A new pay-per-minute cafe has opened on Oxford Road with unlimited free food and drink

A new pay-per-minute cafe has opened for students on Oxford Road – and everything there is free. Except your time, of course.

From the time of arrival at the new Ziferblat to the time you leave, the cost is just eight pence per minute, or £4.80 per hour. Everything else – from food and drink to super-fast Wi-Fi – is completely free.

A comfy sitting room and meeting room space on the first floor offers guests a place to work, relax, host a meeting, workshop or event.

Unlimited free food and drinks include 23 different types of tea, special Ziferblend Fairtrade organic coffee, vegan and vegetarian goodies, a selection of soft drinks, breakfast, pastries, toasties, sweet treats and salads.

And students benefit from a 25% discount on the per-minute rate, taking their hourly spend to just £3.60.

There’s no minimum charge, no membership or contract and after four hours the cafe stops charging altogether. Meaning it’s not going to cost you more than £19.20 to spend a whole day there, if you wanted.

Some of us spend more than that on lunch.

Part of the Ziferblat ‘anti-cafe’ chain, the new branch can be found at Tresco House, 149-153 Oxford Road. It joins two pre-existing sites in Manchester, the first in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and the second at Oxford Court, next to Manchester Central.

It is based a stone’s throw from All Saints Park, Manchester Aquatics Centre and the campus of Manchester Metropolitan and University of Manchester buildings, and is open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 10pm on weekends.

Gareth Harold, Head of Operations of Ziferblat UK and Ireland, said opening on Oxford Road was the natural next step.

“Ziferblat Oxford Road is a unique offering to the hub of students, faculty, businesses and hospitals in one of Manchester’s most bustling areas and really complements the branches in the other parts of the city,” says Gareth.

“We believe this Ziferblat will be instrumental in fostering community connections, in the same way all the other Ziferblats continue to do.”

Ziferblat is open now at Tresco House, 149-153 Oxford Road.