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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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CottonSock · 15/10/2015 08:32

I might pay, if other costs were lower. However, I think you might find resistance and it wouldn't balance out. There is a similar offering in my home town called cafe junior, they charge entry and people grumble about it. The play area is huge. Some people also take their own food. They must have big overheads so have put up signs about it.

Anotherusername1 · 15/10/2015 08:40

Shops dont charge you to look at their wares.

Actually some do - M&S and Next (used to) charge for their catalogues for example. I could never understand that.

But no, I wouldn't pay. Some sort of season ticket might be a good idea, but you might find yourself severely out of pocket with that. You can only charge entry if it's predominantly soft play. If it's a coffee place with a play area, you can't.

Not sure what the H&S issues are? Toddlers can dash about cafes without play areas. In fact it might be safer because they've got something to do!

SevenOhTwo · 15/10/2015 09:02

This is the only similar set-up I've come across:

www.jennsden.co.uk

Their entrance charge is higher than you propose, and the play areas are not huge (i.e. not comparable with your average soft play), although the whole place is quite big and there are three separate play bits with arts and crafts, dress-up, books, climbing things etc. as well as toys. I only went once, as it didn't seem worth it to me, but it was pretty busy and I 've heard a lot of people talk about going, so it can work.

I think if it's going to work like that the 'play' element needs to be really good.

Compare and contrast:

www.tasteofchamberlayne.co.uk

Normal cafe upstairs, kids play area in basement with a few seats so adults can sit with their drinks. No entrance charge. That was quite a good set-up imo (although the play area was a bit dark and dirty!)

I think it depends how good/big your play area will be. Lots of cafes have small play areas, so if you are going to differentiate as a 'play cafe' it needs to be a lot more than just a small toy area.

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Crabbitface · 15/10/2015 09:03

I think more information is needed -

Is it £3 entry per person(including adults?)
Would this charge include a coffee or a milk/juice for child.
Would there be different charges for weekdays/weekends.

I appreciate that you are still in planning but these are some of the things I consider when choosing a place to go.

It sounds a bit like you haven't decided yet what to be. We have a nice cafe locally which is quite big and over different levels. On one of the levels is an area that is literally fenced in and has three tables and a sofa all placed around three large play mats with a selection of books and toys. It's great because I can have a coffee and cake and often lunch safe in the knowledge that I don't have to strap my unwieldy DD into a highchair and wait anxiously for the screeching to start. She can potter about with no risk of being scalded by hot coffee or annoyingly wandering over to other tables and eyeing up their lunches. BUT I wouldn't pay to go there. They are mid- to high range in terms of their prices for coffee and good quality food (which sounds like what you'll be doing).

Sounds like exciting things ahead for you - good luck.

Marcipex · 15/10/2015 09:04

People will stay all day without buying if you do that.
They will also bring their own food , citing special diets and allergies if you complain.
They'll argue that they've paid to come in.
Some people have a lot of brass neck. Some are broke but desperate for a bit of a change. Either way, you lose.

FrozenAteMyDaughter · 15/10/2015 09:23

The problem with any cafes with play areas is people come in and nurse one coffee for hours while their kids play so you lose money on that table and eventually the place closes. we had one where I live and exactly that happened. We also had one which charged.a.membership fee but then you also had to pay for the food and drink inside and that.closed too. Now there are no pleasant play cafes near us, only a municipal soft play which is expensive and so is.the food and drink.

I think to do it successfully the minimum spend policy is a good idea and people have to eat from.the menu between 12 and 2 say. Then you need waiting staff coming to tables and asking if people.want more coffee etc. When I was on maternity leave the group of mums I went with would.go to a coffee shop like Starbucks, buy a coffee,.sit down and be unlikely.to queue up a second time.because.it involved moving a sleeping baby/toddler or whatever. If someone had come to my table, let.me.order and brought it to me I would have eaten and.drunk far more.

Also, if it is going to work well you have to concentrate on a decent menu with a few things that can be eaten one handed, and thimgs that children will enjoy that aren't generic nuggets. Get the food and coffee and cake right and don't let people table hog, and you will be set hopefully.

Also think about buggies. You will have a lot and people will want to keep them by their tables. You need to work out if that is going to be feasible or will you need to provide a buggy Park space.

Good luck! I think it is a great idea and would have loved to have had something.like this survive round us. I did frequent them and.spend.money in them.when I could btw.

RNBrie · 15/10/2015 09:31

There is a successful soft play/cafe near where my parents live. Its not huge, but the dc are happy playing there for an hour or two. Its free to "enter" but you pay £1.50 per child in the play area. So you can go in for a coffee without kids and not get charged an entry fee (although I am not sure if this ever happens, it's very child orientated), you don't get charged for babies. It works really well in my opinion and we go most times we visit my parents.

