A cafe in Thailand is using a macabre gimmick to draw in customers – closing them in coffins after finishing coffee.

The Death Awareness Cafe in Bangkok features mortuary-inspired decor and coffins placed for customers to spend time closed inside after their purchased beverages.

Veeranut Rojanaprapa, the cafe's owner, said the purpose of the cafe is to inspire customers to reflect on their lives. He said the idea was inspired by Buddhist philosophy and is aimed at encouraging people not to be driven by greed.

"Our main goal is for the visitor to experience the death awareness," he said. "When the lid of the coffin closes, their basic instincts will come up and they will realise that eventually they cannot take anything with them."