Coffi Lab apologises after telling Cardiff pupils to leave café during revision season

Coffi Lab has apologised after putting a “no study zone” sign in its Whitchurch café in Cardiff and telling school pupils to revise in the library opposite instead.

The chain later removed the restriction after public concern, saying the café had been overwhelmed by pupils spending long periods there during exam revision season, often without buying anything and bringing food from other vendors.

The dispute at the Penlline Road branch exposed a familiar strain in British town centres: cafés depend on customer turnover, but teenagers in the middle of exams often need somewhere warm, safe and quiet to study for hours at a time. Libraries and schools can absorb some of that demand, but they are not always open, nearby or flexible enough to meet the pressure of revision season.

Coffi Lab’s Whitchurch site sits in a part of Cardiff the company describes as having quiet corners and as being a short walk from the main stretch of shops and restaurants. The brand says it is Cardiff-roasted, has locations including Whitchurch and supports Guide Dogs.

That positioning made the reaction to the sign sharper, because the café had also marketed itself as a neighbourhood gathering spot. Yet its apology suggested a basic commercial limit: seating, staff time and floor space are not unlimited, and a table occupied for hours by non-paying pupils can quickly become a loss-making one for an independent chain.

The episode will resonate beyond Cardiff as exam season continues. Across town centres, small businesses are increasingly being asked to function like informal study halls, even as they rely on sales to cover rising costs. Coffi Lab’s reversal has settled the immediate dispute in Whitchurch, but the wider tension between public study space and private hospitality is becoming harder to ignore.