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quadro2000 · 06-02-2005, 08:28 AM

Quote:

May 26, 2005
Coffeeshop Turns off Wi-Fi on Weekends

By Glenn Fleishman

Pic CafemenuIt’s too early to say whether it’s a trend, but Victrola Coffee & Art in Seattle shuts down its free Wi-Fi on Saturday and Sunday: I spoke to co-owner and co-founder Jen Strongin today after a colleague tipped me to the fact that this lovely, single-shop coffee establishment had decided to experiment with taking back its culture by turning off the Wi-Fi juice on weekends.

Strongin said that the five-year-old cafe added free Wi-Fi when it seemed their customers wanted it a couple of years ago. It initially brought in more people, she said, but over the past year “we noticed a significant change in the environment of the cafe.” Before Wi-Fi, “People talked to each other, strangers met each other,” she said. Solitary activities might involve reading and writing, but it was part of the milieu. “Those people co-existed with people having conversations,” said Strongin.

But “over the past year it seems that nobody talks to each other any more,” she said. On the weekends, 80 to 90 percent of tables and chairs are taken up by people using computers. Many laptop users occupy two or more seats by themselves, as well. Victrola isn’t on the way to anywhere; it’s in the middle of a vibrant stretch of shops and restaurants on Capitol Hill’s 15th Ave. It’s exactly the kind of place that you want to sit down in, not just breeze through.

Worse than just the sheer number of laptop users, Strongin noted, is that many of these patrons will camp six to eight hours—and not buy anything. This seemed astounding to me, but she said that it was typical, not unusual. The staff doesn’t want to have to enforce the cafe’s unspoken policy of making a purchase to use the space (and the Wi-Fi), and on the occasions that they approach a non-buyer about a purchase asking, “Can I get you a beverage?” the squatter often becomes defensive, explains they’ve bought a lot in the past or just the day before.

“It’s just really really difficult. We’ve had so many heated debates about it. We want people to linger at the cafe. We’re not a fast-food coffeeshop. We want people to feel comfortable staying here as long as they please,” Strongin said.

They’ve gone two weekends with no Wi-Fi, and so far, they’re pleased with the results. The staff “loves it,” she said, and regular customers are “coming up to us and thanking us.” They have received a few nasty emails. But Strongin said that last Sunday was one of the best revenue days they’ve had on the weekends in a while. “It was kind of a bold move.”

Strongin says that Victrola isn’t interested in charging for Wi-Fi as a tool to limit or moderate use, and still thinks that free Wi-Fi is a great amenity that they can offer their customers at the right time. They have no plans to remove it entirely.

But, she said, “I don’t like going into a cafe, any cafe, including my own, and just seeing a sea of laptops and people not interacting.”

Update: Tonx, Victrola’s roaster, posted his own insider take on the matter. He notes, “A few customers were in painful enough withdrawal that they stayed home, finding time to send email about how upsetting it was. But the overwhelming response was positive.”

Posted by Glennf at May 26, 2005 04:35 PM

Categories: Culture , Hot Spot

I'm kind of removed from this culture because I'm still a loser without a laptop. I don't have a 'net connection unless I'm plugged into something. But after doing some surfing on Supple Cow's laptop from a hammock in the backyard this weekend, I've finally caught up to the 21st Century and I understand how awesome it is to be anywhere in the city with either an instant net connection, or one closeby in a coffee shop or cafe. Jess and I have talked about what it would be like to open up our own cafe at some point, and including free Wi-Fi access is something we'd obviously want to do.

But I never really thought about the potential downside that co-owner Jen Strongin mentions, that people are becoming more anti-social within the shop. I don't spent a lot of time in coffeeshops, so I haven't taken real note of the culture that exists within. While they are sure to anger some customers, I give them a lot of credit here. They're concerned with maintaining their social vibe.

I wasn't surprised to read their other point, which is that they wind up with people who will sit in their shop for six hours without purchasing anything. They do want customers to feel comfortable in their environment, but a business is still a business.

Those of you who frequent coffeeshops with your laptops, what's your take on this? When you go to a cafe, do you go just to use the Wi-Fi? Do you buy something? How long do you stay? Would you be irritated if they limited the access on weekends, or perhaps changed to a system where you got an hour-long login/password once you bought something?