Coffee bars are the new trend in peddling expensiccinos:
Instead of idling at a chair, customers at these establishments stand or perch on a stool to down a cappuccino or an iced coffee at the counter. By doing away with the comfy seats, roomy tables and working outlets that many customers now seem to believe are included in the price of a macchiato, the new coffee bars challenge the archetypal American cafe.
There are two reasons for these places:
- Rent and overhead are less expensive
- The bars are designed to foster interaction.
That second point basically means that there’s no place to park your laptop.
Road warriors may get fired up over this but I’m not worried. I say if you think you can make money by offering a mini-Starbucks, go for it. You will have less overhead and higher turnover rates. Keep your markup on drinks and you should do well.
I’m not worried that this will make it harder for me to find a place to set up office. There will be cafes that will cater to that problem. And I’m sure there will be times that I will appreciate the layout.
