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Old 02-23-2004, 09:59 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Location: redmond, washington
opening up a internet café/gaming center - opinions needed!

My boyfriend and I are working towards getting an internet café/gaming center opened up here in our town. For all the technology available here, there isn't either of these things in Redmond.

So far, we've been looking at locations and going to Seattle to check out other cafés. The closest gaming center is a 25 minute drive from downtown Redmond, and the closest cyber café - around 40. We both have agreed that something like this should do well in Redmond...

I'm sure alot of you have experience with either an internet café or gaming center. So, this is what I want to hear from you guys:
  • what do you look for in one of these places?
  • What kind of atmosphere do you like?
  • Do you want coffee/snacks available to you?
  • Where would the shop have to be for you to want to go there often?
  • What kind of prices have you paid in the past? What kind of prices do you want to pay?
  • What would you want in an internet café that you havn't seen in others?
  • Would an office suite be valuable?
  • What kind of connection do you expect a place like this to have?
  • What kind of machines do you expect? (café and gaming)
  • For those of you with alot of experience, do you have any software recommendations?

So far, we've decided that services such as photocopying, faxing, printing etc would probably be a great idea as well as services such as cd copying. Food and drink (especially coffee, and espresso) would do well and keep people in the shop.

Some other ideas:

We're going to offer WIFI at a pay-per-use or monthly subscription cost. Along with this, our shop will have couches and a quiet "corner" idea, where people can bring in their laptop/PDA and sit and relax. We'll also offer laptops as well so people can "rent" the laptop and hangout using the AP.

As for the desktops, each terminal will have privacy, like a little seperator between each terminal. These will be removable so costumers that come in as groups can take them off if they want to be able to talk to each other etc.

Another far out idea we thought may or maynot do well...maybe offering a linux box or two? We'll of course stick mostly to windows other then this, since that is what people _know_.

Each terminal area will have a drawer and a cubby sort of idea, so people have somewhere to put their stuff. Headphones will be available to rent for each terminal also. (this will be more or less used in the gaming center)


As for the gaming section, we'll offer all of the popular games..RPG, FPS etc. And keep these terminals in another room off from the internet café as it will most likely serve a different demographic. Online gaming will be offered of course, but I want to push LAN tournaments etc so we get groups of people at once. We'll have some sort of prize and make a whole sha-bang out of the ordeal. We were even thinking of having an x-box or two and having a huge screen for them to play on. (projector)

Sorry for the long post...I'd really like to hear from you guys and your ideas. People like you are who we are going to be trying to serve and your opinions will help us.
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Old 02-23-2004, 11:07 AM   #2 (permalink)
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Location: In a house
Q: What do you look for in one of these places?
A: Good prices, Clean enviroment, Good comps, Good/Great Connection.

Q: What kind of atmosphere do you like?
A: Doesnt have to be quiet by any means, that'll be impossible to accomplish. I'd expect some good rules that are enforced.

Q: Do you want coffee/snacks available to you?
A: I personally don't care for "snacks", but to have one of those large standing coolers to serve some drinks from is always nice.

Q: Where would the shop have to be for you to want to go there often?
A: Obviously location is extreemly important, but if the price is right i'd take the time to go further for a lower per hour rate.

Q: What kind of prices have you paid in the past? What kind of prices do you want to pay?
A: Here in pittsburgh the prices are way too high to even think about going, also the fact that the only good one is an hour from my place. But in Toronto the cafe's i've been to cost anywhere from $2.50 - $4.00 (canadian).

Q: What would you want in an internet café that you havn't seen in others?
A: GOOD headsets, GOOD mice, and possibly GOOD mousepads. (Every cafe i've been to has had shit headsets, shit mice, and dollar store mousepads)

Q: Would an office suite be valuable?
A: I can't really comment on this, as I wouldnt use it.

Q: What kind of connection do you expect a place like this to have?
A: Atleast 2-4 hops to a major backbone, anything above 10mbit/10mbit(Full duplex) should be just fine (Good networking equipment will be needed).

