'Kagongjok' Returning After Eating for 3 Hours... Demanding Reorder with Audacity

Amid ongoing debates surrounding the 'Kagongjok'?people who occupy cafe seats for long hours to study or work?there is a recent story about a customer who stayed in a cafe for three hours, went to a nearby restaurant to eat, returned to occupy the seat again, and then got angry when asked to reorder.

Recently, an online community for small business owners featured a post by cafe operator Mr. A titled, "I had a verbal dispute with a Kagongjok. I wonder if I handled the situation poorly."

(This photo is not directly related to the article) [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

Mr. A said he noticed a customer studying in the cafe leave the seat for 30 minutes starting at 3 PM to eat at a restaurant across the street. Mr. A then asked the customer, "Since you went out to eat, please place another order."

However, the customer stayed without ordering for 10 minutes, and Mr. A insisted again, saying, "This is not a library, and I have never seen a customer leave to eat in the middle of their stay at a cafe," requesting another order. The customer retorted, "I've been to many cafes myself, but I've never been asked to reorder like this."

The conversation escalated into a heated argument, and Mr. A eventually asked, "Please stop and consider using another cafe." The customer raised their voice, saying, "I'm the one using this cafe, so why are you telling me to leave?"

After the dispute, Mr. A said he refunded the customer's drink before asking them to leave. He lamented, "The customer came around 12:20 PM and stayed for over three hours. I didn't want to see such a dirty scene, so I refunded and told them to go to another cafe."

Netizens who read the story responded with comments like, "The ultimate nuisance Kagongjok. Going to eat at a restaurant and coming back," "At that point, placing an additional order is reasonable," and "Please go to a study cafe or library."

While studying or working in cafes has become common, small business owners continue to complain about some customers crossing the line and disrupting business.

In June, a story circulated about two students at a university-area cafe who stayed for over nine hours, taking turns sleeping and eating outside food, which sparked public outrage. On June 7, another controversy arose when a customer brought a 'printer machine' to a cafe intending to use it.

With rising costs of various goods and public utilities like electricity, the cafe industry is increasingly concerned about issues related to Kagongjok.

Last month, a franchise cafe drew attention by posting a notice stating, "Please place an additional order if you stay more than three hours."

Previously, in 2009, the Supreme Court ruled that "long-term seat occupancy significantly hinders cafe operations and can be considered business obstruction (interference), which may be punishable."

Additionally, in 2019, the Korea Foodservice Industry Research Institute reported that, based on non-franchise cafes, the table usage time per customer should not exceed 1 hour and 42 minutes to surpass the break-even point. This finding assumes 28 business days per month, 12 hours of daily operation, an average of 8 tables, an average menu price of 4,134 KRW, and a 29% take-out rate. Customers who order one drink but occupy a seat for 3 to 4 hours or more negatively impact cafe sales and turnover.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.