View entire thread: Diedrich IR 12 Roaster and Afterburner FOR SALE
Posted by revive on 2008-04-30 11:50:21 Post Subject: Diedrich IR 12 Roaster and Afterburner FOR SALE
We have a gorgeous, Diedrich IR-12 Coffee Roaster for sale. This is one of the most renowned roasters available today. It's designed to be ultra efficient so instead of using the old-style open flame burners, not unlike a gas grille, it uses extremely efficient Infrared Burners, more similar to a super high output rotisserie. These burners offer the widest operating range (allowing roast batches as small as 1lb!), Low CO, CO2 and NO2 gases preserving your coffees flavor and lower operating costs due to the higher efficiency.
The IR-12 is the pinnacle of the specialty coffee market and is used by MANY small, batch roasters and coffeehouses. This unit is also great to use to roast your own coffee if you own a cafe/coffeehouse, etc. - you can cut your coffee expenses by OVER HALF and it's simple to use - we'll show you how! This is what we use it for currently. The ONLY reason we are offering this roaster for sale is to purchase a smaller roaster that the city will allow us to locate in the front area of our coffeehouse, or else it would never leave here!
Purchase with or without the Newer Afterburner, it is a Diedrich Model 12 (to ensure clean smoke and happy neighbors) - Price w/o: 12,500 and price w/ afterburner: 23,500.
The roaster was built in 1995 in by Diedrich Manufacturing, right here in the USA! The after burner is a newer addition, built on 2002 and installed in 2005, due a relocation of the roaster. Both were professionally installed by Diedrich!
They're built for years and years of continuous operation, and require surprisingly little maintenance that is easy enough to be done by the owner. New, these unit costs over 30,000! This is a great buy and won't last long!
If you're interested, please email us right away, as these roasters never last long if they are ever offered for sale.
Here are some specs with pictures of the roaster below:
Single Roast Range 1-30 lbs / 175 gr - 12 kg
*Hourly Roast Output (maximum Ibs/kgs) 103 lbs/ 48 kg
Roaster Weight Empty (lbs/kgs) 960 / 437
Floor Bearing Weight with maximum load of beans (lbs/kgs) 990 / 450
Floor Space Required includes exhaust air outlet. (inches/centimeters) 29 X 58
73.7 X 147.3
Roaster Overall Height with funnel (inches/centimeters) 76 / 193
Roaster Overall Length with exhaust outlet (inches/centimeters) 42 / 106.6
Roaster Overall Width
(inches/centimeters) 30.5 / 77.47
Gas Consumption- BTU/HR 63,000
Electrical supply- Volts AC 110
Amperage 13
Exhaust Duct Air Flow- CFM at 1" static pressure 290
Exhaust Duct Diameters (inches/centimeters) 6.0 / 15.24
Official Deidrich Extended Warranty is availalbe Contact Diedrich for Details
Will assist with shipping preparation Buyer pays for all shipping costs
http://images.craigslist.org/011508011613010401200804260ad004980ef4fcede30037ff.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/010100011511010311200804268f9afbae9ac675d5a1003d5b.jpg
Located in Portland, Oregon USA, we will assist with readying the roaster/afterburner for shipment, but shipping is the responsibility of the buyer.
You can contact me at jesse (at) revive coffeehouse (dot) com for more info and with your questions.
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Posted by revive on 2008-04-30 11:50:21 Post Subject: Diedrich IR 12 Roaster and Afterburner FOR SALE
We have a gorgeous, Diedrich IR-12 Coffee Roaster for sale. This is one of the most renowned roasters available today. It's designed to be ultra efficient so instead of using the old-style open flame burners, not unlike a gas grille, it uses extremely efficient Infrared Burners, more similar to a super high output rotisserie. These burners offer the widest operating range (allowing roast batches as small as 1lb!), Low CO, CO2 and NO2 gases preserving your coffees flavor and lower operating costs due to the higher efficiency.
The IR-12 is the pinnacle of the specialty coffee market and is used by MANY small, batch roasters and coffeehouses. This unit is also great to use to roast your own coffee if you own a cafe/coffeehouse, etc. - you can cut your coffee expenses by OVER HALF and it's simple to use - we'll show you how! This is what we use it for currently. The ONLY reason we are offering this roaster for sale is to purchase a smaller roaster that the city will allow us to locate in the front area of our coffeehouse, or else it would never leave here!
Purchase with or without the Newer Afterburner, it is a Diedrich Model 12 (to ensure clean smoke and happy neighbors) - Price w/o: 12,500 and price w/ afterburner: 23,500.
The roaster was built in 1995 in by Diedrich Manufacturing, right here in the USA! The after burner is a newer addition, built on 2002 and installed in 2005, due a relocation of the roaster. Both were professionally installed by Diedrich!
They're built for years and years of continuous operation, and require surprisingly little maintenance that is easy enough to be done by the owner. New, these unit costs over 30,000! This is a great buy and won't last long!
If you're interested, please email us right away, as these roasters never last long if they are ever offered for sale.
Here are some specs with pictures of the roaster below:
Single Roast Range 1-30 lbs / 175 gr - 12 kg
*Hourly Roast Output (maximum Ibs/kgs) 103 lbs/ 48 kg
Roaster Weight Empty (lbs/kgs) 960 / 437
Floor Bearing Weight with maximum load of beans (lbs/kgs) 990 / 450
Floor Space Required includes exhaust air outlet. (inches/centimeters) 29 X 58
73.7 X 147.3
Roaster Overall Height with funnel (inches/centimeters) 76 / 193
Roaster Overall Length with exhaust outlet (inches/centimeters) 42 / 106.6
Roaster Overall Width
(inches/centimeters) 30.5 / 77.47
Gas Consumption- BTU/HR 63,000
Electrical supply- Volts AC 110
Amperage 13
Exhaust Duct Air Flow- CFM at 1" static pressure 290
Exhaust Duct Diameters (inches/centimeters) 6.0 / 15.24
Official Deidrich Extended Warranty is availalbe Contact Diedrich for Details
Will assist with shipping preparation Buyer pays for all shipping costs
http://images.craigslist.org/011508011613010401200804260ad004980ef4fcede30037ff.jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/010100011511010311200804268f9afbae9ac675d5a1003d5b.jpg
Located in Portland, Oregon USA, we will assist with readying the roaster/afterburner for shipment, but shipping is the responsibility of the buyer.
You can contact me at jesse (at) revive coffeehouse (dot) com for more info and with your questions.
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View entire thread: Kiosk vs Full Coffee House
Posted by mslatoya on 2005-08-28 14:36:10 Post Subject: Kiosk vs Full Coffee House
Hello all new to the site but not to the business. I currently operate a kiosk inside of a public library (Awesome venture)
The library is in the process of remodeling and when they move back to the old site we might not be the vendor serving the customers. What I'm currently looking at is opening a full coffeehouse to do what the orignal dream was and still is. Has anyone went from a kiosk to a full coffeehouse? I'm looking for insight on numbers and I'm at the estimating sites. I just had a great offer but it's one that seems to good to be true.
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Posted by mslatoya on 2005-08-28 14:36:10 Post Subject: Kiosk vs Full Coffee House
Hello all new to the site but not to the business. I currently operate a kiosk inside of a public library (Awesome venture)
The library is in the process of remodeling and when they move back to the old site we might not be the vendor serving the customers. What I'm currently looking at is opening a full coffeehouse to do what the orignal dream was and still is. Has anyone went from a kiosk to a full coffeehouse? I'm looking for insight on numbers and I'm at the estimating sites. I just had a great offer but it's one that seems to good to be true.
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View entire thread: Employee Handbook
Posted by CanyonCoffee on 2006-02-16 22:37:40 Post Subject: Employee Handbook
I am opening a coffeehouse soon and I am in the process of creating an employee handbook. Do you know of any places to get a copy of some of the larger chains handbooks or any at all. I am wanting to have a reference so that I do not leave anything out.
Thanks
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Posted by CanyonCoffee on 2006-02-16 22:37:40 Post Subject: Employee Handbook
I am opening a coffeehouse soon and I am in the process of creating an employee handbook. Do you know of any places to get a copy of some of the larger chains handbooks or any at all. I am wanting to have a reference so that I do not leave anything out.
Thanks
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View entire thread: Anyone from Easton, PA?
Posted by lattes4KJP on 2005-08-17 08:16:25 Post Subject: Anyone from Easton, PA?
There's a new coffeehouse in Easton, PA......a few streets down from Lafayette College. I don't know if it's been advertised on here before, but it's EXCELLENT. It's called the Cosmic Cup Coffee Company. The owner does latte art and is all about trying new things in his business. If you're up in that area, you should really stop by. It's fantastic. I loved it so much, that I asked for a job there.Hopefully I'll get the whole steaming milk concept and latte art thing down too. It's great.....
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Posted by lattes4KJP on 2005-08-17 08:16:25 Post Subject: Anyone from Easton, PA?
There's a new coffeehouse in Easton, PA......a few streets down from Lafayette College. I don't know if it's been advertised on here before, but it's EXCELLENT. It's called the Cosmic Cup Coffee Company. The owner does latte art and is all about trying new things in his business. If you're up in that area, you should really stop by. It's fantastic. I loved it so much, that I asked for a job there.Hopefully I'll get the whole steaming milk concept and latte art thing down too. It's great.....
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View entire thread: cafe on the same corner as a bar and game room??
Posted by peepee on 2007-11-04 17:56:40 Post Subject: cafe on the same corner as a bar and game room??
Hi,
I''m new here. Great forum! I''ve learned alot already!!!
