Business owner Young Oh connects with his customers by providing free Internet access at his local coffee shops.
Oh recently added the amenity as a way to accommodate his customers at Caffe Latte, 130 Charles St., and attract new ones to Café Mania, 547 E. Grand River Ave.
“Caffe Latte has been opened for 10 years and has a regular customer base,” he said, adding that providing Internet access has increased traffic and he hopes the same will happen for Café Mania.
The 6-month-old Café Mania was created as an alternative coffeehouse that accommodates the health-conscious consumer.
“We do everything a bit different at Café Mania,” he said. “While most shops serve sandwiches, we serve sushi.”
The goal for his coffee shops is to create “a one-stop atmosphere, where you can get your coffee, eat, study and surf the Internet.” Two weeks ago Oh signed a contract with TDS Metrocom, a high-speed Internet provider that focuses on small businesses. Oh said both Café Mania and Caffe Latte have eight hook-ups for customers to connect online and there are laptops available for customer use.
Now that both of his shops are hooked up, several of the shops in downtown East Lansing offer Internet access to customers as well.
Espresso Royale Caffe, 527 E. Grand River Ave., also has high-speed Internet access through TDS, and Beaner’s Gourmet Coffee, 1331 E. Grand River Ave., offers its customers dial-up access to the Internet.
Interdisciplinary social science junior Stephanie Ball visited Café Mania for the first time Thursday and said she was impressed with the service and the atmosphere.
“I think it’s awesome that they provide Internet access free of charge,” she said while surfing the Internet on the complimentary laptop computer. “More people should come here. It’s a good place to study and surf the Net with friends.”
Oh’s daughter Yoobin thinks it’s important for her dad to compete with nearby franchises to maintain his businesses.
“We’re doing okay but we’ve seen so many shops that have closed and we have to respond to that,” she said, adding that her father continues to offer unique amenities and services to his customers to keep their edge.
