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Cybercafes - A Dying Trend?
A not-so-anonymous Anonymous Coward asks: "I've been considering opening up a CyberCafe for a while now, and I've been searching the web for cyber cafe websites. I've found several cybercafe databases, but was disappointed to find that a majority of the sites I found were either taken over by register-this-domain pages or hadn't been updated for a couple of years. Another Cyber/Gaming Cafe I found online announced today that they were closing. So are Cyber/Internet/Gaming cafes just another bubble the net will burst, or are they actually worth investing in? Any cafe owners with experience to point one way or the other? Where are the success stories?"
I know that in many other countries Internet Cafe's are insanely popular, but this is usually because the cost of living is so low, and the telcom situation is so bad that having a computer and an Internet connection is only affordable by the upper-class, therefore people flock to these Internet cafe's to chat, check email, play games, surf porn, etc.
In America, most people can easily afford a computer and an Internet connection, so Internet cafe's are really an answer lacking a question.
I talk periodically to a friend online who's CS clan opened a LAN gaming center, and they have gotten pretty popular, in fact they are opening new locations. However, this isn't your typical Internet cafe, people come to hang out with likeminded individuals and play games with each other in person. It's not a financial issue as much as it is an entertainment issue.
My suggestion? Don't bother. Unless you can find a niche to fill with your Internet cafe, there is nothing to stop it from falling by the wayside just like all the rest.
I would expect such blatant racism on Fark, but on Slashdot? Mods please ban this asshole.
As a person who likes to travel, I've only found them useful to send e-mails home whilst away. I wouldn't see the point of going to one locally when I can sup my own coffee and have WiFi broadband from the comfort of my own sofa... :)
That said, EasyEverything (http://www.easyeverything.com/), seems to run this venture rather well - although whether Stelios makes much of a profit from it is another thing. He has a shedload of the bright orange public net-access points all through Europe - and they're all pretty huge. Access is usually very cheap, at the equivalent of 1ukp/hr, but rates vary according to demand.
This is a spin-off from the "easy" group, of which EasyJet is the main money earner....
M.
Internet Cafe's are relativity popular in Australia, least in dense backpacker-esque areas (Sydney, Gold Coast, Whitsunday's, etc). I've only used Internet Cafe's in these locations because I was unable to connect with my laptop. So I guess what I'm saying is unless you expect to get allot of foot traffic from travellers, I haven't seen a market for them (again, least in Australia though I'd believe the same would go for the US).
"1984" was ment to be a warning, not a guidebook. You hear that Kim Jong-il!? BushCo?!
My worst nightmare was having to send a resume and not having a net connection at home yet (moved the day before). I had my resume on my palm but couldn't install the software to grab it on Windows nor was I allowed to boot using Gnoppix (wouldn't boot from CD). I had to go across town to a friend's house to send the damn resume.
The net's not exactly bursting this bubble, it's computing that is.
I used to go to the gaming cafes to play games my modest rig couldn't handle... at the time that was Tribes. Now, it seems just about any computer can do the basic things those cafes provide... a lot of people have DSL at home, and a decent chunk of bandwidth at work. And low-end computers and graphic cards keep getting less and less low-end. Personally, where I live, there are a few left, but they're all basically dedicated computers for CS now.
Karma: Raspberry Kiwi
Well, they're probably dying in the US due to the cheaper and larger availability of high speed cable internet, not to mention the increased number of people owning personal computers. Maybe opening one up in a vacation spot so people who are visiting could pop in and e-mail friends/family, but outside the use of that, I can't think of anything.
Live life to the fullest. It's not that life is short, but that you are dead for so long.
Cybercafe's were made back when computers were $3000 and many people just wanted email. Now that you can get an emachine for $300 and internet access for $10/month (or free in many places), the whole idea is rather absurd. The internet by definition is not a social meduim (in person. over the actual net is a different story)
"Well kids, you tried your best, and you failed. The lesson is, never try." -Homer Simpson
I know a couple of cybercafes that are ISP at the same time.
I know one who do web-hosting, PC repair, furniture selling, english/french/spanish translation, web-page and business card conception, typing job, ect.
One I kwow has pool tables and become a bar with a DJ at night. They also have shows and movies and exhibitions.
The cybercafe is only one of their activities. Diversification let them survive.
There are a lot of cybercafe's in Toronto, and it seems most are run by Koreans (I imagine because they're so popular there. The billing software at the Persian owned cafe near my house is entirely in Korean, not to mention that before they upgraded to XP they were running Korean copies of Win98!).
