The Rise of Café Culture and Its Draw for Businesses

According to research, there are over 24,000 branded coffee shops throughout the UK. The rise in café culture has been significant over the past decade and it shows no signs of slowing down. 

So, could this popular culture be a positive thing for businesses? Here, we’ll look at how café culture can actually benefit businesses and the potential draw backs it has.

How are businesses using café culture?

The café culture has started to change how businesses operate. Take meetings for example. More businesses are starting to take their meetings out of the office and into local coffee shops. SAP Concur is a good example of this, with its data showing that 10,000 of its meetings included in its expense reports each month, were held at Starbucks.  

Workers are also choosing to spend time working from coffee shops. They spend an average of a few hours a day working in branded coffee stores. 

What benefits can it provide?

There are a lot of benefits which come from working from a coffee shop. Studies have actually shown that it can boostx efficiency and productivity. 

Working within a coffee shop can also surprisingly limit distraction. Although they tend to be noisy, the constant low talking tends to shut out background noises like music. Compared to working from home, it can also be a lot less tempting to stop what you’re doing and focus on something else.

The change of scenery also really helps to foster creativity. When stuck inside an office, it can be difficult to think outside the box. So, workers often find it productive to get out of the office environment and into a more relaxed, fun setting. 

Are there any draw backs?

While there are a lot of benefits that come from the café culture for businesses, there are also a few potential draw backs to be aware of. 

The security of the network you’ll be using should be one of your main concerns. Most coffee shops offer a public network which can be accessed by anyone. These aren’t safe to use for businesses because it means anybody could see sensitive information. However, you can invest in networking solutions from Redcentric to make working remotely much more secure.

The cost is another thing to consider. It’s going to be more costly to carry out work from a coffee shop than it would from home or the office. Some coffee shops also don’t like people working there as they take up space for other potential customers. 

Overall, café culture is starting to prove popular with businesses across the UK. However, there are a few downsides to consider before deciding whether it’s right for your business.