NYC restaurants making extra money renting out toilets, tables, luggage storage, and more

people at restaurant
Reuters

As expenses for food materials, labor and rent are increasing, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs in New York are making use of third-party apps to make extra cash renting out their dining area, coat check areas, or even bathrooms.

One of the frontrunners among these apps is Luluapp which will guide tourists and commuters to the nearest bathroom by charging a small fee. The app is expected to be made operational in a few months.

Rent out toilets to make money

Representatives of Luluapp reveal that the company has already signed up with more than 100 New York restaurants and bars ahead of its launch this summer. Luluapp users can generate a digital bathroom pass from 99 cents to $5.

A person who pays 99 cents can use a normal bathroom, while people who are ready to pay $5 will use swanky bathrooms that offer lotions, high-end hand towels, and super-private stalls. Restaurants and bars will get 65 percent of the fee, and the remaining 35 percent goes to the app owners.

"Instead of paying a lot of money for a Facebook or Yelp ad, we let restaurants promote a free drink or discount to our users," Paolo Cogliati, CEO of Luluapp told the NY Post.

Restaurants offering luggage storing space

Bagbnb is another online platform which helps restaurants to make extra money. This Rome-based luggage storage startup claims that they have tied up with various restaurants and bars in 60 cities worldwide. The app charges $6 for each bag stored, and a part of the revenue will be given to the restaurants.

"It can be a little hectic in the morning when you have 10 people lined up ready to drop off their bags. But obviously any extra revenue is great for us and we are introducing new people to the restaurant," said Chelsea Feldcher, a manager at Pennsylvania 6, New York Post reports.

Pennsylvania 6 is reportedly making $2000 by storing luggage in their hotel. Chelsea Feldcher also revealed that about 25 percent of the luggage customers usually eat something from the hotel before going out.

Websites like Kettlespace offer dining rooms to freelancers and entrepreneurs during the off hours at a charge beginning from $25. By paying $99, freelancers will get unlimited access to restaurant spaces for a month.

The vitality of finding new revenue streams

Andrew Rigie, executive director of NYC Hospitality Alliance said that it is becoming more and more difficult to operate restaurants profitably in the New York City. He also added that opening new streams of revenue is very much important to survive in the competitive market.

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