments.

However, some café industry workers pointed out that conflicts between independent cafés and consumers over shop rules are not uncommon. He mentioned that some customers, after ordering, ask for multiple cups to pour beer they have secretly brought in from outside. But drinking alcohol is actually prohibited in the shop; customers may think that without surveillance they can do as they please, and some older customers even brazenly place beer cans on the table.

Therefore, café operators often find it very headache-inducing when they encounter customers who do not understand the shop rules, and they feel helpless because after explaining, the other party refuses to heed the advice.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.