[alex_c]

It is painfully obvious that there is demand for a service here. People who bring their own tea bag and use the free wifi the entire day are never going to be profitable, but what about laptop users who aren't quite that cheap?

I did the working-from-a-cafe thing for a while, and it can be quite enjoyable. Working from home can lead to self-discipline problems. Renting an office can be expensive. Shared workspaces are more affordable, but the atmosphere isn't necessarily great. Working in coffee shops isn't for everyone, but it clearly works for some people.

So what's the business model that can make this work for everyone? There has to be one.

[rajat]

One alternative is coworking spaces. At the risk of sounding like an ad, I use one in Austin called Conjunctured (http://conjunctured.com/) and the cost is $250 a month. For that, you also get use of a conference room when needed. That's around $8 a day, and pretty competitive with coffee shops. Check out if there are any coworking spaces near you; they don't have to be expensive.

One of the nice benefits I'm enjoying that I didn't expect is meeting a lot of driven, self-motivated, young professionals. Being an old-timer, this has been really refreshing. Plus, I've actually been asked for advice; don't know how useful my advice has been, but man, it's a nice boost for the old ego.

[dlsspy]

Hacker Dojo / coworking spaces. Charge a monthly or daily rate for a place to sit alone or with peers in a facility that has a restroom, tables, and power outlets.

[pj]

How about public libraries start selling coffee!

[spaghetti]

The Main library in Santa Monica has a cafe in a central courtyard.