Friday, July 14, 2006
Free WiFi Spawns Cafe Backlash
Posted by Suhit Gupta in "NEWS" @ 10:00 AM
"Raise your hand: who here has ever booth-squatted for hours in a Panera, nursing that bottomless cup of coffee, using the restaurant's free WiFi connection the entire time? It's a common enough scenario that cafe and coffee shop owners, long used to offering free WiFi as a way to get customers in the door, are fighting back. The Boston Globe has an interesting piece on these "WiFi wars." Cafe owners have found that WiFi brings customers, but also a host of problems. Some people purchase nothing at all, some buy the cheapest item on the menu, and most stay for hours at a time, tying up tables that are especially needed during the lunch rush. Others park outside and surf the Net from the comfort of their vehicles—for months on end. Coffee shop owners are now fighting back. Customers who purchase nothing are politely asked to do so, while WiFi is sometimes shut down at peak periods. Other shops have begun charging for the service, more as a way to limit access than to make money."
Hmm, have cafes thought of advertising to subsidize some of their costs? Seems to work for Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. :) Anyways, I am surprised it too this long for the cafes to clamp down. Luckily this isn't a problem at the Panera near me, yet. Have any of you noticed this phenomenon?
Hmm, have cafes thought of advertising to subsidize some of their costs? Seems to work for Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. :) Anyways, I am surprised it too this long for the cafes to clamp down. Luckily this isn't a problem at the Panera near me, yet. Have any of you noticed this phenomenon?
