Java Street Cafe in Ohio Implements “Pay What You Want” Business Model
I was watching America’s Newsroom on FOX News today during lunch and came across this awesome story. It seems the “pay what you want” theory is branching out to other industries — in this case, the restaurant business.
Sam Lippert, owner of the Java Street Cafe was having some trouble keeping his business afloat. He was looking for alternative strategies to bring in new customers during this recessionary period, and decided to implement the progressive idea of allowing customers to pay what they think is fair for the food his cafe offers.
During a seperate interview with KPTV in Oregon, Sam Lippert said:
“In the current economy, maybe that’s what people need to feel comfortable going out again. They need to know that they’re going to pay what they feel is a fair price for what they’re getting.”
You can watch the interview and read the rest of the article here.
The cafe owner said during the America’s Newsroom FOX interview that, although unsure of the exact figures, his store has seen an increase in total volume of sales of at least 50%. Isn’t that something, huh? It saved his business…for the short term, anyway.
He also said that he has yet to have a customer look him in the eye and ask for free food. Every customer has given him some form of payment. This is crazy! Imagine this business model catching on everywhere?
I think this is a really cool concept… I have heard several success stories from artists but I have yet to hear it from a business outside the music industry! Cool stuff.
Image credits –
#1 – Click here
#2 – Click here
