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Bad manners means bad coffee!

Summary

13 April 2012

A coffee shop in England is refusing to serve any customer who places an order while talking on a mobile phone.

Reporter

John Cranston

Report

Little Red Roaster is a bit of an upmarket, market stall. Here they don't do bad coffee or bad manners. The owner has put his foot down because he got fed up with having to compete for the attention of certain customers…

Darren Groom, shop owner:

They order it by going 'I'll have a cappuccino' and we then can't ask the relevant questions, do you want sugar, would you like a lid? We just had an increase in people doing it and being upset when we said we wouldn't serve them until they finished their call, so we put the sign up.

Most of his clientele say he's absolutely right…

Vox pops of customers:

I think it's a really good idea. I think. I've worked in pubs before and I think it's quite rude when you're talking to customers and making eye contact and then, suddenly the phone goes or they're on the phone talking to you.

Everybody's got a mobile phone so you tend to get sort of sidelined and the mobile phone becomes a priority, whereas actually it becomes a secondary issue.

If people on the stalls did it to the customer then the customer would probably walk off.

Darren and his wife have a coffee shop too where the same ban prevails albeit not to universal approval… 

Darren Groom, shop owner:

Some people turn their nose up at and snarl and think it's ridiculous and that we're being a bit precious but you can't please everybody.

Darren insists he's not out to start a campaign - he just wants to make his life a little easier.