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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Is two drinks and a cake enough for one person to occupy a four-seat café table for four hours?

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • A customer posted a photo from a Twosome Place café showing diary-decorating supplies spread across a four-seat table, alongside two drinks and a slice of cake.
  • Online reactions divided between those who considered the orders sufficient and those who said one person should not occupy a large table for four hours.
  • The customer later apologized and said they would not use a four-seat table alone for diary decorating again.

A South Korean café customer asked online whether ordering two drinks and a slice of cake made it acceptable to occupy a four-seat table alone for four hours. The question quickly turned into a debate over what customers owe one another in crowded franchise cafés.

The customer posted a photo from a Twosome Place shop showing a diary, pens and decorating materials spread across the table. Two drinks and a piece of cake sat among the supplies. “I felt bad taking up this much space alone, so I ordered two drinks and one cake,” the customer wrote, asking whether that would be enough for a four-hour stay.

I felt bad taking up this much space alone, so I ordered two drinks and one cake. Will this be okay if I stay for four hours?

· Café customerThe customer’s post sparked the online debate over occupying a four-seat table alone.

Some users argued that the customer had paid enough and that long stays in cafés are common, especially for studying or working. One commenter said, “It’s Twosome Place. People sit alone at two-person tables all day after ordering one drink, so what’s the problem? Personally, I think two drinks and one cake would justify staying until closing.” A former franchise café worker also called the behavior “not a nuisance” and said the customer could stay longer.

It’s Twosome Place. People sit alone at two-person tables all day after ordering one drink, so what’s the problem? Personally, I think two drinks and one cake would justify staying until closing.

· Online commenterThe commenter argued that the customer’s purchases justified the long stay.

Others said the issue was not the length of the stay but the size of the table. One commenter argued that two drinks and a cake amounted to payment for one table, not the two tables’ worth of space represented by a four-seat arrangement. Another said long stays were common in franchise cafés, but added that the customer’s decorating materials could have fit on a two-seat table.

After criticism spread online, the customer posted again the following day. “Someone else said it was a nuisance,” they wrote. “I won’t do that alone anymore. I was ignorant. I’m sorry.” The customer also said they would stop decorating diaries alone in cafés to avoid inconveniencing others.

Someone else said it was a nuisance. I won’t do that alone anymore. I was ignorant. I’m sorry.

· Café customerThe customer apologized after criticism spread online.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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