First Sip: Recession Coffee

The pay what you want scheme doesn’t seem to be a very sound business model and it takes a lot of guts to implement one here in Manila. And to have multiple branches with such payment scheme takes more guts than when Maximus Decimus Meridius fought for his life when he was pitted against a tiger. Anyway, you get it; pay what you want empowers the customers to pay whatever they feel like for what they are getting or ordering. And with great power comes… abuse. Some would pay way below than what is expected. The upside though is that since it’s unconventional, it gets attention. 

Hello, Recession Coffee. 

I first heard of this café when it opened its first branch in Eastwood. A few foodies posted their experiences with some being pleasant and some ending on a sour note. I took note of the common thing I saw in each post… that the coffee was just so-so. The stingy bone in me wanted me to muster the courage of just paying PHP1 for my coffee; but I simply couldn’t if I were to buy a cup on my own. And so, when I dropped by its newest branch in S Maison, I ended up paying PHP20 as my next smallest change was PHP500 and I don’t want to ask for PHP499 as my change. (Well, it was a crisp bill.)

While waiting for my cup, I spotted a jar filled with 90s classic candies labeled “Free Candies — As if our pay what you want model isn’t generous enough, we’re throwing in these free treats too.” 

Oh man… when will the awesomeness of Recession Coffee stop?! 

After a short while, I got my small cup of Café Latte which seemed to be fairly priced at PHP80-90 given its size. 

Just when I was about to sit down, I noticed that each tabletop signage are different but all are very funny and quite relatable especially when the wallets and pockets are extra light. 

I took a sip of my drink while reading a few more and… it didn’t taste good. It was on the bland side and sadly, I have to agree with the other reviews I’ve read so far. I don’t know if they scrimp on coffee beans because I paid an amount just good for a cup of Nescafe but if that’s the case, then it should have been “you get what you pay for” model instead. 

Nonetheless, I liked the wittiness of the place and I respect Charlie Paw’s courage in setting up a business with such model. 

Recession Coffee is located at 2nd Floor, S Maison Mall, Conrad Manila, Seaside Boulevard corner Coral Way, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City.