Q: What kind of machines do you expect? (café and gaming)
A: Cafe: you don't need much, amd xp series, 1800+, 256mb ram, geforce4 ti series.
Gaming: This is where most cafe's lack funding to get what the gamers want. With the upcoming computer games around the corner, there isnt any cheap alternative with Full DX-9 Games coming about. I'll give you an idea of what I would get.
Asus/abit/shuttle/blah motherboards with 8x agp, onboard sound (will save you money), onboard lan(diddo). Barton 2500+, 256mb ddr-400 x2 (dual channel), ATi 9600XT, Microsoft intellimouse Explorer 3.0/Logitech MX-500, Sennheiser PC-150/Plantronics audio-90's. That would keep (pretty sure) all of your customers satisfied.

Q: For those of you with alot of experience, do you have any software recommendations?
A: Cafe: Norton 2004, Office XP, Windows XP. (I'm sure there's more)
Gaming: Mirc, Norton, WinXP, OfficeXP (obviously the games). I'm sure there's more i'm missing.

I've known many people that have started cafe's, a close CLOSE friend of mine is starting one up soon in toronto, i'll be heading up there to help him sort it out when they purchase the place. It really looks like you have your thoughts strait, and I wish you the best =).

PS: I forgot to add in what type of monitors people would want, and again.. i'm pretty biased on this. I feel that lcd monitors are worthless for gaming, but so many cafe's i've been to feel that this is a "PRIORITY" to have. Too expensive, and not worth it unless you have NO space for crt's. As for the size of the monitor, I think anyone would be content with a 17", but 19" would be good if you have the extra $$$.
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Old 02-23-2004, 03:35 PM   #3 (permalink)
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I wouldnt get a Geforce4 Ti for a cafe comp, theyre a bit expensive. Just go with a Geforce4 mx and spend the extra $$ on more RAM or more stylish looking cases.

And make sure to have spaces in the LAN party room where people can bring their own comps. In the back, so they get to walk past the cafe people (who havent an idea of what a proc or mobo is) and show off their custom made rigs.

Also have a lot of plugs in the place so people (like me mum who has a notebook that can power a full 3 minutes w/o a wall plug) can still use their notebooks.
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Old 02-23-2004, 04:29 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Location: In beautiful (YOUR AREA)
Not much to offer here, But a lesson my buddy learned when he wanted to open his electronics shop was to find a good up to date or well kept building. He spent a good chunck of change getting his store up to code both for the fire marshall and the city.

Best of luck to ya
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Old 02-23-2004, 04:41 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Old 02-23-2004, 06:45 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Location: Southern California
Couple of random thoughts that may or may not answer your questions.

1. Location, Location, Location

2. Decide who your most likely customers are and focus on them. Don't try to be all things to all people. What types of things do these folks want and what types of "problems" can what you are offering solve. Judge this from the location itself mostly. I have only been there once, but I would imagine that younger folks are what you are looking for as your primary user and not really business people. Think about ways to help this person do what they need to.

e.g.
- Lots of people have digital cameras, not too many have photoprinters and the photopaper that makes all the difference. How about a workstation set up with photoediting software (basic stuff like Microsoft PictureIt! so that you don't end up doing photoshop support all day). Maybe they pay by the printed picture and get the amount of time on the workstation (rated by printed picture) included. Something in the $0.60 area ought to do it with volume discounts above and below that price based on your costs.
- Young people / students are many times working on resumes. Have good printers and paper. Also, have a copy of full Acrobat so you can make their resumes into things that always display on screen the same and always print without formatting issues that happen between different versions of Word.
- What other problems are you likely target looking to solve? Get a card reader and burn CDs of pictures for someone who is on a trip, Making sure your access has things like webcams and the right software installed that will fit your target customer is key.

3. Money is an issue. No matter what you think you need to start this thing, you need way more. As such, prioritize on what is most likely to generate revenue and do those things very well so people keep coming back. Gamers are notoriously cheap. Focusing on them (with what is a larger capital expenditure for a gaming rig rather than an internet browsing pc) may not lead you to the pot of gold in the early months of operation. If you are set on getting a gaming center in, do it slowly and gauge demand carefully.

