Patrons of coffee chain Gloria Jean's Coffees Singapore will no longer be allowed to study at its West Coast Plaza outlet on weekends and public holidays (PHs).

The policy was announced by the coffee chain in a Facebook post on Sep. 22, 2023.

Reasons for the new policy

In the post, Gloria Jean's Coffees Singapore said that it had tried to avoid implementing this policy, but its enactment has become "inevitable" due to the "inconsiderate actions of a few."

These behaviours included leaving behind belongings unattended for hours repeatedly, thereby depriving other guests of the facilities, and occupying tables without making any purchases before returning with food and drinks purchased elsewhere.

As a result of this table-hogging behaviour, Gloria Jean's Coffees Singapore receives complaints from other customers every week.

To avoid receiving more complaints and causing stress to its baristas by requiring them to police the outlet on top of their existing responsibilities, the coffee chain said it had "no alternative" but to implement the "no studying on weekends and PHs" policy.

Gloria Jean's Coffees Singapore added that this policy would also help its team to focus on what it does best, namely "crafting the best cup of beverage possible" and taking care of its guests.

At the end of the post, the coffee chain highlighted that studying at its West Coast Plaza outlet is most welcomed on weekdays and thanked its patrons for their understanding.

Resisted implementing "no studying" policy for 2 years

In a review posted on Oct. 2, a patron claimed the baristas at Gloria Jean's Coffees' West Coast Plaza outlet had "kicked out" customers working on paper on Sunday.

Those who worked on their laptops were not kicked out, presumably because the baristas thought they were only there for leisure, theorised the customer.

He went on to contend that this was not an effective way to identify table-hoggers, as people who use their laptops could also be working, just like the students.

Instead of asking students to leave because they "look easy to kick out", the customer suggested the outlet should consider installing card holders on each table, inserting a card showing the time the person came, and setting a time limit of two or three hours for each visit, said the customer.

Gloria Jean's Coffees' response

However, a significant portion of patrons who stayed at its outlet for an extended period of time would only purchase one to two beverages among a table of four, shared the coffee chain.

They would then repeatedly refill on free water and use up multiple charging points over a period of six to eight hours, with some using them for as long as 12 hours.

Additionally, some of these customers would even leave their belongings unattended for hours before returning with bags of outside food and drinks, which are strictly not allowed at the outlet.

Finally, some would use the facilities without making any purchases.

As it is impossible for the outlet to ascertain whether its customers are table hoggers and manage them accordingly, Gloria Jean's Coffees said it had to implement the blanket rule.

Expensive to sustain F&B business

The outlet also shared that customers might grossly underestimate how much profit a single S$6 cup of beverage brings in for the business and the high costs incurred from students' table-hogging behaviour.

An F&B establishment like Gloria Jean's Coffees Singapore would require a lot more than S$5 to S$10 every six to eight hours to cover its operation costs, added the coffee chain.

As the current situation is not sustainable from both a business and civic point of view, Gloria Jean's Coffees Singapore said it had to stop allowing table hogging during peak hours and not forego the business of other customers.

The full response from the coffee chain can be found below:

Uncooperative & abusive persons will be required to leave

On Monday, Gloria Jean's Coffees Singapore also put up a comment explaining that uncooperative or abusive persons who refuse to follow its "no-studying on weekends and PHs" policy will be required to leave the premises.

They will also be classified as persona non grata (an unwelcomed person).

The coffee chain stressed that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards any abuse of its staff and will not hesitate to take stern actions in such incidents.

It also said that self-entitled reviews from customers arising from its new policy will be disregarded.

At the end of the update, Gloria Jean's Coffees emphasised again that studying is welcome on weekdays with purchases, as it is "unable to operate on a non-profit basis."

Reversal of previous policy

Previously, Gloria Jean's Coffees had welcomed its patrons to work and study at all of its three outlets in Singapore.

In July 2022, the coffee chain also published a Facebook post informing customers of its studying-friendly policy.

A few individuals who had previously studied at its West Coast Plaza outlet also left positive reviews online, highlighting the outlet did not have a sitting time limit as long as a purchase was made. Another called it "a great place to study."

Nevertheless, some students appeared to have camped at the tables, causing a few customers to flag their behaviour online as well.

According to Google Maps, a number of schools lie in close proximity to the Gloria Jean's Coffees' West Coast Plaza outlet, including Clementi Woods Secondary School, Kent Ridge Secondary School, and Nanhua High School.

Top image via Google Maps

---