London has its first pay per minute cafe

When on a free errand stopping over at a café to cover the time by reading, surfing the web or simply hanging on to a cup of coffee for a long time may not be the best alternative now. The Pay-per-minute cafes from Ziferblat, the Russian chain which has recently opened its first branch in the UK in London (388 Old Street), you will find everything free but the time. Here every minute will cost you 3p.

The guests arriving at the restaurant are expected to take clocks from the cupboards on arrival and note their time, that way they can clock their stay in the restaurant. The restaurant Ziferblat means a clock in Russian and German (Zifferblatt).

There is a section providing complementary snacks (biscuits, fruit, and vegetables). You also have the option of preparing your own food in the kitchen or get your own coffee from the coffee machine.

Ziferblat has opened 10 branches in Russia in the past two years and now wants to take the idea worldwide. With hostels, hotels and cafes around the world often filled with people either working remotely or enjoying some downtime online, the market for expansion is certainly there. The “coffice”, we’re told, is the way of the future.

The idea has really caught up with the people living in London said the restaurant owner Ivan Mitin. People are in fact enjoying washing dishes and helping each other save time in this joint at a price of £1.80 an hour. So, if this is the trend then future coffices will be quite a trend in other parts on the world too.