Like I said, ask yourself the question, "What do my customers want from my service?" Make your business around that and you will be fine.

Just some initial thoughts. Hope they help.
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Old 02-23-2004, 08:57 PM   #7 (permalink)
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i looked at doing this myself and here are the main things i looked at.
-locking down your network. mac authentication or radius (i think you and your bf can covere this with a good *NIX server solution)
-a way to regulate access by the day/hour/minute (a good accounting package should do this with a few modifications)
-a stong network connection that will handle the peak usage without slowing down the network
other ideas for a cafe
-i would add postal/UPS/FedEx service as a membership option (they pay a monthly rate and you receive packages for them).
-individual email accts at the cafe with web based access.
-storage space on the server for people to keep files if they don't have a home computer.
-solid rules about personal grooming. sounds stupid, but the centers i know about have rules that you must leave every 24 hours to shower if you are staying for extended periods.
-most expensive... redundancy. an ISP can be down for half an hour and still meet there 99.x% uptime requirement to you, but that downtime could kill your gaming income if it happens at the wrong time.
-as an added income, make the cafe a WISP. sell access to people around the building. for less then a grand you can buy the equip to propagate your 802.11x signal for up to 5 miles depending on interference. i don't have any data to back up this next thought, but i'm guessing most of your cafe bandwidth would come after normal 8-5 business hours so if you get a few businesses to buy bandwidth from you you can make a few bucks during what 'should' be your low bandwidth hours on your connection.
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Old 02-23-2004, 09:16 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Location: Tiger I Turret
Look at your demographic, teenage boys, not a lot of them have their own cars so location is going to be the most important thing!

Near a school, near a mall, or wherever you see lots of kids hanging out! Someplace they can either walk to , ot near a hub where their parents will drop them off.

p.s. make sure you have lots of porn filters or you're gonna spend 3/4 of your time talking to pissed off parents.
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Old 02-23-2004, 09:26 PM   #9 (permalink)
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I've limited experience with said cafes. This is mostly because those limited experiences weren't very good. $6 per hour for an online connection? I don't think so.

I'd say one thing tho... ALL of my friends who have used an Internet cafe more than once have complained about how limited your options are when it comes to what you can actually do online. To be more specific, you typically cannot use IRC, and you may have Java support if you're lucky. But basically anything that requires something other than a browser, OR needs a plugin for the browser is out of the question as you cannot download and install said software/plugins. Therefore I recommend going as far as you can with setting up plugins and software so that people can do what they're there to do.

And I'd definitely offer Linux boxes. Just don't log 'em in as root. :P
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Old 02-23-2004, 09:38 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Location: A Few Miles Away From Halx
One of my friends just sold his net cafe to another guy. Not that he was a good manager or anything. He wasn't. Anyway, the new guy is really improving the place. The major thing he is doing is a few nights a week/month, he opens the place up to local artists (music, poetry, whatever) and lets them do their thing. Open Mike night is... yeah.

Check to see if there are any local establishments that cater to people who just want an outlet for their art. Even if you don't charge for it, you'll be bringing people in. It would let people see the place as a place to hang out.
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Old 02-24-2004, 12:00 AM   #11 (permalink)
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Location: redmond, washington
Thanks so much guys, you've made some really great posts so far and alot of points i'll make sure to note.

Keep them coming
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Old 02-24-2004, 07:09 AM   #12 (permalink)
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Location: Chapel Hill, NC
I really like the idea that someone posted above about having a back room for LAN parties.

I think that catering to gamers would likely be a losing proposition at first. Gamers tend to have their own machines, and these machines are pretty expensive, and would require frequent upgrading. Maybe once things get going, but I think that at first, it would be wise to shy away from them. Having that back room for LAN parties could be a good way to get some of them in there anyways. Just make sure the room has tables, chairs, lots of plugs (as the whole business should have... plugs = good), and plenty of ethernet connections. You may also want to make sure that the noise from the gamers in there wont spill over into the rest of the cafe... I know I would be pretty annoyed if I was sitting in your cafe trying to do some work and a bunch of kids in the back were screaming about a video game.

