[cylinder]

I agree, some coffee shops like it, apparently somehow they make the economics work (the one next to me calls itself a "Platform for Entrepreneurs," ugh).

I'd like to see someone open a cafe that has a communal-only seating policy, perhaps even you are assigned to a seat in one of the communal seating areas, no laptops. The cafe promotes active engagement and conversation amongst people who do not know each other. A return to the original purpose of the London coffee house -- a place to debate[1].

There are plenty of coffee shops where people are buried into their laptops already, but as this article demonstrates, some people really do want to talk to people they don't know, but they find it tough to get out of their comfort zone. If there's a space where this is encouraged and promoted, I think many would welcome it.

[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united...