Ziferblat – A new hub for youth

A brand new concept of franchise with a unique pricing system was introduced to Mongolia with the opening of Ziferblat in Ulaanbaatar in December 2016...

Abrand new concept of franchise with a unique pricing system was introduced to Mongolia with the opening of Ziferblat in Ulaanbaatar in December 2016.

Ziferblat Ulaanbaatar is the Russian chain’s 16th branch worldwide and the first in Asia. Upon its launch, the cafe-like franchise attracted huge crowds as it offered unlimited teas, cakes, coffees, biscuits, fruits, soft drinks, and snacks among other attractions in return for paying for the time people spent there.

The time-based tariff is also linked to its name Ziferblat, which comes from the Russian and German word “Zifferblatt”( clock face).

“The main concept of Ziferblat is not only to use an unusual pay system, but to create a space cushy as home where it’s comfortable for you to work and to entertain as well, a place where it’ll be easy to meet new people,” said Ivan Mitin, the owner of the chain.

Ziferblat Ulaanbaatar is currently operated by eight young Mongolians.

To learn more about this new franchise, The UB Post spoke with E. Misheel, the graphic designer of Ziferblat Ulaanbaatar who also oversees social media management.

What do you enjoy the most about working at Ziferblat?

What I really enjoy is that it has no boundary when it comes to creativity. The place has full of opportunities to improve oneself. Workers here can organize events, workshops, art classes and discussions. It is so cool that I can affect modern culture through my job. I teach art to kids on every other Sunday.

Can the employees freely propose ideas for new events and activities?

Yes, employees can experiment every creative idea they have freely. Some of our helpers host philosophical discussion, some host poetry nights, some show films and some teach speaking classes to kids. It gives a chance to expand our knowledge and not to waste our precious time on unnecessary things. The whole concept is like that. One should not waste time, one must create, learn, share and improve every creative idea of theirs freely.

Also, the place’s concept itself implies to support youth, young artists, musicians and entrepreneurs and everyone else who wants to share their knowledge, creativity and etc.

Besides proposing ideas on events, any helper (including me) is a social connector. When guests come in, we don't hesitate to meet them and share thoughts. There is even a community emerged through our connection.

Can you elaborate on this community you speak of?

We have created a Facebook group called “Ziferheroes” that allow us to become closer to our guests. Also, sometimes we create special film nights for them. We’re thinking of doing more gatherings with them.

I see, I'm aware that Ziferblat organizes many events, including film screening, art lessons and guitar classes. Which activity is most popular?

We did a lot of marketing and psychology lectures, and jazz, acoustic concert nights are the most popular ones. Film nights are quite popular too. Also, there have been many successful seminars and workshops on studying abroad, traveling abroad and art lectures.

Our most busy days are weekends, when kids come over to their speaking and reading classes and guests gather to their coffee making, guitar learning events.

We have this signature event called “Almost Picni”, which is kind of a social gathering.

Also book clubs, chess clubs, philosophy discussions, charcoal and pastel drawing classes. Events that engage people intellectually are the most popular and important events here.

Do you have professionals teach these lessons and give lectures?

Yes. We had an art critique Amina on art lectures, marketing expert Batjargal on marketing lectures, psycho therapist Bat-Ulzii on psychology events, guitarist Budjav on guitar lessons and two year experienced barista Nomuundari on coffee making events. We usually invite people with masters and doctorates who studied with scholarships abroad – the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, Japan, and Korea – to share their experiences.

A professional guide and TV host came recently and held events, which were successful. A manga artist does some art classes, musicians from the Mongolian State Music and Dance Conservatory and from GMUB throw gigs.

A ceramic art lesson was held by the owner of Ceramic Art Studio. We always try to consider the quality of our events and make sure our guests acquire a proper knowledge directly from professionals.

All of these sound great but how much do you charge for them?

The taxes vary from each event to the next. For the bigger events, the entry fee is usually around 15,000 MNT to 20,000 MNT, while the smaller events do not go past 8,000 MNT in most cases.

