Bringing Outside Food Is Just the Start: Café Owners Struggle With All Kinds of Difficult Customers

[Financial News] Stories of self-employed business owners quietly agonizing over customer behavior that at times feels like an outright disruption of their business are nothing new. Small cafés, especially those run by a single person in neighborhood commercial districts, are said to face an even wider range of so-called "problem customers." Debate continues over where inconsiderate behavior ends and where legitimate customer rights begin.
According to the small business owners' community Apeunikka Sajangida on the 17th, many café operators complained that it is particularly hard to run their businesses because of the many different types of difficult customers they encounter.
One owner said, "They each order a cheap cup of coffee and then keep asking me to refill their hot water," adding, "They sit there for three hours, so in effect they are drinking new coffee over and over again." The owner explained that even hot water costs money in terms of supplies and labor, and that long stays mean the customers are occupying seats for hours, making the owner feel like switching refills to a paid service. However, many said that as long as customers order according to the number of people, they have no clear grounds to stop them and can only stew in frustration.
Long-term "seat occupation" is a classic headache for cafés. Customers who hold a seat for six to nine hours with just a single cup of coffee in front of them have become commonplace. There have been even more baffling cases. One day, a customer was seen drinking a latte that the café did not sell. When the owner checked the CCTV footage, it turned out the customer had bought a latte from a nearby discount coffee shop and poured it into the café’s cup. This amounted to bringing in outside drinks, but the owner said it was awkward to confront the customer directly and the situation was very uncomfortable.
Even "non-customers" who simply pass by the café can be a source of stress. One owner complained that a dog owner who uses the area in front of the store like a walking path lets their pet relieve itself on the artificial grass or near the outdoor air-conditioning unit. When the owner says, "You can’t do that," the person snaps back, "We’re outside, what’s the problem?" or "Are you going to police this even when you’re closed?" According to one self-employed commenter, the issue was resolved only after they poured an entire bottle of bleach over the wall stained with urine.
Another small café operator said, "I’m not making money, I’m losing it, and these problem customers are driving me crazy." The owner continued, "My shop sells a lot of desserts and bread, but people secretly bring in their own snacks and bread to eat. They finish a single cup of Americano and then ask me to top it up with water. Two people come in, order one drink, ask for an extra cup, and share it. Some even put their feet up on the sofa, lie down, watch videos on their tablet, and then ask me to turn off the café music." The owner added, "No matter how polite I am, my daily sales don’t even reach 100,000 won," and warned, "Don’t go into the low-priced coffee business where the average spend per customer doesn’t even reach 5,000 won."
Whenever these stories are shared, the comment sections heat up. The most common advice is that "You have to be clear and firm with problem customers from the very beginning." Many argue that if you do not draw a line early on with outside food or excessive refill requests, customers will later complain, "Why are you suddenly making an issue of this now?" In the case of hot water refills, which even among self-employed owners sparked debate over whether they should be offered as a free service, some suggested a practical solution: "Offer one free refill per drink, and charge for any refills after that."
wonder@fnnews.com Jung Sang-hee Reporter