AIBU to expect cafés to stay open after 4pm?

I babysat so my DD and DSiL could go out for an evening meal. They hadn't booked but drove around the small towns on the Moray coast looking for a welcoming sign. They found one but on entering were told last orders 7.30pm and it was past that.
They bought fish suppers and sat on a bench in the dark looking out to sea.

By contrast, camping in Northern France, on our final evening we put up our tent in the rain and with hardly any food left we found a small inn.
We asked if they served food, they told us to wait but opened a separate room for the 8 of us, 3 generations, and we had a wonderful memorable meal with wine ofcourse.

It's all about trade and overheads. If there's profit to be made after 4.00 pm after accounting for staff wages, heating and lighting, then cafes stay open - witness Costas and Starbucks etc., in the absence of footfall however, a cafe remaining open will go to the wall - as so many did during Covid.

For me it was always around 3pm for tea and biscuits, half way between 1pm lunch and 5pm finish. It still is at home but then we do have ours main meal about 5.30.

Staff in America don’t get much choice. They don’t have many rights and can be dismissed on the spot.

We have much the same problem as we often go out and about in the afternoons and would like to stop for tea and a scone or cake but can rarely find anywhere open.

TerriBull

I don't think we have that cafe culture mainland Europe enjoys, sometimes that is down to the fact they have more of a split day than we do here, siesta in the afternoon when it's a bit of a dead time but come late afternoon onwards it's all go again. I think it's quite usual for the cafe day to finish around 4ish here, it's a shame really, but as others have said it does take a lot of work to run such a business.

Depends on where you are - only the south of Europe has the siesta culture, as you call it, but in Denmark, Germany, Holland and northern France cafés would only close around four if they had opened before six a.m to catch trade near wholesale fruit and vetetable markets or the like.

Smaller cafés would be more likely to open about 10 or 11 and remain open until shopping hours end.

I live in a seaside resort and it is very common. I totally agree that 4pm is ridiculously early to shut! I took my DGS to cinema the other week and we wanted a hot snack afterwards (at 3 ) only to be told by 4 cafes that the kitchen was closing! And the whole place to be shut by 4 So drinks only! We ended up buying food in M&S and having a picnic which was nice but not what we had hoped for.

I can see both sides to this issue. It’s a bit Catch 22, isn’t it? If you don’t open, you won’t know whether you’ll attract customers but if you don’t attract customers, you can’t afford to open in the first place.

I live in an area of Scotland that has a tourist industry and I admit I do feel sorry for holidaymakers wandering around in the late afternoon and evenings, looking for somewhere open to go to that isn’t a pub. I find the random days they shut off putting, too, and I don’t go to those businesses now.

I feel like that in England on Sundays, too - everything is closed by 4pm! It catches me out every time.

I visit my son in America regularly and there is a thriving evening business in shops and cafes there. I don’t know why the UK is so different, although there the customer is king and service is so much better.

Much the same that we want/need the post office/banks that are not open when we are about. Also certin large shops that stick to 9am opening if you want our money you need to be open.

Where I live there is a cafe that stays open until 5pm. Always busy, mixed ages. You can order and sit until 5pm as the cook and clean later. Some comments about hobbyists getting cafes rings true . Lots just serve lunches then shut. Our local cafe has a great balance and loyal customers.

Yes I totally agree they should consider opening after 4.00. We have recently been to Scotland and commented frequently about lack of tea rooms/cafes open after 4.00pm. In some places there was a complete lack of cafes all together. On the Continent cafes are open for as long as there are people about, but on the continent service in cafes etc is regarded as a good job to have unlike in UK where it is often young people doing holiday jobs.

our local Morrisons has closed it small coffee/cake place, many of us disgusted,, but what can we do, have to travel some ways to get a coffee and snack at any time of the day... life has so changed... I am sad!

Kartush

My daughters own a cafe and they close at 3pm. Over a 6 month period they did extensive research into costs and number of customers and it worked out that after 3pm they were actually losing money.

A local cafe owner here said exactly the same thing. It's just not worth their while to be open later than that.

I don't think they are being unreasonable to close but I also wish they wouldn't.

My daughters own a cafe and they close at 3pm. Over a 6 month period they did extensive research into costs and number of customers and it worked out that after 3pm they were actually losing money.

I used to work in a cafe, I was the one full time person. The other staff were usually 4 hour shifts. We tried staying open till 5 but it just wasnt viable for the few people that basically just wanted a cup of tea or coffee, and we were in a tourist area. It was hard enough to get staff willing to work the part time hours especially an afternoon shift of say 2 till 6. Doing a full time day with those hours would mean starting at 8 to make scones and not getting out till after 6 with clearing up, that coupled with the fact you never got proper lunch breaks as it was the busiest time mean it was quite a hard going job. Im sure now most hotels would serve teas/coffee all day and many do proper afternoon teas that last till 5.

Sometimes it's a local chamber of trade decision to allow businesses that are not cafes e.g. pubs, to get a share of the custom..

I don't think you are. In the 'low' seasons maybe close early, but now you'd think they'd open as long as they could.

Lol the place I ran we shut at 4 but we were working from 6 in the morning baking bread etc that’s 9hrs as most ppl go home from shops before that it’s not worth staying open any longer financial wise

In my small town, lack of staff is the main problem. Rural coastal and heavily reliant on tourism but second homes and many airbnbs mean that there are few places for locals to rent. Less families here so less teenagers to work in hospitality.

We were in the Brecon Beacons recently and so disappointed with this!
I love high tea, or even tea, scones and or cake mid to late afternoon. Im Sure there’s is money to made with this service.

As cafes are private enterprises, I'm not sure we can 'expect' anything of them.

Our local very successful cafe struggles to get staff and a few months ago closed completely for a week to allow everyone to have some time off. They close at 4pm but open a few evenings at 5pm for dinners

YYABU, they know their busy times and have adjusted their opening times to suit. Maybe more people go out for coffee in the mornings rather than Afternoon Tea? So most places will be open early and close early.

I imagine that in the Winter considerable savings will be made on heating and lighting costs.

Washerwoman

It's not uncommon now and I can understand why.A lot of cafes and restaurants are struggling to get staff and retain them.And their running costs have shot up.We were in Anglesey recently and a cafe we have visited many times opens later and closes earlier.And locally several of our favourite restaurants close 2 /3 days a week rather than one.

Costs of most businesses have shot up, must make a profit or cease doing business. In my husband's business his cost of goods sold is exponentially higher and his income less. Cutting hours is significant saving.

It's not uncommon now and I can understand why.A lot of cafes and restaurants are struggling to get staff and retain them.And their running costs have shot up.We were in Anglesey recently and a cafe we have visited many times opens later and closes earlier.And locally several of our favourite restaurants close 2 /3 days a week rather than one.