Show HN: Workfrom – The best coffee shops and cafes to work from(workfrom.co)
workfrom.co
Show HN: Workfrom – The best coffee shops and cafes to work from
https://workfrom.co/
76 comments
could you just your favorites here ? i was in germany in 2007 and 2010 for a total of 5 weeks and didn't find a single coffee shop that was conducive to working. thinking it's time to go visit friends again ...
That depends on what you're looking for, locally. Starbucks is always a pretty good option in Germany, but of course shops have varying levels of noise and connectivity.
The Starbucks in Frankfurt near the old stock exchange is pretty good if you can get a place at the big table it's even office-like, and generally shared by people doing the same thing. The Starbucks in Heidelberg works for me, but it's relatively small. There are also several non-chained coffee shops in these cities where you can feel right at home.
Also, if you're ever in Austria, Vienna is absolutely beautiful for coffee shop work.
The secret to finding these things in Germany is to know they come in clusters. For example, Berlin, Frankfurt and Heidelberg are pretty decent and you can find several nice coffee shops there. Find cities that are somewhat cosmopolitan, because size is a bad predictor for coffee shop density here. In between there are vast stretches of absolutely nothing, but then again distances in Germany are generally ridiculously small even though Germans don't think so.
The Starbucks in Frankfurt near the old stock exchange is pretty good if you can get a place at the big table it's even office-like, and generally shared by people doing the same thing. The Starbucks in Heidelberg works for me, but it's relatively small. There are also several non-chained coffee shops in these cities where you can feel right at home.
Also, if you're ever in Austria, Vienna is absolutely beautiful for coffee shop work.
The secret to finding these things in Germany is to know they come in clusters. For example, Berlin, Frankfurt and Heidelberg are pretty decent and you can find several nice coffee shops there. Find cities that are somewhat cosmopolitan, because size is a bad predictor for coffee shop density here. In between there are vast stretches of absolutely nothing, but then again distances in Germany are generally ridiculously small even though Germans don't think so.
I also was going to contribute to the site - adding locations to San Francisco, and also adding Minneapolis as a city (and adding locations for that).
But I am not creating yet another web login and set of credentials and blah blah blah ... and no, I am not "part of the tribe" (whatever that means).
You shouldn't charge people (in the form of time, energy and mindshare) to give you free content.
But I am not creating yet another web login and set of credentials and blah blah blah ... and no, I am not "part of the tribe" (whatever that means).
You shouldn't charge people (in the form of time, energy and mindshare) to give you free content.
Yes, in addition to adding to any city, why can I only add a location when I'm there/I manage it.
I have a few spots in mind from when I was in Montreal but am currently in Nebraska.
I have a few spots in mind from when I was in Montreal but am currently in Nebraska.
This looks really useful! This isn't meant to be a criticism, but I was wondering how your website will overcome the issue of people not wanting to publicize their favorite work spot to prevent overcrowding? Also, from your experiences so far, are cafes happy to have people sit in their shop for extended periods? My impressions are that while some places (cough, nice people in Portland) encourage such behavior, others may not take to campers so nicely.
I would think that places who have wait staff would not appreciate people taking up tables without ordering since it would directly affect their pay. But a coffee shop that does mostly take-out business may not mind so much having the appearance of a busy, popular cafe.
I do think it's good to be mindful that you are utilizing a business's space and facilities, and they are able to provide these to you by selling food and drinks. So you should try to be a courteous customer and support their business.
I do think it's good to be mindful that you are utilizing a business's space and facilities, and they are able to provide these to you by selling food and drinks. So you should try to be a courteous customer and support their business.
We've gotten a lot of feedback from business owners that the average patron staying to get some work done is a good steward of their space and spends money often. We hear stories of people staying for hours and hours, not buying anything - but we've found this is just not the norm. With that said, we do encourage our community to support businesses with their evangelism AND money.
Totally. I work from coffeeshops all the time and find it a form of good patronage to buy something every few hours and leave a tip. Most people I know do the same.