I go there for lan gaming with my friends, sometimes after hanging out at the bar next door. We did a 2-session overnight Diablo 2 run. It's often packed, with kids, even at 4am (along with the occasional drifter viewing porn). The ones in Chinatown near the University are also busiest at night. The successful ones are all open 24 hours.
There are limits to their 'success', however. Even packed all day, the places are usually pretty dingy, and after a new one opens will all new computers the hardware isn't upgraded all that often (if ever... other than headphones. One I went to apparently bought a batch of Canada 3000 in-flight phones after the airline went bankrupt). I don't see how they can afford to. The rate for students downtown is C$2/hour, with uptown rates around C$3/h after a one time C$5-10 membership (the downtown ones don't try to pull that). I guess they make money on the junk food and Jolt, but still. I once applied for work at one, and they tried to offer me below minimum... for an overnight shift. Maybe it's different in the States. In Washington I went to one that charged US$10 to check my mail!
I remember when the first high-concept cafe (long since gone) opened in the area it was $10/h, had magnetic user cards, per-second billing, Macs.... now competition has reduced things to basements full of eMachines with Geforce2MXs.
-- "Is this death or is this Ohio?"
There seems to be 2 kinds of net cafe's OS wise - fully open and locked down to the point of uselessness. As a traveller, I have a USB thumb drive with my documents on it. Sometimes you need to install its drivers and it's VERY annoying when you can't.
But that's not to say that I approve of the wide open systems either... If I can install whatever the hell I want, so can anyone else (think keyloggers, etc).
What I have often thought is if I ran one of these places, I'd give each user a removable hard disk to slide into their rented system. Once they were done, they'd return the hard disk and I'd re-image it at the front desk. That way you're guaranteed that everyone can do whatever the hell they want/need to on your systems but only while they are there.
Of course you'd have the extra expense of having a few more hard disks then systems, a system up front to re-image disks, the removable trays themselves, the additional time for the users to startup and shutdown every time, lost/damaged/dropped/stolen hard disks... Needless to say there would be a few issues to work out, but all in all I think an approach like this would be the best for all parties involved (assuming you overcome the issues listed above of course =).
Anywhoo... just my rambling ideas!
"1984" was ment to be a warning, not a guidebook. You hear that Kim Jong-il!? BushCo?!
The successful US "cyber cafes" don't market themselves as "cyber cafes." There are no food served, no drinks, and the emphasis is squarely upon videogames. The Adrenaline Zone recently opened up here near Harvard, and it has been doing brisk business with LAN gaming and online gaming. You can surf the web if you want to, but unlike a traditional overseas cyber cafe, nobody does. You wouldn't even consider writing a paper at one.
The key to their success is probably that while everyone in the United States can find a hand-me-down computer that can run Windows 98 enough to surf and 9.95 per month for internet access, not everyone is willing to shell out the 100 dollars for a performance graphics card and another 50 dollars monthly for the DSL required for gaming (if it is even available in their area). You really do have to make a technology investment to play Unreal Tournament 2003, and so people turn to LAN gaming centers.
In other words, forget the food. Forget the printers. Forget selling 802.11g cards under the counter with crumpets. Buy a solid batch of Athlons with Radeon 9600 Pro cards, turn the lights down really low, and aim for the unwashed masses. You'll be glad you did.
The ______ Agenda
Examples include Dunn Bros. coffee in Minneapolis/St. Paul, they give away wireless at almost all of their shops, and here in chicago, even brew-pubs like Goose Island are getting in on the act. And who could forget the likes of Starbucks and their wireless AP's (though not free, I believe, still cheap)
In short, the specialty of providing internet access is loosing its high bar to entry and thus is becoming an easily integrated part of many other business plans.
hey.
I have been going to lan arcades since '98. I think they are healthy and totally necessary during the high school years as a place to get out of the house and not be doing illegal (well... not TOO illegal) activities. During college, its a place to meet up with old friends and begin giving back to the owner for all the time and fun he has given you, by hacking his machines. After college, its a place to remember with nostalgia, and hack your own boxes from.
in my area, a new lan arcade opened up looking for those kids who like gaming and like learning. They are trying to get the pro-gamers on the weekends and nights while offering computer networking classes and hackathons during the daylight hours (4-7). The real appeal to this new arcade is its seperation of smoking and non-smoking sections. This is a very big draw, considering the social aspect of the gaming scene. Going through 2 packs of cigs in a night with your friends is not a cost effective or healthy activity.
