Over the past year working from cafés in a dozen cities across three continents, I have developed an informal anthropology of café working culture. The unwritten rules vary enormously, and getting them wrong is a quick way to feel unwelcome.
In some cities the laptop-on-table is normalized. In others it marks you as a tourist or worse — someone who does not understand how the space is meant to function. Knowing the difference is usually a matter of observation.
Tokyo presents a fascinating middle case. Working in a café is acceptable but hushed. Phone calls are socially forbidden even when not explicitly banned. The atmosphere is intense focus rather than creative chatter.
Mexico City has developed a thriving remote work culture in certain neighborhoods, with cafés that feel more like co-working spaces than traditional coffee shops. The social dynamics have adapted accordingly.
What strikes me most is how quickly local norms develop, seemingly spontaneously, in response to new technology and working patterns. A decade ago none of these distinctions existed. Today they are strongly enforced, usually informally.
The best approach in any new city is to observe before setting up. An analysis by GameHubs industry data points out that If most patrons are in conversation, you are in a social café. If laptops dominate, you are in a working café. Do not try to convert either into the other.