I like working in coffee houses as you know, they provide a nice atmosphere for writing and good java at the same time. These are the two most important factors for me in my choice of where to go with my business but another good factor is free WiFi. Outside of the for-pay T-Mobile hotspots like those in Starbucks most local coffee houses offer free WiFi to help them be competitive. It’s great for those of us who like to drop in, have a good brew and do some web work. One of the local coffee houses, whom I won’t mention by name because I don’t want to give them grief, doesn’t offer WiFi, either free or for pay. I still go there as I have my ever-present EV-DO but others I’ve spoken to about this shop do not go there because they need WiFi.
I found it strange that they don’t offer WiFi so in a recent email exchange with the owner I asked why they don’t offer WiFi of any kind. His answer really surprised me as it would never occur to me that such a situation could exist. He admitted that providing free WiFi for customers is now very cheap and something that he’d like to do but he can’t. See, his shop is in a very small local strip center with limited parking and his landlord prohibits the offering of WiFi of any kind as it encourages patrons to stay longer than usual and tie up parking spaces. It’s actually in his lease that he can’t offer WiFi as it is important to have rapid turnover for the parking spaces for the center. This totally surprised me and made me realize that it’s tough to be a small businessman in such a competitive field so next time you visit such a shop don’t jump on the owner, they may not have a choice to forego the WiFi.
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