If you're not there during peak times, then your presence potentially serves as some social proof that the place is worth visiting too. Probably better to have one customer on their laptop than a completely empty café.
We've heard this point quite a bit.
That's nice to hear, I've always wondered about that. I grew up in a small town where every business for young people to hang out would fail. It was partially because we didn't have much money to spend, but I realized later in life that we didn't feel any responsibility for supporting the businesses in return. It's not that we were selfish necessarily, we just didn't understand how things work. Then when a business would shut down we would all complain about how we had nowhere to go, but failed to consider the fact that we had utilized the place to the fullest extent without making many financial purchases. As I recall this happened with an arcade, a couple of coffee shops, a skating rink and various other businesses.
Now that I'm older I do see a lot more clearly that when you find a business that you like, you should make a point to support them and help them to stick around.
Now that I'm older I do see a lot more clearly that when you find a business that you like, you should make a point to support them and help them to stick around.
Local coffee shop owner here in town echoed that to me last year. The teens hanging out rarely buy anything. Adults 'hanging out' are often working (or studying) and are far more spendy(?). He counted me in that 'spendy' lot, but I'd rarely spend more than a couple bucks every hour ($4 coffee, then a few hours later a coke, banana or $2 tea). So... the 'non-spenders' really are not spending (I feel like a cheapskate half the time I was there).
I tend to pick low periods in which to work out of my favorite cafe (mornings in China, because no one drinks coffee before noon here; also pervasive take out is an American thing), and I'm a reliable 52 RMB a day, so I'm pretty welcome.
i think this is one of those self-solving problems: if a place is busy enough that they don't want people working there, it's probably too busy to be a good place to work. If it's a good quiet place to work, they're probably grateful for your business.
But of course, don't be a dick. If you're taking over a table for a couple hours you should buy some stuff.
But of course, don't be a dick. If you're taking over a table for a couple hours you should buy some stuff.
I've tried to work out of a coffee shops in my hood from time to time and find that, at least on weekends, you have to wake up really early to score a spot in any of the several within reasonable distance. If I ever find my "secret spot" it wouldn't make sense to tell everyone about it, but then again maybe this kind of system could help dissipate that kind of congestion?
Thanks! We've found that people are very willing to share their favorite places in an effort to promote the business. Business owners have welcomed our showcase of their businesses. Most coffee shops and cafes have long periods of slow traffic. Having people come to stay for awhile helps to keep a place busy. We've been told over and over that a "busy shop" is a "good shop".
Hello HN! Workfrom was developed to help people find the best places to get work done. We look at WiFi, access to power, background noise, food options and more. We're expanding to new cities (US and international) and we rely on our community to help hunt down and source places we list. Anyone can add a location via our site. We'd love help finding places and please provide feedback about how we can make this better!
Nice job guys. I appreciate the optionality of having a password. I was also able to successfully use your site with only my phone, which some sites have issues with.
One suggestion, although it's helpful to have Wi-Fi passwords listed, I think your team should confirm with the business before posting it. They might want to be picky about who they give it to. I feel like me asking a coffee shop person for the password is an implicit question of whether it's OK for me to hang out with the laptop for a couple hours, and also gives them the chance to tell me if it's down right now.
One suggestion, although it's helpful to have Wi-Fi passwords listed, I think your team should confirm with the business before posting it. They might want to be picky about who they give it to. I feel like me asking a coffee shop person for the password is an implicit question of whether it's OK for me to hang out with the laptop for a couple hours, and also gives them the chance to tell me if it's down right now.
Seconded. I was confused by the no password thing at first until I found the link on this page https://workfrom.co/worker that described it. Now I like it.
I don't think I could do work from a coffee shop. They make their money on churn and my camping out in a chair for hours kind of prevents that.
I really have to wonder how the owners feel about all the other people doing exactly the same thing.
I really have to wonder how the owners feel about all the other people doing exactly the same thing.
I think that its all about managing what you buy.
My thoughts on the matter is that so long as I always have drink/food in front of me (and I'm not purposely taking my time) then I'm probably earning my keep.
I've never been at a cafe that's run out of seats, either.
