As we opened and then closed the anti-cafe, people-oriented network

^{Educated Petersburgers went through the front door, and Muscovites just climbed out the window}

Hello! A long time ago I was talking about the anti-cafe “Chaypey” - as we were looking for a place, we considered the flow and in general thoughtfully approached the opening of the format. Chaipei has been closed for a year and a half, but calls to reserve a table for a birthday come 2-3 times a day. Everyday. Still.

The main question: is it possible to make money on antikafe? Yes, it is possible, but it is extremely non-marginal business, and, therefore, I do not advise.
')
Is it possible to collect people in a new place, using only Internet channels without offline? You can, and how. Brief history below.

Marketing

Initially, a clear differentiation was needed. Someone chose the road "quietly and calmly", someone did events every evening and so on. ChaiPay has become a place with board games. The point is this. I had a very persistent feeling that in antikafe sooner or later, extremely, let's say, insolvent persons would start hanging out. The suspicion was based on the fact that:

1. Sitting in the anti-cafe for a “short check” for a meeting is cheaper than in the ordinary.
2. I did not see any reason to sit long in the institution, if there is where to go - for example, home. It means that those who are not very good at home will remain - either schoolchildren (for whom it is a breath of freedom), or representatives of an idle wobbling bohemian.

The options, in fact, for all market participants were not very many:

1. Focus on small companies that are just convenient to gather somewhere.
2. Catching people who are not really welcome at home - and who are embarrassed to sit in a cafe for 4-5 hours.
3. Focus on freelancers (then antikafe, creative spaces and "fast" coworking is not really divided).
4. Or hold events for which people will come.

Naturally, I wanted to gather good people with whom it would be nice to just spend time. Therefore, the decision was quite simple - board games. Noisy and quiet, calm and fast, for huge companies and for two.


<sup>First hall


In the second hall. The pictures, by the way, were given for free by one wonderful person.</sup>

Unlike the club board games, we had the opportunity to pay back. In contrast to the cafe - there was a clear reason to look. Unlike other antikafe, trying to cover everything possible - only one reason to go. Clear and understandable, serving as a criterion of choice. Positive, nastolki.

It quickly became clear that we need to engage not only in the search for companies, but become something like IaaS for birthdays. When I missed this chip, I almost immediately gave context to Yandex first, and then aimed Vkontakte media advertising at those who have a birthday tomorrow.

Business model

Let me remind you the main points for those who are reluctant to read the first topic . The format of the anti-cafe just appears in Russia, at the time when we opened - there is a “Dial” and “Butterflies”. A minute costs an average of 1-2 rubles - inside free tea, sweets and Wi-Fi. In general, such a club of interests.


Many simply liked to sit on the windowsills


^{Remember, I wrote about social proof ? Here's another cool form for a guestbook.}

Financial aspect

Basic costs:

• Furniture and games.
• Room rental.
• Salary staff.
• Consumables (sweets, milk, dishes).
• Security, garbage collection and other communal.
• Advertising and more.

The cost of consumables to check usually did not exceed 12%. The overall profitability, according to my estimates for today, was about 20%.


^{We met with all the suppliers: we went to the factory for cookies and milk, and we still work with coffee tea.}

A very large item of expenditure was created by “white” registrations: we did everything at once according to the mind, which provided a lot of financial difficulties. For example, at that time almost no antikafe had a consistent sink (this is a special room with special requirements for ventilation and sewage) - the dishes were simply washed in the nearest sink. From the point of view of Rossanepidemnadzor, it is an extremely unpleasant joint. Similarly, fire safety: many people simply killed it and made it "as it is."

Again, at that moment, when the anti-cafe opening boom began, almost no such institution had a normal panic button - so that if something happened, they would come and calm down right away (yes, we never used it, but the fact of presence was important). There are restrictions on the maximum filling of the premises - I worked as a cafe with halls for more than 50 people without a second fire exit. But still the main gift from the regulations was the fact that it was necessary to use disposable dishes - or to look for a very expensive room with an equipped sink.

In practice, this meant that sufficiently large capital and operating expenses were required. Our margin compared to the anti-cafe open margin of AS IS in the hope that no one would touch its first two years, differed almost twice. By the way, I must say, such hopes were not always justified - at least one of the anti-café was sued for a lawsuit that immediately led to the closure.


^{Nikita painted Easter eggs: “A man will drop a map, crawl under the table - and there is a robot! Just don't tell anyone! ”}

Neighbors

A well-known problem of antikafe at that time was constant quarrels with neighbors. For example, the “Dial” was particularly noted in this plan, which, it seems, tried to survive from almost every point. At one of the sites, the police came every evening for two weeks to call the neighbors. Knowing the situation, we immediately made three important knight moves:

• We agreed with the owner that if anything - problems with the neighbors on him (so that he always plays for us). It is not useful.
• They hung a small signboard called “The Club of Developing Games” so that the pensioners would know that it’s not the Internet that will be broken off and walked around the entrances, but something useful and positive.
• Olya (the head of Chaypey) immediately after the opening called all the neighbors to visit, treated me to tea, showed everything inside. They liked it. I would not have guessed.

^{In the afternoon - quiet people are awesome with laptops, in the evening - noisy fun companies}

Who came

First came our friends. In Petersburg we had few of them, but it worked out. Then I sent out press releases, started ordering Vkontakte ads, writing to different social networks. At some point, three main channels formed:

1. Those who have already been with us and came with friends - the main one.
2. People from Contact for birthday targeting.
3. People from social networks on paid one-time placements (waves) and releases, which replay reporters with an enviable popularity.

^{Toward the fall, we had both rooms completely clogged up. This is the day when there were not enough chairs, window sills and everything else - some just walked through the halls.}

Not so many people came from Habr, but one fine day two young men with a sign appeared on our doorstep (we didn't have it then). “We noticed that you do not have a signboard. Hold on. Greetings from Lepre. " And left. It was awesome cool.

We began to appear the first regular visitors. Profile was formed: mega friendly people who just like to quietly play with us. And the second type of people we earned was birthday parties.

As I already said, the calls went for another two years, despite the fact that the phone was cut out from the site almost immediately after closing, plus it was written in large letters that Chaypey is no more. Totally. Here is the screen:

About closing

At some point, it became clear that the whole story can pay off, but it is very painful, difficult and with low profitability. The same forces could be used for something useful and interesting. As a result, we simply took the team of “Chaypey” and made it into an event department of Mosigra in St. Petersburg. After that, sales and recognition immediately went up, and I personally freed up a lot of time for other projects.


This is our social kitten. Employee Masha found him around the club just broken. She didn’t open Chaypey in the morning, carried him to the hospital, made an X-ray of the whole cat, she was told to put her to sleep so that she would not suffer. She gave money for vacation, collected about 5 thousand more through social networks, the club helped to find two donor cats - and now Imeni-1 is a healthy three-legged cat living with Olya at the sofa.

As an experiment and business education - it was magical. Like “let's repeat” - perhaps not, it is easier, faster and more profitable to open stores. But we are now thinking about our permanent sites, such as last year’s in Gorky Park and at Winzavod, where the experience of constant events inside the cafe is very useful.


^{While you are resting, our squad of animators named Tom Sawyer is preparing a pavilion in Gorky Park.}

Total: people from the network go and go well, if you know what to do. We need smart advertising, the effect of novelty and the right atmosphere in place. For a year, twenty people asked me whether it was worth opening one of my own - so, this is a hobby and study, but no place for money. Unless, of course, you have to pay rent. Ultimately, paradoxically, the model of antikafe would ideally resemble the model of an ordinary cafe - and the second one has much more potential for development.