I am looking at a space to open up a cafe. Its located between a video game place and a bar in a college town. Lots of foot traffic otherwise.. as there are many apt homes and frat houses nearby...
I staked out the bar this weekend and found that it didn''t get busy until after 11ish... Need some advice. Do you think this is a good spot? Do you think the bar would eat in too much to the ambiance of a coffeehouse? Or do you think it''ll be great for business to have that kind of constant traffic at night?
Thanks.
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Posted by peepee on 2007-11-04 17:56:40 Post Subject: cafe on the same corner as a bar and game room??
Hi,
I''m new here. Great forum! I''ve learned alot already!!!
I am looking at a space to open up a cafe. Its located between a video game place and a bar in a college town. Lots of foot traffic otherwise.. as there are many apt homes and frat houses nearby...
I staked out the bar this weekend and found that it didn''t get busy until after 11ish... Need some advice. Do you think this is a good spot? Do you think the bar would eat in too much to the ambiance of a coffeehouse? Or do you think it''ll be great for business to have that kind of constant traffic at night?
Thanks.
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View entire thread: Shot Times & Standards **Please Read Before Posting**
Posted by CCafe on 2008-03-26 10:14:50 Post Subject: Shot Times & Standards **Please Read Before Posting**
So many people have been asking the same question without searching the forum. Since the Wiki is also unutilized its now time for a Sticky.
We can and will add more to this Sticky in time.
Espresso 101
For Traditional Equipment.
Standard shot times range between 20 - 30 seconds.
Standard Shot Sizes:
Single - 1 ounce - 30 milliliters
Double - 2 ounces - 60 milliliters
Triple - 3 ounces - 90 milliliters
Shot sizes can fluctuate as per individual user or coffeehouse. Sizes can fluctuate as much as .25 - .75 ounces.
For Commercial Super Automatic Equipment.
Standard shot times range between 15 - 30 seconds.
Standards Shot Sizes:
Same as Traditional Equipment
Will add milk settings, drink types and amounts later. At this time this thread is locked. Please post a new thread if you would like to add to the Sticky.
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Posted by CCafe on 2008-03-26 10:14:50 Post Subject: Shot Times & Standards **Please Read Before Posting**
So many people have been asking the same question without searching the forum. Since the Wiki is also unutilized its now time for a Sticky.
We can and will add more to this Sticky in time.
Espresso 101
For Traditional Equipment.
Standard shot times range between 20 - 30 seconds.
Standard Shot Sizes:
Single - 1 ounce - 30 milliliters
Double - 2 ounces - 60 milliliters
Triple - 3 ounces - 90 milliliters
Shot sizes can fluctuate as per individual user or coffeehouse. Sizes can fluctuate as much as .25 - .75 ounces.
For Commercial Super Automatic Equipment.
Standard shot times range between 15 - 30 seconds.
Standards Shot Sizes:
Same as Traditional Equipment
Will add milk settings, drink types and amounts later. At this time this thread is locked. Please post a new thread if you would like to add to the Sticky.
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View entire thread: Buna bet Amsterdam
Posted by Halleluja on 2006-12-06 16:39:01 Post Subject: Buna bet Amsterdam
' Buna bet' is the Ethiopian word for ' coffeehouse'. It's a new coffeeshop in Amsterdam ( no, they don't sell pot), located in the van Woustraat near the Ceintuurbaan. The coffee is fairtrade and, surprise surprise, ethiopian. I bought 250 grams of Harrar beans for 3,50 euros ( including grind of choice, in my case espresso). With my moka pot I made some really fantastic coffee with a very noticeable wine'ish aroma. Next week I'm going to try their Jirga, which I hope is just Yirgacheffe with a different name.
If you want excellent, not too expensive coffee, go to Buna bet in the van Woustraat 74. You can buy coffeebeans or you can sit there and enjoy a great cup of cappuccino. Either way, you won't be dissapointed.
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Posted by Halleluja on 2006-12-06 16:39:01 Post Subject: Buna bet Amsterdam
' Buna bet' is the Ethiopian word for ' coffeehouse'. It's a new coffeeshop in Amsterdam ( no, they don't sell pot), located in the van Woustraat near the Ceintuurbaan. The coffee is fairtrade and, surprise surprise, ethiopian. I bought 250 grams of Harrar beans for 3,50 euros ( including grind of choice, in my case espresso). With my moka pot I made some really fantastic coffee with a very noticeable wine'ish aroma. Next week I'm going to try their Jirga, which I hope is just Yirgacheffe with a different name.
If you want excellent, not too expensive coffee, go to Buna bet in the van Woustraat 74. You can buy coffeebeans or you can sit there and enjoy a great cup of cappuccino. Either way, you won't be dissapointed.
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View entire thread: Free Internet at Jamocha getting leached at Starbucks.
Posted by CCafe on 2005-10-07 08:08:53 Post Subject: Free Internet at Jamocha getting leached at Starbucks.
If you haven't heard in the news there’s a coffeehouse in El Paso having trouble with Starbucks patrons using their free wireless (Jamocha's) in Starbucks store. Here's the original story post http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=3937525.
I'm not ranting about this but rather offering a better alternative to this. The simplest way but not the cheapest, is to change the antenna type. Most wireless routers come with a rubber duck omni directional antenna. Removing this and mounting a directional antenna plus one that has a smaller dB rating will help eliminate pushing signal outside the building. From my understanding there is also filters that can be used to drop the signal strength of the antenna there by reducing its broadcast diameter.
The idea here is simply tune your network so only your store is in the broadcast zone of the wireless device. It still may not be 100% effective but in Jamocha’s case I believe it would hinder the signal from ever reaching Starbucks. In the long run it might be even cheaper, depending on how bad the situation gets and if the courts were to get involved.
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Posted by CCafe on 2005-10-07 08:08:53 Post Subject: Free Internet at Jamocha getting leached at Starbucks.
If you haven't heard in the news there’s a coffeehouse in El Paso having trouble with Starbucks patrons using their free wireless (Jamocha's) in Starbucks store. Here's the original story post http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=3937525.
I'm not ranting about this but rather offering a better alternative to this. The simplest way but not the cheapest, is to change the antenna type. Most wireless routers come with a rubber duck omni directional antenna. Removing this and mounting a directional antenna plus one that has a smaller dB rating will help eliminate pushing signal outside the building. From my understanding there is also filters that can be used to drop the signal strength of the antenna there by reducing its broadcast diameter.
The idea here is simply tune your network so only your store is in the broadcast zone of the wireless device. It still may not be 100% effective but in Jamocha’s case I believe it would hinder the signal from ever reaching Starbucks. In the long run it might be even cheaper, depending on how bad the situation gets and if the courts were to get involved.
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View entire thread: Ready to rock! Just need the money....
Posted by villagejoe on 2007-06-19 16:12:57 Post Subject: Ready to rock! Just need the money....
Hey everyone! I posted a few months ago concerning opening up a coffee shop operated by a non-profit organization. Well, the business plan is done, the building is purchased and ready for renovations, architect and general contractor have been contacted, and proposed suppliers are planned out. We even have an experienced professional donating their services to do all our logo/website development for free.
I've projected around $100,000 for us to get our doors open. Right now we started our first fundraising project - coordinating with our future roaster, we're selling coffee and cocoa at $4 profit a bag, taking orders just like for Girl Scout cookies. At the same time we're spreading the word about our organization and coffeehouse project, hoping some wealthy philanthropists will catch on to our vision and toss some donations our way.
I attended CoffeeFest Atlanta a few weeks ago, and paid the extra bucks for the Specialty Coffee Business Seminar. I think it was well worth the investment. I gained good contacts, good resources, and sanity of mind.
So, any words of wisdom at this stage in the game? I'd appreciate any feedback at all.
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Posted by villagejoe on 2007-06-19 16:12:57 Post Subject: Ready to rock! Just need the money....
Hey everyone! I posted a few months ago concerning opening up a coffee shop operated by a non-profit organization. Well, the business plan is done, the building is purchased and ready for renovations, architect and general contractor have been contacted, and proposed suppliers are planned out. We even have an experienced professional donating their services to do all our logo/website development for free.
I've projected around $100,000 for us to get our doors open. Right now we started our first fundraising project - coordinating with our future roaster, we're selling coffee and cocoa at $4 profit a bag, taking orders just like for Girl Scout cookies. At the same time we're spreading the word about our organization and coffeehouse project, hoping some wealthy philanthropists will catch on to our vision and toss some donations our way.
I attended CoffeeFest Atlanta a few weeks ago, and paid the extra bucks for the Specialty Coffee Business Seminar. I think it was well worth the investment. I gained good contacts, good resources, and sanity of mind.
So, any words of wisdom at this stage in the game? I'd appreciate any feedback at all.
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View entire thread: Coffee House GM job available in Chattanooga
Posted by BVAD on 2007-11-01 08:42:27 Post Subject: Coffee House GM job available in Chattanooga
Hello All!
I am Director of Human Resources for a hospitality company located in Chattanooga, TN (Bluff View Art District.) We have a position available for our Coffee House and I thought where better to post than here. My contact information is (jobs@bluffview.com) and our website is bluffview.com
Thank you!
W. Richardson
General Manager for Rembrandt’s Coffee Chattanooga, TN
Bluff View Art District’s Rembrandt’s Coffee seeks a Food and Beverage to manage all aspects of day-to-day operations, growth, and people development for all of Rembrandt’s Coffee retail and wholesale venues.
Rembrandt’s Coffee consists of:
Rembrandt’s Coffee House: Our high-volume European-style coffee house featuring pastries, desserts, and chocolates made from scratch in Bluff View Art District along with a selection of gourmet soups, salads, and sandwiches.