My thoughts on the matter is that so long as I always have drink/food in front of me (and I'm not purposely taking my time) then I'm probably earning my keep.
I've never been at a cafe that's run out of seats, either.
Where are you? I've been to many cafes that have run out of seats. In fact I've had to turn around and leave because there was no place for me to sit down. 2 examples off top of my head. Coffee Bar in SF and Bricks and Scones in LA. Both are larger than average as well but very very popular. I've seen most Starbucks in SF and Tokyo full as well. Some of the ones in Tokyo even have signs which effectively say "In consideration of other customers please don't stay a long time".
I'm in Melbourne, Australia. We have heaps and heaps of cafes here. We are known for our cafe culture. I can actually think of some that fill up, but there are still plenty where you could always reasonably expect a spare seat.
I remember the Starbucks at Shibuya Crossing was mind-blowingly packed.
I think that my argument assumes that you've chosen a cafe with consideration for whether they tend to run out of seats or not.
(Incidentally, I am relocating to Tokyo from Melbourne in a month or twos time. Any tips for me? Any little-known treasures in Japan that I should check out?)
I remember the Starbucks at Shibuya Crossing was mind-blowingly packed.
I think that my argument assumes that you've chosen a cafe with consideration for whether they tend to run out of seats or not.
(Incidentally, I am relocating to Tokyo from Melbourne in a month or twos time. Any tips for me? Any little-known treasures in Japan that I should check out?)
When I want to work outside the office, I prefer the public library for exactly this reason.
I prefer the pub, but there are obvious drawbacks. As long as you can stick to slightly less than two drinks it's okay though.
I would love to as well - it's quiet and you can take a break to read a book whenever you want.
The problem with our library is that even though they have a 100mb internet connection, they filter everything. You can't use Git or SSH for example, so it does me no good as a place to work.
The problem with our library is that even though they have a 100mb internet connection, they filter everything. You can't use Git or SSH for example, so it does me no good as a place to work.
my public library does not allow coffee inside :(
I would suggest you don't force people to sign up to add a location. I just didn't add Coffee Bar in the mission district because I simply can't be bothered to sign up.
Likewise. Wanted to add hackerspace Metrix:Create Space in Capitol Hill (WA) but even if I used a throwaway it wants me to validate my address. I can't possibly see the reason for this.
I find my workplace distracting enough when trying to concentrate (thank god for August, most people go away for a month where I am).
Do people actually find it productive to work in a coffee shop? There will be even more distractions and noise than my office.
Do people actually find it productive to work in a coffee shop? There will be even more distractions and noise than my office.
I do.
Alone, I get distracted easily. Around people, I'm less likely to browse away from work because I don't want to be seen as a slacker.
At home or the office, I get no sense of urgency. At a coffee shop, there's all sorts of time limits: from the draining battery to the feeling that after a few hours my welcome will be overstayed. So stuff needs to get done... rapidly.
When I'm near familiar people, my mind focuses a lot on their voices. When around strangers, it doesn't care; their voices and other sounds blur together into background noise.
I guess you could say that working from coffee shops is one way I "hack" myself into being productive. So I'm not surprised to see others enjoy working there too. But probably not for the exact same reasons. People's motives and preferences vary greatly.
Alone, I get distracted easily. Around people, I'm less likely to browse away from work because I don't want to be seen as a slacker.
At home or the office, I get no sense of urgency. At a coffee shop, there's all sorts of time limits: from the draining battery to the feeling that after a few hours my welcome will be overstayed. So stuff needs to get done... rapidly.
When I'm near familiar people, my mind focuses a lot on their voices. When around strangers, it doesn't care; their voices and other sounds blur together into background noise.
I guess you could say that working from coffee shops is one way I "hack" myself into being productive. So I'm not surprised to see others enjoy working there too. But probably not for the exact same reasons. People's motives and preferences vary greatly.
Depends on the work I'm doing. It helps for creative work, but it's more challenging to do basic admin.
Also, the distractions in an office are difficult to block because they all seem relevant to me, which puts me in a constant state of being alert to them. In a coffee shop, I know that the noise is completely irrelevant to me, so it just moves into the background.
