I friend of mine, Kevin Lacobie, whom I have recently been in contact with sent me a very interesting article that seems to prove quite a few of the theories I have about offering WiFi in locations such as bars, restaurants, coffee houses and cafes.  Here is the article with commentary after.  Thanks, Kevin, for the heads up.

____________________________________________

May 31, 2006, 8:33PM
Wine and a laptop, please
Free WiFi lets patrons wrap up the day's work in a social setting

By MARY VUONG
Copyright 2006

Houston Chronicle In the early days of public wireless Internet access, food and drink choices were limited to coffee, scones and other typical cafe fare. Now you can get WiFi (wireless fidelity) with curry or a $100 glass of wine.Coffee shops with WiFi used to be considered a novelty; they dangled the service to lure customers. Now it's more unusual if cafes and equally hip bubble-tea joints don't have wireless Internet service.What's emerging are the less conventional places that offer WiFi. They include the Corkscrew, a laid-back wine bar that brothers Andrew and Doyle Adams opened nearly three months ago.When Andrew Adams was a wine broker and needed a spot to place orders online, it was a "big hassle" to find wireless access, he says. He usually ended up at a coffee shop.The Corkscrew is equipped with an inviting mix of tables, chairs and sofas, but there are no electrical outlets for public use, so bring a fully charged battery.
Adams makes WiFi available "to give something back to the guys," meaning other wine salespeople who stop by Mondays and Thursdays to have a drink and submit online the wine orders for their hotel and restaurant clients. He also serves a group of architects who occasionally leave the office early and finish business in the bar's private conference room, which can be reserved.Inci Akpinar, 26, is a
Houston architect who escapes the office for inspiration, as well. She visits DNR European Fast Food, which dishes up a flavorful beef-lamb mixture similar to the marinated meat in a gyro — but sliced, not minced — before it's layered and cooked.Many tables and booths at this spacious and bright eatery are equipped with outlets. WiFi also is accessible from the patio.Co-owner and manager Unal Cevak says it's "no problem" if customers linger. "They can stay for hours;" Have some free coffee, tea or ice cream, he says."Sometimes when you go to Starbucks, you don't find the space to sit," says Veli Baysal, 30, director of a
Houston nonprofit organization. He dines at DNR almost daily.Masala Wok, a small Texas chain of fast-casual restaurants with Indian and Indochinese dishes, opened in
Houston in October. It attracts a mix of students, business-people and families, says manager Hitesh Sanghvi.Sanghvi is also prepared for customers who wish to stay a long time. Like DNR, Masala Wok has wall-side tables with outlets.WiFi is popular at bars and pubs, too. Stephen Marsh, owner of the Dugout Sports Bar & Grill, says he sees "laptops in here all the time now." It's not unusual for 15 to 20 people to use their computers during a football game, Marsh says.Fantasy-sports fans like to check on their teams, while others prefer to wrap up work with a happy-hour beer in hand. "We want them here," Marsh says. The longer they stay, the more they drink.Outlets are behind the bar, so ask the bartender to hook you up.For a serene setting, visit Té House of Tea. Loose-leaf tea lovers can thank Connie Lacobie and Alyson Bell for converting a laundromat into a charming shop that sells mostly fair-trade and organic teas. Food choices include crepes, salads, sandwiches, quiches, homemade ice cream and irresistible sweets from André's Pastry Shop and Café.Though the teahouse, frequented by artists, opened in March, it didn't begin providing free WiFi until a month later. Lacobie was concerned that laptop users, who are encouraged to sit on one side of the shop near four outlets, would linger too long, taking space from other customers and hurting business.That hasn't happened, she says. "Whoever comes here to use the computer, they really love tea first."Many customers "will open a tab,"
Bell adds. They may start their visit with a cup of tea and move on to a meal."It's exactly what I've always wanted," says regular Angela Pisecco, 39, a software and hardware saleswoman who would otherwise work from her home office. An enthusiastic tea drinker, Pisecco was sipping an iced ying yang, a sweetened concoction of coffee, tea and milk, one morning last week while on her computer."This allows me to get out and have some freedom (but still) stay connected," she adds.The Internet is "a necessity these days,"
Bell says. "It's everybody's lifeline."

mary.vuong@chron.com

___________________________________________________________________

Kevin's wife runs the tea house mentioned in the article, and they are both on the cutting edge with regard to technology.  A day after this article appeared, it was also mentioned in one of the trade news sites that I religiously read.  WiFi Networking News, written by Glenn Fleishman, is an invaluable resource for those in the WiFi business or who want to keep up with the goings on of WiFi-related events.  I will post his comments below as well, but it seems that Glenn also seems to agree with the following realities (or debunking of a few Myths) of offering WiFi in local eating and drinking establishments. 

First, the people who go to local dining, drinking or sports venues spend money.  HypeWifi has installed WiFi in a number of bars and restaurants in Houston, Texas, and we have found that WiFi traffic contributes greatly to the venues bottom line.  And in some instances has created a revenue source that was not previously there.  People who root out WiFI access spend money and order more than non-wired guest over the history of their visits.

Second, patron who use WiFi in these places do not take up space that other customers might want.  Typcially, WiFi users come to hotspots at times when the lcoation is least busy and when they might find at more easy to concentrate on their work.  In some instances, the new traffic has actually quadrupled the lunch crowd, increasing sales as well as letting others know that WiFi usage there is welcome.

Third, offering WiFi is seen by WiFi users (a huge growth crowd, by the way) as a great benefit of being able to not only enjoy a particular place but as a way to bring their tethered lives with them--while being able to escape the office.  Patrons who are offered a place in which to have a beer or enjoy a coffee while checking their email before the end of the day offers a level of freedom that has not been present before.  For myself, it offers me a huge benefit to be able to meet with other but still have a way to perform tasks that I may need to perform if life in the tech world is not perfect--which is always the case.

In summary, I am really glad to see articles being published that tell the real side of the WiFi story that most owners of local shops tend to miss. 

Here is Glenn's writeup: