A new concept out of London has turned the cafe industry on
its head by charging 3 pence (around 5 cents) per minute for time spent at their tables.
Everything in the cafe is free including tea, coffee, biscuits, toast,
and fruit & vegetables. It is all pretty much self serve and customers are
given a big clock to put on their table so they can keep track of time. The idea
addresses the problem of maximising profit from every seat in the house. It is
a global problem for cafes that customers tie up space for hours, often using
free wi-fi but only purchasing a cup of coffee.
Industry commentators have called the idea a gimmick that is
unlikely to take off in Australia.