If you are referring to how much we charge the hosts for organizing the events, we do not really. We agree with them on how much the entry fee will be for a particular event then discuss what ought to be included in the event fee and decide on how much share each party gets.

Are the taxes added to Ziferblat's time-based admission fee?

Nope. The events have their own separate entry fees. So the 6,000 MNT per hour tariff does not affect the event attendees. Of course, guests who are at Ziferblat as ordinary customers, not attending any events taking place at that time, can sit by the hour-tariff.

Since we're talking about the hour-tariff, I'd like to ask how people first reacted to the new entry fee system of Ziferblat?

People were crazy about it. It’s a completely new system that allowed all of the opportunities mentioned before and unlimited coffee with tea and biscuits. It was a madhouse. There were even people who came to ask whether if it was possible to adopt the system at their own cafes.

Of course, since the head franchise is owned by people at Ziferblat Worldwide (Ziferblat HQ), we are not authorized to sell the franchise.

Has the number of customers decreased since the opening? Who usually come to Ziferblat?

The new system was somewhat mysterious to most people. I believe the fact that such an unorthodox thing came into being attracted even more people. Even today, we get many people who are visiting Ziferblat for the first time.

I believe it is quite safe to announce that customers are increasing in number, especially from the youth group and expatriates. On top of ordinary guests, we have the previously mentioned event comers, some new and some regular.

Can you tell me about the Harry Potter corner? Do you have other special sections?

Ziferblat UB has five separate rooms excluding the kitchen and the main hall - Art Room, Harry Potter Room, Asian Culture Room, Zifer Theater, and the Secret Room. The art room has good lighting, a tall and large desk. Very comfortable for guests who wish to expose their artistic side.

The Harry Potter room was decorated specifically for the brave, clever, witty and kind Potterheads of Mongolia. In fact there is even a Facebook group named the Potterheads of Mongolia with over 5,000 members. They are a very active lot who come to Ziferblat every day to enjoy the Harry Potter themed atmosphere which they seemingly crave. Also, all the Ziferblat employees are dedicated Potterheads, so the communication is much easier.

The Asian culture is a very unique room. One side of the room is literally a shelf full of Asian culture related artefacts and souvenirs, most of which were donated by our loyal guests. On the opposite wall is a chalk-friendly wall where our Ziferblat employees, whom we address as Helpers, have done a wonderful job of illustrating a traditional Mongolian mountain view.

The Zifer Theater is where our film events are organized. We have a projector installed on the celling, projecting on a plain white wall. We also have relatively decent sound system for the films, so the experience does not differ from an actual film theater too much. Also in the Zifer Theater, we have a massive mirror installed in the back. So, guests who wish to dance or if there is a dance class, the environment is perfect.

Lastly, the Secret Room! As you may know, most other cafes have VIP rooms. At Ziferblat, we have the Secret Room! It is a room secluded from the main hall and the other rooms. Small and cozy, ideal for a meeting of a small number of people. If you wish, you can even close the door, turn off the lights and take a nap! There is no extra fee to use the Secret Room! It is all a part of the gifts we have for you while you stay at Ziferblat.

Are you planning to do any new events or activities?

We have two to three events and activities taking place at Ziferblat every day. Of course, I mentioned a few of them above.

We are always brainstorming over new ideas for creative and productive events to organize. Recently, we started a series of events named Zifer Stage. As music plays a key role in the making of Ziferblat, we invite bands and musical artists, new ones and experienced ones, to play on the Zifer Stage. So far, we have had concerts by Something's Brewing, The Tourists and After Taste. We are in talks with many other bands as of now. We also wish to support bands and artists that are just starting. For example Silhouette Tuesday, a band that qualified for Playtime 2018, had a musical evening a while back.

Guests who wish to host and organize events are all welcome to do so!

Do you think Ziferblat will open its second branch anytime soon?

In Mongolia? I doubt it. Though, of course, it depends on how much demand there is. However, as small as UB is, one Ziferblat seems to be just fine.

...The whole concept is like that. One should not waste time, one must create, learn, share and improve every creative idea of theirs freely...