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Is the pure "prison" style becoming popular in cafes? Netizen: too "punishment"!

Published: 2026-04-03 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/04/03, Speaking of cafe style, you may think of log tone, clean and fresh decoration for the first time. But with everyone's longing for new things, such a style of cafe out! In recent years, pure "prison" style cafes have become popular in Southeast Asia and Asia. Yes, that's right! There are plenty of these cafes.

Speaking of cafe style, you may think of log tone, clean and fresh decoration for the first time. But with everyone's longing for new things, such a style of cafe out!

In recent years, pure "prison" style cafes have become popular in Southeast Asia and Asia. Yes, that's right! Some of these cafes are transformed from the old prisons in the area, and some are decorated in prison style.

Why is there a pure "prison" style when there are other disorganized styles? First, to encourage prisoners to strive for good; second, to remind people not to do things that break the law through the taste of being in prison; and third, to hope that people will put aside their prejudices against those who have gone astray but sincerely repent. Thailand was the first to open a prison-style cafe. At first, the prison-style cafe was not opened in a prison, but the waiters in this cafe were all prisoners who had served their sentences for some time and had no intention of escape. The Thai Ministry of Justice launched the vocational training program in early 2018, hoping that they can learn professional coffee brewing, meal making and customer service skills, so that they can return to society with a skill in the future. The prison authorities also found that after the prisoners came into contact with the public, their behavior became more moderate.

Although as long as there is a sense of repentance, the bad guys will not always be bad guys, but people will more or less avoid these people with criminal records. In order to enable people to learn more about these reformed people, the Thai Ministry of Justice can decide in 2020 to develop half of Thailand's 143 prisons into tourist attractions and to add cafes / restaurants / handicrafts shops. to help more victims who have gone astray to better connect with society.

Inspired by Thailand, Laos also opened a prison-themed cafe in 2021, which is not directly converted into a prison, but it is decorated more than a prison. A glance used to be full of cold bars, the lights are dim, although the decoration is neat and clean, but the visual impact can make people feel invisible pressure.

In addition to Thailand and Laos, Malaysia opened Malaysia's first prison cafe in February, next to the Yili Prison Museum in Malacca, which was once part of a regional prison and later became a prison museum. After being converted into a cafe, the prison cell at that time and the last message room of the death row inmate were still retained, so that people could get a more direct understanding of what the "real" prison looked like.

The cell was transformed into a bar and waiting area, while the message room retained its original appearance and became the VIP waiting room, where the dilapidated walls were covered with people's "repentance" and wishes, and the invisible sense of pressure hit the heart again. The owner of the prison cafe said that his father was the dean of the reformatory school. he had known something about the people in the reformatory school since he was a child. He thought that most people would be able to turn over a new leaf and be a good person under the correct guidance. But people in society don't think of them that way. So I want to set up prison coffee so that more people in society can make a difference to those who have gone astray. The decoration of the store is conceived and arranged in close cooperation with Henry Gunny Reformatory School in Malacca. The biscuits and handicrafts sold are also made by hand by the staff of the reformatory school.

At the same time, the shopkeeper also said that in the future, they will hire former cellmates and provide them with training so that they can have the opportunity to be reborn and gain a foothold in society. Maybe these prison cafes are just gimmicks in the eyes of many friends, but they do help many people who have gone astray and give them a chance to turn over a new leaf. Most of the waiters who used to work in Thai prison cafes were jailed for drug trafficking. they did not have a proper job before they were imprisoned, and their days were muddled. It wasn't until they got to the cafe that they began to learn a skill, which made them feel that there was hope in the future. At the same time, they also said that when they were in prison, they had time to reflect on what they had done wrong, that they would turn over a new leaf after going out, and that they would not go the wrong way again and not disappoint those who care about them. In January last year, Hangzhou also opened a prison-style cafe. Different from the prison cafes in Southeast Asia, the domestic ones look less "hard core" and are more extended in modern industrial style with iron doors and windows to make the whole look like a prison. These unique coffee shops provide consumers with a more interesting and fun new scene consumption experience.

Also because personalized design attracted a large wave of consumers to sign in to take pictures, so that the store finally had to issue a "mandatory rule" that "you need to buy tickets for 50 yuan per person to take photos in the store." At that time, the store owner said that it was "really helpless" to issue this rule, because there were too many people entering the store to "spell orders" and "scratch". In order to ensure the normal operation of the coffee shop and the user experience of most guests, we had to take the measure of "ticket system".... Photo Source: network kinkab bud Oriental Network

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