It would also probably be a good idea to isolate that group of network connections from the rest of the business. Maybe put all the connections in that room on a seperate workgroup?
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Old 02-24-2004, 08:08 AM   #13 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally posted by VF19
I wouldnt get a Geforce4 Ti for a cafe comp, theyre a bit expensive. Just go with a Geforce4 mx and spend the extra $$ on more RAM or more stylish looking cases.

You are right, dont get a ti4200, but that is all.


A 4200 would barely play Desert Combat or BF1942. Or at least at the level I expect to play at. And I dont consider playing with all the candy turned off as acually playing the game. You are playing an altered version of what the creator wanted you to experience. Its like watching movies with the brightness turn down so you can only see about half of whats happening...

I would say that a 9600 Pro would be the minimum for the game boxes. Non game boxes can use onboard video...


CLEAN. Cant say that enough. Weve had one game center in this town. It failed in less then a year. The one time I went their was trash on the floor. Empty beverage containers scattered throughout. I did not stay, nor did I return...
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Old 02-24-2004, 08:58 AM   #14 (permalink)
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Probably seperating the gaming computers and the websearching computers would be a good idea. Some kids who play games are rather loud. So the back room idea would probably work well with that.
Also, I'd get Norton Ghost to make images of one of the drives or something cause you know people are going to be installing or at least trying to install random crap that'll fill up the computers. But that's an administration thing.

Other then that, I've never been to one so I can't provide much help on the layout, sorry...
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Old 02-24-2004, 11:30 AM   #15 (permalink)
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I have to agree with everybody on having a separate room for the gamers. The only internet cafe I have been to didn't have that and it was annoying listening to a guy screaming while he was playing a game while I was just trying to browse the web for a while. Other than that I don't know what else to add.
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Old 02-24-2004, 05:58 PM   #16 (permalink)
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If you get into serving snacks/drinks etc you may have to apply for a different set of permits and inspections. If you get stuck under restaraunt style permit process it may be more of a pain than it is worth. A soda machine might suffice.
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Old 02-24-2004, 06:02 PM   #17 (permalink)
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Location: Wilson, NC
Quote:
Originally posted by VeXteR
You are right, dont get a ti4200, but that is all.


A 4200 would barely play Desert Combat or BF1942. Or at least at the level I expect to play at. And I dont consider playing with all the candy turned off as acually playing the game. You are playing an altered version of what the creator wanted you to experience. Its like watching movies with the brightness turn down so you can only see about half of whats happening...

I

What? My Ti4200 plays Desert Combat at 1024X768 with the graphics turned all the way up and maximum seeing distance fine...

Are you talking about the 64 MB version or what? The Ti4200 is still one of the best cards out there, especially when running a game such as Desert Combat which isn't revolutionarizing the genre. A 9600 Pro is about the equivalent to a Ti4200. Maybe a bit better but I doubt it.
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Old 02-24-2004, 06:04 PM   #18 (permalink)
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Yeah, the TI4200 actually beats out the Radeon 9600 Pro in many DirectX 8.1 heavy-tests. The 9600 Pro is basically ATI's TI4200 with DX 9 support. The TI4200 is still a very powerful card and won't see its demise until every game on the market is programmed heavily with DirectX 9 (HL2, Doom 3).

*EDIT*

Just to add on the topic, I wouldn't put anything less than GeForce FX 5900 non-Ultras in the gaming machines. A 2.4 C Core P4 and 2500+ Barton will do the trick for processing, and a generic 512 MB of PC2700 will do it for the RAM. With that combo, those PCs will run anything for the next couple of years for a decent price.

-Lasereth
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Old 02-25-2004, 11:30 AM   #19 (permalink)
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Location: redmond, washington
Quote:
I have to agree with everybody on having a separate room for the gamers.

We were already going to do this, but all of your comments have fully backed it up.

Also thanks a bunch for all of your hardware recommendations. I don't play many games (NWN is about it) so i'm not exactly up to date on what is popular and what type of computer is best to run them at.

I really appreciate all of your replys
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Old 02-25-2004, 02:40 PM   #20 (permalink)
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Old 02-25-2004, 03:22 PM   #21 (permalink)
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Location: redmond, washington
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Old 02-26-2004, 08:11 AM   #22 (permalink)
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No one's mentioned atmosphere. The successful cyber cafes in my town have always had a well thought out atmosphere. The ones that opened up in an old laundromat, still using the 40watt fluorescent troffers for lighting and the white-speckled commercial vinyl tile for flooring went under fast. No one wants to go to a cyber cafe and feel like they're in an institution.

Make it high-tech looking. This is surprisingly easy to do. Lighting is the key. Use a lot of recessed and track lighting. Have interesting things on the wall, and highlight them with a spot-halogen tracklight. Get some colored lighting to shine upwards in various places on the wall. Blue lighting would lend it a high tech look. Basically, visitors to your cafe should feel like they're in a high-tech computer center. Above all, stay away from fluorescents. The lighting is harsh, can cause monitors to waver, and causes eye strain.

I would throw a coffee shop in there as well, although maybe not at first. Gamers love caffeine and some of them don't like those sports drinks that don't really work anyway
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Old 02-26-2004, 11:34 AM   #23 (permalink)
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You could also rent the place for LAN parties, already set up.

Sorta like a catered LAN...
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Old 02-26-2004, 11:09 PM   #24 (permalink)
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Location: redmond, washington
Quote:
Originally posted by shakran
No one's mentioned atmosphere. The successful cyber cafes in my town have always had a well thought out atmosphere. The ones that opened up in an old laundromat, still using the 40watt fluorescent troffers for lighting and the white-speckled commercial vinyl tile for flooring went under fast. No one wants to go to a cyber cafe and feel like they're in an institution.

Make it high-tech looking. This is surprisingly easy to do. Lighting is the key. Use a lot of recessed and track lighting. Have interesting things on the wall, and highlight them with a spot-halogen tracklight. Get some colored lighting to shine upwards in various places on the wall. Blue lighting would lend it a high tech look. Basically, visitors to your cafe should feel like they're in a high-tech computer center. Above all, stay away from fluorescents. The lighting is harsh, can cause monitors to waver, and causes eye strain.

I would throw a coffee shop in there as well, although maybe not at first. Gamers love caffeine and some of them don't like those sports drinks that don't really work anyway
thanks for all of this, no one has mentioned anything like this yet, and i hadn't even thought of it yet.
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Old 02-27-2004, 01:40 AM   #25 (permalink)
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Do you have much of a tourism industry in Redmond?

I know in Dublin (where I grew up) and in Sydney (where I now live), tourists make up a quite a bit of the customers for net cafes.

Setting up your own business is going to be tough going. Make sure you don't need to turn a profit in the very short term. Cash flow will be a real bitch.

You should ensure you have the latest anti-virus software; not sure if you're allowed to use shareware apps if you are running a business.

A few things you should definitely consider:

1) Buy one or two of those high-quality colour ink-jet printers (only about $200) and keep a stock of "photo-paper". Then you can offer a cheap "Digital Photo-printing service". Just grab a few $20 card-readers and provide some photo-editing software on the PCs connected to the "photo printers". Voila... one additional service you can offer.

2) Buy/invest in a photo-copier and a fax. You'd be surprised how many people still use these and if you offer them (you'll probably need them for the business anyway), then you might get extra walk-ins.

3) If you can afford the space, seriously consider a coffee-shop. Make sure you sell GOOD coffee. If you can't afford the space/investment for a coffee-shop (and all the extra hassle in regulations concerning food sale), then make a coffee machine available at least.

4) Put in a vending machine. Gamers love their sugar fix and you make money. Go one step further, and sell "trendy" candy over the counter. Ditto for things like Red Bull.

5) Stay open late.

6) Be VERY careful with your cash. Have a sign that says you never have more than $50 on premises (etc), and invest in a drop safe.

7) Sell phone cards. Tourists, students etc... they all buy them and you make commission.

8) If you guys are technically astute, offer a Help Desk (think of the Apple Shops where you can drop by for some technical advice). Even if you don't charge for it (though you could offer a premium service), it's a nice touch.

9) Run classes. I'm not kidding. On different nights of the week you could run "Internet for Seniors" (even offer it discounted), then another evening you could run "Adult PC 101" (or something) and then "Making the internet safe for your kids" etc. You get the idea. There are at least 5 or 6 classes you could run. Draw up flyers and drop around the neighbourhood. Another cash income, and it increases your visibility.

10) Have books and magazines lying around. This is especially the case if you sell coffee etc.

11) Have a few couches. Not just hard seats.

12) Sell computer supplies. CDs, paper, ink-catridges

13) Run a game exchange service, or even sell/buy second-hand games etc.

14) You could even buy a couple of X-Box/PS2's... and let gamers play on those (or bring their own). You can buy Wireless Gaming adaptors to avoid additional wiring.

15) As Shakran says, ambiance is important.

16) Someone mentioned a seperate gaming room would be useful. Very good idea, if you can afford the space. This could even be used as your class-room in the evenings etc.

I could probably go on and on. Feel free to consider any of the above ideas stupid. I just wrote them as they occured to me.

Good luck! I'm all excited for you!!!!

Mr Mephisto
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Old 02-27-2004, 02:43 AM   #26 (permalink)
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Location: Tiger I Turret
As far at atmosphere is concerned.

The cafe part of the place should have lots of comfy chairs, a sofa or two, and coffee tables with magazines. The cafe part should look like a coffee house, someplace that students want to hang out. Not dimly lit, but not bright. Bright rooms don't make people stay for too long. A soda and candy vending machine are a must, have a tv above the coffee area (assuming you're gonna have one) like bars have.

The gaming room should be well lit, but make sure there is no glare! gamers hate glare! Also you should have some sort of soundproofing either in the walls, or on the walls. Gamers = noise! In the gaming room a large marker/greaseboard is a must so that the gamers can mark down their tournament charts and high scores. Also you might want to get one of those little ATM machines. Kids have bank cards, but seldom have cash on them.

Good luck!
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Old 02-27-2004, 05:54 AM   #27 (permalink)
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As far as atmosphere goes, I would definitely try to get a high-tech futuristic thing going on. Have some light-up bar counters or something. The cooler it looks, the better. Also keep the place clean.

I'd go for a darker version of the Cafe 80s in Back to the Future II "KEEP PEDDLIN' YOU TWO!!!"
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Old 02-27-2004, 07:15 AM   #28 (permalink)
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I have had this idea for some time, but I just don't have the cojones to do it.

In your gaming room, have a machine setup in the back that you or another employee can set at. Get yourself an inexpensive projector, hook it up and project onto the far wall in front of everyone. Log into the game as a spectator. This will allow people who are not playing to see the action. And, of course, play loud heavy metal music in the background
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Old 02-27-2004, 07:18 AM   #29 (permalink)
I'm a family man - I run a family business.
 
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Location: Wilson, NC
Quote:
Originally posted by pixelbend
I have had this idea for some time, but I just don't have the cojones to do it.

In your gaming room, have a machine setup in the back that you or another employee can set at. Get yourself an inexpensive projector, hook it up and project onto the far wall in front of everyone. Log into the game as a spectator. This will allow people who are not playing to see the action. And, of course, play loud heavy metal music in the background
that's the best idea I've heard in a long time. get some classic Quake II heavy metal soundtrack going on, with the projector. damn fine idea.
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Old 02-27-2004, 01:20 PM   #30 (permalink)
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I think heavy metal sound will put off a lot of people...



The ATM idea is very good too. You can actually make a dollar off every transaction, so it's yet another way to gain income.

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Old 02-27-2004, 01:40 PM   #31 (permalink)
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I don't think people who don't mind heads explodings and gallons of blood on the screen will mind heavy metal music.
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Old 02-27-2004, 01:54 PM   #32 (permalink)
The Matrix had a point...
 
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I have done the first and only internet cafe in Helsinki, so if you really like more detailed info, come and look me up in our chat..
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Old 02-27-2004, 04:54 PM   #33 (permalink)
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Location: Southern California
Quote:
Originally posted by Mr Mephisto



9) Run classes. I'm not kidding. On different nights of the week you could run "Internet for Seniors" (even offer it discounted), then another evening you could run "Adult PC 101" (or something) and then "Making the internet safe for your kids" etc. You get the idea. There are at least 5 or 6 classes you could run. Draw up flyers and drop around the neighbourhood. Another cash income, and it increases your visibility.