Rembrandt’s Roasting Company: Our wholesale and retail coffee roasting facility located within Bluff View Art District.
Memorial Hospital Rembrandt’s Cafe: Featuring Rembrandt’s coffee and a selection of pastry and lunch items.
The qualified candidate for this hands-on position will have a strong restaurant, coffee, or retail background. Visit our website at: www.bluffview.com for contact information.
Bluff View Art District
Bluff View Art District is a collection of cultural delights located atop a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River. This includes an art gallery, specialty kitchens, gardens, fine restaurants, a coffeehouse, an executive banquet and conference center, and a bed and breakfast-style inn (located in three buildings throughout the District).
The one-block District has become a destination where visitors find an incredible variety of things to do and see within in easy walking distance of Chattanooga’s thriving downtown. It’s location near Hunter Museum of American Art, and Houston Museum, adds depth to the historical and artistic significance of the experience. Over the years thousands of visitors have enjoyed the District’s beautiful accommodations, internationally acclaimed art, exquisite gardens and world class dining.
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Posted by BVAD on 2007-11-01 08:42:27 Post Subject: Coffee House GM job available in Chattanooga
Hello All!
I am Director of Human Resources for a hospitality company located in Chattanooga, TN (Bluff View Art District.) We have a position available for our Coffee House and I thought where better to post than here. My contact information is (jobs@bluffview.com) and our website is bluffview.com
Thank you!
W. Richardson
General Manager for Rembrandt’s Coffee Chattanooga, TN
Bluff View Art District’s Rembrandt’s Coffee seeks a Food and Beverage to manage all aspects of day-to-day operations, growth, and people development for all of Rembrandt’s Coffee retail and wholesale venues.
Rembrandt’s Coffee consists of:
Rembrandt’s Coffee House: Our high-volume European-style coffee house featuring pastries, desserts, and chocolates made from scratch in Bluff View Art District along with a selection of gourmet soups, salads, and sandwiches.
Rembrandt’s Roasting Company: Our wholesale and retail coffee roasting facility located within Bluff View Art District.
Memorial Hospital Rembrandt’s Cafe: Featuring Rembrandt’s coffee and a selection of pastry and lunch items.
The qualified candidate for this hands-on position will have a strong restaurant, coffee, or retail background. Visit our website at: www.bluffview.com for contact information.
Bluff View Art District
Bluff View Art District is a collection of cultural delights located atop a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River. This includes an art gallery, specialty kitchens, gardens, fine restaurants, a coffeehouse, an executive banquet and conference center, and a bed and breakfast-style inn (located in three buildings throughout the District).
The one-block District has become a destination where visitors find an incredible variety of things to do and see within in easy walking distance of Chattanooga’s thriving downtown. It’s location near Hunter Museum of American Art, and Houston Museum, adds depth to the historical and artistic significance of the experience. Over the years thousands of visitors have enjoyed the District’s beautiful accommodations, internationally acclaimed art, exquisite gardens and world class dining.
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View entire thread: rules?
Posted by CCafe on 2007-10-09 15:01:42 Post Subject:
Yeah I know that feeling. It seems in the last month everybody and their brother was calling for support or wanted to schedule a PM between now and Halloween.
The other thing that always gets me going and when one coffee shop want to open up a half a dozen more just pop out of the wood work asking for equipment too. As it stands I setup 4 new coffeehouse / restaurants last month alone.
Back to the conversation at hand. I am a semi religious Christan. Seeing the name of God used perversely does offend me, but the freedom of speech to me is more important. Once you take that away there aren't very many rights I have left to execute at my discretion.
I am a open minded person and have no problem telling you about something that I don't like and I'll be damned if you don't let me express it!
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Posted by CCafe on 2007-10-09 15:01:42 Post Subject:
Yeah I know that feeling. It seems in the last month everybody and their brother was calling for support or wanted to schedule a PM between now and Halloween.
The other thing that always gets me going and when one coffee shop want to open up a half a dozen more just pop out of the wood work asking for equipment too. As it stands I setup 4 new coffeehouse / restaurants last month alone.
Back to the conversation at hand. I am a semi religious Christan. Seeing the name of God used perversely does offend me, but the freedom of speech to me is more important. Once you take that away there aren't very many rights I have left to execute at my discretion.
I am a open minded person and have no problem telling you about something that I don't like and I'll be damned if you don't let me express it!
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View entire thread: <rant on> Why, Why Why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by CCafe on 2005-09-27 08:47:09 Post Subject:
You are correct!
Sounds like a coffee house that's half @ssin it. Either they were shown how to do it or they weren't. Or who ever taught them in the first place didn't understand it either.
Yes you are supposed to have 2 bulk grinders one for flavored and one for regular coffee. Technically you should never brew flavored coffee in your regular coffee equipment because you do get contamination.
I tell my clients if they want to brew flavored coffee to brew it another machine or if they only have one coffee brewer then to use one side of their dual machine. Never brew regular coffee on that side of the machine.
Any good coffeehouse would never brew flavored coffee anyway. Flavored coffee can cause contamination on a very large scale. You never want to store any around your regular coffee. Unflavored coffee when exposed to the aroma will start to take in that flavor. Nothing like drinking Kenya AA Hazelnut!
As for the espresso............yum! If you think that you can save time by pregrinding a few days in advanced, please shut down you coffeehouse and go home! I to visited a shop that did that, except I was brave and tried it.
Now if it was served in a mug and offered to me like drip coffee I would have asked what blend it was. Along those lines it was actually really good. For espresso, it was dead. No creama, not even a ring around the edge, not a single drop! Made me want to cry. Plus it was rather frigid. The only good thing it did was make a neat spray pattern on the sidewalk right in front of the place!
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Posted by CCafe on 2005-09-27 08:47:09 Post Subject:
You are correct!
Sounds like a coffee house that's half @ssin it. Either they were shown how to do it or they weren't. Or who ever taught them in the first place didn't understand it either.
Yes you are supposed to have 2 bulk grinders one for flavored and one for regular coffee. Technically you should never brew flavored coffee in your regular coffee equipment because you do get contamination.
I tell my clients if they want to brew flavored coffee to brew it another machine or if they only have one coffee brewer then to use one side of their dual machine. Never brew regular coffee on that side of the machine.
Any good coffeehouse would never brew flavored coffee anyway. Flavored coffee can cause contamination on a very large scale. You never want to store any around your regular coffee. Unflavored coffee when exposed to the aroma will start to take in that flavor. Nothing like drinking Kenya AA Hazelnut!
As for the espresso............yum
! If you think that you can save time by pregrinding a few days in advanced, please shut down you coffeehouse and go home! I to visited a shop that did that, except I was brave and tried it. Now if it was served in a mug and offered to me like drip coffee I would have asked what blend it was. Along those lines it was actually really good. For espresso, it was dead. No creama, not even a ring around the edge, not a single drop! Made me want to cry. Plus it was rather frigid. The only good thing it did was make a neat spray pattern on the sidewalk right in front of the place!
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View entire thread: Hot New Orleans Coffeehouses?
Posted by doubleshot on 2005-08-02 12:35:12 Post Subject: Hot New Orleans Coffeehouses?
So, I'll be in The Big Easy August 18-21, sweatin' it out wit dem Cajuns 'n' Creoles.
(I must be nuts for leaving Northern California this time of year!)
What's your favorite N'Awlins coffeehouse, and why?
I've got Cafe du Monde down.
Cheers,
Scott
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Posted by doubleshot on 2005-08-02 12:35:12 Post Subject: Hot New Orleans Coffeehouses?
So, I'll be in The Big Easy August 18-21, sweatin' it out wit dem Cajuns 'n' Creoles.
(I must be nuts for leaving Northern California this time of year!)What's your favorite N'Awlins coffeehouse, and why?
I've got Cafe du Monde down.
Cheers,
Scott
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View entire thread: Average Revenue in 1st Year
Posted by newtwothis on 2008-01-20 20:36:36 Post Subject: Average Revenue in 1st Year
I am doing a business plan for a coffeehouse in Canada. What is the average income for a new business in it''s first year? I came up with $200,000... does that sound right? thanks for your input on the matter
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Posted by newtwothis on 2008-01-20 20:36:36 Post Subject: Average Revenue in 1st Year
I am doing a business plan for a coffeehouse in Canada. What is the average income for a new business in it''s first year? I came up with $200,000... does that sound right? thanks for your input on the matter
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View entire thread: Organic Espresso Roast
Posted by newstore on 2005-10-26 17:58:47 Post Subject: Organic Espresso Roast
Hi, I am planning to open up a coffeehouse that serve organic coffee only. Does anyone know where to buy the freshest and best price organic coffee?
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Posted by newstore on 2005-10-26 17:58:47 Post Subject: Organic Espresso Roast
Hi, I am planning to open up a coffeehouse that serve organic coffee only. Does anyone know where to buy the freshest and best price organic coffee?
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View entire thread: Building
Posted by mslatoya on 2005-09-20 11:22:19 Post Subject: Building
I'm looking at building and would like to go the the construction crew with a generic floor plan. Can anyone help. We are thinking about 2000 sq feet to house a coffeehouse with a stage for live entertainment.
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Posted by mslatoya on 2005-09-20 11:22:19 Post Subject: Building
I'm looking at building and would like to go the the construction crew with a generic floor plan. Can anyone help. We are thinking about 2000 sq feet to house a coffeehouse with a stage for live entertainment.
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View entire thread: Advise on charging for coffee shop space
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2006-10-20 17:05:10 Post Subject:
Why is the current owner leaving? If the current owner is making money wouldn't he or she sell the business instead of leaving? As a general guideline, a profitable coffeehouse's rent is 10% or less.
