'Work From Café': The new remote-working norm

Over the last few years, there has been a huge rise in the number of cafes that have come up across India. From new coffee chains to chai-cafes, there is a café to accommodate all tastes and price points. Even existing industry biggies like Starbucks, Café Coffee Day and Costa have expanded their presence in the country by opening new stores in main metros as well as tier 2 and tier 3 cities. But a lot of this owes itself to a shift in the way Indians view the café. It is no longer just a place to chill at with friends or enjoy a solo treat. Thanks to many companies offering remote-working roles post-pandemic, a lot of professionals are spending their full working day in a café over coffee and food.

Even though they have the option of working from home, many prefer to be elsewhere due to space issues at home, noisy children and simply put- a change of scene. All they need is a good WiFi connection and a pleasant ambience, which cafés are happy to provide.

“We noticed a huge rise in the number of people that were using our cafes as workspaces and also having their professional work meetings there. This led us to actually open a conference room in some of our cafes across the country that customers can rent by the hour for team meetings. The response has been great,” says Shabri Prabhakar, President- Marketing, Café Coffee Day Global.

One could also argue that co-working spaces also make a great remote-working option, but many professionals find the casual atmosphere of a café, along with great f&b options, more appealing.

“I work as an independent fashion designer and I can actually bring my samples to a café in a central location and have meetings with different clients over a good cup of coffee and a snack. It also helps break the ice better,” mentions Ashna Bhatia, a designer based in Bengaluru.

For café chains, this means tight competition as customers are now spoilt for choice. Good coffee, tea and a range of cakes, bakes and snacks are available across the café-scape. The real challenge lies in retaining customers who want a place by the window with their laptop and no pressure to vacate whether they order a single latte (or six) in one session.
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