MELBOURNE, Fla. – Many coffee shops and restaurants offer free Wi-Fi access as a service to their patrons, but more operators are saying that they expect customers to purchase something when using the service, Florida Today reports.
Some establishment have posted formal rules about using free wireless Internet, while others have unwritten expectations. More people are disconnecting high-speed Internet service at home and going to locations with free Wi-Fi, making a sticky situation for operators who want to fill tables with paying customers.
Restaurants and coffeehouses usually pay between $50 and $100 per month for broadband Wi-Fi access, so having nonpaying customers linger for hours can add to that cost. The House of Joe makes customers purchase something to access the Wi-Fi. Sun Shoppe Café doesn’t have a formal policy but encourages customers to buy something to tie up a table with their laptop.
“We’re not rude about it and kick them out,” said Sun Shoppe co-owner Mark Johnson. “But we do ask that they at least buy a cup of coffee since it’s free Internet access.”
Jocelyn Zambrana, owner of Juice N Java Café, has seen an uptick in the number of people coming in with laptops. But she doesn’t require a purchase to access the Internet, adding that most people do buy something anyway.