Oct
03

4 Ways To Make Your Cafe a Hot-Spot For Creative Professionals

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Ash Bennett

When the TV show Friends was on the air, lots of people poked fun at the idea of a bunch of adults hanging out at a cafe every day. Don’t these people have jobs? How do they pay rent? Do these TV writers even know how the real world works? Ironically, if you walk into certain cafes at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday now, you might see the exact same scene: a bunch of young people typing away, or chatting in the corner. Why are they not at work? Well, a good number of them probably are!

The freelance boom, the gig economy, jobs 2.0, remote work, however you say it, more and more people every year are making a living out of their living rooms, on the road, and, yes, out of trendy–and friendly!–coffee shops. If you make your cafe an ideal working environment, the kind of place that these young professionals would like to call their regular office, you’ll have some very satisfied and loyal customers.

1. Forge A Strong (WiFi) Connection

A solid, stable, and free WiFi connection is one of the most important factors in determining a place to work from. If it’s spotty, or weak, or just doesn’t have enough speed, it won’t matter how good or affordable your coffee is. Time is money, and all the time spent waiting for pages to load and emails to send is money wasted. Also, password protect the connection but make sure the password is easily seen by all your patrons

2. Open Up The Floor

Give your floor plan some updating, and do what you can to make more room. No one wants to work bumping their elbow into someone else, and groups having a discussion don’t want to feel like they’re distracting other patrons. Space restrictions are always a concern for small business owners, so try removing unnecessary furniture and doing whatever you can else to give the feeling of space if you can’t increase the space itself. The right sized tables, in the right place, can often be a simple solution to space problems.

3. Mood Music

Music is such a key part of any experience, and many people find it easier to focus with music, but it has to be the right music! Too many lyrics or complicated rhythms and melodies can be distracting. Try a playlist of cool, minimally rhythmic, instrumental tracks at low volume.

4. Sell it

Let your patrons know that you’re friendly to working people. A quick, witty acknowledgment of this on your sign can do wonders. If someone is searching for a shop that’s cool with them sipping on a coffee for an hour while they work, what better way to get their business than to tell them! Chances are, if they get on a productive streak, they’ll get a second drink after their first, and they might even stay for lunch!

Great cafes and great work go hand in hand, and If you follow these four tips you’re sure to see both!