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Original poster

Would you pay to enter a coffee shop?

71 replies

Coffeebarn · 15/10/2015 07:20

I am in the process of setting up a coffee shop / play area in my local town. There is nothing for parents and under 5s in my town for miles and the next place is a really big play warehouse about £5 entry each.

My coffee shop / play area is quite small, and will focus on good coffee n cakes with a 25sqm area of toddler toys. I was proposing £3 entry but now in worried parents may feel annoyed at this cost?? All opinions appreciated!!!!!!!

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PeaceOfWildThings · 15/10/2015 07:58

When I had children under 5, yes, if it was conveniently situated. I used to do this quite often at a place near where DH worked and he'd join us for lunch, or meet us after lunch.

Now my children are teenagers I wouldn't set foot in a place with a play area. I get the joy of hearing children play (and the adults shouting at them) from a nursery next door, so prefer Costa or a good vegan cafe for my indulgent outings. :-)

hackedoffnow · 15/10/2015 07:59

We have a garden centre with a small plush play area/ a mini soft play. They charge £1.50 an hour. I do pay it but it is hardly used and tbf it looks like a costly installation. I wouldn't charge more than a £1 and also you may confuse people as to what you shop is and put off a big share of your market. £3 is too much unless it is an actual dedicated softplay park or you have a substantial amount sectioned off.

lottiegarbanzo · 15/10/2015 07:59

No.

The point of your play area is to attract families and keep them longer. So lots of child-friendly food and drink options to sell them is the answer.

If it was a massive soft play, you could charge entry to that area only. One pub near me does that. Others offer soft play areas free. Pubs are big enough to accommodate everyone of course.

The idea of paying to enter a coffee shop - possibly only to view the menu and play area, decide they're not what I wanted and leave - is ridiculous.

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Collaborate · 15/10/2015 08:00

If it's a really good play area, charge for entry to that. The coffee shop then is for the play area customers.
If the play area doesn't justify the entry fee then you'll not get any business.

BigChocFrenzy · 15/10/2015 08:02

Nope, you would rule out any childfree customers; they're a demographic that usually has higher disposal income to indulge, more frequent visits and higher spends per visit.
To help attract this profitable group, have a rack with a few daily newspapers.

Also, you need a reasonable throughput of customers - you'd go broke if people stay for hours for £3.

You should be able to make your money on the drinks, cake and say toasted panini.
However, IIRC many Mumsnetters bring their own food and drink for toddlers at least, to economise. To avoid this, you probably do need a minimum spend at the counter, before they can have a table or enter the play area.
Put a really nice photo of this area with the minimum spend above it, say £5 to include one free drink of their choice.

lottiegarbanzo · 15/10/2015 08:02

Btw my local soft play - fab, huge four level frame - with nice cafe area too, costs £3 or £3 something per child to get in. That's what I'd expect for £3!

Pobspits · 15/10/2015 08:04

atticusclaw2 · 15/10/2015 08:06

definitely not. Your soft play area is way too small to charge a separate fee.

WizardOfToss · 15/10/2015 08:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Shiraznowplease · 15/10/2015 08:08

No I wouldn't pay to enter unless the play area was huge. However when we go somewhere which is free we tend to have multiple coffees, children drinks and if you were focusing on good food I would time my visit to lunch time and would buy a sandwich for me and lunch for the children so probably £20-25 spend. Paying to enter would put me off but then I live in a city with lots of soft play centres.

If I had spend £3 to enter would feel I could sit there with my one coffee and drinks for children as I would feel IYSWIM

Shiraznowplease · 15/10/2015 08:08

Meant I felt I had already paid (sorry posted too soon)

FiveGoMadInDorset · 15/10/2015 08:10

Our local one seems to charge, never been in it though, £2 for adults, £1 per child.

KaraokeQueenOfTheNorth · 15/10/2015 08:11

As others have said, an entry fee will mean no child free customers, no one popping in on the off chance because they are passing and fancy a coffee.

There is a coffee shop near me with an area of toys, it is very popular with people with and without kids - I go there for coffee once a week because I really like it in there and I don't have any of my kids with me.

I agree with everyone else that the play area is your USP and is why hopefully people with kids will visit your coffee shop over other options.

I regularly meet with a friend who has two kids under 2 and we have to find somewhere which suits her (my kids are at school) - a coffee shop with a play area is perfect, but I wouldn't pay to go in somewhere if I don't have my kids with me!

Some kids don't want to use the play area, I'd hate to pay £3 for my kid to sit at the table with me and then have to spend more on snacks...

Boredofthinkingofnewnames · 15/10/2015 08:11

No.

