Loitering

My sister sent me a link to a story about several elderly Asian men spending many hours (pretty much all day) sitting in a McDonald's in Queens and the restaurant's attempts to get rid of the men because they're taking up valuable real estate for customers. The men, many of whom don't speak English well and are widowed, gather at the McDonald's to chat in their native tongue and have some companionship outside of their homes. However, they're taking up space for customers who come to the restaurant. Sure, the men may buy a cup of coffee or split a small order of fries, but they primarily do not purchase food at the restaurant. The police have been called to remove the men from the restaurant, but they come right back after the cops leave. I don't think it's fair that other paying customers can't even sit and eat the food they buy because these men are taking up space socializing. As someone in the article said, McDonald's is not a senior day-care facility. I feel the same way about people who go to Starbucks and sit there hogging up space while ordering one cup of coffee. These folks, as well as the men at McDonald's, need to keep it moving. No one should be loitering (and, really, that's what these folks are doing) in a public space like this.