Free food and drinks at Moscow café, where patrons pay by the minute

At Babochki Anticafé consumers pay nothing for their refreshments. Instead, they are charged by the minute for the time they spend there.

We’ve already seen free food and drinks served up at brand-sponsored cafés — Toronto’s Optimism Café, for example, and Japanese Free Café Harimaya Station — but Russian Babochki Anticafé is taking a different approach. At this Moscow establishment, consumers pay nothing for their refreshments, but they are charged by the minute for the time they spend there. At the bright and open Anticafé, customers pay one ruble and 50 kopecks for each minute they stay. Drinks and snacks, on the other hand, are free. Aiming to create a space where consumers can relax and pursue their favorite diversions, the venue offers tea, coffee and desserts at no charge, and patrons can bring their own refreshments as well. An assortment of board games are on hand for entertainment, meanwhile, as are Xbox games, wifi and a cinema hall. We were intrigued when we first began to see pay-what-you-want pricing in restaurants and cafés, but the Anticafé’s concept is at least as compelling. Virtually infinite variations possible on this theme! Spotted by: Elisabeth Dien