Business Opportunities Weblog

Wi-Fi Off The Menu

By on August 10, 2010 in Ideas

It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which a business takes away a perk to increase sales, but many independent coffee houses have decided to stop offering free Wi-Fi, at least during certain days and hours, The Los Angeles Times reports.

Although these coffee shops were some of the first retail businesses to offer free Wi-Fi in an effort to lure customers away from major chains like Starbucks, many are finding, perhaps not unsurprisingly to anyone who’s jockeyed for a table in an independent coffee shop, that Wi-Fi freeloaders who camp out all day nursing a single cup of coffee are a drain on the bottom line.

Others want to preserve a friendly vibe and keep their establishments from turning into ‘Matrix’-like zombie shacks where people type and don’t talk.

One expert points out that there is now a market niche for not having Wi-Fi, especially after Starbucks stopped charging for it last month.

Photo by trublueboy.

coffee customers internet wi-fi

Rich Whittle has added 6,226 posts to Business Opportunities Weblog.

Another Idea: How to Start a Coffee Bar Tea Salon Business

  • http://wahm.business-opportunities.biz Angela Shupe

    I couldn’t disagree more with that article. If my favorite coffee shop stopped offering free wifi I wouldn’t have a reason to sit there and enjoy their coffee. Just because someone chooses to sit and get some work down while enjoying a cup of coffee doesn’t mean they’re not social. I’ve had some interesting conversations and met some cool people by working around people in a place like that.

  • Peter

    One easy solution for coffeshops would be to offer 1 hour free WI-FI when you buy something, after that hour, your connection will be off until you buy something else. I have seem this done in Caribou.

  • http://www.wfafranchiseconsultants.com Ed Wills, franchise consultant

    As an owner of the Hard Bean Cafe, we are firmly committed to offering free Wi-Fi. We have numerous business people who need to check email and students who are working on the next term paper visit our shop regularly. Sure they occasionally just get a cup of water and do a quick email check, but they also patronize us for coffee, tea or a light meal because we offer them a friendly, no judgment environment. Putting the customer first has always made sense to me.

Today's Posts