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2006-10-20 17:05:10 Post Subject:
Why is the current owner leaving? If the current owner is making money wouldn't he or she sell the business instead of leaving? As a general guideline, a profitable coffeehouse's rent is 10% or less.
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View entire thread: Coffeehouse startup
Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-12-04 14:47:30 Post Subject: Coffeehouse Startup
In an area where we are, which is rural, one could get away with $50K to start-up a coffeehouse (we did!). Even in a small suburban town outside of Chicago, I would more expect a figure of $75K at least. I would think that this would even provide you with between $5-$10K of working capital, if you can do things right.
You're right that there is a big range in how much it may cost you to open a coffee shop. The best way to have an idea of how much it will cost you is to start acquiring the figures for the products and the space that you want. You may find out that it will take even more money, or it could take a bit less. Besides, this is research that you will want to be doing anyway, so you can incorporate it into your business plan, and you can ask questions of potential suppliers, landlords, etc.
Feel free to drop me a line via this forum, or e-mail me through our website at www.thecomfyplacecoffeehouse.com.
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Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-12-04 14:47:30 Post Subject: Coffeehouse Startup
In an area where we are, which is rural, one could get away with $50K to start-up a coffeehouse (we did!). Even in a small suburban town outside of Chicago, I would more expect a figure of $75K at least. I would think that this would even provide you with between $5-$10K of working capital, if you can do things right.
You're right that there is a big range in how much it may cost you to open a coffee shop. The best way to have an idea of how much it will cost you is to start acquiring the figures for the products and the space that you want. You may find out that it will take even more money, or it could take a bit less. Besides, this is research that you will want to be doing anyway, so you can incorporate it into your business plan, and you can ask questions of potential suppliers, landlords, etc.
Feel free to drop me a line via this forum, or e-mail me through our website at www.thecomfyplacecoffeehouse.com.
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View entire thread: Coffeehouse startup
Posted by Big John on 2006-12-01 19:10:13 Post Subject: Coffeehouse startup
I am interested in starting a coffeehouse here in the far SW suburbs of Chicago. My concept is to keep the design simple and the size realtively small, say 1500 sq. ft. To avoid paying the premium prices for new strip mall space in this area, I would look at a storefront location in one of the small towns nearby.
I have prior restaurant ownership experience and sufficient capital. Making a lot of money is not the focus of the idea, but rather to enjoy the ownership experience in a nice community setting.
I'd like to get an idea from you folks as to how much such a project would cost to open, including everything needed. I realize that costs vary a lot due to many factors: among them, the amount of plumbing, electrical, hvac, carpentry, etc. as well as the amount spent on design/style improvements.
Given the foregoing, and assuming the idea is to get this thing off the ground without expending too much capital, would anyone like to take a stab at giving me their range for the project, including furniture, fixtures and equipment, leasehold improvements, and some money for working capital and inventory?
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Posted by Big John on 2006-12-01 19:10:13 Post Subject: Coffeehouse startup
I am interested in starting a coffeehouse here in the far SW suburbs of Chicago. My concept is to keep the design simple and the size realtively small, say 1500 sq. ft. To avoid paying the premium prices for new strip mall space in this area, I would look at a storefront location in one of the small towns nearby.
I have prior restaurant ownership experience and sufficient capital. Making a lot of money is not the focus of the idea, but rather to enjoy the ownership experience in a nice community setting.
I'd like to get an idea from you folks as to how much such a project would cost to open, including everything needed. I realize that costs vary a lot due to many factors: among them, the amount of plumbing, electrical, hvac, carpentry, etc. as well as the amount spent on design/style improvements.
Given the foregoing, and assuming the idea is to get this thing off the ground without expending too much capital, would anyone like to take a stab at giving me their range for the project, including furniture, fixtures and equipment, leasehold improvements, and some money for working capital and inventory?
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View entire thread: To our friends on the other side of the big pond
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2008-07-11 12:36:03 Post Subject:
Here are pics of Cafe Sperl in Vienna. One of its most Infamous patrons is Hitler. But I think it is the prettiest coffeehouse in the world. Another breath taking shop in Vienna is Cafe Central where Mahler, Beethoven, Trotsky, and Lenin once sipped coffee. As far as offering, full food menu and booze too. European coffeehouse culture originated from Vienna and since then it takes different forms in different parts of Europe.
http://www.sdclab.uniroma1.it/erasmus/images/Sperl.jpg
http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1402/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1402-129.jpg
http://photos.igougo.com/images/p277574-Vienna-Cafe_Sperl.JPG
http://www.worldbrand.pl/admin/upload/Image/Cafe_Sperl2(2).jpg
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2008-07-11 12:36:03 Post Subject:
Here are pics of Cafe Sperl in Vienna. One of its most Infamous patrons is Hitler. But I think it is the prettiest coffeehouse in the world. Another breath taking shop in Vienna is Cafe Central where Mahler, Beethoven, Trotsky, and Lenin once sipped coffee. As far as offering, full food menu and booze too. European coffeehouse culture originated from Vienna and since then it takes different forms in different parts of Europe.
http://www.sdclab.uniroma1.it/erasmus/images/Sperl.jpg
http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1402/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1402-129.jpg
http://photos.igougo.com/images/p277574-Vienna-Cafe_Sperl.JPG
http://www.worldbrand.pl/admin/upload/Image/Cafe_Sperl2(2).jpg
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View entire thread: Selling homemade cheesecake?
Posted by nicepants on 2005-11-25 12:06:06 Post Subject: Selling homemade cheesecake?
Random question since I know some people who browse these forums own or run coffee shops.
I make homemade cheesecakes and from the reviews I've been getting, I'm betting they would sell very well in a coffeehouse. I don't want to run my own shop but I was thinking about approaching a few local coffee shops to see if they'd be interested in selling slices of my cheesecake. (Some already sell some desserts from a refrigerated case)
I guess my question is, do any of you who run your own shops do anything like that? I'm just wondering how to approach them, what kind of questions they will ask, etc so I can have all of my ducks in a row. I'll definitely bring some samples for them to try (one taste and they will be under my complete control....mwaahhaha).
Any suggestions/advice appreciated.
-Jason
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Posted by nicepants on 2005-11-25 12:06:06 Post Subject: Selling homemade cheesecake?
Random question since I know some people who browse these forums own or run coffee shops.
I make homemade cheesecakes and from the reviews I've been getting, I'm betting they would sell very well in a coffeehouse. I don't want to run my own shop but I was thinking about approaching a few local coffee shops to see if they'd be interested in selling slices of my cheesecake. (Some already sell some desserts from a refrigerated case)
I guess my question is, do any of you who run your own shops do anything like that? I'm just wondering how to approach them, what kind of questions they will ask, etc so I can have all of my ducks in a row. I'll definitely bring some samples for them to try (one taste and they will be under my complete control....mwaahhaha).
Any suggestions/advice appreciated.
-Jason
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View entire thread: Beans Beans Beans
Posted by sforce33 on 2008-04-23 20:47:22 Post Subject: Beans Beans Beans
Hello,
I''m starting a coffeehouse and I don''t know much about beans. I know this may seem funny...but I love coffee. This may not be the most appropriate location for this thread but I hope someone can help answer a few questions:
1) What is the best bean for a medium roast? Dark roast?
2) What countries have the best coffee? Where is the largest selection of coffee beans for commercial purposes?
I would dig any help !
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Posted by sforce33 on 2008-04-23 20:47:22 Post Subject: Beans Beans Beans
Hello,
I''m starting a coffeehouse and I don''t know much about beans. I know this may seem funny...but I love coffee. This may not be the most appropriate location for this thread but I hope someone can help answer a few questions:
1) What is the best bean for a medium roast? Dark roast?
2) What countries have the best coffee? Where is the largest selection of coffee beans for commercial purposes?
I would dig any help
!
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View entire thread: Did anyone go with Seekers Coffeehouse?
Posted by Jazzy on 2005-05-13 10:05:47 Post Subject: Did anyone go with Seekers Coffeehouse?
Hi, I very much enjoyed the discussion on Christian Coffeehouses. Thank you for the link to Seekers. Did anyone decide to go with Seekers as the franchise option? It seems as though that is exactly what I have in mind for my coffeehouse, however, I was trying to go on a lesser budget than what they are offering. Is it even possible to do something similiar to Seekers for less than those franchise costs? I have only researched independent opportunities. I hadn't even considered a franchise until I checked them out. Thank you.
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Posted by Jazzy on 2005-05-13 10:05:47 Post Subject: Did anyone go with Seekers Coffeehouse?
Hi, I very much enjoyed the discussion on Christian Coffeehouses. Thank you for the link to Seekers. Did anyone decide to go with Seekers as the franchise option? It seems as though that is exactly what I have in mind for my coffeehouse, however, I was trying to go on a lesser budget than what they are offering. Is it even possible to do something similiar to Seekers for less than those franchise costs? I have only researched independent opportunities. I hadn't even considered a franchise until I checked them out. Thank you.
