Ziferblat

Ziferblat is a Russian-origin anti-café chain built around a time-based hospitality model. Instead of charging separately for coffee, tea, snacks and the use of a conventional café table, the brand charges customers according to the time they spend in the venue. Guests normally check in at a reception desk on arrival and check out when leaving; food and drink are included within the time-based charge. The name is derived from "Zifferblatt," a German word meaning clock face, reflecting the central role of elapsed time in the concept. The first Ziferblat branch was founded in 2010 and opened in Moscow in September 2011 by Ivan Mitin. Its prototype was a communal space called Tree House. The concept presented the café less as a conventional food-service outlet and more as a shared living room: visitors were encouraged to behave as they would at home, while the venue supplied a social and creative environment outside the home or workplace. Typical Ziferblat interiors combine soft furnishings and domestic-style decoration with practical community amenities. Depending on the branch, facilities have included board games, newspapers, wireless internet, a piano, a library, craft materials and self-service refreshments. The format was designed to support informal socialising, independent work, reading and small creative activities. The brand also offered spaces that could be used for meetings, workshops and other activities usually held in hotels or conference centres. Meeting rooms were differentiated through domestic or themed interiors, including classroom-style and vintage dining-room settings. Ziferblat became associated with the sharing economy and with changing urban work patterns. Its proposition was particularly relevant to people seeking an alternative to working from home, a casual meeting place, or a flexible venue that did not require the purchase of a full meal or a conventional hourly room rental. Customers could use a pay-per-minute arrangement, while some locations also offered monthly membership options or a fixed fee for a full day. The time charge generally covered Wi-Fi, technical equipment and unlimited snacks, subject to each branch's terms. The brand expanded beyond Russia and operated at different times in the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Slovenia. Russian locations included Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Rostov-on-Don. As of 2025, the Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don locations appeared to remain in operation. In the United Kingdom, branches operated in Manchester, Coventry and London, while Liverpool and MediaCityUK locations later closed. The London branch closed in March 2021, citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Coventry branch closed in 2022. Ziferblat also had locations in Kyiv and Ljubljana. During its early years in the United Kingdom, the brand was shortlisted for several awards and received the Innovation Award at the Cafe Life Awards and at Innovation100 in Greater Manchester. Its international footprint subsequently contracted, leaving Russia as the market identified in the available reference material as its current operating base. Publicly available information does not establish a current parent company, listed status, ownership structure, headquarters address or a complete list of presently operating branches.

Ziferblat emerged from a Russian communal-space experiment associated with Ivan Mitin. The prototype, known as Tree House, established the basic idea of a shared domestic-style environment where people could meet, work and spend time without the formal expectations of a conventional café or office. The first Ziferblat branch was founded in 2010 and opened in Moscow in September 2011. The brand's name refers to a clock face, a fitting description for a business whose principal charge is based on elapsed time. Customers enter through a reception desk, record their arrival, use the venue and its amenities, and check out when they leave. Rather than purchasing refreshments separately, visitors receive food and drink as part of the time-based arrangement. Some locations also supported monthly memberships or a full-day payment option. Ziferblat's physical format was deliberately domestic. Branches were arranged like public living rooms, with a mixture of soft and hard furnishings and access to amenities such as board games, newspapers, books, wireless internet, a piano and craft supplies. This design supported multiple uses: informal socialising, independent work, reading, small meetings and creative activities. The model placed the brand within the broader sharing economy and responded to the growth of flexible and mobile working. It offered an alternative to working from home while also giving customers a less formal option than a serviced office, hotel meeting room or traditional café. The company expanded internationally. In Russia, its locations included Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Rostov-on-Don. It also operated branches in the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Slovenia. The United Kingdom network included Manchester, Coventry, London and Liverpool locations, as well as a MediaCityUK branch. During its first two years in the British market, Ziferblat was shortlisted for several awards and received innovation recognition at both the Cafe Life Awards and Innovation100 in Greater Manchester. The international network later contracted. The Liverpool Albert Dock branch closed in March 2017 after dock management evicted the operator over reported considerable arrears. A second Liverpool branch closed in October 2018 following an allegation of rent arrears. The MediaCityUK location closed in January 2019. The London branch closed in March 2021, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic cited, and the Coventry branch closed in 2022. The available reference material identifies Russia as the brand's current operating market; as of 2025, branches in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don appeared to be operating. Ziferblat's history illustrates both the appeal and operational difficulty of a hospitality model that monetizes time and community space rather than conventional food-and-beverage sales. Its concept attracted attention because it combined café services, co-working, leisure and event use in one setting. However, branch-level economics, property obligations and pandemic-related disruption affected its overseas network. Current ownership, corporate structure, headquarters and the complete status of all Russian branches are not established by the supplied sources.

