Brooklyn's 'Anti-Café' Charges Customers By The Minute, Not By Drink

Say goodbye to the days of feeling pressured to purchase a drink every hour you spend in a café. At Brooklyn's Glass Hour café, located in Williamsburg, patrons are charged a fixed rate of $6 for the first hour and 10 cents for each additional minute. After four hours ($24), any additional time is free.

Marketed as an "anti-café," Glass Hour provides a flexible, creative space as an alternative to purchasing a co-working membership or sitting in a traditional café. In addition to a relaxing environment, customers have access to free Wi-Fi, coffee, sweets, video games, and board games. Glass Hour also hosts events such as Foosball tournaments and board game nights.

Although the business model is new to New York, Russian coffee café Ziferblat uses the same payment plan and has 14 locations across Europe.

With Halloween around the corner, Glass Hour has a half-off special rate: $3 for the first hour and 5 cents per additional minute.