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View entire thread: The desire of a stewardship in its Saoudi Arabia
Posted by abdu on 2005-05-23 15:51:28 Post Subject: The desire of a stewardship in its Saoudi Arabia
The desire of a stewardship in its Saoudi
Desired shared with him we open a stewardship to her in his Saoudi Arabia
For marketing of her products and the exhibition of publicities for its products
A showroom to her and we have a coffeehouse we love the utilization of the powder and the coffee and the like
They postponed the reply as soon as possible
Ibrahim
0096655453383
0099014640654
P. O. Box16071 ryiadh11464
Messenger: Abduu9 @ hotmail. Com
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Posted by abdu on 2005-05-23 15:51:28 Post Subject: The desire of a stewardship in its Saoudi Arabia
The desire of a stewardship in its Saoudi
Desired shared with him we open a stewardship to her in his Saoudi Arabia
For marketing of her products and the exhibition of publicities for its products
A showroom to her and we have a coffeehouse we love the utilization of the powder and the coffee and the like
They postponed the reply as soon as possible
Ibrahim
0096655453383
0099014640654
P. O. Box16071 ryiadh11464
Messenger: Abduu9 @ hotmail. Com
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View entire thread: Opening shop
Posted by barefoot on 2005-03-30 11:42:28 Post Subject: first steps
Tons of stuff to do but do these things first to get a good foundation:
1) join the SCAA at scaa.org and do TONS of research there.
2) Attend as many coffee conferences as you can to meet new vendors, get experience and exposure and a big picture view, SCAA conference in April is the best one
3) Get a job at the BEST QUALITY coffeehouse within 50 miles of your home and learn everything you can.
4) Subscribe to fresh cup and specialty coffee retailer magazines
5) Talk to some great coffee roasters and find a coffee roasting partner and pick their brain constantly.
6) Drink espresso at every cafe within 100 miles of your house.
7) then get a lobotomy so you will not mind the 100 hour weeks, low money and super stress and only focus on the killer espresso and coffee and the people!
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Posted by barefoot on 2005-03-30 11:42:28 Post Subject: first steps
Tons of stuff to do but do these things first to get a good foundation:
1) join the SCAA at scaa.org and do TONS of research there.
2) Attend as many coffee conferences as you can to meet new vendors, get experience and exposure and a big picture view, SCAA conference in April is the best one
3) Get a job at the BEST QUALITY coffeehouse within 50 miles of your home and learn everything you can.
4) Subscribe to fresh cup and specialty coffee retailer magazines
5) Talk to some great coffee roasters and find a coffee roasting partner and pick their brain constantly.
6) Drink espresso at every cafe within 100 miles of your house.
7) then get a lobotomy so you will not mind the 100 hour weeks, low money and super stress and only focus on the killer espresso and coffee and the people!
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View entire thread: Opening Business & Family
Posted by jpscoffee on 2005-01-24 06:47:55 Post Subject:
Beth,
Just curious, why do you ask specifically if others have opened without attending Coffee Fest?
If it is time related, then I would question if you have the time to open a coffeehouse. If it is money related, there are other ways to research the coffee industry.
But either way, it will take either your time or your money. Or both.
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Posted by jpscoffee on 2005-01-24 06:47:55 Post Subject:
Beth,
Just curious, why do you ask specifically if others have opened without attending Coffee Fest?
If it is time related, then I would question if you have the time to open a coffeehouse. If it is money related, there are other ways to research the coffee industry.
But either way, it will take either your time or your money. Or both.
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View entire thread: Drive-Thru Valuation
Posted by OzarkB on 2005-02-06 16:44:58 Post Subject: Drive-Thru Valuation
I'm wondering if there's a standard valuation method for a drive-thru espresso business (multiple locations). I saw someone post that for a successful coffeehouse with 20-25% margins, it's standard to ask half your annual gross sales. (Although that seems like a bargain to me.) Assuming that your margins for a drive-thru are much better -- say 30% to 40% -- what is an appropriate asking price in terms of annual gross sales?
Thanks!
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Posted by OzarkB on 2005-02-06 16:44:58 Post Subject: Drive-Thru Valuation
I'm wondering if there's a standard valuation method for a drive-thru espresso business (multiple locations). I saw someone post that for a successful coffeehouse with 20-25% margins, it's standard to ask half your annual gross sales. (Although that seems like a bargain to me.) Assuming that your margins for a drive-thru are much better -- say 30% to 40% -- what is an appropriate asking price in terms of annual gross sales?
Thanks!
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View entire thread: Economic Crisis and the State of the Bean
Posted by LaMarzocco on 2008-10-22 21:05:21 Post Subject: Economic Crisis and the State of the Bean
I know this is a similar post like the recent "Coffee Sales" post but it's a little different... here goes:
I'm thinking about buying a coffeehouse in CA but I'm nervous about the current economic climate and how it might affect coffeehouses in general. Can I have some input from existing owners about how your businesses are doing and how you see the economic "crisis" potentially affecting you?
Thanks in advance!
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Posted by LaMarzocco on 2008-10-22 21:05:21 Post Subject: Economic Crisis and the State of the Bean
I know this is a similar post like the recent "Coffee Sales" post but it's a little different... here goes:
I'm thinking about buying a coffeehouse in CA but I'm nervous about the current economic climate and how it might affect coffeehouses in general. Can I have some input from existing owners about how your businesses are doing and how you see the economic "crisis" potentially affecting you?
Thanks in advance!
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View entire thread: Brewwise SH or TF
Posted by tlowing on 2008-03-15 22:39:23 Post Subject: Brewwise SH or TF
Opening a small coffeehouse. Should I be looking at the Brewwise SH or TF? Advantages/disadvantages? Dual or single?
Most customers will be drink-in or take-out. I also noticed that Bunn makes a inexpensive "TF Server SH adapter assembly".
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Posted by tlowing on 2008-03-15 22:39:23 Post Subject: Brewwise SH or TF
Opening a small coffeehouse. Should I be looking at the Brewwise SH or TF? Advantages/disadvantages? Dual or single?
Most customers will be drink-in or take-out. I also noticed that Bunn makes a inexpensive "TF Server SH adapter assembly".
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View entire thread: Places to Stop BOS to DEN
Posted by CCafe on 2005-03-08 12:33:04 Post Subject:
Java Joes Coffeehouse Des Moines, Iowa.
http://www.jjch.com.
When on I-80 go straight on I-235 keep going until you hit downtown. There is a little freeway construction going on so you might want to plan ahead.
Check out http://www.I235.com before you hit Des Moines to see what's happening. Take 7th or 3rd St. exit. Here's a little map to our store
http://www.javajoescoffeehouse.com/info.html.
If you come tell them Brook sent ya and have a cup on me!
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Posted by CCafe on 2005-03-08 12:33:04 Post Subject:
Java Joes Coffeehouse Des Moines, Iowa.
http://www.jjch.com.
When on I-80 go straight on I-235 keep going until you hit downtown. There is a little freeway construction going on so you might want to plan ahead.
Check out http://www.I235.com before you hit Des Moines to see what's happening. Take 7th or 3rd St. exit. Here's a little map to our store
http://www.javajoescoffeehouse.com/info.html.
If you come tell them Brook sent ya and have a cup on me!
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View entire thread: no drive-through solutions
Posted by Halfstack on 2005-06-05 14:25:35 Post Subject: no drive-through solutions
looking for creative solutions on how to attract traffic to a coffeehouse that doesnt have a drive through window.
ie: curbside service?
any ideas welcome!!!
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Posted by Halfstack on 2005-06-05 14:25:35 Post Subject: no drive-through solutions
looking for creative solutions on how to attract traffic to a coffeehouse that doesnt have a drive through window.
ie: curbside service?
any ideas welcome!!!
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View entire thread: A few questions from a beginner (nothing quite obvious)
Posted by Comfy Place on 2007-02-13 20:16:34 Post Subject:
First, congratulations on taking the time to really invest in yourself before starting a business (any business!). You'll be much better off and happier down the road by doing so rather than just jumping right in. While I agree with Billagirl to a point about waiting until you are older, sometimes one doesn't need to wait; they'll do just fine by going for it once they have their things in order. While age can be a detriment (most don't always give a younger entreprenuer much of a chance), it doesn't have to be. But certainly, if you can gain experience by working in an independant coffeehouse, by all means do so while you are in school. Perhaps you would be better served by waiting until you are done with high school before starting the business, if only for the fact that you will want to be present at your business all of the time until things get going strong.
I'll try to address your questions as well:
1- I'm not convinced that selling books mixes well with a coffeehouse, but that's just my opinion. If you want to have your point of distinction be that you sell quality books and quality espresso drinks, then by all means do that. But to do it just to earn money, that I'm not in favor of. My wife and I are thinking about opening a used bookstore in our town (once our coffeehouse is a little more stable), and I've had people suggest that we start selling books in our coffeehouse. While I appreciate their suggestions, this is not what we want for the image of our shop. Because of that, we are choosing not to sell books in our shop (unless, perhaps, they are educational books dealing with coffee - that matches up with our goal of helping to educate people in our area about coffee).
2- Here I agree with Billagirl 100%. If you want your coffee shop to be like a sports bar, then your idea is the way to go. However, most places do not do this because it just isn't what most people want from their local coffeehouse. However, why not adjust your idea a little? What about having weekly movie showings at your place on purpose? You could have themes, such as horror month, 1970's movies month, etc.. Make it an event, and then also charge admission for it. Have people get their drinks, etc. before the movie, and let them know that nothing will be served during the film. You could partner with a local technology store to have them supply a large plasma or LCD and a DVD player. Give the store a plug and they might go along with it (probably use one of their floor models, but so what?). Make sure that you offer a movie that is different somehow (Hitchcock, etc.) and that appeals to people.
3- See my point above about your age and about waiting until after high school. While you don't have much homework, running a business, especially your first coffee shop, is very demanding.
4- Again, I agree with Billagirl here as well. You should rethink your target market - probably increase the min/max ages by 10 years, and you'll be in a better target. As far as the Xbox/gaming situation, this could again be special offering for people. Many adults now also play video games, so this would not be out of the question. Why not plan a tournament over a weekend? Call up that technology store again and see if they would be willing to donate a machine or 2. Or, make an entry fee for the tournament to offset the cost of obtaining the machines. There is a lot of leeway here to come with something of interest for your population. Get together with your friend and start brainstorming ideas!
