ToffeeTribe, a new Nairobi-based membership community has launched to transform underutilized spaces in restaurants to provide affordable coworking spaces to freelancers, remote workers, founders and anyone else who needs to work away from home or their office once in a while.
ToffeeTribe, a brainchild of digital marketer Nginda Nganga and Karambu Mathai, two long-term friends who have been freelancers for some years. Ng’ang’a tells TechMoran, the firm grew out of the inspiration that while some would opt to work at home in their pajamas, they preferred to get out of their homes in search for cool places to work from.
Exciting and productive as this was, they soon realized that the costs they were incurring at these restaurants were racking up as you couldn’t camp at a restaurant all day and order just a cup of tea or worse still, order nothing at all.
“Then one day, fueled by this frustration, we floated this idea around. How cool would it be if these restaurants gave them discounts on their bills considering how often they go there to work?,” Ng’ang’a quipped.
And thus, ToffeeTribe was born.
Ng’ang’a and Karambu then identified underutilized restaurants in Nairobi, struck an agreement and began working with them.
The deal was simple. In exchange for designated workspaces and menu discounts for ToffeeTribe members, these restaurants would, in turn, get the much-needed traffic they were lacking during their slow hours. It was a win-win for everyone.
ToffeeTribe charges Ksh 750 ($7.5) for a day pass, Ksh 3,000 ($30) for a weekly pass and Ksh 6,500 ($65) for a monthly pass with access to all its locations, unlimited coffee and high-speed Wifi. Customers are also entitled to menu discounts and offers up to 20 percent and access to Toffee’s slack community, events and parties.
According to the co-founders, ToffeeTribe is for those who love their work and need an environment with a good ambiance better than co-working spaces, those tired of crappy Wi-Fi in some restaurants, those with a small team that needs the perks of an office but isn’t ready yet to pay hefty office rent prices.
“Working from the same spot every single day can get boring quickly. You get used to the same sights and sounds. Ultimately, this could end up affecting your creativity or productivity,” Ng’ang’a said adding that ToffeeTribe has partnered with multiple restaurants in Nairobi to give users a variety of locations to choose from.
Unlike other coworking spaces, Toffee allows users to work from Village Market on Monday, Lava Latte on Tuesday and Chez Sonia on Wednesday and on and on.
To use ToffeeTribe on desktop, one is required to sign up to create an account and the account’s dashboard, they will be able to preview real-time spaces and seats available in all locations.
For those using smartphones, one is required to download the ToffeeTribe app on Google Play Store (The iOS app will soon be available), sign up for an account and visit their preferred available location.
Once you get there, scan your QR code to check-in and choose any seat from ToffeeTribe reserved tables. Settle down, plug in and get to work.
