Café by the minute

1          Look at these photos.  Where do you think this place is?  What do people go there?  Does it look cosy or uncomfortable?  Attractive or hostile?

2          Read the article and choose the best words to make the headline.

A café in London/Russia that charges cleaners/customers by the dish/minute/coffee

In London, an average cappuccino at an artisanal café costs around £2.65. At the newly opened Ziferblatcafé, you can get as many cappuccinos as you want for free – but there is a catch – you have to pay for every minute you spend there.

The pay-per-minute café idea comes from Russia, where the café chain currently has 10 outlets, after the original Moscow café proved successful. Instead of paying for items, customers pay for the space and comfort. 

The cost at Ziferblat is 3p per minute – which means you could stay in the cafe for almost ninety minutes at the cost of that cappuccino. Whilst there you can tinkle on the piano, make yourself a coffee with the self-serve espresso machine or grab some cookies from the cupboard and milk from the fridge. It is like a friend’s apartment, where you feel perfectly comfortable helping yourself.

Founder of Ziferblat, Ivan Mitin, told The Guardian:

‘It’s funny to see people queueing here to wash their dishes. It’s not obligatory, but it’s appreciated. They even wash each other’s dishes. It’s very social. We think of our guests as micro tenants, all sharing the same space.’

3          Answer these questions:

a  How much does each minute cost?

b  Who is Ivan Mitin?  What did he do?

c  Where did this idea begin?

Do you think this café concept would take off in your city?

Key

2      A café in London that charges customers by the minute

3      

a  3 pence   

b Ivan Mitin is the founder of the café chain.  He started the company.

c  The first café opened in Moscow.