Glass Hour is a cafe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that offers unlimited coffee, tea, granola bars, and candy. There's a catch, though; while patrons don't get charged for the drinks and snacks, they instead get charged for how long they spend in the cafe.
The unique business model is a response to the way that people tend to use cafes: as workspaces. At many cafes, people come in and buy a single coffee, then take up a table for hours while they work on a project. Not only is that inefficient from a business standpoint, but it makes it harder for customers to find seats in the cafe as well. Glass Hour's pay-per-minute system eliminates that issue, and it also keeps customers from worrying about whether its time to buy another drink or snack.
Punch Clock Currency Cafes
Brooklyn's Glass Hour Charges Patrons by the Minute instead of Drinks
Trend Themes
1. Pay-per-minute Cafes - Opportunity for cafes to charge customers based on the time spent in the establishment rather than traditional per-item purchases.
2. Shared Workspace Cafes - Disruptive innovation opportunity to create cafes that specifically cater to customers who seek workspaces and offer flexible payment models.
3. Unlimited Beverage Cafes - Idea for cafes to adopt the concept of unlimited beverage offerings and charge customers based on the time they spend in the cafe rather than individual purchases.
Industry Implications
1. Cafe Industry - Potential for cafes to reimagine their business models by implementing pay-per-minute systems or unlimited options to better cater to customer needs.
2. Co-working Industry - Opportunity for co-working spaces to integrate cafe services and offer pay-per-minute options for customers who require a workspace with unlimited refreshments.
3. Hospitality Industry - Disruptive innovation potential in the hospitality sector by incorporating pay-per-minute cafes as a unique offering to accommodate guests looking for flexible workspace and refreshments.