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Hmm. As a coffee shop owner this is interesting. I was thinking more along the lines of getting a megaphone for my baristas so they can loudly shame the deadbea

Hmm. As a coffee shop owner this is interesting. I was thinking more along the lines of getting a megaphone for my baristas so they can loudly shame the deadbeats. Most of my clientèle are students so the internet access is pretty key. I have noticed a few obviously non-student types hanging out looking for jobs online. Which is cool unless they are bringing their own drinks. Which happens.

yankeeracer73 17y ago
As a non-student (with a job) that works fairly often at coffee houses, I try to not always buy the cheapest drink, put a little extra money in the tip jar, etc. understanding that sitting there for 4 hours working and spending $3 is not optimal for the health of the business. I'm curious, however if you've ever considered any kind of alternative business models besides just charging for the Internet access or for the electricity? I've thought about what kind of "value added" services I could charge people for realistically if I had my own place and I haven't come up with much. Do your economics really work with a bunch of students coming in and sitting for hours?
- christonog 17y ago
  One suggestion I think would work is cater to user or student study groups. Maybe offer a discount to the group if enough show. Or possibly reserve seating for a nominal charge, or with a minimum $ purchase. I know it would have been beneficial and a "value add" for me to know that my study group of 8 would have guaranteed seating and beverages.
  - dan_the_welder 17y ago
    Student groups typically in my experience don't have any money. Administering 'reservations' is a PITA and I think you would end up dealing with no-shows and pissing off drop ins and regulars.
- dan_the_welder 17y ago
  You good customer sir, I salute you!
- pbhj 17y ago
  "value added" You don't need that just sniff the traffic for credit card and ID information; rewrite packets with affiliate IDs link requests so that your affiliate link is used; grab copies of business docs etc.. Should be enough there to recoup your costs, especially with some blackmail thrown in for good measure. (Yes, I know, HackerNews-ers don't like jokes, yes, it was supposed to be a joke.)
- dan_the_welder 17y ago
  Yankeeracer, It is my observation after 5 years in the coffee house biz is that it is an inherently low margin situation. You can't charge for wifi since the other guy gives it away free. Alternative business models? I chose to sell more food in addition to just drinks. I tried shows but that just drives out the regular customers. The main thing is just educate the customers so they care about the business and support you willingly. Get a big selection of drinks, bottled etc, so people can get what they like. The money maker is probably booze but I am not going to go there since it would significantly change the atmosphere. It might also cause problems given that we are open 24/7 and the alcohol license people might not like that.
cubix 17y ago
I've seen a few places that offer an hour or two of free access with the code printed on the receipt. This always seemed like a reasonable solution to me. What are your thoughts on that option?
- dan_the_welder 17y ago
  The hardware for that authentication setup is (or was) expensive. I just block a few ports and a few of the download intensive domains.

yankeeracer73 17y ago

As a non-student (with a job) that works fairly often at coffee houses, I try to not always buy the cheapest drink, put a little extra money in the tip jar, etc. understanding that sitting there for 4 hours working and spending $3 is not optimal for the health of the business. I'm curious, however if you've ever considered any kind of alternative business models besides just charging for the Internet access or for the electricity? I've thought about what kind of "value added" services I could charge people for realistically if I had my own place and I haven't come up with much. Do your economics really work with a bunch of students coming in and sitting for hours?

christonog 17y ago
One suggestion I think would work is cater to user or student study groups. Maybe offer a discount to the group if enough show. Or possibly reserve seating for a nominal charge, or with a minimum $ purchase. I know it would have been beneficial and a "value add" for me to know that my study group of 8 would have guaranteed seating and beverages.
- dan_the_welder 17y ago
  Student groups typically in my experience don't have any money. Administering 'reservations' is a PITA and I think you would end up dealing with no-shows and pissing off drop ins and regulars.
dan_the_welder 17y ago
You good customer sir, I salute you!
pbhj 17y ago
"value added" You don't need that just sniff the traffic for credit card and ID information; rewrite packets with affiliate IDs link requests so that your affiliate link is used; grab copies of business docs etc.. Should be enough there to recoup your costs, especially with some blackmail thrown in for good measure. (Yes, I know, HackerNews-ers don't like jokes, yes, it was supposed to be a joke.)
dan_the_welder 17y ago
Yankeeracer, It is my observation after 5 years in the coffee house biz is that it is an inherently low margin situation. You can't charge for wifi since the other guy gives it away free. Alternative business models? I chose to sell more food in addition to just drinks. I tried shows but that just drives out the regular customers. The main thing is just educate the customers so they care about the business and support you willingly. Get a big selection of drinks, bottled etc, so people can get what they like. The money maker is probably booze but I am not going to go there since it would significantly change the atmosphere. It might also cause problems given that we are open 24/7 and the alcohol license people might not like that.

cubix 17y ago

I've seen a few places that offer an hour or two of free access with the code printed on the receipt. This always seemed like a reasonable solution to me. What are your thoughts on that option?

dan_the_welder 17y ago
The hardware for that authentication setup is (or was) expensive. I just block a few ports and a few of the download intensive domains.