Yep, I've had the same issue at those shops. Greenberry's in Arlington had the same issue. We tend to forget that, while, yes, most of us on rare occasions camp out on a table with a laptop, there are people who, day after day, do this for hours straight at the same coffee shops. Those of us who pop in and grab a coffee to go at these shops? You guys see it too: the same mooching assholes, day after day, taking up 4 person tables with their bag and their laptop.
I can't even count the number of times I went into a shop wanting to actually buy food (high margin item) and coffee and sit down for 40 minutes, but couldn't while one of the regular moochers took up a table with an empty for 3 hours coffee cup that he spent 2 bucks on.
Not only do they tend to take up a table, it's usually a table marked as handicapped. Not that there's an obligation to honor that designation, but if you automatically go there when your Macbook Air could easily fit on a tiny little round table, you're a prick.
Ask friendly whether the whole table is booked and sit down. If they don't respond, just move their bag a bit and sit down. Keep looking friendly and relaxed, signal that you're not a threat and everything's usually fine. It's not that difficult.
(Escalated version: If they start complaining in an unfriendly way, mix your coffee with their laptop. Accidents happen in crowded coffee shops.)
I can't even count the number of times I went into a shop wanting to actually buy food (high margin item) and coffee and sit down for 40 minutes, but couldn't while one of the regular moochers took up a table with an empty for 3 hours coffee cup that he spent 2 bucks on.