New app lets users book workspaces in cafes
Workwander co-founders Shawn Lau (left) and Jeremy Lim (right). The workspace app’s pilot initiative Cafes for Work will see it team up with cafes here to set aside spaces for work by capitalising on off-peak capacity. Photo: Workwander
SINGAPORE — Those who enjoy working or studying in cafes will soon have the option of using a service that matches them with an alternative workspace over a cuppa — complete with amenities such as dedicated seats and Wi-Fi access.
The workspace app Workwander, which allows users to book meeting or co-working spaces by the hour or the day, is teaming up with cafes here to set aside space for work by capitalising on capacity during off-peak hours.
The pilot initiative, called Cafes for Work, will begin next month at Hopheads Craft Beer Bar & Bistro on Clemenceau Avenue, the first food-and-beverage (F&B) establishment that will free up space for bookings.
Workwander, which launched in October, is also in preliminary discussions with homegrown cafe chains Joe & Dough and Kith Cafe to provide the service, the app’s co-founder Jeremy Lim, 27, told TODAY.
At an hourly rate of S$5, users will get a drink and designated seats, with access to power sockets and Wi-Fi, between 2pm and 6pm on weekdays.
If it takes off, he said the team could explore the possibility of providing other amenities such as printers.
Cafes provide a “more casual and social setting” ideal for activities such as brainstorming sessions, and could encourage colleagues to dine together.
Ultimately, Workwander hopes to create a sharing economy where owners with the ability to provide basic work amenities can lease excess space ad hoc, offering professionals such as the self-employed cost and time savings. It aims to have at least one suitable workspace — including formal co-working spaces — in every residential estate here.
The F&B establishments TODAY interviewed said the initiative could draw bigger crowds during periods when business is otherwise sluggish.
Ms Ethel Chua, Hopheads’ manager, said only about a quarter of the 182-seat bistro would be occupied from 3pm to 6pm on weekdays. For starters, the 6,800sqf eatery will designate about eight to 10 seats in a “private” area for users.
The initiative will help the bistro fully utilise its off-peak capacity and improve customer retention, she said. “If (customers) come back, then that’s good enough.”
Ms Chua said that, with its spaciousness and other amenities, such as tables to play pool and table tennis, the restaurant would appeal to those in the creative industry. She hopes the initiative will draw five to 10 customers daily.
Mr Damien Koh, Joe & Dough’s managing director, said getting enough customers for the service could be a challenge. With a handful of seats closed to other patrons, there may be opportunity costs if take-up is slow.
It is also “not hard” to snag a spot in an eatery with the same amenities during off-peak hours without having to fork out an hourly fee, he said.
However, he acknowledged that the initiative could fill a void by drawing people to some of the cafe chain’s outlets in the Central Business District, which are closed on weekends because of slow traffic. But there must be a “minimum demand” for the service to be sustainable, he stressed.
Mr Koh said the chain would discuss its views with Workwander before deciding if it would go ahead with the implementation.
An insurance agent, who wanted to be known only as Ms Jamie, meets her clients in cafes occasionally, and would arrive up to 45 minutes earlier to search for a space.
The 22-year-old said the service would obviate the need to arrive early, allowing time for other matters.
However, she would use the service only if the cafe she wants is busy. “If (one) cafe’s busy, we’ll hunt for (another). Especially now in heartland and (other) malls, there are so many out there,” she said. “I’ll still search for alternatives, unless I have no choice.”
