Requirements of Coffee Shop Hotdesking
As I said in my previous post, coffee shops are my default location for hotdesking. Wherever I go, I think a coffee shop must fulfill the following requirements, otherwise productivity is lost:
1. Great coffee!
The picture here is the least I would be happy with. Of course you can only see how it looks, but I can tell you it tasted very smooth, a hint of nut and praline. The best part is I made it myself, with a bit of help from the Red Brick blend from the Square Mile Coffee Roasters. The mini lavender cupcakes are courtesy of my wife and daughter’s baking and icing exploits.
So if I go out, the coffee has a lot to live up to. A really well made flat white it has to be, or I just feel I’ve wasted my cash.
2. Free wifi.
That is easy to log onto, and is quick enough to browse, send receive emails and perhaps receive a voip call.
3. Table space enough for my laptop, the aforementioned coffee and a pen and paper.
If you’re jammed on a small table next to a group of people, you won’t feel comfortable. A good size table, a comfy seat and ideally no-one next to you is what you need.
4. Medium to low level noise.
Music is acceptable (though must be decent), chatter is too. But roadworks outside the door is not.
People like coffee shops with a “buzz”, but too much “buzz” is too much distraction.
A note on coffeehouse chains:
You see lots of people working in these, Starbucks and Costa Coffee seem to be the favourites, but they generally tick only 1or 2 out my 4 requirements. Very often the coffee is lacking, so bad value for money, and not all have wifi. For my preference if I use a chain I would use Starbucks as there’s always wifi and you can usually find a good space, plus if I fancy something fancy, the Starbucks Frappuccino is refreshing on a hot day! Beside that I’d like to try the new Costa Metro brand, they look kinda funky and potentially a good place to hotdesk!
My coffee shop recommendations to follow!
John Garcia Translation 