Are Pure 'Prison-Style' Cafes Becoming Popular? Netizens Say: That's So 'Criminal'!

The Rise of Prison-Themed Cafés: A New Trend in Southeast Asia

When you think of café styles, most people picture warm wood tones and clean, fresh décor. As people crave novelty, however, such cafés have come to feel outdated. In recent years, Southeast Asia and other parts of Asia have seen the emergence of purely "prison" themed cafés. Yes, you read that right: some are converted from former prisons, while others are simply decorated in prison style.

Why prison style rather than another theme? First, to encourage inmates to strive toward positive behavior; second, to remind people of life behind bars and deter them from illegal activity; third, to help people overcome prejudice against those who have gone astray but are genuinely remorseful.

Thailand: The Pioneer

Thailand was the first to establish prison-themed cafés. At first these cafés were not located inside prisons but were staffed by inmates serving their sentences. The staff were people who had already served part of their term, had relatively short time remaining, and showed no intent to escape. In early 2018, the Thai Ministry of Justice launched this vocational training program, hoping they could learn professional coffee brewing, food preparation, and customer service skills that would let them return to society with valuable abilities. Prison authorities also found that these inmates became more moderate in behavior after interacting with the public.

Although people with a remorseful heart are not defined forever by their past mistakes, the public still holds some apprehension toward those with criminal records. To help people better understand these individuals seeking to reform, the Thai Ministry of Justice decided in 2020 to develop half of Thailand's 143 prisons into tourist attractions, adding cafés, restaurants, and handicraft shops to help more former inmates reintegrate into society.

Expansion to Other Countries

Inspired by Thailand, Laos also opened a prison-themed café in 2021. Although it was not directly converted from an actual prison, its interior was designed to be even more prison-like than a real one. A glance reveals cold iron bars everywhere and dim lighting. Despite the tidy, clean décor, the visual impact places an invisible pressure on visitors.

Besides Thailand and Laos, Malaysia also opened its first prison café this February, located next to the Malacca Jail Museum. The site was once part of a regional prison that later became a prison museum. After conversion into a café, the establishment preserved the original prison cells and the final message room where death row inmates wrote their last words, letting people understand more directly what a "real" prison looks like.

The prison cells were converted into a bar counter and customer service area, while the message room kept its original appearance and became a VIP room. Inside, messages of "confession" and wishes from visitors cover the dilapidated walls, creating an invisible pressure that strikes straight at the soul.

The owner of this prison café mentioned that his father was a warden at a correctional facility, which gave him an understanding of the people there from childhood. He believes that most people, with proper guidance, can reform and become good citizens again, but society does not always see them that way. So he decided to open a prison café to change public perception of those who have gone astray. The café's interior was designed and arranged in close collaboration with the Malacca Henry Gurney Correctional Center, and the biscuits and handicrafts sold are handmade by the center's residents.

The owner also said they plan to hire former inmates in the future and provide training, giving them opportunities for rebirth and a fresh start in society.

The Impact and Purpose

To many, these prison cafés might seem like mere gimmicks, but they have genuinely helped many people who have gone astray, giving them opportunities to reform. Most servers who worked in Thai prison cafés were imprisoned for drug trafficking and had no legitimate jobs before incarceration, living without direction. It was only when they started learning skills at the cafés that they began to feel hopeful about the future. They also said that during their prison time they had opportunities to reflect on past mistakes, and that upon release they would reform and not return to their wrong paths, so as not to disappoint those who care about them.

Prison-Themed Cafés in China

Last January, Hangzhou also opened a prison-themed café. Unlike those in Southeast Asia, the domestic version appears less "hardcore," extending more from a modern industrial style with the addition of iron doors and bars to create a prison-like feel. These distinctive coffee shops offer consumers a more interesting and engaging new scene for consumption.

The personalized design drew so many consumers to take photos that the shop eventually issued a "strict rule" that "photo-taking requires a ticket, 50 yuan per person." The owner said at the time that introducing the regulation was truly unavoidable, because too many people were coming in to "share orders" and freeload on photoshoots. They had to implement a ticket system to ensure the café's normal operation and the experience of most customers.

Image source: Internet, kinkab bud, Dongfang News

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Themed cafés draw people in with novelty, but what keeps them coming back is what is in the cup, and beginners do not need to spend much to drink well. FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Washed Coffee, from a cooperative in the Yirgacheffe region, is the classic first stop into specialty coffee, with jasmine florals, lemon acidity, and berry notes in a bright yet gentle cup, while FrontStreet Ethiopia Huakui leans into tropical fruit with strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and lychee, clear sweetness, and almost no bitterness.

If you prefer the warm, balanced side of coffee for milk drinks, FrontStreet Huila from Colombia is grown above 1,500 meters and medium-dark roasted, showing dark chocolate and nutty sweetness with a full body, and FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon brings cream, peanut, and cocoa at a wallet-friendly price as a dependable everyday bean.