Startup rents out empty Toronto bars as office space

Toronto's cafes are often dotted with MacBook Pros as freelancers type away, sipping back Americanos and using the free wifi. Oftentimes, however, coffee shops are crowded, loud and expensive - so what's a person who works remotely to do if they don't want to rent out an office or work at home in their pyjamas all day? (It gets old after a while.)

Enter Random Works (stylized as RNDMWRK), a new venture that'll let you book out space in local restaurants and bars, which usually sit empty during the day.

"It just seemed like a pretty natural fit for people who would otherwise work from home in a bit more isolation," says Random Works founder David King. He also started Random Dinner, which lets you dine with like-minded strangers.

Random Works is currently piloting one location in West Queen West. Right now, King is offering founding members a discounted month-to-month pilot price. Eventually, you'll be able to access the Random Works network by signing up for a yearly ($50 per month), three month ($100 per month) or month-to-month ($150 per month) membership.

Each Random Works space includes Nespresso, tea, sparkling and still water, a printer as well as a quiet environment for members.

"I thought this was a great way to bring some revenue to some of my friends businesses who own different bars and restaurants while at the same time creating, ideally, a valuable community for these entrepreneurs, freelancers and people who don't work from a traditional space," stresses King.

He hopes to add another Random Works outpost by the fall and would like to expand to five locations by early next year.

Photo by Jesse Milns.