Artandco · 15/10/2015 09:34

Also I think a small quiet pay area would be better than anything encouraging climbing and rough play as that doesn't work in a small space. Just an area with say a play table with trains and track on, and a play kitchen would entice people in with children but not distract other customers. Pencils and pictures avaliable to draw at the table. You don't want to encourage all the children to be in one place as that's when the noise rises/ arguments happen.

whatsagoodusername · 15/10/2015 09:49

I don't think I would want to pay a fee if it was a coffee shop, but I would have happily paid more for a coffee in a coffee shop with toys - £3 for a coffee I could get for £2 in Starbucks.

Maybe charge extra for eating in so you don't totally alienate the child free people and at least get their takeaway trade?

Alb1 · 15/10/2015 11:48

Deffiently wouldn't pay to enter, if it had proper soft play id pay for DS to play. But if we had anywhere remotely child friendly near us I would spend a fortune there anyway! But yeah I deffiently wouldn't pay £3 just to get in

LisbethSalandersLaptop · 15/10/2015 11:52

NO I would not pay to go into a cafe. Most parents are sick of being ripped off tbh.

FrozenAteMyDaughter · 15/10/2015 12:43

i don't see how it is a rip off? You would be paying for a service that isn't available everywhere - somewhere for your children to play while you sit and relax. That said, paying to get in to the cafe itself would alienate anyone other than parents of small children and it is clear from this thread plenty of them too, so you would be restricting your clientele in a way you wouldn't if you either charged for the play area itself or had a minimum charge etc.

As I am still in the position of trying to find somewhere to go for a chat with friends where their and/or my children also are entertained, I would not feel ripped off either way but would probably prefer a place which appeals as an adult coffee drinker first and a parent second. The other way round and you are basically back in the realms of soft play barns.

expatinscotland · 15/10/2015 12:46

No.

unicorn501 · 15/10/2015 12:51

There's a place like that near me, it's very popular. They charge £1.45 for adults and £2.95 for kids (under 1s are free). The play area is pretty good though, more than just a few toddler toys. This is their website www.cafejunior.com/

Scotinoz · 15/10/2015 13:25

Where I live, there's a couple of coffee shops with play areas. The coffee is excellent, and the play area is supervised by lovely, qualified child care girls. You pay for supervised play in increments of 15 minutes. You can't leave your child, you must stay on the premises, but for a small price you can enjoy excellent coffee in peace, while they have fun. Absolute gold mine! Bloody marvellous idea.

PosterEh · 15/10/2015 13:45

Scot that sounds brilliant.

Op is this a cafe with play area or a "play cafe"?
Our local play cafe charges €6 per child (so over £4), has expensive coffee from a pod machine and very expensive (but child friendly food). It has a really good, safe, large play area though and is often busy. We don't go often but if we've had a tough week I'll take them and know that it's two or so hours where the 3.5 and 1.5 can play safely and I can drink a coffee and mumsnet. It's got enough exciting ride ons and toys that they are kept busy. The tables are round the outside so it's easy to supervise (it's in the conference hall of a sports club).

PosterEh · 15/10/2015 13:49

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that Im paying for the peace and quiet. If it was a cafe with a few toys I'd be less inclined to pay because I can easily go to a non-charging cafe and bribe them with a biscuit/juice to sit quietly for a bit.

Kent1982 · 15/10/2015 14:23

Hello I know of a place with soft play area and coffee shop the don't charge to go in the shop but charge £3 for the child to go in the soft play area. It's a v small soft play area as well, it seems busy to me. It's actually a ice cream parlour/ coffee shop

strawberrybubblegum · 16/10/2015 21:23

25sqm really isn't very big. One of my favourite places to go is The hen house in Haslemere who charge £4 - but I'd estimate their play space is about 80sqm. They have a disco room with lights and music, a small-ish playframe, an area with wendy houses and a couple of cars, and a separate baby area with squishy stuff. It's such a lovely bright cafe, with delicious food, and the children really love the play area - somehow it's more interesting for them than it sounds! My average spend there is about £15, staying for a couple of hours over lunch (with 2.5yo DD). Something I really like is that they don't mind you taking sandwiches for your DC, which when you have a picky eater is a god-send. And means I don't mind paying a bit more for delicious gourmet hot sandwich for me

With only 25sqm I might be inclined to concentrate on the cafe part of it, and also extend it to delicious lunch food, and charge higher prices to cover the overhead.

KLou1105 · 17/10/2015 12:33

No! We have a cafe with a baby/toddler play area where we are and it gets very busy but they don't charge an entry fee x

Lunastarfish · 17/10/2015 14:47

I think you need to decide if you want to be a coffee shop or a soft play. I wouldn't pay to enter a coffee shop but I would pay for soft play.

There is a small soft play cafe near me. They charge £1 entry per adult and per child over 6 months. This is redeemable against any purchase of food/drink. I have a 3 month old so soft play is pointless for me but I attend there to meet friends who have toddlers as it is handy having somewhere for the toddlers to play and there is a large buggy ParkING space and good changing facilities. I always buy a coffee but even if I didn't I don't begrudge £1 entry.for that. But I wouldn't pay £1 for effectively a Starbucks with a few kids toys.

Another pp has said this but I often stay at this soft play for 2 hours at a time and only buy 1 coffee. If I was at a coffee shop I'd buy cake as well and not stay as long

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