• 2022

  Coventry branch closes

  [1]Ziferblaten.wikipedia.org

  The Coventry branch closed, ending another part of the brand's former United Kingdom network.

• 2021

  London branch closes

  [1]Ziferblaten.wikipedia.org

  The London location closed in March, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2019

  MediaCityUK branch closes

  [1]Ziferblaten.wikipedia.org

  The MediaCityUK branch closed in January as the United Kingdom network continued to shrink.

• 2018

  Second Liverpool location closes

  [1]Ziferblaten.wikipedia.org

  A second Liverpool branch closed following an allegation concerning rent arrears.

• 2017

  Liverpool Albert Dock location closes

  [1]Ziferblaten.wikipedia.org

  The Liverpool Albert Dock branch closed after an eviction linked to reported rent arrears.

• 2011

  First Moscow branch opens

  [1]Ziferblaten.wikipedia.org

  The first Ziferblat branch opened in Moscow in September, introducing the brand's time-based anti-café model.

• 2010

  Ziferblat is founded

  [1]Ziferblaten.wikipedia.org

  Ivan Mitin founded Ziferblat after the development of the Tree House communal-space prototype.

A time-based anti-café and community workspace positioned between a café, a shared living room and a flexible meeting venue. Ziferblat emphasizes hospitality, social interaction, work flexibility and access to amenities rather than à-la-carte food sales.

• Hospitality model · 2011

  Pay-per-minute anti-café access

  Ziferblat's defining offering is access priced by the time spent inside the venue. Guests check in on arrival and check out when leaving, with the time charge replacing most conventional individual purchases. The model allows visitors to use the venue as a café, social room or informal workplace while receiving included refreshments and access to the branch's shared amenities.

• Food and beverage · 2011

  Complimentary refreshments and snacks

  Food and drink are generally included in the time-based fee rather than sold as separate menu items. The available description identifies coffee, tea, refreshments and unlimited snacks as part of the experience, although the precise selection and terms could vary by branch. This arrangement reinforces the brand's distinction from a conventional café focused on transaction-by-transaction sales.

• Co-working and community space · 2011

  Shared living-room workspace

  Branches are designed as public living rooms with flexible seating and a mixture of domestic and practical furnishings. Customers can use the environment for informal meetings, reading, independent work and social activities. Typical amenities have included Wi-Fi, newspapers, board games, a library, a piano and craft supplies.

• Events and room hire

  Meeting and creative spaces

  Ziferblat branches have included rooms and creative areas that businesses or groups could hire for meetings, workshops and activities. The rooms were presented as alternatives to hotel or conference-centre facilities, with styles that could include a primary-school classroom or a vintage dining room. The time-based charge could include technical equipment and Wi-Fi, subject to branch conditions and minimum-spend requirements.

• 2018

  Second Liverpool branch rent-arrears allegation

  A second Liverpool branch closed in October 2018 following an allegation of rent arrears. The supplied reference does not establish whether the allegation was adjudicated or resolved through litigation.

  Source

• 2017

  Liverpool Albert Dock eviction and reported arrears

  The Liverpool Albert Dock branch closed in March 2017 after dock management evicted the operator over reported considerable arrears. The available material does not provide a full account of the parties' positions or the legal outcome.

  Source

Read more

• 2011

  Launch of the time-based anti-café formatProduct launch

  Background

  The brand developed from the Tree House communal-space prototype and sought to create a public alternative to both the traditional café and the home.

  Action taken

  Ziferblat opened its first Moscow branch with a pay-per-minute model, included refreshments and a living-room-style social environment.

  Aftermath

  The concept expanded to additional Russian cities and later to the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Slovenia.

  Source

• Expansion into flexible work and event useStrategy

  Background

  The brand's public living-room format could serve people seeking alternatives to working from home, as well as businesses needing informal meeting or activity space.

  Action taken

  Branches added or supported rentable creative areas and meeting rooms, with Wi-Fi, technical equipment and refreshments included within the relevant time-based arrangement.

  Aftermath

  Ziferblat was positioned as a hybrid of café, co-working venue, community space and small-scale meeting facility.

  Source

1. 1Ziferblaten.wikipedia.org