A Café for the Freelance Nation

http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/caf-pay-as-you-go/6513.article

by RougeFemme • 12 years ago

29 31 12 years ago

jlees• 12 years ago

Someone on HN tipped me off to the Workshop in SF recently, which has a similar pay-per-minute (well, hour) model. Coffee's still expensive, but you don't have to buy it, and there's concierge service with food etc. It's been a great spot to fill a multi-hour gap without guilt.

dangrover• 12 years ago

I agree, Workshop is great! No guilt, and they've got the place set up for work, no worrying about bad wifi or finding outlets. I go to other cafés for hanging out, and I go there when I need to focus on work.

The nice thing about these sort of places is that if you're a freelancer, I think you can make a decent case for expensing them (not counting the coffee).

specialist2• 12 years ago

The biggest "bummer" to laptop camping is the limited food selection.

I make sure to pay my "rent" when I'm in a cafe (buy stuff, tip well). But it'd be a lot easier if there was stuff more compatible with my cave man diet, selections beyond treats and panini. I get that fresh fiber is highly perishable, so is mostly impractical. Maybe soups. Or house salads (bulk, pre made) like the grocery store deli.

Who ever figures out the food options will win my heart and money.

hmsimha• 12 years ago

My take on this: While it's an interesting concept, and I'd love to see discussion on it, $3.50 an hour is a bit higher than what I'd be willing to pay for using wifi in most American cities, unless the coffee is really good and comes with the best damn selection of creamers, sweeteners, and frills around.

Now from what I understand, in some cities it actually is tough to find wifi because the inflated property costs have birthed a restaurant and cafe culture that clings to snap turnover to stay afloat. In these cities (which are in the minority, but perhaps are home to the majority of tech workers), I could see this kind of cafe succeeding wildly.

mjn2• 12 years ago

In addition to the restaurant/cafe culture, the quality and quantity of space provided by the local library systems is another factor. I sometimes work in coffee shops in Copenhagen when I don't want to be in the office, but compared to other places I've lived, I find myself more often working in libraries. They have free wifi, don't care how long you stay, have power plugs, have access to various paywalled databases, and some even have cafes if you want to grab a coffee. And there are a lot of them, something like 20 libraries within 5 km of my house (counting municipal and university ones), so they don't really fill up, with the possible exception of exam weeks.

d232• 12 years ago

This is what I've been eyeing for my next move if it ends up being remote. My only concern is a space where I can eat and conference call without disturbing other patrons or going outside.

k-mcgrady2• 12 years ago

I can't understand the appeal working in coffee shops has to some freelancers. I can see how an hour, maybe two could break up the day but when you have free coffee and excellent wifi you're already paying for at home why would you pay to work in a crowded, noisy public space?

DanBC• 12 years ago

People are different. Some people like noise and bustle. Others don't.

I find it hard to understand people who don't get that.

jamesrcole• 12 years ago

I find it harder to get motivated when I'm at home, but when I go to a coffee shop I know I'm there to just do work, and paying for my time there (in coffee) also helps spur me onto work.

zacinbusiness• 12 years ago

I work at coffee shops for one of a few reasons, depending on the day. Sometimes I just want to get out of the house, and it's good to see what other people are talking about and doing.

Other times I need to get away from my very needy, very rambunctious dogs (we have three) but it's raining or really cold outside so they want to stay in and play. That gets very distracting.

Finally, sometimes I drop my wife off at work as she's a professor and it's difficult for her to find parking. So I'll take her to work and then camp out at the coffee shop where they know me and immediately make my order without me even asking.

ronaldx• 12 years ago

I understand that you don't personally find this appealing, but I suggest that you are likely in a minority:

1. Background noise is said to be good for creative-type work: http://www.prevention.com/health/brain-games/how-noise-makes...

2. Breaking up your day into chunks and physically moving around are both potentially great for productivity. Joel Runyon recently dubbed this 'workstation popcorn': http://impossiblehq.com/workstation-popcorn

coldtea4• 12 years ago

Not to mention, in similar places like these, meeting people (for business and/or flirting), and well, having some exersize just by walking there.

And after you dragged yourself there, you have more guilt if you don't work, compared to being at home.

__--__• 12 years ago

Neither of which actually require going to a coffee shop. It's the human interaction that most people find appealing.

w1ntermute3• 12 years ago

Same here. You're stuck with a small keyboard and screen, and your posture probably isn't ergonomic. The horrible wifi and fighting over power outlets just tops things off for me.

coldtea4• 12 years ago

You're stuck with a small keyboard and screen, and your posture probably isn't ergonomic

So, just like at home for most people.

The horrible wifi

That's a bonus. Less of a chance to turn your work-day into a youtube-cats-marathon.

fighting over power outlets

That just does not happen, not in the kind of environment the article describes, which is built for this sort of thing.

specialist2• 12 years ago

When I work with people around, I get more done. I get almost nothing done at home.

I'm an extrovert. Most of the time, I like social interaction. And when I get into the zone, I just pop in the earbuds and crank out the code. Best of both worlds.

Serendipity is huge for me. My passion is open government projects. I'm astonished how many random people I meet have a keen interest and relevant experience, from every walk of life. That validation, and knowing that they'll ask about my project next chance we meet, keeps me plugging away.

Have you seen the bit about the honor system for office bagels? Simply putting up a picture of human face watching you makes people more honest. I absolutely jog faster, do more pushups, write more code, etc when I feel there's someone around to impress.

gk1• 12 years ago

This is a refreshingly honest answer, and I completely relate to it. I spent a lot of money on a nice desk at home, but I still get more done in coffee shops.

d232• 12 years ago

If you're regularly working remote you likely want to create a separation between your work and home environment. Cabin fever and what-not.

mark_l_watson• 12 years ago

I agree with you. I have a comfortable home, and home office so I spend less than two hours a month working in a local coffee shop.

acd• 12 years ago

A good work café would have Apple TV, Miracast and HDMI cables connected to 24-30 inch screens & borrow keyboards wireless and usb charging of devices.

k-mcgrady2• 12 years ago

That's not a café, that's an office that has coffee making facilities.

jbeja• 12 years ago

Off topic: Watching the picture, do people realy code in their tablet (ipad, etc)?

bamos• 12 years ago

I had a friend who tried [0] before, but switched back to a macbook after a few months.

[0] http://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-...

vinceguidry• 12 years ago

His follow-up article suggests he ended up doing it permanently.

eftpotrm• 12 years ago

I'd try it if I had a keyboard for mine. I've written loads on a 10" netbook; it's a great environment IMHO because it's so portable.

A Café for the Freelance Nation

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