- Business Insider went to different coffee shops and cafes across Manhattan to figure out the best places to get done without a WeWork membership.
- We ranked our experiences by the noise level, availability of outlets and bathrooms, and WiFi speed.
- Au Bon Pain and Starbucks took the top spots.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
With WeWork in tumult and more people than ever working from home, remote workers face a dilemma: Where can they actually get their tasks done?
A “hotdesk” membership at a WeWork, which according to the company’s website is targeted at individuals who need full-time access to a coworking space and lets them work in any of WeWork’s coworking spaces, still comes with a steep pricetag. In New York, it will cost you $470 per month.
With that in mind, two Business Insider reporters spent a day doing their typical work – everything from editorial planning calls to writing stories – at six different coffee shops across Manhattan.
While the company based in New York City, the reporters only spent time in coffee shops that are national chains (and some are international). Because the time spent in the shops were during the busier parts of the city, the experience probably varied from those of smaller cities or quieter parts of the Big Apple.
Because Business Insider wanted to cover as many spots as possible while spending enough time in each to get a feel for a working environment, two different reporters checked out three sites each. Juliana took upper and midtown Manhattan (and many selfies), while Allana stayed downtown and was too shy to take any selfies.
The reporters evaluated the coffee shop experiences on four different criteria: the noise and ambience of the store, the availability of outlets and seats, bathroom availability, and WiFi. Each category was ranked on a scale of five stars, with those scores averaged to find the winners.
Along the way, we had a few surprises - both positive and negative. From a shockingly good iced coffee to a conference call in Dunkin', here's what we learned.
Dunkin' got an average of 2 stars, mostly due to the hustle and bustle and a lack of outlets.
Reporter: Juliana
Noise/Ambience: 2 stars
In addition to the pop music blasting, Dunkin' had a fairly nonstop stream of customers coming in and out. Like the good millennial/Gen Z remote worker that I am, I had to turn up my podcast to the highest setting to hear it.
Availability of outlets and seats: 3 stars
There were two spacious booths, two window tables, and two other standalone tables, with a total of around 20 seats - again, pretty good for a Dunkin'. However, there were no outlets available to customers. A posted sign said there was a 20 minute time limit, but I had no problem staying for about two hours.
Bathroom availability: 0 stars
I was told to use the bathroom in the store next door.
WiFi: 3 stars
For the most part, the WiFi was pretty strong. I had some trouble logging into our BI content management system, but once I was on it the lags were annoying, but not disruptive. I got kicked off the WiFi after about two hours.
Total average: 2 stars
While I love Dunkin' for its food and coffee, I'd only do work here as a last resort.
As a Bostonian, I have strong feelings toward Dunkin'. I know that, regardless of whether or not there's five feet of snow outside, it'll always be open, beckoning me with its garishly pink and orange cups.
As much as it pains me to admit it, I think that maybe Dunkin' is best for grabbing a quick coffee. This Dunkin' certainly excelled in making my drink quickly and filling large donut orders. But trying to do a conference call in there resulted in me hearing maybe half of what my team members were saying.
If there was nowhere else for me to work, I would return to Dunkin'. But I don't think my phone or laptop battery would be too pleased about it.
Pret A Manger got an average of 3.75 stars — it won points for seating and bathroom facilities, but outlets were surprisingly limited.
Reporter: Juliana
Noise/Ambience: 3 stars
Pret was relatively spread out, and the food area was nice and separate from the seating - meaning that lunch rush noise didn't travel as much as I anticipated. However, I did not anticipate that everyone coming in wearing AirPods would be on phone calls. Those calls, combined with the not-very-quiet music playing, made me have to turn up my podcast to about three-quarters volume.
Availability of outlets and seats: 3 stars
The array of seats meant that I didn't have much difficulty finding one. Pret had window seats, a large communal table, several standalone tables, and two booths, for a total of what seemed to be around 35 possible seats.
However, the booths were the only tables with outlets, and they were difficult to access. I had to wait until someone left to grab one of these two coveted tables, and scrounge around on the Pret floor to plug in my laptop.
Bathroom availability: 5 stars
There were several single-stall bathrooms available, all of which could be accessed by a code on the receipt. They were clean and lovely. Would pee at Pret again!
WiFi: 4 stars
The WiFi connection itself was fine. But I had a lot of difficulty logging into the WiFi portal on my laptop and phone. Once I finally got on, we chugged away with no problem.
Total average: 3.75 stars
If you're looking to get work done around other people who are hustling away, I'd recommend Pret. But be sure to have your laptop fully charged.
In all honesty, I was a little underwhelmed by Pret. I went to a Pret specifically situated near my alma mater, as I knew it would have a particularly studious vibe. But I quickly remembered why I never studied there during my undergraduate days.
For a place that seemed to offer ample seating, the outlet ratio was way off. And since Pret runs such a grab-and-go business, the amount of people coming in and out created a fairly frenetic energy (and a good amount of noise). Even though I was working, I felt stressed by the people running in and out from offices and classes.
However, if I needed to get work done while feeling like I'm surrounded by other people grinding away, I would probably return to Pret. I would, however, get there early and maybe bring an extension cord for those hard-to-reach outlets.
Au Bon Pain got 4.5 stars for ample seating, outlets, and good ambient noise.
Reporter: Juliana
Noise/Ambience: 5 stars
By the time I got to Au Bon Pain, my final coffee shop of the day, I had a pretty raging headache. Between having to turn up my podcast very loud, listening to fellow coffee shop goers talking on the phone, and thumping store soundtracks, my head was not happy.
