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Personally, if I am not buying something at least every 90 minutes-2 hours, I feel like I am a freeloader and I get out. I hate it when I go to a coffee shop a

by ben1040 14y ago

Personally, if I am not buying something at least every 90 minutes-2 hours, I feel like I am a freeloader and I get out. I hate it when I go to a coffee shop and every seat is taken by someone on a laptop with no evidence they have spent money there recently. One of my local coffee shops gives 2 hours free wifi with purchase. If I plan on sticking around all day then I consider it that I am paying for wifi in 2 hour increments and getting a free coffee or food item out of it.

specialist 14y ago
I call this "paying my rent". I'm HAPPY to pay for services. I want my local businesses to prosper. There's an opportunity here. Starbucks popularized the notion "third place"; even if they didn't quite execute, many others did. If a cafe served real food (not just treats), even prepackaged, and sported a printer (charging per copy), I'd never leave. In my neighborhood, there's a postbox + copy center joint with unused square footage right next to an espresso cafe filled with laptop campers and scarce seating. Both have plenty of customers. But a combo would rule.
- ben1040 14y ago
  If a cafe served real food (not just treats), even prepackaged, and sported a printer (charging per copy), I'd never leave. There's a cafe near me that has good food, coffee, and beer and wine. They also have taken over the space next door and put together a separate annex with just lots of cozy chairs, as well two reservable conference rooms. The conference rooms are subject to a food & beverage minimum (If you commit to spending something like $100 on food or drink, then you can have the room for two hours). They kind of blew it because their internet router MITMs your connections to insert javascript to display ads, and they block VPN connections to work around it, but I just tether my cell phone and get a better connection anyway.

by ben1040 14y ago

specialist 14y ago

I call this "paying my rent". I'm HAPPY to pay for services. I want my local businesses to prosper. There's an opportunity here. Starbucks popularized the notion "third place"; even if they didn't quite execute, many others did. If a cafe served real food (not just treats), even prepackaged, and sported a printer (charging per copy), I'd never leave. In my neighborhood, there's a postbox + copy center joint with unused square footage right next to an espresso cafe filled with laptop campers and scarce seating. Both have plenty of customers. But a combo would rule.

ben1040 14y ago
If a cafe served real food (not just treats), even prepackaged, and sported a printer (charging per copy), I'd never leave. There's a cafe near me that has good food, coffee, and beer and wine. They also have taken over the space next door and put together a separate annex with just lots of cozy chairs, as well two reservable conference rooms. The conference rooms are subject to a food & beverage minimum (If you commit to spending something like $100 on food or drink, then you can have the room for two hours). They kind of blew it because their internet router MITMs your connections to insert javascript to display ads, and they block VPN connections to work around it, but I just tether my cell phone and get a better connection anyway.