Ziferblat means clock face in Russian and here you begin to understand the reason why as Ziferblat becomes the first Cafe in the UK to pay by the minute.
I've done it before and I'm sure you have too, you bought your Cappuccino around three hours ago and you've spend most of that time looking at the bottom of an empty froth stained mug, taking advantage of the free WiFi whilst making knowing glances towards the Barista, between spreadsheets and emails, hoping they don't shake their head in your direction and usher you out. My excuse is I daren't lose my seat or I don't want to have to pack everything up to grab another coffee, I'll leave if I've outstayed my welcome.
Well at Ziferblat once you're in everything's free, snacks like fruit, vegetables and even biscuits are available alongside the usual hot beverages, you can even prepare your own food in the kitchen the only price you pay is for the time you spend there and at 3p per minute (£1.80 per hour) it seems like a pretty attractive proposition. Ziferblat has opened 10 branches in Russia in the past two years and now wants to take the idea to the world.
Owner Ivan Mitin enjoyed the UK opening and said "Londoners are more prepared for such a concept; they understand the idea instantly. It's funny to see people queueing here to wash their dishes. It's not obligatory, but it's appreciated. They even wash each others dishes. It's very social. We think of our guests as micro tenants, all sharing the same space."
Next time we're in London we'll definitely check it out, and we suggest you do too and let us know what you think?
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