But Au Bon Pain was not only cavernous enough that I couldn't hear other conversations, it was playing lovely (quiet) ambient jazz and classical music. I, all of 22 years old, suddenly fostered a deep appreciation for ambient music.
Availability of outlets and seats: 5 stars
There was a huge amount of seating - communal spaces, booths, standalone tables. This Au Bon Pain could probably fit around 70 people comfortably.
Even better was the outside patio area. People were soaking up the sun and enjoying their food.
But the real star? The outlets. Oh, the outlets. They were at essentially every table! There were 32 in total. I loved them all.
Bathroom availability: 4 stars
To get into the bathrooms, you needed a code from your receipt. Signs on the door reinforced this. They weren't anything groundbreaking - if anything, the two available seemed like not enough for such a large space.
WiFi: 4 stars
The WiFi did connect right away, and it was slow at times. Admittedly, I have many tabs open at once, so I don't think this was an issue on the Pret WiFi.
Total average: 4.5 stars
Au Bon Pain was a great place to get work done. Their communal seating looked perfect for a business meeting, and I left feeling productive and all charged up.
This was actually the second Au Bon Pain I went to. The first one, part of an upper Manhattan hospital complex, boasted nothing that my beloved second Au Bon Pain had. There was barely any seating or outlets. So the most important takeaway here is to scope out your Au Bon Pain ahead of the time; they can differ fairly drastically.
That being said, I was blown away by my Au Bon Pain experience. The one I went to was located in a particularly busy and touristy part of town, and yet I still had no trouble snagging a seat. And after my outlet difficulties, plugging in my phone and laptop easily was a sweet, sweet relief.
I would absolutely come back to Au Bon Pain to do work for the day. The variety of seating seems like a great option for different types of work environments - and did I mention the number of outlets? Another nice bonus is that this Au Bon Pain closed at 5 pm - so if you're looking for a little bit of office normalcy, the crowd clocking out at 5 could help.
Panera Bread got an average of 3.6 stars for having good bathrooms and WiFi, but being noisy.
Reporter: Allana
Noise/Ambience: 3 stars
The Panera got a little noisy during breakfast. Only about a third of people there were doing work; the others were talking to neighbors or were on the phone. The chatter wasn't enough to bother or distract me, but I do wish the music played a bit softer.
Availability of outlets and seats: 3.5 stars
When I went to the Panera in the morning I could easily grab a table with outlets, but once lunchtime rolled around I saw people hovering over tables for a spot. There weren't too many outlets either, but I was lucky enough to get one.
Bathroom availability: 4 stars
There was a bathroom, but you needed a passcode to get in.
WiFi: 4 stars
The WiFi was reliable and easy to access. It went a little slow at times, but it was fine for the most part.
Total average: 3.6 stars
If you can stand a bit of background noise, I would recommend going to Panera. The tables are good for spreading out your work, or for working on a group project.
McDonald’s got an average of 2.75 stars for not having a lot of seating or outlets, as well as not having easily accessible WiFi.
Reporter: Allana
Noise/Ambience: 2 stars
I've mostly ever gone to McDonald's for lunch, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to try to do work.
I went to a McDonald's in lower Manhattan. The already busy area was even more crowded as I went during the climate strike on September 20.
I can still get work done in noisy environments, so I wasn't immediately turned away. And while the McDonald's was busy, no one was being especially loud - everyone kept talking to themselves at their tables. There was mostly a huge crowd in front of the register, but once they got their food a lot of people left.
Availability of outlets and seats: 2 stars
The seating/outlet situation was the most frustrating part of trying to do work at McDonald's. I ordered on an iPad a coffee to dine-in.
I had managed to find a nice table away from the crowd. There wasn't an outlet, unfortunately, but there weren't many outlets anywhere in the McDonald's.
I waited for 15 minutes and I still did not get my coffee. I realized I still had to go to the register to pick it up. That's not the ideal option, as I had my laptop out and couldn't abandon my things. So I had to pack up, leave the table, and get the iced coffee.
By the time I got back, my table had been taken.
Bathroom availability: 5 stars
There was a bathroom, and it didn't need a passcode. They were also very clean.
WiFi: 2 stars
I think McDonald's had a WiFi, but I couldn't easily find it, so I just resorted to a personal hotspot from my phone.
ASIDE: The iced coffee from McCafe was the best iced coffee I've ever had, hands down. I cannot recommend it enough.
Total average: 2.75
I wouldn’t recommend going to McDonald’s to do work, but I would highly recommend stopping by for an iced coffee and then heading to a library or another quiet area with WiFi.
Starbucks got 4.75 stars for having reliable WiFi and plenty of outlets and seating.
Reporter: Allana
Noise/Ambience: 5 stars
Starbucks was easily the quietest coffee shop I had been to, even though I was still in a busy area of downtown Manhattan. I went toward the end of the day when the line wasn't too long, and many people were there by themselves to also do work.
Availability of outlets and seats: 5 stars
Every seat had an outlet, and there were open spots even though I was at a relatively small Starbucks.
Bathroom availability: 5 stars
There was a bathroom and there wasn't a passcode to get in.
WiFi: 4 stars
The WiFi was reliable and easy to connect to. It went a little slow at times, but overall it was fine.
Total average: 4.75
Unsurprisingly, I would highly recommend going to Starbucks to get work done. With their availability of outlets and good WiFi, they are designed as perfect places to use your computer.
