Etiquette guru reveals the EXACT amount of time you can work on your laptop in a cafe without ordering a cup of coffee – and how much extra time you get by buying food

You worked incorrectly on your laptop in a cafe.

Toot toot.

How? By typing for far too long without ordering a cup of coffee.

In a popular TikTok video with a million views, etiquette expert William Hanson explains that the maximum amount of time you can work on your laptop in a cafe without ordering anything is 45 minutes.

The Duke of Decency says in the video: ‘There is no specific rule, but as a guideline I would say 45 minutes per cup of coffee is absolutely the limit.

Etiquette expert William Hanson explains in a viral TikTok video that the maximum amount of time you can work on your laptop in a cafe without ordering something is 45 minutes. He says: ‘Remember that cafes are for socializing, not necessarily as an extension of your workspace’

When you just come in [to a cafe] ‘For a lonely sandwich and a chat with a friend and you’ve been sitting at the table for over an hour, you’ve failed as a polite person,’ William noted

But I advise you to be polite and sensible.

“Remember that cafes are for socializing, not necessarily as an extension of your workplace.”

If you are a regular customer at a cafe and you see a laptop user occupying a table, should you approach that person?

Williams’ new book, Just Good Manners (Penguin Random House), is out September 12

William told MailOnline separately: ‘It’s often better to speak to the staff directly and they can decide whether to let the table-munchers go, or to seat you somewhere else, or to do nothing at all.

‘You can then choose not to go to that café anymore, if it annoys you so much.’

Is it fair for cafe owners to demand that laptop users buy more than one cup of coffee if they sit at a table for more than 45 minutes?

William said: ‘There’s not much way to police this, and café owners are probably – if it’s a good café – too busy serving customers to keep track of exactly who’s there and for how long. This should be the responsibility of the individual to police themselves and not take up a table during busy periods.’

Does the 45-minute rule generally also apply to people without a laptop?

William stated, “Yes. If you’re just going to have a sandwich and chat with a friend and you’ve been sitting at the table for over an hour, you’ve failed as a polite human being.

‘The exception to this would be if it’s very quiet in the café and there are a lot of empty tables. But if you see people who have just arrived and are looking for tables, then it’s time to pack up your baguette wrapper and leave.’

How much extra time do you get when you buy food?

“Twenty minutes,” William said.

For more from Mr. Hanson, visit his TikTok profile. His new book, Just Good Manners (Penguin Random House), is out on September 12. Billed as “a witty and authoritative guide to British etiquette,” William shares “his definitive guidelines on how to charm and delight those around you with idiosyncratic authority in any situation.”