5- Not being in Chicago myself, I can't help you out here. Hopefully a local can step up and offer good advice on this one.
6- As long as you are using beans that have been roasted recently (less than 2 weeks), you'll be good to go.
My wife and I will also be attending Coffee Fest, and we're really looking forward to it. There is a lot of great information in the seminars, and you'll have plenty to read later from all of the vendors available (and samples, don't forget samples!). If you happen to run into us, say "Hi" and maybe we can grab a dinner and discuss things. I'd be happy to help out any futher if you want, just send me an e-mail through this site or from our website. Cheers!
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Posted by Comfy Place on 2007-02-13 20:16:34 Post Subject:
First, congratulations on taking the time to really invest in yourself before starting a business (any business!). You'll be much better off and happier down the road by doing so rather than just jumping right in. While I agree with Billagirl to a point about waiting until you are older, sometimes one doesn't need to wait; they'll do just fine by going for it once they have their things in order. While age can be a detriment (most don't always give a younger entreprenuer much of a chance), it doesn't have to be. But certainly, if you can gain experience by working in an independant coffeehouse, by all means do so while you are in school. Perhaps you would be better served by waiting until you are done with high school before starting the business, if only for the fact that you will want to be present at your business all of the time until things get going strong.
I'll try to address your questions as well:
1- I'm not convinced that selling books mixes well with a coffeehouse, but that's just my opinion. If you want to have your point of distinction be that you sell quality books and quality espresso drinks, then by all means do that. But to do it just to earn money, that I'm not in favor of. My wife and I are thinking about opening a used bookstore in our town (once our coffeehouse is a little more stable), and I've had people suggest that we start selling books in our coffeehouse. While I appreciate their suggestions, this is not what we want for the image of our shop. Because of that, we are choosing not to sell books in our shop (unless, perhaps, they are educational books dealing with coffee - that matches up with our goal of helping to educate people in our area about coffee).
2- Here I agree with Billagirl 100%. If you want your coffee shop to be like a sports bar, then your idea is the way to go. However, most places do not do this because it just isn't what most people want from their local coffeehouse. However, why not adjust your idea a little? What about having weekly movie showings at your place on purpose? You could have themes, such as horror month, 1970's movies month, etc.. Make it an event, and then also charge admission for it. Have people get their drinks, etc. before the movie, and let them know that nothing will be served during the film. You could partner with a local technology store to have them supply a large plasma or LCD and a DVD player. Give the store a plug and they might go along with it (probably use one of their floor models, but so what?). Make sure that you offer a movie that is different somehow (Hitchcock, etc.) and that appeals to people.
3- See my point above about your age and about waiting until after high school. While you don't have much homework, running a business, especially your first coffee shop, is very demanding.
4- Again, I agree with Billagirl here as well. You should rethink your target market - probably increase the min/max ages by 10 years, and you'll be in a better target. As far as the Xbox/gaming situation, this could again be special offering for people. Many adults now also play video games, so this would not be out of the question. Why not plan a tournament over a weekend? Call up that technology store again and see if they would be willing to donate a machine or 2. Or, make an entry fee for the tournament to offset the cost of obtaining the machines. There is a lot of leeway here to come with something of interest for your population. Get together with your friend and start brainstorming ideas!
5- Not being in Chicago myself, I can't help you out here. Hopefully a local can step up and offer good advice on this one.
6- As long as you are using beans that have been roasted recently (less than 2 weeks), you'll be good to go.
My wife and I will also be attending Coffee Fest, and we're really looking forward to it. There is a lot of great information in the seminars, and you'll have plenty to read later from all of the vendors available (and samples, don't forget samples!). If you happen to run into us, say "Hi" and maybe we can grab a dinner and discuss things. I'd be happy to help out any futher if you want, just send me an e-mail through this site or from our website. Cheers!
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View entire thread: Coffee Fest - Chicago
Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-11-18 08:20:36 Post Subject: Coffee Fest - Chicago
Just wanted to inquire of the group to see who is making plans to attend the 2007 Chicago Coffee Fest? Has anyone been to any of the 3 Fests this past year? How were they? The Great Lakes Regional Barista Championships are also going to be held at the Chicago Fest, so we are very much looking forward to seeing this as well.
Please, share, share, share! Would you go again? Is this the first time you are attending, like us? What do you hope to get out of the show? Maybe some of us could connect and have a dinner together one of the nights in Chicago and swap stories and helpful hints. See you at the Fest!
Darren Kirby
The Comfy Place Coffeehouse
www.thecomfyplacecoffeehouse.com
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Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-11-18 08:20:36 Post Subject: Coffee Fest - Chicago
Just wanted to inquire of the group to see who is making plans to attend the 2007 Chicago Coffee Fest? Has anyone been to any of the 3 Fests this past year? How were they? The Great Lakes Regional Barista Championships are also going to be held at the Chicago Fest, so we are very much looking forward to seeing this as well.
Please, share, share, share! Would you go again? Is this the first time you are attending, like us? What do you hope to get out of the show? Maybe some of us could connect and have a dinner together one of the nights in Chicago and swap stories and helpful hints. See you at the Fest!
Darren Kirby
The Comfy Place Coffeehouse
www.thecomfyplacecoffeehouse.com
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View entire thread: Coffee Shop Manager
Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-31 15:07:55 Post Subject: Coffee Shop Manager
Yes, we use it in our coffeehouse. I'd be happy to relay our experiences using it. Send me a message or post your questions here.
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Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-31 15:07:55 Post Subject: Coffee Shop Manager
Yes, we use it in our coffeehouse. I'd be happy to relay our experiences using it. Send me a message or post your questions here.
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View entire thread: Looking for start-up partner
Posted by tortillatree on 2008-02-08 15:48:02 Post Subject: Looking for start-up partner
I''m a highly passionate, energetic, coffee-loving, business degree graduate in Western Pennsylvania dreaming of owning my own coffeeshop. I do have experience and money to invest, but I don''t have enough of either to convince the banks to lend the rest. I need a partner anyway, because two heads are better than one. If there''s anyone out there in a similar situation looking for a partner, do get a hold of me! The town I''m in is an opportunity, but I would relocate if needed. I''m looking for a larger coffeehouse setting, maybe a college town or near a large high school, a sizable place with live music and frequent events. Yes, coffee and espresso is my passion, but entertainment is what will bring the crowds. Marketing and finance are my expertise. Combine everything together, and you have a winner.
Matt
tortillatree@yahoo.com
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Posted by tortillatree on 2008-02-08 15:48:02 Post Subject: Looking for start-up partner
I''m a highly passionate, energetic, coffee-loving, business degree graduate in Western Pennsylvania dreaming of owning my own coffeeshop. I do have experience and money to invest, but I don''t have enough of either to convince the banks to lend the rest. I need a partner anyway, because two heads are better than one. If there''s anyone out there in a similar situation looking for a partner, do get a hold of me! The town I''m in is an opportunity, but I would relocate if needed. I''m looking for a larger coffeehouse setting, maybe a college town or near a large high school, a sizable place with live music and frequent events. Yes, coffee and espresso is my passion, but entertainment is what will bring the crowds. Marketing and finance are my expertise. Combine everything together, and you have a winner.
Matt
tortillatree@yahoo.com
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View entire thread: I'm not just coffee, please reply!
Posted by javaluva on 2005-07-16 17:58:54 Post Subject: I'm not just coffee, please reply!
I own a small coffee house in a small town...For the first 3 months, we soothed our throats with warm coffee, because we had to explain to the WHOLE entire town that "We're a coffeehouse". Perks Cafe. Very few knew what a coffeehouse was. (Now I live in a town full of experts). My problem is... we serve a light deli menu, and there is a coffee shop from the 50's that is just down the street, and there is a "cafe" 2 doors down, (greasy spoon) no coffee...well generic, on the burner all day and now a cappuccino machine, (to put me out of business
) I have 2 groups. Those that see we are both "cafe" and think that I am FOOD, because he is, or those that are new, and think we're both coffee. I want to change. I don't know if it's a matter of taking off the "Cafe", or adding something else to Perks. I only serve a lite deli menu from 11am to 2pm but now the greasy spoon closes at 2!??? I might be wrong...the food is a neccesary evil... But what do I do? Suggestions please. I am still explaining that I am a coffeehouse and that he is a restaurant. Yet, when I come in contact with new people, it burns my pot when they say, " Oh, I dont drink coffee. I have 10 times what Strbux has, and to top it off...People ask me if my name is Perks. Go figure...
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Posted by javaluva on 2005-07-16 17:58:54 Post Subject: I'm not just coffee, please reply!
I own a small coffee house in a small town...For the first 3 months, we soothed our throats with warm coffee, because we had to explain to the WHOLE entire town that "We're a coffeehouse". Perks Cafe. Very few knew what a coffeehouse was. (Now I live in a town full of experts). My problem is... we serve a light deli menu, and there is a coffee shop from the 50's that is just down the street, and there is a "cafe" 2 doors down, (greasy spoon) no coffee...well generic, on the burner all day and now a cappuccino machine, (to put me out of business
) I have 2 groups. Those that see we are both "cafe" and think that I am FOOD, because he is, or those that are new, and think we're both coffee. I want to change. I don't know if it's a matter of taking off the "Cafe", or adding something else to Perks. I only serve a lite deli menu from 11am to 2pm but now the greasy spoon closes at 2!??? I might be wrong...the food is a neccesary evil... But what do I do? Suggestions please. I am still explaining that I am a coffeehouse and that he is a restaurant. Yet, when I come in contact with new people, it burns my pot when they say, " Oh, I dont drink coffee. I have 10 times what Strbux has, and to top it off...People ask me if my name is Perks. Go figure...
