An entrepeneur in Wiesbaden, Germany is trying to help the world take a deep breath and slow down. Instead of charging for coffee, a local cafe is charging for time.
A morning coffee is usually associated with the hustle and bustle of workers in suits trying to get their caffeine hit before getting to work, but the Slow Time Cafe is trying to break that mould. When customers enter the cafe, they are given a wristband with the time, and charged €2.00 (about $2.69), which covers the first half hour. Then, they are charged €0.05 per minute (6 cents), or €3.00 per hour ($4.00). They are allowed to have as much coffee as they want, and can bring in their own food.
Russian owner Daria Volkova, purposely sets the clocks in the cafe to different times -- she wants people to stop focusing on the time and instead focus on their surroundings. Books, board games and even slippers are provided.
Volkova's decision to try something new with her business was brave, but is yet to pay off. The Slow Time Cafe has yet to break even, although it has only been open since April, so there's still time to turn fortunes around. If that doesn't happen and the cafe grinds to a halt, Daria Volkova can still be proud to say she gave it a crack, and she can sleep well knowing that she's living a life of "oh wells", not a life of "what ifs"
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