The story of Kimolia, a small art cafe in Athens, is one that has pushed the boundaries of the hospitality industry, with the intention of keeping their community together during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
After closing Kimolia cafe’s doors due to government enforced quarantine, owners and brothers Alex and Nikos Palavitsinis started a new project that has transformed the way businesses can operate in these unusual times, all the while giving back to the community.
The brothers’ idea was that even though they could not operate as a café, Kimolia had to continue providing a space to keep people connected during times of social distancing and isolation.
Using the Moodle platform with the help of Moodle Partner Eummena, the project began to unfold. Moodle ‘courses’ served as ‘tables’ where people could hold conversations, and our Certified Integration, BigBlueButton, enabled them to connect with each other, face-to-face.
The online cafe is now an interactive space where guests can book a ‘room’ at a table, at the bar, or in a common area at the real Kimolia cafe, and virtually share a meal or drink with friends and company. Since our Partner Eummena shared their story, the project has received much success, including media attention; and not to mention, the cafe is fully booked!
“People can come forward and use our Moodle for what it was originally designed. We hope that people will come to us and ask to host courses on what they know well, for other people to attend. We hope that groups will come to us and organise discussions to support other people that are staying home and need help coping. We know that students are already connecting doing projects online and writing papers, but we hope for some more informal learning through Kimolia”. – Nikos Palavitsinis, Business Development Manager, Eummena
For more information on Moodle’s Partner Network and to find a Partner near you, visit: https://moodle.com/partners/
To read more stories about how Moodle is being implemented around the world for distance learning, visit here. If you too would like to share your #MyMoodleStory, get in touch with us through this short form.
Photo credit: Kimolia cafe
