Okay, let’s be honest here — who lives on coffee to get through their day? I do, I do, hee-hee. I don’t know about you but having an abundance of energy is crucial for me. So, I often turn to coffee for that, and I love visiting cute coffee shops to get my fix.
However, not all cafes are created equal. Some of them seem to be lightyears ahead of everybody else, and I’m going to show you these gems.
This Break-In Prevention Strategy

“The coffee shop near my house leaves the empty cash register on display in the window when they close to signal there’s no cash inside.”
I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a clever strategy, no?
This Handy Shelf

“Coffee shop has a little shelf so when you’re hands are full you can set down a drink and open the door.”
Okay, how many times have you tried to open the door while at the same time focusing on not spilling your coffee, haha? All shops need that.
This Eco-Friendly Idea

One thing I hate to see at a coffee shop is wastefulness. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that this cafe in Anglesea, Victoria, reuses milk cartons as cup trays. Now that’s the way to do it.
These Stir Sticks

Speaking of eco-friendly ideas, there is no place for plastic in a coffee shop if you asked me. So instead of those plastic stir sticks, this cafe uses pasta noodles. It’s pretty much the same thing, no?
This Laptop-Free Area

I guess some coffee shops got fed up with people occupying tables just so they could sit on their laptops and use the free wifi for hours. So this one implemented certain tables to be laptop-free areas. I say good for them.
This Handy Guide

“This coffee shop has a sign to help you decide your drink size.”
Oh, okay, so according to this chart, since I slept 6.5 hours, I’m between a small and a medium coffee cup. I think that about sums it up, ha, ha.
This Unique Feature

“Our table at the local cafe is positioned over a medieval well.”
Oh my goodness, I don’t know about you but I think this would freak me out a little bit. I have a fear of heights, so this would make me a tad uncomfortable, ha, ha.
This Cool Entrance

Why visit just a boring cafe when you can go and check out a place like this, eh? This internet cafe has the most unique entrance, and I would feel like I’ve entered a totally different universe, hee-hee.
This Special Place
![Image credit: reddit | u/[deleted]](https://diplycom5cc47.zapwp.com/q:i/r:0/wp:1/w:1/u:https://static.diply.com/b5dced17-68c2-4c59-8654-df24ac39117a.jpg)
Speaking of unique places, check out this cafe here. I would never have guessed that this was an actual coffee shop. Isn’t it so neat that they used shipping containers instead of regular building materials? How cool is that?
This Sweet Gesture

“Instead of a cash donation box, this cafe has a ‘tap and go’ credit card reader to donate to the blind.”
Aww, that’s so sweet, huh? I love when small businesses find a unique and convenient way for people to give back.
This Honor System

“This coffee shop lets you borrow an umbrella and then return it for a free coffee.”
There’s nothing more annoying than being caught in a rainstorm without an umbrella, huh? so this cafe here provides free rentals, and when you bring it back, you get rewarded. How nice?
This Illustrated Guide

Let me ask you something: do you know the difference between a regular coffee and a latte? How about a cappuccino and macchiato? Well, if you always get your coffee drinks confused, this illustrated guide is for you.
This Pay-It-Forward Idea

“Local coffee shop allows patrons to put money or menu items aside for people in need.”
What do you know there are nice people in the world? Have you ever treated a stranger in a pay-it-forward way like this before?
This Compost Idea

“My local coffee shop gives free compost made from their used coffee grounds.”
If you have a garden getting your hands on good compost is crucial, no? So wouldn’t it be cool if all coffee shops gave away their used coffee grounds for this very purpose, huh? I love this idea.
This No Tipping Rule

I know that restaurant and coffee shop employees work really hard, so they often rely on tips to earn a living. However, it puts an undue burden on the customer to spend money that way. That’s why I applaud this establishment which posted this note to their customers informing them about their “no tipping” rule. Instead, they make sure they pay their employees a liveable wage. Way to go, eh?
This Super Cool Idea

“This cafe prints a picture of you on your drink’s foam.”
Oh my goodness. How cool is that? I’ve never seen anything like that. And now, I want all cafes to do this, hee-hee. This coffee is definitely Instagramable, eh?
This Genius Idea

Who here loves iced coffee? It’s so good, right? But often, the coffee can get watered down by ice cubes. Do you know what I’m saying? So this clever cafe serves the iced coffee with frozen coffee cubes instead, and I think it’s brilliant.
This Cream Dispenser

Would you look at that? This coffee shop has milk and creamer on tap, keeping it cold and fresh for customers. What an awesome idea, huh? I’ve never seen that. And now that I see it, I love it.
Aww, I absolutely love these ideas here.

I wish more businesses implemented cool features like these. What do you think? Have you ever visited a cafe that was doing things a little differently? Honestly, that’s what I like to see. So kudos to these clever small businesses for thinking outside of the box.