I Love Free WIFI!!! Give it Away and They Will Come
My friends are always making fun of me because during the work day it seems like I am always at Panera Bread in Town Center Virgina Beach! It’s a great place to work. The atmosphere is friendly and inviting which is perfect for meetings, the food is great and I always either meet someone new and interesting or see someone I know.
Though I love going to Panera and enjoy their food, I didn’t start going for the food. Panera provides free wireless internet access (WIFI) making it the ideal place to meet clients, get work done, and surf the web for free. Though the web is free, 90% of time I go to Panera I buy something. Why do you think that is?
Call it the Law of Reciprocity or whatever you like, but small businesses, particularly those that have storefronts could learn a valuable lesson here: Free WIFI brings customers! Most people like to do business with local mom and pop shops. They tend to have a community feel to them that helps people feel less commercial.
So what should business owners do? Though adding WIFI is key, there are two other priceless additions needed to make your WIFI plan work. 1. Signage! Any retailer will tell you the importance of having a very visible sign that advertises that you have free WIFI. 2. Power! Make sure that several tables in your establishment can accommodate customers with laptops that need to be plugged in! Get that done and your business is ready to grow!
Any other free WIFI fans out there?
6 Comments | 
Apr 18 2011
DamienSS
New blog post: I Love Free WIFI!!! Give it Away and They Will Come http://bit.ly/2jkseg
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
More from authorAmanda
I love free wifi and notice that Panera is a hotspot for networking and students.
I did recently read an article about the flipside to the idea that wifi brings in customers and how the economy is effecting that.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/05/no-more-perks-coffee-shop_n_252425.html
Interesting…
More from authorJustinSMV
Panera Bread > Starbucks…who cares if Starbucks drinks are better…Panera’s casual atmoshphere & free wifi ownz http://bit.ly/BsNuN
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
More from authorCaraMandart
dont like 30 min limit at hilltop RT @tweetmeme I Love Free WIFI!Give it Away &They Will Come-Guerrilla SocialMedia http://bit.ly/2jkseg
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
More from authorCaraMandart
dont like 30 min Hilltop limit RT @tweetmeme I Love Free WIFI!Give it Away &They Will Come-Guerrilla SocialMedia http://bit.ly/2jkseg #smatb
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
More from authorCara Mandart
Funny I was at Panera reading this and I tried to post a comment but I got kicked off the connection as I hit my 30 min limit! I Do not like the 30 min limit at the Hilltop Panera (during peak time 11:30-1:30) There were plenty of open seats , so I wasn’t taking up precious space. I had to move on, but overall, Panera is a good place to camp out. I have found two other places due to good signage, Cool Beanz and Cafe Fresh both in Red Mill area.
More from authorcaramandart
Funny I was at Panera reading this and I tried to post a comment but I got kicked off the connection as I hit my 30 min limit! I Do not like the 30 min limit at the Hilltop Panera (during peak time 11:30-1:30) There were plenty of open seats , so I wasn’t taking up precious space. I had to move on, but overall, Panera is a good place to camp out. I have found two other places due to good signage, Cool Beanz and Cafe Fresh both in Red Mill area.
This comment was originally posted on Reddit
More from authorB-E Productions
Love free wi-fi all day! Coupled w/a great atmosphere you can’t lose. This is an edge for a local biz trying to compete with the corporates. Here’s another one: Elliots Fairgrounds coffee shop, Colley & Baldwin Aves in Norfolk, free wi-fi and organic coffee exclusively.
More from authorDamien Steiner Smith
Thanks for stopping by! Definitely sounds like a great spot worth checking out! I live near the five points so Ghent is only a stone’s throw away! do they have a website?
More from authorChris
I would love to see municipal Wi-Fi in Virginia Beach.
Damien Steiner Smith
Chris, I’m with ya!
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