Breaking news: Cafe charges customers for charging their phones
'Tourists - always electricity, electricity, electricity. Sorry but who is going to pay me for it?'
Grumpy waiter service is as traditional as apple strudel in Vienna, but a cafe in one of the city's most recognizable landmarks has caused disquiet with what seems to be an Austrian first: charging customers for charging their phones. Tired of tourists powering up batteries for hours, cafe owner Galina Pokorny has introduced a 1 euro ($1.06) fee for those who plug in their mobiles for too long. "Tourists - always electricity, electricity, electricity. Sorry but who is going to pay me for it?" said Pokorny, owner of the Terrassencafe im Hundertwasserhaus - located inside a colorful patchwork of apartments designed by artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Customers who charge up during a 15-minute coffee can still do so for free, she said. An hour, however, is beyond the pale. "I run a cafe, not an internet cafe," she said, adding that she knew of no other cafes that levy a similar charge. "It's getting more and more extreme. People come and think everything is accessible ...
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