The AntiCafé – more comfortable & cheaper than holding office in the Starbucks

20-2-2015

Leonie van Spronsen, lives and works in Paris and visited the AntiCafé. At this place you pay for the time you spend there!

In big cities most people have small homes and big dreams. To make these dreams come true you need to make long hours of studying/working/meeting and with those small living situations and high rents, finding a place to work can be challenging.
This fact has made it completely acceptable to work in your local Starbucks/McDonald’s/Coffee shop but obviously this is not ideal, the manager does not appreciate you being there all day, the F&B is expensive and the furniture was not set up for comfort on the long haul.

This is where the AntiCafé comes in, a concept where you are at a hospitality outlet and pay for time instead of per item. For a couple of euro’s you receive;
• coffee and tea
• snacks and fruits
• fast Wi-Fi
• access to a projector, printer, scanner and board games
• in addition, you are welcome to bring in your own food/soft drinks
You come in, receive a keycard that you need to hold onto until you leave, then when you are ready to leave you ‘check-out’ and pay per hour (€4 for the first hour, €3 per hour for the following hours and a maximum of €16 per day), that’s how easy it is.
Weekend days all Parisian locations fill up completely, you really have to be early to get a good spot!

The idea is to create a shared space where people can work, inspire each other or just have an extension of their living rooms. Maybe the mission statement is somewhat idealistic, dare I say hippie, but the practicality of the concept is very convenient. You are working between people from all over the world, hearing a plethora of languages, have access to unlimited drinks & snacks and you are comfortable in a beautiful, light space. I hope the AntiCafé will take the world by storm!

Editor’s Note: In the Netherlands we have a meeting concept, Seat2meet. You can work here and get free Wi-Fi, coffee, tea and lunch. Their business model is renting meeting rooms: premium spots for flexible workers who want a little more quiet, and meeting rooms for groups. The only conditions if you want to work here; you need to show your ‘social capital’ meaning, everyone present is aware of your expertise and if possible you help each other. Meanwhile Seats2meet has quite a few branches. Perhaps an idea for Paris?

And while we’re at it: look at DrawAttention. You can buy whiteboard stickers here to stick on your laptop cover, on which you can advertise your expertise or say you don’t want to be disturbed!

Starbucks steps into the world of burgers

28-5-2014

Starbucks steps into the world of burgers. Next month Starbucks will open a restaurant in Los Angeles where guests can compose their own burger, the restaurant will also serve beer, wine, cocktails and shakes. Two years ago Starbucks bought ‘La Boulange’, a cafe chain based in San Francisco Bay Area that focuses on breakfast and lunch. Starbucks will rebuilt one of the locations in Los Angeles into a burger restaurant, many of the bakery items will be the same but the menu will include a build-your-own-burger. If the test is successful, the concept will be rolled out further.

Starbucks tweet a coffee

31-10-2013

Do you know someone who deserves a Starbucks coffee? Starbucks has launched the ‘Tweet-A-Coffee’ project in collaboration Twitter. People can send a Starbucks gift card a $ 5 to a friend, family or a stranger. Users only need to link their Starbucks account with a Twitter account and send a tweet with the mention @tweetacoffee to the person in question. The person will receive a link with the voucher for a Starbucks coffee. ‘Tweet-A-Coffee’ is only available in America.

Starbucks tea bar Teavana

25-10-2013

Starbucks has opened its first tea bar named Teavana in Manhattan New York. The tea bar has a simple design with a ‘zen’ atmosphere. A totally different concept than we are used to from Starbucks. The assortment consists of series of artisanal teas and the famous Starbucks sweets, sandwiches and salads. There is a ‘wall of tea’ where you can buy loose tea for home consumption and there is a wide range of tea sets. Starbucks bought the Teavana brand last year to expand to the global tea market. The chain is planning to open more tea bars in the coming years.

Starbucks gets Wi-Fi via Google

2-8-2013

Google will deliver wireless networks at Starbucks in the next year. Starbucks is planning to upgrade Wi-Fi in more than 7,000 of its stores in the United States over the next year, starting with the locations where the use of Wi-Fi is highest. Google will provide Wi-Fi access, the internet will be ten times faster and more accessible. In addition to speeding up the Wi-Fi, Starbucks and Google will also work together to improve the Starbucks Digital Network, a page where users are directed when accessing Wi-Fi.

Starbucks tea house

20-6-2013

Earlier this year Starbucks opened a new concept near the Megura Station in Tokyo. The new store is inspired by the surrounding neighbourhood, traditional Japanese architecture and gardens. The Starbucks doesn’t look like a coffee shop but more like traditional Japanese tea house. The interior design includes elements of wooden walls and Shoji sliding doors and the store sells Japanese ceramic mugs, exclusive to Starbucks Japan. Earlier we’ve spotted a Starbucks in Amsterdam with a interior design made of old bicycle tires and the Starbucks in Japan where you are surrounded by trees.

Free access to the New York Times at Starbucks

14-3-2013

Soon people will be able to get free access to 15 articles a day of the New York Times through the Starbucks Digital Network. Starbucks customers will be able to view three articles a day from five different sections. This action approach benefits for both companies, because it attracts people to visit Starbucks over a local coffee shop and it widens the reach of the New York Times.

Wireless charging at Starbucks

8-11-2012

In 17 different US Starbucks locations, the coffee chain is trialing tabletop pads. By putting down your phone or mobile device on the table, it gets wireless charged. The pilot ends this end of the year with a probably further rollout in 2013.

Compact makeover for Starbucks

23-10-2012

Starbucks will open several new stores where the tables and chairs are ditched and offers only a drive-thru and walk-up. The first store opened in Denver, but many stores will follow.

Starbucks makes laundry detergent out of coffee grounds

31-8-2012

Starbucks works together with biorefinery scientists to transform food waste into key ingredients for laundry detergent, plastics and other everyday products. The coffee makers announced this at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society’. As mentioned before Starbucks was already involved in local projects before like the use of coffee grounds for growing mushrooms.