Standing Room Only

Some coffee shop owners are tired of all your freeloaders buying a cup of coffee and treating their tables and chairs like your office. So not only are some stores banning laptops outright or just not offering WiFi or electrical outlets, others are designing against comfort, following the Italian model and opting for counters instead of comfy seats and roomy tables: "The new coffee bars challenge the archetypal American cafe." [NYT via Eater National]