Thursday 4 June 2015

Food for thought: pricing at two London cafes

Two London cafes have interesting (and different) approaches to pricing. Whether either or both will attract loyal, long-term customers is the biggest question--but the novel pricing is attracting attention now.

Caffix uses the strapline 'eat fresh, pay less' for its value proposition. 'Give people a great quality product and do it at a lower price', says the founder. The cafe's pricing strategy is simple: every menu item is priced at £1. Salads, sandwiches coffee, juices, everything is sold at the same fixed, low price. The portions are, of course, small -- but that allows customers to enjoy the variety and try new things. Follow Caffix's latest on its websiteTwitter page, Facebook or Instagram.

Ziferblat has a different approach: food is free. Instead, customers pay for the time they spend at the cafe, at a rate of 3p per minute. This pricing strategy originated at the founder's first Ziferblat cafe in Moscow, and now the company is spreading it around the world, to London and Manchester and beyond. The cafe's logo subtly promotes its pricing strategy through the use of the clockface. Follow Ziferblat's latest on its Facebook page or on Twitter.