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I really like this idea and seems like a good way to earn some extra cash. This would take a little extra effort, but since your investment is already there, the marginal cost of doing these things will really be next to nothing. Exploit (READ: Market to) local churches who are afraid of what the internet will do to their kids. You can even sell them the software to spy on their kids at the same time and make something off of that. Once a month with just a couple people in it you can expose people to your shop and also make a little more money. Not too shabby.
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Old 02-27-2004, 10:21 PM   #34 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally posted by pixelbend
I don't think people who don't mind heads explodings and gallons of blood on the screen will mind heavy metal music.
Not ALL your customers will be gamers. :-)

As long as you have a LAN party, or gaming room, then fine. But to have Heavy Metal blaring in the whole internet cafe is just plain stupid.

To be honest, to have Heavy Metal blaring anywhere is just plain stupid...

Heh


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Old 02-28-2004, 11:34 AM   #35 (permalink)
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Just have music.. any kind.And not all gamers like heavy metal.
Take me for example. Fleetwood Mac or The Beatles goes along nicely with BF1942
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Old 02-28-2004, 01:13 PM   #36 (permalink)
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Location: redmond, washington
Seeing as we're right outside seattle, I'm positive that music like nirvana, soundgarden and pearljam will do quite well. So we may just keep a local radio station on most of the time and sometimes play our own music. I think this is more of an issue we'll deal with once we notice who our main costumers are.

Once again, thanks so much for the ideas guys, and Buddah, I'll be in touch
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Old 02-28-2004, 11:57 PM   #37 (permalink)
Go Cardinals
 
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Location: St. Louis/Cincinnati
Websense is your friend.
Our school has it and it works but everyone hates it.
By the way, it is an internet filtering system and a damn fine one that blocks sites by "Categories." So you could block the "Sex" "Nudity" to take off the porn.

I am not sure how they do it, but on our laptops on our school accounts we are disabled from opening Windows Media Player or AOL Instant Messenger, so you could do that, but instead block access to "My Computer" or any "Settings" bars to prevent people from fucking up the computers.

Atmosphere Atmosphere Atmosphere.
As said above, hi-tech looking is the way to go and do sell coffee/soda. I like to drink soda while on the computer so I bet others do as well and some people will want the caffeine so coffee/coffee drinks are the way to go.
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Old 02-29-2004, 12:06 AM   #38 (permalink)
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I'm moving to Redmond.
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Old 02-29-2004, 04:55 AM   #39 (permalink)
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I work in an arcade with a fair-sized LAN gaming center (25 systems). You're probably not aiming for the same demographic, but I might be able to offer some help.

Snacks are VERY important. We usually gross more off snacks than we do off computer time. We have a slurpee machine, and it's our best seller. That said, people are pigs, and it can be a hassle keeping things clean. Spills haven't been a problem so far, tho.

Tournaments are a GREAT way to attract new business. What we've done in the past is have an entry fee of ~$5 per person, and have 100% payout, as well as some free computer time (typically an hour or two just for showing up, plus 5-ish for the top few teams/players). They don't make us any money, but we aren't really losing anything either (plus we do HUGE snack sales since people are waiting a lot for their team to play).

Most places will tell you that Counter-Strike is THE game to have. It's an extremely popular game online, but has been around for a long time and is very eletist. We've been pushing Battlefield 1942 and it's been working well for us. The addition of vehicles makes the game much more accessible for newbies who just want to play around for an hour or two. If you're not very experienced with games, you might consider bringing someone on-staff to handle that aspect, since gamers can be picky people.
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Old 02-29-2004, 08:27 AM   #40 (permalink)
Buffering.........
 
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If you need good photo printers I always pick up the hp photosmart 7260...has a built in card reader and cartridges aren't that pricey..about $30 a piece....If you need parts in bulk I might be able to help yah.
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