I agree, some coffee shops like it, apparently somehow they make the economics work (the one next to me calls itself a &quot;Platform for Entrepreneurs,&quot; ugh).<p>I&#x27;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].<p>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&#x27;t know, but they find it tough to get out of their comfort zone. If there&#x27;s a space where this is encouraged and promoted, I think many would welcome it.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;travel&#x2F;destinations&#x2F;europe&#x2F;united-kingdom&#x2F;england&#x2F;london&#x2F;articles&#x2F;London-cafes-the-surprising-history-of-Londons-lost-coffeehouses&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.telegraph.co.uk&#x2F;travel&#x2F;destinations&#x2F;europe&#x2F;united...</a>