No WIFI Cafe: don't use the Cafe as an Office

Since the advent of WIFI, the cafe has become the office of many people.

Chicago, on a Friday night, opened a new cafe not far from Lincoln Park. It looked nothing new at first glance-small tables, coffee tables and sofas were placed in twos and threes, with colorful thank-you cards in one corner and American flags hanging from the ceiling in the other.

Soon, however, you will feel the difference in this cafe, and you won't see cell phones, laptops or tablets. Guests are drinking coffee or wine, either chatting or playing cards. It turns out that the cafe called Kibbitznest does not offer WIFI.

Think of the shops, restaurants and coffee shops around us, providing free WIFI has almost become the most basic service. Look at the "Phubber" in Starbucks. Have you equated the cafe with the office as a matter of course? In the mobile Internet era, it is simply against the trend for stores to say no to WIFI (Kibbitznest calls this move "No FI"). However, according to the BBC, this "countercurrent" is now growing, and Kibbitznest is only the latest example-it hopes to encourage people to communicate face-to-face by banning WIFI. There are similar cafes in other parts of the United States, London, England and Vancouver, Canada.

In 1989, American sociologist Rioudiberg put forward the concept of "third space", which refers to all leisure places except the first space family and the second space office, and the coffee shop is one of them. These third spaces are essential for our mental health and social integrity. "without them, people would only exist in small isolated groups." "the only foreseeable result of technological progress is that we no longer grow and are isolated from the outside world," Odiberg wrote. "

A few years ago, Judy Warren and her husband, Philip Morris, opened a cafe in Burlington and saw Odiberg's claim come true-customers walked in, sat down and turned on their laptops, and then stared at the screen for hours. "our original intention was not to open up a space for everyone to come in and remain silent." Warren said.

So in 2012, they removed the WIFI from the store, and in 2014, they banned laptops in the store. Although at the beginning, this move brought a lot of business pressure to the couple, it soon won the understanding and support of customers. Their turnover soared by 20 per cent, compared with a 6 per cent increase in coffee shop turnover with WIFI. Kibbitznest customers also said, "I'm glad you opened such a store."

However, even if they realize that the cafe is a space for public communication, many people still use it as an office. According to Global Office Analysis, the number of Americans who work from home (who also often work in cafes) is 103% higher than in 2005, equivalent to 3.7 million people who spend at least half their time telecommuting, not counting the self-employed.

If you expand your reach globally, a Reuters survey shows that 1x5 people work from home, which is more common in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Jeff Issel and his wife run a cafe called Fox in the Snow in Columbus, USA. They never offer WIFI. Issel believes that nowadays, people can call anything into their homes, and self-isolation has never been more convenient, so going to a cafe should seek to communicate with others. "I want to create a vibrant store where guests come in like a big family reunion." He said.

Out of this wish, Issel hired baristas with excellent communication skills, and he lowered the height of the bar so that customers would not feel rejected. The store even canceled the plastic price tag on snacks in order to open up the chatterbox by letting customers ask about the price.