Email | Print

This is the true story of two experiences I had with two different coffee shops during the same week. On a Monday, I had stopped in a local coffee shop, which I frequent. While sitting there, I noticed a man come into the shop. He was mumbling to himself and sat down at an empty table. The man was mumbling very quietly, so although some people looked up at him, they quickly went back to reading their newspapers or talking to their friends. There were plenty of empty tables, and the man was not bothering anyone whatsoever. This being the case, I was surprised about two minutes later when one of the employees rushed over to the man and started yelling at him, "All right, lets go! Leave the people alone!" and "C'mon, lets move it!" The employee quickly escorted the man out of the store with a parting "and don't come back!" Of course, this caused a much bigger commotion than anything the man was doing. Needless to say, I don't frequent this establishment anymore. Three days later I was having coffee for the first time in a shop called Repast on Lexington Avenue across from the 92nd Street Y. Just by sheer coincidence, when I was sitting at a table, another man came in who was mumbling to himself. He sat at a stool near the window, talking on and on, but to himself. About two minutes later I saw one of the employees walk up to the man and I was imagining a repeat of what I experienced on Monday. To my pleasant surprise, however, the employee put her hand on his shoulder, asked him if there was anything he needed (he didn't answer) and then went back to the counter, not once asking the man to leave. The man stayed there, not bothering anybody, for approximately five minutes and then simply got up and left. Even though Repast is a bit out of the way for me, it is now obviously my coffee shop of choice. It just goes to show you, there is a right way to handle people who are having difficulties and a wrong way.