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View entire thread: What's the most espresso you've consumed in one day?
Posted by SFG75 on 2005-11-23 16:00:07 Post Subject:
20-I was in college and was just coming out of a low-caffeine home when I discovered the coffeehouse. I pulled two all-nighters and then became more well-adjusted as I am now.
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Posted by SFG75 on 2005-11-23 16:00:07 Post Subject:
20-I was in college and was just coming out of a low-caffeine home when I discovered the coffeehouse. I pulled two all-nighters and then became more well-adjusted as I am now.
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View entire thread: HELP! 9th Free or 10th Free Stamp Cards - Need Advice Please
Posted by javaluva on 2005-11-02 11:54:30 Post Subject:
I think you have to do what ever is best for you. I get just as discouraged as you, when I hear...well, I just hope it picks up. You create coffee experts, they don't create themselves. I actually have three cards, a gourmet card, a specialty card, and a non coffee card, when we implemented them 4 yrs into the business, I noticed a reaction that I didn't really like. Customers would buy smalls and want the bigger for their free one, and some even just bought a buck gourmet, and then when they got to their free drink, they got the most expensive they could. I eliminated that buy the 3 cards. I have three cards, and allow for a purchase of all 3 sizes, but I only allow them to receive a sm-med for the free. When I switched only a few asked, and I explained that I needed to switch it for the paper work. It works out great, they love the cards, and I don't get upset when I have 45 people using their free all in one day. I make my coffeehouse my CUSTOMERS coffeehouse. It's perfect.
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Posted by javaluva on 2005-11-02 11:54:30 Post Subject:
I think you have to do what ever is best for you. I get just as discouraged as you, when I hear...well, I just hope it picks up. You create coffee experts, they don't create themselves. I actually have three cards, a gourmet card, a specialty card, and a non coffee card, when we implemented them 4 yrs into the business, I noticed a reaction that I didn't really like. Customers would buy smalls and want the bigger for their free one, and some even just bought a buck gourmet, and then when they got to their free drink, they got the most expensive they could. I eliminated that buy the 3 cards. I have three cards, and allow for a purchase of all 3 sizes, but I only allow them to receive a sm-med for the free. When I switched only a few asked, and I explained that I needed to switch it for the paper work. It works out great, they love the cards, and I don't get upset when I have 45 people using their free all in one day. I make my coffeehouse my CUSTOMERS coffeehouse. It's perfect.
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View entire thread: Good Bean Reading?
Posted by Sinister703 on 2004-11-06 09:11:10 Post Subject:
Bean biz Basics has a ton of info, I think its more geared to the started rather than someone whos already in business. Anoter book by belissimo I found better for those already in operation is 'Achieving Success in Specialty Coffee'.
Schomers book is great for learning and piquing your interest in espresso prep. Its called Espresso coffee : Professional Techniques. I'd call this a 'must have'.
Another little gem I found was a book simply called 'Beans' in the biz section of your bookstore. Written by Yerkes & Decker and published by Jossey-Bass, its a story about a guy who owns a coffeehouse and hires a consultant to help him find the problems in his shop when business starts taking a dive. I found it very insightful and a fun read. Strongly recommended.
I also use the Esp 101 video as an intro before I start training on the espresso machine. Its good and covers quite a bit.
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Posted by Sinister703 on 2004-11-06 09:11:10 Post Subject:
Bean biz Basics has a ton of info, I think its more geared to the started rather than someone whos already in business. Anoter book by belissimo I found better for those already in operation is 'Achieving Success in Specialty Coffee'.
Schomers book is great for learning and piquing your interest in espresso prep. Its called Espresso coffee : Professional Techniques. I'd call this a 'must have'.
Another little gem I found was a book simply called 'Beans' in the biz section of your bookstore. Written by Yerkes & Decker and published by Jossey-Bass, its a story about a guy who owns a coffeehouse and hires a consultant to help him find the problems in his shop when business starts taking a dive. I found it very insightful and a fun read. Strongly recommended.
I also use the Esp 101 video as an intro before I start training on the espresso machine. Its good and covers quite a bit.
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View entire thread: Wanting to purchase a coffee house
Posted by camoflauge on 2007-07-03 14:16:40 Post Subject: Wanting to purchase a coffee house
I know there''s a lot of info missing, but i really don''t know what to look for or what i need to ask.
Here''s the \"ad\" : DEPOT COFFEEHOUSE & Gift Shop. Established business, fine dining potential. Restored Train Depot, 2400sq.
Our local coffee house is for sale, asking price is $325,000. I know this seems high-it used to be a train depot and was completely remodeled. the building is in a great location-seems to be fairly busy, has a gift shop area and a back room, they serve a simple lunch, and it also has a music recording studio-which i wouldn''t know what to do with right now. all the equipment comes with it-the only thing that doesn''t is their current gift merchandise because they don''t want someone to be stuck with their \"merchandise\".
sales are estimated at $160,000 per year-i know this isn''t 100% current, but owner estimated $400-600 per day. i''m assuming that is gross income.
i need to make enough $$ to keep biz running and also to make my house payment and utilities-to the tune of $1500. I would be looking to make this a full time career.
i do love coffee, really love the gift shop idea as i make a lot of candle/bath & body, etc. type stuff and already have a lot of places lined up to order wholesale from.
also, i know of this couple and the only reason they are selling is that they have a # of other businesses and are extremely well off. they are looking to reduce some of their \"responsibility\" because even if they have a manager, they are still responsible for the business. i don''t suspect any \"foul\" reasons for selling as they are selling another biz also.
what else do i need to know, what do i need to ask, and what will i need to know in order to get a loan?
btw, town is approx 3500 in a good tourist town-it is the only coffeehouse in town, and has lunch which draws a good crowd-is mostly easy sandwhiches.
I know there are a ton of ?''s i need to ask, but not sure even where to start!!!
Thanks!!!!
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Posted by camoflauge on 2007-07-03 14:16:40 Post Subject: Wanting to purchase a coffee house
I know there''s a lot of info missing, but i really don''t know what to look for or what i need to ask.
Here''s the \"ad\" : DEPOT COFFEEHOUSE & Gift Shop. Established business, fine dining potential. Restored Train Depot, 2400sq.
Our local coffee house is for sale, asking price is $325,000. I know this seems high-it used to be a train depot and was completely remodeled. the building is in a great location-seems to be fairly busy, has a gift shop area and a back room, they serve a simple lunch, and it also has a music recording studio-which i wouldn''t know what to do with right now. all the equipment comes with it-the only thing that doesn''t is their current gift merchandise because they don''t want someone to be stuck with their \"merchandise\".
sales are estimated at $160,000 per year-i know this isn''t 100% current, but owner estimated $400-600 per day. i''m assuming that is gross income.
i need to make enough $$ to keep biz running and also to make my house payment and utilities-to the tune of $1500. I would be looking to make this a full time career.
i do love coffee, really love the gift shop idea as i make a lot of candle/bath & body, etc. type stuff and already have a lot of places lined up to order wholesale from.
also, i know of this couple and the only reason they are selling is that they have a # of other businesses and are extremely well off. they are looking to reduce some of their \"responsibility\" because even if they have a manager, they are still responsible for the business. i don''t suspect any \"foul\" reasons for selling as they are selling another biz also.
what else do i need to know, what do i need to ask, and what will i need to know in order to get a loan?
btw, town is approx 3500 in a good tourist town-it is the only coffeehouse in town, and has lunch which draws a good crowd-is mostly easy sandwhiches.
I know there are a ton of ?''s i need to ask, but not sure even where to start!!!
Thanks!!!!
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View entire thread: Wanting to purchase a coffee house
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2007-07-05 13:30:11 Post Subject: Re: Wanting to purchase a coffee house
I know there''s a lot of info missing, but i really don''t know what to look for or what i need to ask.
Here''s the "ad" : DEPOT COFFEEHOUSE & Gift Shop. Established business, fine dining potential. Restored Train Depot, 2400sq.
Our local coffee house is for sale, asking price is $325,000. I know this seems high-it used to be a train depot and was completely remodeled. the building is in a great location-seems to be fairly busy, has a gift shop area and a back room, they serve a simple lunch, and it also has a music recording studio-which i wouldn''t know what to do with right now. all the equipment comes with it-the only thing that doesn''t is their current gift merchandise because they don''t want someone to be stuck with their "merchandise".
sales are estimated at $160,000 per year-i know this isn''t 100% current, but owner estimated $400-600 per day. i''m assuming that is gross income.
i need to make enough $$ to keep biz running and also to make my house payment and utilities-to the tune of $1500. I would be looking to make this a full time career.
i do love coffee, really love the gift shop idea as i make a lot of candle/bath & body, etc. type stuff and already have a lot of places lined up to order wholesale from.
also, i know of this couple and the only reason they are selling is that they have a # of other businesses and are extremely well off. they are looking to reduce some of their "responsibility" because even if they have a manager, they are still responsible for the business. i don''t suspect any "foul" reasons for selling as they are selling another biz also.
what else do i need to know, what do i need to ask, and what will i need to know in order to get a loan?
btw, town is approx 3500 in a good tourist town-it is the only coffeehouse in town, and has lunch which draws a good crowd-is mostly easy sandwhiches.
I know there are a ton of ?''s i need to ask, but not sure even where to start!!!
Thanks!!!!
