Europeans & Australians please read ....

[domingo]

Ok .... I along with a few partners am starting an Internet Cafe type business ... very similar to those in Europe & Australia .... and since this hasnt really taken off in the US I was wondering if I could get any info on ... how they do business, how popular they are ... what they charge etc. etc. any info at all would be greatly apreciated ... thanks in advance for the info.

[Grojlach]

Here in Holland I've been in only one Internet café, several times. I had to pay DFL 10 for an hour, let's say $4; there was also a feature of playing multiplayer games through a LAN connection, which costed DFL 12 ($4.8) an hour; or other features, like a computer with a webcam. No idea what it costed, but you get the picture.
The idea is, you pay for an amount of time, and the one in charge checks on the main computer which is connected to all the others, for a PC still available in the café. All PC's not used are in stand by mode, and if you have paid for an hour, the one in charge at the place will take one of the PC's out of this stand-by mode by using the main computer. You get exactly an hour, and after that time, the computer will automatically fall back into stand-by mode.
The Internet Café I went to also had a movie corner, and the possibility to connect your computer to a wide screen to everyone is able to see what you're doing. I remember an entire afternoon at the Internet café they were showing Hentai (Manga Porn) on widescreen , while little children were still walking all over the place...

[250]

what exactly is "Internet Cafe" ?
a cross breed of Starbucks and computer lab?

I love brain exersize, well, here is what I would like approach this problem
first of all, the area where you oepn your business is the most important thing, search carefully and find a good deal

second, don't open a cafe for cafe's sake. what I would focus on, is the value of that piece of real estate. and use the profit of internet cafe to cover the expanses

depends on your customers, there are generally two kinds people: 1st peopl who would spend whole day in front of computer, 2nd people who drop in to check emails, but mainly for the drink

since it is a coffee shop, americans tend to drink a lot of coffee during morning and work breaks. i suggest make a member card kind thing, the card holder will have unlimited access to internet between 7:00 am to 11:00 am every day. of course, those are the second kinda people. (you make money from drinks)
for the first kind people, you make money from their length of using internet. just charge them, say "if you use internet for more than 5 hours, you get a free drink or something..."

anyway, the real management is much more complex, and my ideas may not work, and some may work. you must do it yourelf. and one tip is: dont trap your money.
once you earned some profit, use it, move the money out and invest on a new Internet Cafe. and I strongly recommand to FOCUS ON REAL ESTATE

by the way, San Francisco's land property had rockected folds since 1998, if you can find (of course, you have to look REAL hard) a good deal there, you can expect to make a lot

[Memnoch]

Yorick, the perennial traveller, would be the best person to answer this. I have a Pentium 4 at home so I don't need to go to internet cafes, but they are quite popular in Sydney where you have a large transient tourist/temporary resident population.

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[Avatar]

In the Lake District, England, there is one as part of the hotel. It's always on and as long as you are eating food and is being reasonable, it's yours.
I think there is a limit.

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[WOLFGIR]

We have some here in Sweden, but they are mostly for gaming since most people here has access to internet via work/sholl or at home. It-Vikings here!
But they exist and there are some that has survived. The rates vary greatly and you have to take into concideration on the locale you are renting and costs, machines prestanda. Internet only or a mix of internet (e-mai, surf and printing) to a full game on internet place. The coffe part seems to be of least interest. If you can have a coke or so most are satisfied, though some here have a fullblown cade with food, coffe, tea, softdrinks and a special part of the area made to eat in.

Well, some thoughts and some points of internet cafes here in Sweden, as with most cafes, they get to be what you make of it. To find a special way to present yourself can be the most important thing you do..

Good luck!

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Be vevvy qwiet..I´m hunting wabbits...
Wolfgirs lair
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