However, this new arcade is faltering for 2 reasons.
1) too close to another arcade: kids are very loyal to their gaming arcades. At every arcade i have frequented; everyone knew the owners and everyone knew each other. The facilities of other arcades might be better, but the purpose of gaming at those locations is friends; the friends arent there. Find a spot without an arcade near and you will be money.
2)draconian installation procedures. Counterproductive. They are trying to entice hackers without giving them access to anything beyond their java overlay. This also keeps users from damaging the machines with poor installation choices. In the end it is better to simply wipe the machines weekly and reinstall images on all machines than limit your users... because keeping them from installing programs will drive them away in droves.
wow. that was alot longer than i thought it would be. hope it helped!
"this is the gloaming"
radiohead
Don't forget, large breasts and tight t-shirts on your waitresses will appeal to most of your target demographic (11-85 year old males). Whatever you do, do NOT hire geeky teenager boys to work at your cybercafe. You'll just drive business away elsewhere. Look into providing topless wait service for the over-18 Counter-Strike playing crowd. Depending on your community though they may be prudes about this.
P.S.: Yes, I'm entirely serious. Big breasted women bringing me Pepsi would be the only thing that would make me come into your cyber cafe. I'll check my mail on my 3G cell phone or wait until I get home to browse the net.
There are quit a few here in Amsterdam (holland) and they do vary.
So what do I think that works? Well depends on the people in your area. If there is a large group of people without access at home then you can easily open a store in a central location. Add a small bar. A place where people can get a drink and access the net.
If people do got access at home you need to supply a very good reason for them to come to your place. Very fast access could be one but this costs lots of money. A fun enviroment could be one but sitting behind a computer is ultimately a single experience.
You could attempt to setup a gaming center if you got the money. But it would be very very difficult to keep the place open. Open to the general public I mean. New clients can easily be discouraged if you don't provide a welcoming atmosphere. And I don't mean just in the bar but also in the games going on.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
I had toyed with the idea of a cyber cafe, until I ran the numbers through a spreadsheet and realized there was no way I could come anywhere near my current salary workin' for the man. Harder work, longer hours, and less pay makes RobertB a dead boy.
But one idea that came to mind was to set up in Dallas' pseudo-punk Deep Ellum strip, where the preppies dress goth and gawk at each other. There would be booths with Internet terminals, a nominal quarter-hour fee, and overpriced drinks.
Here's the twist: the bartender controls several large-screen TVs, which he/she can connect to whichever surfer is most interesting at the time. Like a DJ, the barkeep would be able to adjust the "mix" -- maybe some softcore porn on one screen, a CNN ticker on the other, and someone's hacking session over in the geek corner.
For added enjoyment of the crowd, add picture-in-picture: the surfer, and what they're checking out at the moment. Why is the guy looking at porn so bored, and why is the hot chick reading Reuters so...
Of course, not everyone would want to surf with the world looking over their shoulder. No problem -- for a small additional fee, the bartender would be blocked from showing your mug... a little more to block your surfing altogether.
Just a crazy idea! I'll stick with the steady paycheck, for now.
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
I live in a heavily traveled tourist area fetauring mostly shopping that caters to youn families and seniors. We are a very small town with an amazing amount of hotels. I think that there are 5 in less than a mile and at leaste 10 within 10 square miles. The first 5 I mentioned are directly off the expressway. During the weekends all these hotles will sell out and during the week we do a good trade in buisness travelers because we are located halfway between Saginaw and Flint MI. Only one of these hotels have High Speed Net access. The buisness travelers are usually horrified because on the phone lines they can only pull 28.8. On the weekends the board husbands are looking for anything to do while their wives shop for 10 hours straight. We do have a Starbucks in town and their $10 an hour Wi-Fi is not up and running yet. If I had the money to start my own shop I think I could make a mint off these people. I would set it up as a coffee shop/snack bar. I would offer free 802.11b wifi access to anyone with a laptop. I would have several (~800mhz) terminals running Knoppix with a hard drive for SWAP and file storage. Rent out the useage of my terminals on a half hour rate. For the buisness guys a laser printer at .05 a page (I have heard many times, "What no Kinkos around here"). I could even possibley get into some (emergancy road)repairs, or create a second half to the store that sells hardware and does repairs.
The point to all this is that in this location it would work. There is no Library, no Kinkos, no 80211.b hotspots, no net at all.