Also, the distractions in an office are difficult to block because they all seem relevant to me, which puts me in a constant state of being alert to them. In a coffee shop, I know that the noise is completely irrelevant to me, so it just moves into the background.
I find it better because while it is louder, I can just tune it out, whereas I can't tune out people I know.
If they stand behind me I get the nagging feeling that they might want something even if they don't, and that's way more distracting than a cafe. Even if they're quiet.
Also, the lack of wifi helps aid concentration.
If they stand behind me I get the nagging feeling that they might want something even if they don't, and that's way more distracting than a cafe. Even if they're quiet.
Also, the lack of wifi helps aid concentration.
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I do indeed, its (in part) the ambient noise that makes it so productive. I've even resorted an "ambient noise" mp3 file that I occasionally play in the background when I'm not at a cafe ;)
you might find this an interesting spin
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/04/working-...
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/04/working-...
A few things come to mind:
Price: For example at some places I might recommend there's a "per hour" charge. Examples: The Workshop Cafe in SF is $2 a hour. The Epicenter Cafe in SF gives you passwords that are only valid for 1-2 hours depending on what you buy. The Terminal in Tokyo is $3 per half/hour or $22 max for the whole day but if you buy a $20 yearly membership it's $12 max for the day. They include unlimited soft drinks (soda, coffee, tea).
I didn't see how I would list that stuff on your site.
Another is I'd like to be able to vote or rate, comment. Maybe like Yelp? I just got to LA, one place that was recommended was "Paper or Plastik Cafe" but I didn't find it very friendly to working. At least half the cafe is marked as "No notebooks allowed" and the area where they are allowed is very dark and uninviting. Maybe it used to be more friendly to workers which is why it was recommended a couple of years ago but I wouldn't recommend it now.
Price: For example at some places I might recommend there's a "per hour" charge. Examples: The Workshop Cafe in SF is $2 a hour. The Epicenter Cafe in SF gives you passwords that are only valid for 1-2 hours depending on what you buy. The Terminal in Tokyo is $3 per half/hour or $22 max for the whole day but if you buy a $20 yearly membership it's $12 max for the day. They include unlimited soft drinks (soda, coffee, tea).
I didn't see how I would list that stuff on your site.
Another is I'd like to be able to vote or rate, comment. Maybe like Yelp? I just got to LA, one place that was recommended was "Paper or Plastik Cafe" but I didn't find it very friendly to working. At least half the cafe is marked as "No notebooks allowed" and the area where they are allowed is very dark and uninviting. Maybe it used to be more friendly to workers which is why it was recommended a couple of years ago but I wouldn't recommend it now.
It's a great idea. Only suggestion would be to make it easier to add cities and places and let the community report bad places, instead of what seems to be a review-first approach. I'd rather more content (and the ability to add content for my locals right away) than have to go through a "beta" phase to get the city up and running.
Am I the only one who prefers to work in public libraries? The San Mateo library has plenty of seating/power outlets, a respectable cafe, and free underground parking.
I did this for some time while unemployed but the public libraries here (Seattle) have absolutely awful Internet access. Probably due to the large number of transient people watching... videos.
I like libs more too.
The "Landesbibliothek" in Stuttgart has real office desks with outlets and wifi. And since I'm a student, I get it all for free.
It's also a nicer atmosphere than in coffee shops. Way less foot traffic and most of the people are silent. Also, noone expects me to buy anything...
The "Landesbibliothek" in Stuttgart has real office desks with outlets and wifi. And since I'm a student, I get it all for free.
It's also a nicer atmosphere than in coffee shops. Way less foot traffic and most of the people are silent. Also, noone expects me to buy anything...
Error establishing a database connection.
This was always an idea in the back of mind to do. I'm glad someone else did it for me :)
Best of luck.
This was always an idea in the back of mind to do. I'm glad someone else did it for me :)
Best of luck.
sorry about the database connection. looks like the traffic is hitting us pretty hard. we'll work out those kinks. thanks!
