Music in cafes

The Press reports:

We complain if we are served burnt coffee or stale food, but should we complain if a cafe plays music we find offensive?

Christchurch cafes have the right to choose their own tunes, but some customers are unhappy over the playing of “explicit” songs.

One cafe-goer contacted The Press after he was offended by the use of “four-letter words” in a song playing at C1 Espresso cafe at lunchtime.

“There were young children in the cafe at the time. I raised the matter with the waitress, who was going to talk to the manager about it but seemed pretty unconcerned,” he said.

“Looking around the cafe it didn’t look like a grunge dive; it seemed to be business people, couples, young families, and ‘active elderly’ people.”

The man complained to C1 Espresso owner Sam Crofskey about the song.

Crofskey told The Press it was a cafe’s prerogative to choose their own music.

“Music in a cafe is part of the business’s identity. Along with the furniture, the food and the decor, it’s part of the product. If you don’t like it, don’t go there. I wouldn’t walk into McDonald’s and tell them to turn down the neon lights and be more intimate.”

Absolutely. There are no shortage of cafes to choose from.