Coffee is big business in 2025; cafes and coffee shops appear to make up a third of all businesses on our high streets, behind barbers and charity shops. 98 million cups of coffee are drunk in the UK per day! A reflection of the important role coffee plays in our daily lives and the growing UK cafe culture. Here are some tips, from the workers’ mouths, on how to enjoy your favorite purveyor of hot bean beverages.
DO, make sure you read a menu before heading to the counter.
Given the popularity of cafes, you can expect to have to queue for your daily grind. Most establishments have taken the effort to print a menu, in the form of a piece of paper or printed in large type across one wall of the room. By the time you have made it face to face with a barista, they ask that you already have a faint idea of what you might fancy. This is to the benefit of the impatient guest behind you who may be in a rush and is furiously staring a hole into the back of your head. Their pent up aggression is often let out onto the next person they talk to: the barista.
DON’T, complain to the minimum wage staff about the pricing structure.
In 2024, Starbucks UK’s annual revenue came in at £525.6 million. Very little of which ends up in the pocket of the member of staff serving you. They have no say in how much the drinks cost or used to cost. Giving them an earful of how you are displeased with the prices is a waste of time.
DO, be polite to the staff, chances are they’ve been spoken to like garbage multiple times today.
As mentioned in the entry above, the member of staff serving you that day is just a cog in the wheel. They have had to serve dozens of people before you walk through the door, and chances are, they have had to deal with some real stinkers. Try not to add to the total for the day, it’s so easy to be kind, it takes a lot more energy to be a “Karen.”
DONT, try and order off items not on the menu because another place does them.
Your favourite cafe X serves drink Y. This does not obligate every other cafe to serve that drink because it’s your favourite. If you want a matcha today, and your usual place doesn’t do matcha, your choice is to have another drink from the menu or go somewhere that does matcha. Helpfully recommending that they should start making drink X because it’s popular may be said with good intentions, but the 18 year old uni student at their part-time job has very little sway on the marketing strategy of Costa Coffee.
DO, feel free to stay as long as you wish, enjoy the atmosphere.
Espresso (express) coffees are, by design, to be served quickly. This doesn’t mean you have to drink them as fast as possible. Chances are someone has painstakingly attempted to create a chill-vibe atmosphere in the cafe through their choice of music, furniture, paint and foliage. So please feel free to sit and soak up the vibe; they did it all for you after all.
DONT, leave a mess.
Is it the staff’s job to clean tables, sweep floors, and keep the toilets in a semi-hygienic order? Yes. Does this mean you can be as messy as possible because there is a person to fix all your whoopsies? No. Too many times the phrase “What’s the problem? It’s their job to clean it up” are the final words spoken in the wake of a sugar packet and milk disaster zone. Most people may think it will be a small minority that behaves like this, so it shouldn’t need mentioning, but here we are.
DONT, be afraid to make idle chit chat with the barista.
It’s a quiet day, for the last hour the barista has been trying to find a sneaky way of sitting or leaning to save their feet while also looking like they are standing to attention. They are bored out of their mind. When placing an order, don’t be afraid to ask them how they are, maybe even just quip about the weather. The days can feel long, and there is only so much moaning you can do to your coworker about your boss. Help break up the monotony; they might even start to feel like a human again.
DO, try and behave like a civilised member of society (this includes children).
Societal norms are unwritten rules that make sure we all just about get along. So let’s go over some basics: Don’t break or tear anything that is on the tables for guests to use. Don’t watch videos loudly on your phone without headphones. Don’t steal any of the cups/glasses/toilet rolls for home use. Don’t allow your children to run, scream, jump around, or roll around on the floor in the middle of the cafe. Being a parent is hard, but having to put up with other people’s feral children with no power to stop them can be even harder.
DONT, forget to tell your friends, in person or online about your favourite spots.
This is for the indie spots; it’s a competitive market. If you’ve got nothing but good things to say about your favourite spot, try verbalising them. Tell a friend or family member; even better, tell your social media platform of choice. Word-of-mouth recommendation is a valuable free marketing tool for the small spots with no budget for getting the word out.
Sincerely,
Your friendly neighborhood coffee curators.
