Entitled customers are toxic! Listen to my friends unpack my thoughts and latest blog post.

Entitled consumer behaviour is quietly stripping the profit, joy, and humanity out of my world – the world of independent Irish hospitality that I have given my life to. We do not permit BYO food into our cafe!

What it actually costs us to open the doors Most customers will never see the numbers I work through with food business owners every week – but you need to understand them if you want to know why certain behaviours are unacceptable. Before a single coffee is poured, an independent Irish café has already paid out thousands in deposits, legal fees, fit‑out, equipment, licences, training, stock, signage, tech, and marketing. Then there is the daily “cost of turning the key”: Rising wages and the move towards a living wage Employer pension contributions under auto‑enrolment High commercial rents and rates Eye‑watering energy and utility bills for ovens, fridges, coffee machines and ventilation Insurance, food‑safety compliance, ongoing training and inspections VAT at 13.5% on food service, with the business acting as tax collector and cash‑flow shock absorber None of this disappears because a customer decides they only want to “just sit”, occupy a four‑top, eat their own food, or spend the bare minimum while using every facility. Those choices land directly on the shoulders of the owner – the same owner you might later complain “suddenly closed” without ever understanding why. How entitlement feeds the closure crisis I’m fighting I spend a lot of my time helping owners understand their numbers, tighten their systems and fight to stay open in the face of rising costs and staff shortages. When you layer entitled customer behaviour on top of thin margins and escalating overheads, it is no surprise to me that we are seeing wave after wave of closures in Irish hospitality. Every outside roll/ sandwich eaten in an independent café, every two‑hour laptop camp for the price of a single drink, every hostile review because an owner enforced a basic boundary – they all contribute to the slow strangling of the very places people claim to “love”. If you value local cafés, restaurants and food trucks – the places that remember your name and your order – then you cannot keep behaving in ways that make it impossible for them to survive. My challenge to you So here is my ask, as a food business coach, a former operator, and someone who is fiercely protective of Irish hospitality: Eat the business’s food at the business’s tables – don’t bring your own. Order in a way that respects the time and space you’re using, especially at busy times. Honour clear policies on time limits, food‑safety and minimum spends. Give feedback with respect and context, not in the heat of a public online rant. Remember there is a human being – often the owner – behind that counter, not a faceless corporation. Entitled consumer behaviour and the reality of running an independent food business in Ireland cannot both win. If you want cafés and restaurants with soul, character and real hospitality, then it’s time to look at your own behaviour and decide whether you’re helping those doors stay open – or quietly pushing them shut. Mutual respect breeds the most rewarding transactions and allows our towns and villages to nurture entrepreneurship and keeps chains away. We must do better. Honest exemptions need to be highlighted!

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