Free "respect our staff" sign for cafés
A free A4 counter notice that says: "Our team deserve respect. We don't accept abuse or harassment of our staff, from anyone. We may refuse service to anyone who treats our team badly."
What the poster says
A polite counter notice for customers: "Our team deserve respect. We don't accept abuse or harassment of our staff, from anyone."
Our team deserve respect.
We don't accept abuse or harassment of our staff, from anyone.
We may refuse service to anyone who treats our team badly.
Thank you for being kind to the people who look after you.
Free from managero.co.uk
How to use it
- Sized for the counter or front of house.
- Use it with the staff poster in the staff room, so your team knows who to tell if a customer crosses the line.
- Tell your team what "we may refuse service" means in your café: who decides, and how.
- Want a plainer sign for the door? Our free "we reserve the right to refuse service" sign maker makes one in A4 or A5, with the law on refusing service explained.
Questions café owners ask
- Can a café refuse to serve a customer who is abusive?
- The notice states your café's own policy and doesn't claim a legal right. What the law rules out is refusing service as discrimination, for example because of a customer's race, sex or disability (Equality Act 2010, s.29).
- Does the law protect café staff from harassment by customers?
- Employers must already take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their staff, including by customers (Equality Act 2010, s.40A; Acas). From 30 October 2026 employers can also be liable for harassment of their staff by customers and other third parties, unless they took all reasonable steps to prevent it (Employment Rights Act 2025, s.21; Acas).
- Is a notice for customers enough?
- It's one step. Acas explains that what counts as reasonable depends on your situation, and there is no fixed list for every employer (Acas: steps for employers). Your staff also need to know who to tell, which is what the staff poster is for.
Sources
Every source below was read on 11 October 2026. Where the poster states the law it says so, and where it gives official guidance it says that too.
Related posters
Free tools that go with it
Keep the records that go with it.
managero HR & Safety drafts your harassment policy and risk assessment from templates based on EHRC and Acas guidance, records who in your team has read them, and reminds you when a review is due. £18.99 excl VAT a month for your first site, with managero HR & Safety included.