Java Street Cafe – Kettering Ohio
I just watched the interview about the Java Street Cafe in Kettering Ohio.
See the Java Street Cafe website here.
For a long time I have toyed with the idea that a Restaurant could make more money by not pricing things. The Java Street Cafe is proving that the model really could work.
The buzz they are getting, the increased customer count and the increased revenue all show that the model is viable. Think about it – waiters depend on tips and people can tip what they feel you are worth.
Why not price the food the same way?
Lead Generation Resources
Great idea, done poorly. I don’t see how his business will survive after the newness wears off. Here’s why: he says that you have to look him in the eye when you pay, this is no different than a high pressure saleman. If he left his customers alone, then yes his business would thrive from now on. But, people will think before going back to high pressure sales. I’ve done a lot of volunteer work, and I don’t volunteer for known pressure pushers and people that make me or others feel unncomfortable.
imo
Interesting Gary.
Personally, I am not sue how “high pressure” they do it.
I have a feeling the “look me in the eye” aspect is an expression, not a high pressure sales tactic.
If you are right, then it might be bad in the long run because you are using guilt against people. But if they are honest and sincere, then it could be good.
We are not used to this kind of thing, so a lot of people might feel uncomfortable. I would go check it out if we were closer though.
Well he’s already out of business! One week CNN is there the next week he’s closed. I used to go there every week. His rent was $4,000!! You’ll have to sell a whole hell of a lot of coffee & stale food to rake in $4,000. I personally never ate the food. It didn’t look or sound good to me.
What I liked about the place that it was indeed a low pressure kind of place. Meetup groups could come in & sit hour upon upon hour and feel no pressure at all to buy anything even though they all did to support the business.
I think he simply didn’t have enough product that’s worth $4,000 a month for people to pay. It was kind of neat seeing the place on CNN. Now the Meetup people have to figure out a new place to hang out.
I had started going there during the “no price” sale. I go to Starbucks at least once a week. But since I could get the coffee a little cheaper, I drove out of my way to go to Java street cafe.
Until I stood there and waited for my drink for 25 minutes! The way they laid the receipts all over the counters was very unprofessional. They forgot/lost my order twice! The muffins were horrible and stuck to the paper. Then the drink that I was ordering started coming in a smaller cup. I’ll stick to my favorite Starbucks in Oakwood. They are always friendly, fast, and everything tastes great. I’ll pay more for better service! Pay what you think is fair is a great idea, but not if you are totally unprepared for the extra customers.