A New York coffee shop has angered its customers after imposing a hefty fine on people who took out their laptops.
Bedford Studio in Manhattan’s West Village charges $10 a day — or $300 a year — to anyone who wants to catch up on work while sipping on cortados or Marrakesh Mints.
The cafe is accused of ripping off its customers by impersonating an upmarket members-only club.
TikToker @sidnyenikole blew the whistle on the fare policy in a post that received 22,000 likes and hundreds of outraged comments from New Yorkers angry about the city’s rising cost of living.
“NYC as a whole is a scam,” one person wrote. “I don’t understand how people can still love it.”
“I didn’t know the local coffee shop would turn into Soho House but I think this is just a commercial for this happening now,” TikToker @sidnyenikole said
The coffee shop advertises itself as the ‘ideal workplace’ but charges you $10 a day
The TikToker, who previously posted about housing costs and her six-figure student debt, went viral when she saw notices in the coffee shop listing the rules.
“If you thought living in New York City was expensive, now we have to pay to take our laptops to coffee shops. That’s not free anymore, that’s not a free right in our community,” she said in the clip.
‘I totally get it now if you buy something at a cafe to sit there and do your work or something, and then on top of the $9 drink you have to pay that amount to use your laptop.
‘I didn’t know the local coffee house was going to turn into Soho House, but I guess this is just an announcement that this is happening now.’
The cafe boasted of its “free Wi-Fi and charging stations” in its first Instagram posts last year. Customers told the TikToker that the coffee shop is already facing backlash over the surcharge.
“I came in here to grab my laptop and answer an email,” one person wrote. “The barista asked me ‘are you…a member?’ And I said ‘a member of a coffee shop?’
“I am truly amazed at the idea that you don’t want people in your business,” wrote another. “I would boycott you.”
“This is so Black Mirror,” wrote a third. “It scares me.”
The coffee house bills itself as ‘the destination to meet people, enjoy coffee, be productive and be part of a community’
‘Bedford Studio invites everyone to come in to buy a coffee and relax, but requires a membership to work from the Studio,’ it reads.
But it offered free Wi-Fi last year in an effort to attract customers in its early Instagram posts
On its website, the coffeehouse bills itself as “the destination to meet people, enjoy coffee, be productive and be part of a community.”
‘Bedford Studio invites everyone to come in, buy a coffee and relax, but membership is required to work in the Studio. It creates a productive environment and provides the opportunity to meet new people and take part in member events aimed at promoting wellbeing and career growth,’ the press release said.
Dailymail.com has contacted Bedford Studio for comment.
Some were sympathetic to a small business trying to survive in a neighborhood where developers were asking $57.5 million for an apartment in a converted parking garage.
According to a May report from Streeteasy.com, rising rents and high costs mean that less than 5 percent of New York City apartments are affordable for the average worker.
According to the city’s Housing and Vacancy Survey, the median rent rose 8.6 percent last year to $3,475, with one in four households spending more than half of their combined income on rent.
“Rents in New York are insanely high, even for small businesses,” wrote one discouraged respondent.
‘If you want to use free WiFi in public spaces, support your local libraries.’
A former coffee shop manager added: ‘That’s because people are taking up space for hours and only buying a few things. Unfortunately, in this economy, not all coffee shops can afford the rent.’
The TikToker’s post received 22,000 likes and left some followers furious
Another noted: ‘Or you just can’t use the WiFi while getting your overpriced coffee.
“These are all choices you make to spend money.”
The news left some shocked at the prices being charged in New York’s overheated economy.
“Whatttttt, if anyone wants to move to Texas DM me,” one person wrote.
“In other parts of the world people sit in coffee shops and cafes all day, but in the US it’s all about profit,” another noted.