Tapping into a growing trend, Mugg & Bean coffee shops are now offering wireless internet access (Wi-Fi) at four of their stores in South Africa.
Following the lead of coffee shop chain Starbucks, US fast food giant McDonald’s said last week they would offer WiFi access at 60 of its Chicago-area restaurants, after similar pilot projects in New York and the San Francisco Bay area.
In South Africa, the service is already available at the Johannesburg International airport.
Users can pay for the service with their credit card: half an hour online will cost R30 and an hour will cost R50.
M-Web members will pay R150 per month for the first 20 hours and R1 per minute thereafter. M-Web say they keep the prices the same for three months.
Mugg & Bean’s operations manager Mike Said said there has been ”incredible interest” since the service was launched this week:
”People from overseas have been phoning all week and asking what they need to do to use the service,” he said.
”We’re not trying to make money from WiFi. We’re not an internet café and we’re not competing with them. It’s adding value, but we have no idea of which way it is going to go.”
”We believe people are going to start using it. A lot of people can’t afford an office and work from home. They then meet their clients in the Mugg & Bean. It’s something extra.”
Said said that any publicity the chain might get from the launch was a ”bonus”.
”It’s being first that counts”.
The chain will offer WiFi at four of their stores: Bryanston in Johannesburg, Kloof Street and at Century City in Cape Town and at the Musgrave Centre store in Durban.