Secondtimeround75 · 15/10/2015 08:14

You could do a child friendly coffee morning then a regular trade after that.

I wouldn't pay to enter but would accept an increase in the price of the coffee.

You could do a morning menu eg.

Coffee & play £ 3.50
Coffee ,scone & play £ 5.00
Kids pancake & drink £2.00

laundryeverywhere · 15/10/2015 08:16

I think you need to sell kids food that is really nice and maybe sell nice range of toys and colouring books etc to bring in money, without charging an entry fee.

MangoBiscuit · 15/10/2015 08:19

There used to be a "play cafe" near me. It was a pay entry per child, then pay for food and drink. I understood the entry fee as there was a large, gated area for play, and the smallest play frame I've ever seen. But as it was so small, the entrance fee somewhat grated. The coffee was ok, the tea was good, and the home made cakes were fab. I probably would have gone more often before it went out of business, but it all seemed a bit of a disappointment after you had to pay to get in.

I think a family friendly cafe would be a much better way to go. If the entry is free, people will look at the play area and think "Ooh, isn't that lovely, how thoughtful"

Jinglebells99 · 15/10/2015 08:19

We have a local one opening soon near me. There is horror on local social media that they are planning on charging for parents £1 and babies 6 th to a year £1.50 as well as £4 for toddlers and £5 for 4 - 8 year old. It situated on a farm shop with nice coffee shop so parents would probably spend anyway. And it's putting me off as mine are now teens and the thought of this nice farm shop overrun with small children horrified me!

apinchofsugar · 15/10/2015 08:20

How big is your play area?

There's a soft play cafe locally, and it can get quite busy:

There is a small play area, and a large cafe areas
(small play area is a tiny soft play for babies, then bigger soft play with 1 closed slide, 2 open slides, a ball pit..., things to climb, a tunnel upstairs...)

Under 12 months are free, 12 to 18 months £1, 18 months pay around £3.95, up to 5 pay £5 (not sure exact amounts to be fair). Children over 6 are not allowed in the (small) play area - but of course can stay in the cafe, parents don't pay to come in.

I think the place makes money mainly with organising birthday parties every Saturday and Sunday. If they are not booked then, they open to the public, but that rarely happen, so they are obviously popular.

They can charge this amount because there is not much else locally, and mums are happy to go in, have a coffee whilst the kids burn some energy.

Lunch times are very busy, sunny days are dead (so it's lovely to bring a tiny one!), and afternoon quiet.

Don't forget that many mums would love to come often, but simply cannot afford it. This sort of shop struggle, and is rarely sustainable in a city centre where the rents are very high.

Good luck!

RabbitSaysWoof · 15/10/2015 08:20

I wouldn't unless I could then take up a table and buy nothing once in.
For me tho I would sit in a £5 soft play and purchase nothing (never had a massive going out budget) so I wouldn't spend £3 + coffee for my child to play in a cafe, I would feel under obligation to not have an empty cup for too long or just leave, it would end up costing more than the soft play.
I think if you had a free play area you may get the same people coming back day after day lots of people like to stop for half hour on the way home from somewhere but if it's turned into a £3 play activity they will of course think of the other activities they can go to for that.

KenDoddsDadsDog · 15/10/2015 08:23

No way

RedButtonhole · 15/10/2015 08:23

I wouldn't pay for entry. My local soft play charges £1.60 an hour, and that's fine because the focus is on the soft play.

Local coffee shop has an outdoor play area which is free, regardless of how much you buy. People tend to stay longer/ play more because their kids are occupied so they get peace to chat and eat somspend more money that way.

If I was charged £3 entry I'd stay longer to get my money's worth but would be put off actually spending more on another coffee or more juice for DS because I've had to spend to get in.

Helenluvsrob · 15/10/2015 08:27

Have you thought of the H+S aspects of mixing a pay area ( presumably not a confined one as soft play tends to be) , with hot drinks in a cafe?

We have been asked numerous times to put a coffee machine in our waiting room and have ruled it out as there are always toddlers either just tootling about in a toddlerish way , or hurtling around with mums chasing them!

thehousewife · 15/10/2015 08:31

No way, if you did a deal, like a cake coffee and drink for the little one. I'd consider it but other than that no.

yomellamoHelly · 15/10/2015 08:32

If you charge for entry then I think that creates an expectation about the "entertainment" / toys on offer. If it were free you could get what ever toys you can from car boot / NCT sales etc and no-one would bat an eyelid.
Also am in the pay to get in then buy nothing else camp. Our local ones with this policy have problems with people bringing their own refreshments for the kids.

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