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posted by CoolHand on Tuesday May 02 2017, @03:56AM   Printer-friendly
from the you-deserve-a-break-today dept.

'We don't want to be an office:' Café owners are pulling the plug on WiFi

When HotBlack Coffee opened in downtown Toronto a year ago, it took a risk few businesses would dare take in today's online-driven world: it turned off the WiFi.

"Every day people come in and ask for it," says Jimson Bienenstock, the café's co-owner.

Still, he hasn't wavered.

"In the short term, it hurt us," Mr. Bienenstock says. "It took us longer to become established, but once we reached critical mass, it has become a self-fulfilling virtuous circle."

While most cafés offer free WiFi, including large chains such as Starbucks, McDonald's and Tim Hortons, HotBlack is among a small but growing number of independent coffee shops choosing to ditch or limit Internet use. By not offering WiFi, they're hoping to create more of a community atmosphere where people talk to each other instead of silently typing on their computers.

If coffeeshops come to discourage people working, perhaps that activity can shift to libraries.


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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 02 2017, @04:20AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 02 2017, @04:20AM (#502665)

    I carry a spare hotspot with me in case there isn't wifi where I am, and I leave my wifi open for anyone to use. So what happens when I'm in these idiots' coffee shop using my own wifi, and other people join me? I really don't think they bothered to consider the possibilities here.

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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by lx on Tuesday May 02 2017, @07:45AM (1 child)

    by lx (1915) on Tuesday May 02 2017, @07:45AM (#502719)

    Then it's time to invest in some copper mesh for the windows, tinfoil behind the wall coverings and a plaque dedicated to the memory of Michael Faraday behind the bar.

    You do run the risk of attracting the electrosensitive crowd, but it's a small price to pay for getting the macbook brigade to stay away.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 02 2017, @08:02AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 02 2017, @08:02AM (#502722)

      Better plan to block the entire electromagnetic spectrum. No windows for your coffee shop. Some enterprising maker might get a signal out using a laser.

  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday May 02 2017, @11:43AM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Tuesday May 02 2017, @11:43AM (#502758) Journal

    I do the same thing, even at work. Once I finish the work for the Man, I switch to doing my own work over the hotspot; my connection is my business alone. Also, any personal communication goes the same way.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.