I'm not sure how useful this would be. Do people willfully drive from work to a coffee shop in order to get work done, and not simply walk to their favorite coffee shop within walking distance? It seems like distance is more the contributing feature than anything else.
It doesn't have to be about professional day-job work alone; for example, I often bike to a coffee shop on weekends to work on my side projects, because it gets me out of my apartment and away from all the distractions therein.
It's down right now, but is this like the hotel wifi rating (http://www.hotelwifitest.com/) that was posted recently? I hope so, I've wasted quite a lot of time in coffee shops with terrible wifi.
Sorry! We're working to get things back up. We help find the best coffee shops and cafes based on WiFi, access to power, background noise and more.
Nice looking site, not really for me but looks useful to others. You should look at disabling directory indexing, https://workfrom.co/siteadmin/wp-content/uploads/
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That's great! However, I would like to be able to add places without the need to be on site at the time of writing (e.g using a geocoding service like Google Maps API)
I suppose it is a way to avoid spam though.
I suppose it is a way to avoid spam though.
Bookmarked for the next time I'm traveling and looking for a place to spend a few hours with my laptop. I might add a few places in Seattle, though my regular place is already there.
You've got to find a more representative photo of London
Registered and sent in a suggestion for a city. Just visited a local coffee shop that would fit perfectly on a site like this.
Thank you!
Seems like a cool idea and excellent UI. Would love to be able to contribute to a list about Barcelona though!
Error establishing a database connection.
I find that an easy setup can handle this kind of traffic, plz fix it :D Nice idea !
I find that an easy setup can handle this kind of traffic, plz fix it :D Nice idea !
We're working on it! Something unexpected is happening. Thanks for hanging in there with us. Please check back!
I can not sign up for the life of me. I get my login link, follow it, and I'm not logged in.
Hmmm, looks like I did log in, but the header UI didn't change. I went to https://workfrom.co/worker and it showed my account as logged in.
Aggressive caching issue maybe?
Aggressive caching issue maybe?
As someone who works from home this looks like it will become an invaluable tool.
How's that so different from Foursquare and stuffs anyways.
Some interesting panorama effects on that Heart Coffee photo.
What about Bristol, UK? Anyone has got any recommendations?
Small St. espresso is worth a look, although I'm not sure it would be that good for working from for a long time - but it depends on what you are working on.
Thank you. The work is related to writing, so most of the time I'd only be taking up the space for my laptop, and perhaps a notebook or two to keep notes.
I'd probably need at least 4-5 solid hours, during the working days of the week. Any other place you know of, please let me know. I'm trying out a few places, but I've found nothing of significance yet.
I'd probably need at least 4-5 solid hours, during the working days of the week. Any other place you know of, please let me know. I'm trying out a few places, but I've found nothing of significance yet.
similar project http://coworfing.com/
There are two flavors of coworking spaces, one where have a community office that allows you to work there on short notice without a lot of commitment, and the other one is basically a shared rented office space.
It may be cultural, but coworfing.com results for my country (Germany) yield only permanently shared office space. They're not places where you can just pop in every once in a while.
It may be cultural, but coworfing.com results for my country (Germany) yield only permanently shared office space. They're not places where you can just pop in every once in a while.
When's Chicago coming?
We are eager to find a home in Chicago. We need to hunt down some great places there first. We rely heavily on recommendations from the community. Once we have enough places to be useful, we make them visible on the site.
Maybe the focus on cities, while great for the lookup scenario, should not play such a big role when adding data points. My suggestion: just open it up, have a form where any member can add a coffee shop, at any location (Google Maps-powered). As site admins you could review the submissions later and sort it out.
For example, I was initially motivated to add some places near me. That's in Germany, so no cities there yet. This means I've got to jump through the hoop of adding a city, at which point any user who was previously excited about adding stuff to the database becomes stranded and loses interest. I would like to add sites in different cities, so technically I would have to open up requests for 3 cities - in a sparsely populated area like Germany that's not feasible. I'm more interested in how far away a location is than what city it is in.
Also, you should make use of the browser Geo API.