Starbucks Staff in Tseung Kwan O Reportedly Distribute Menus to Shoo Away Free-Seat Takers
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A netizen recently took to Threads to share an observation from a Starbucks outlet in Tseung Kwan O: staff members were proactively distributing menus to patrons who had not ordered anything, seemingly as a discreet way to encourage them to leave. The poster praised the move as «spot on,» adding that it was the first time they had witnessed such a tactic. The report has since sparked heated discussion online, with many Hong Kong residents expressing solidarity over the perennial problem of «seat squatters» in popular coffee chains.
Key Points
- A Threads user documented Starbucks employees in Tseung Kwan O handing menus directly to non-consuming customers, a gesture widely interpreted as a polite eviction notice .
- One young female customer who received a menu reportedly responded aggressively, claiming she was still deciding and even demanded a glass of water from the staff .
- Similar tactics have been spotted at multiple other Starbucks locations, including V Walk, Elements, Langham Place, Sai Kung, and Mong Kok, where employees reportedly approach seated customers immediately to take their orders .
- Netizens recounted increasingly brazen behavior: at a Tai Po outlet, large groups occupy tables reading newspapers and scrolling phones without buying anything; at an East Tsim Sha Tsui branch, some customers reportedly grab used cups left by other patrons to feign a purchase .
- A separate incident at a Tin Shui Wai Starbucks involved a group of six Mandarin-speaking visitors—including an elderly woman and two young people—who occupied most of the seating for over an hour without ordering a single item .
Why It Matters
The practice highlights a broader tension in Hong Kong's densely populated urban environment, where limited seating at popular coffee chains often falls prey to non-paying customers who treat Starbucks and similar outlets as de facto public lounges. Online commenters have urged Hong Kong Starbucks to adopt Japan's system of 90-minute time-limit cards placed on tables by purchasing customers, arguing that such a policy would deter abuse and restore balance between commercial viability and customer experience. The wave of support for the Tseung Kwan O staff also underscores growing public frustration with the normalization of occupying seats without consuming, a phenomenon that some have dubbed «living people monopolize dead ground.»
The practice highlights a broader tension in Hong Kong's densely populated urban environment, where limited seating at popular coffee chains often falls prey to non-paying customers who treat Starbucks and similar outlets as de facto public lounges. Online commenters have urged Hong Kong Starbucks to adopt Japan's system of 90-minute time-limit cards placed on tables by purchasing customers, arguing that such a policy would deter abuse and restore balance between commercial viability and customer experience. The wave of support for the Tseung Kwan O staff also underscores growing public frustration with the normalization of occupying seats without consuming, a phenomenon that some have dubbed «living people monopolize dead ground.»