Kenitra: Refusal to Serve Coffee to Two Customers Due to a Laptop Sparks Widespread Controversy and Professional Association Clarifies
A peculiar incident at a café in Kenitra has ignited heated discussions on social media after a café manager refused to serve coffee to two customers, citing the use of a laptop by one of them. Many observers described the incident as “humiliating and unprofessional.”
According to one of the affected customers, a man identified as (A.F.), along with his friend (A.K.), visited a café near the train station to enjoy coffee and check their work-related emails. After more than half an hour without receiving their order, one of them inquired about the delay, only to receive the surprising response that they would not be served coffee due to the use of the laptop.
The customer attempted to meet with the café manager to clarify the situation, but had to wait over 15 minutes before the manager appeared. He reiterated the refusal, justifying it by stating that using a laptop “causes embarrassment in the place.” Many viewed this behavior as arbitrary and unjustly discriminatory.
Faced with this, (A.F.) had to call a judicial officer to officially document the incident. The occurrence reflects an ongoing debate about customer rights and the limits of café owners’ intervention in how customers use public spaces, especially with the increasing number of remote workers who rely on cafés as work and study environments.
For his part, Nour Eddine El Harraq, president of the National Association of Café and Restaurant Owners in Kenitra, stated that this incident remains an isolated case that does not represent the reality of cafés in the city. In a statement to “Express TV,” he emphasized that Kenitra is predominantly a student city, and its cafés are open spaces for work and study, noting that most cafés strive to provide a calm and comfortable atmosphere for customers.
El Harraq added that generalizing judgments based on a single incident is unfair, especially since the city hosts over 3,500 cafés and restaurants. He also stressed that cafés are legally required to display their prices and usage conditions to ensure transparency and protect the rights of both parties, affirming the readiness of professionals for any initiatives aimed at improving service quality and building trust between customers and café owners.
