>do you really get work done in a coffee shop or any kind of public place like that?

Yes, definitely.

For me it's that despite the noise, I have complete confidence that none of it is relevant to me, so I can ignore it completely. In offices, tons of things are relevant for me because I'm a popular random-problem-solver. At home, anything could be relevant, even though most of it is not.

The noise isn't the issue, it's the brainpower spent on triaging the noise.

That’s how I am as well, but I’ve grown to appreciate that everyone has different ideal working environments. The main reason I prefer WFH over RTO is the open office floor plan makes it very difficult for me to focus and work. I find it quite distracting.

Not for everyday work but sometimes I need that change of pacing.

Coffee shop is excellent background noise for many people. Back in the day I had some audio online and used it instead of white noise. It worked very well to help me concentrate until I started to notice the same sounds since it was a loop.

In case the joke wasn't clear: Waffle House is infamous for often having fights started by inebriated late-night customers - the sort of thing that'll certainly leave you with some stories to tell.

> do you really get work done in a coffee shop or any kind of public place like that?

sir, there is an entire class of developers (including myself) that work remote exclusively out of coffee shops. Its where I can most easily get the creative mojo going.