If the town's population is 3500, I don't think you have the demographic to support a shop. You need to define fairly busy.
How long has the business been there? If it is less than a year, then maybe, just maybe, it is worth looking into. If it is over a year, personally I would not even consider it. Otherwise, $400-600 per day is a miserable failure of a 2400sq ft coffeeshop. Also, is $325,000 business only or is the building included. If it is business only, they are out of their #@*$ing mind. # = f. Here is a very gross generalization. A $500,000 coffeeshop will gross you no more than $100,000 before tax, most likely $70,000. Using 2.5 times ebitda, a fair price is in the $180,000 range. This shop is doing $160,000, a third of $500,000 and they want $325,000? You should ask them to justify that crazy asking price.
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2007-07-05 13:30:11 Post Subject: Re: Wanting to purchase a coffee house
I know there''s a lot of info missing, but i really don''t know what to look for or what i need to ask.
Here''s the "ad" : DEPOT COFFEEHOUSE & Gift Shop. Established business, fine dining potential. Restored Train Depot, 2400sq.
Our local coffee house is for sale, asking price is $325,000. I know this seems high-it used to be a train depot and was completely remodeled. the building is in a great location-seems to be fairly busy, has a gift shop area and a back room, they serve a simple lunch, and it also has a music recording studio-which i wouldn''t know what to do with right now. all the equipment comes with it-the only thing that doesn''t is their current gift merchandise because they don''t want someone to be stuck with their "merchandise".
sales are estimated at $160,000 per year-i know this isn''t 100% current, but owner estimated $400-600 per day. i''m assuming that is gross income.
i need to make enough $$ to keep biz running and also to make my house payment and utilities-to the tune of $1500. I would be looking to make this a full time career.
i do love coffee, really love the gift shop idea as i make a lot of candle/bath & body, etc. type stuff and already have a lot of places lined up to order wholesale from.
also, i know of this couple and the only reason they are selling is that they have a # of other businesses and are extremely well off. they are looking to reduce some of their "responsibility" because even if they have a manager, they are still responsible for the business. i don''t suspect any "foul" reasons for selling as they are selling another biz also.
what else do i need to know, what do i need to ask, and what will i need to know in order to get a loan?
btw, town is approx 3500 in a good tourist town-it is the only coffeehouse in town, and has lunch which draws a good crowd-is mostly easy sandwhiches.
I know there are a ton of ?''s i need to ask, but not sure even where to start!!!
Thanks!!!!
If the town's population is 3500, I don't think you have the demographic to support a shop. You need to define fairly busy.
How long has the business been there? If it is less than a year, then maybe, just maybe, it is worth looking into. If it is over a year, personally I would not even consider it. Otherwise, $400-600 per day is a miserable failure of a 2400sq ft coffeeshop. Also, is $325,000 business only or is the building included. If it is business only, they are out of their #@*$ing mind. # = f. Here is a very gross generalization. A $500,000 coffeeshop will gross you no more than $100,000 before tax, most likely $70,000. Using 2.5 times ebitda, a fair price is in the $180,000 range. This shop is doing $160,000, a third of $500,000 and they want $325,000? You should ask them to justify that crazy asking price.
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View entire thread: Please recommend best espresso machines under $1000 USD
Posted by IndianaTim on 2008-02-03 23:19:50 Post Subject:
For your price, I think the best machine/grinder combination you can get is what I have. Expobar Office Pulser and Rancilio Rocky grinder. For me, an espresso machine has to have a heat exchanger.
I''ve been using my rig daily for the last few years and other than needing to occasionally clean a release valve, it''s been trouble-free. It has a professional group head, heat exchanger, and large water reservior. This is essentially a commercial set-up that doesn''t require being plumbed into your water and drain system.
Before the Expobar/Rocky, I owned and operated a coffeehouse, where I had a 2 group Astoria. I can produce the same quality espresso with this machine, and I can froth milk just as well--though not quite as rapidly as you would with the commercial machine simply because the Expobar is smaller. I bought mine from wholelattelove, and had great customer service from them.
One more thing. Don''t waste your time with a super-automatic. Most of the time you spend will be in waiting for the machine to heat up in the morning, about 15-20 minutes. Grinding takes all of 30 seconds for two doubles, and another 30 seconds to dose, tamp, and pull a double shot. And you can pull many shots back-to-back with any decent HE machine.
Good luck with your endeavor.
Tim
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Posted by IndianaTim on 2008-02-03 23:19:50 Post Subject:
For your price, I think the best machine/grinder combination you can get is what I have. Expobar Office Pulser and Rancilio Rocky grinder. For me, an espresso machine has to have a heat exchanger.
I''ve been using my rig daily for the last few years and other than needing to occasionally clean a release valve, it''s been trouble-free. It has a professional group head, heat exchanger, and large water reservior. This is essentially a commercial set-up that doesn''t require being plumbed into your water and drain system.
Before the Expobar/Rocky, I owned and operated a coffeehouse, where I had a 2 group Astoria. I can produce the same quality espresso with this machine, and I can froth milk just as well--though not quite as rapidly as you would with the commercial machine simply because the Expobar is smaller. I bought mine from wholelattelove, and had great customer service from them.
One more thing. Don''t waste your time with a super-automatic. Most of the time you spend will be in waiting for the machine to heat up in the morning, about 15-20 minutes. Grinding takes all of 30 seconds for two doubles, and another 30 seconds to dose, tamp, and pull a double shot. And you can pull many shots back-to-back with any decent HE machine.
Good luck with your endeavor.
Tim
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View entire thread: One Group or Two 2 ?
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-09-13 18:58:57 Post Subject:
One of the hardest thing to do is estimate your volumn, but you will have to come up with a number. For example, how many tables and chairs are you going to have? And what kind of turn over are you looking at? You should have a machine that can handle your seating capacity. Are you more of a bookstore or are you a coffeehouse with some books titles? If you are mainly a bookstore, then concentrate on marketing books, and have a small espresso machine, maybe even a prosumer machine; but do learn the essentials on how to make good espresso drinks as many bookstores really have horrible drinks, many coffeehoues too, for that matter. If you are mainly a coffeehouse, then invest in the best coffee equipment you can afford.
If you are going to use just one portafilter, then single group machine will be fine to start out with. Recently,the trend is to using bottomless portafilter and do away with single shot espresso. If you decided on that route, you can use a one group machine. The drawback is if I come in and order a triple latte, you are going to take a bit longer to make that drink.
If you are going with the traditional set up of using a single basket (7 grams) portafilter for single espresso shot, and a double basket (14 grams) for double shots, then you should get a 2 group machine because you need to keep both portafilters hot.
When considering milk steaming ability, bigger boiler, therefore higher power heating element, is usually better, and double boilers (more money) are better than single boiler.
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-09-13 18:58:57 Post Subject:
One of the hardest thing to do is estimate your volumn, but you will have to come up with a number. For example, how many tables and chairs are you going to have? And what kind of turn over are you looking at? You should have a machine that can handle your seating capacity. Are you more of a bookstore or are you a coffeehouse with some books titles? If you are mainly a bookstore, then concentrate on marketing books, and have a small espresso machine, maybe even a prosumer machine; but do learn the essentials on how to make good espresso drinks as many bookstores really have horrible drinks, many coffeehoues too, for that matter. If you are mainly a coffeehouse, then invest in the best coffee equipment you can afford.
If you are going to use just one portafilter, then single group machine will be fine to start out with. Recently,the trend is to using bottomless portafilter and do away with single shot espresso. If you decided on that route, you can use a one group machine. The drawback is if I come in and order a triple latte, you are going to take a bit longer to make that drink.
If you are going with the traditional set up of using a single basket (7 grams) portafilter for single espresso shot, and a double basket (14 grams) for double shots, then you should get a 2 group machine because you need to keep both portafilters hot.
When considering milk steaming ability, bigger boiler, therefore higher power heating element, is usually better, and double boilers (more money) are better than single boiler.
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View entire thread: The best coffee house in the world
Posted by chooton on 2005-08-05 19:11:46 Post Subject: The best coffee house in the world
I've been to the local shops every place I go and stall the best coffee shop I've been to is the Goodbye Blue Monday in Northfield MN. It maybe the romance of the idea of Northfield clouds my judgement. It maybe that the fact that it is the first coffee shop in my experience that makes it the quintessential. Anyone else familiar with this paragon of coffee culutre? Or as Don Quixote standing in the road, I challenge you if you dissagree that this my Dulcinea of Tolboso is peerless, the most beautiful coffeehouse in the world stand forth and face me!
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Posted by chooton on 2005-08-05 19:11:46 Post Subject: The best coffee house in the world
I've been to the local shops every place I go and stall the best coffee shop I've been to is the Goodbye Blue Monday in Northfield MN. It maybe the romance of the idea of Northfield clouds my judgement. It maybe that the fact that it is the first coffee shop in my experience that makes it the quintessential. Anyone else familiar with this paragon of coffee culutre? Or as Don Quixote standing in the road, I challenge you if you dissagree that this my Dulcinea of Tolboso is peerless, the most beautiful coffeehouse in the world stand forth and face me!
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View entire thread: wise advice from coffee sages welcome
Posted by SunriseCoffeeLasVegas on 2008-09-07 19:34:23 Post Subject: wise advice from coffee sages welcome
Hello,
I am so glad that this forum is here on the internet because it has become an invaluable tool for me. There are so many people out there who actually care about their fellow endeavoring coffeehouse owners. I have had more help and comfort on here from reading the posts than approaching other local coffeehouse owners in my area.
The reason I have finally made first post was because I felt that my struggles should be chronicled for any future coffeehouse owners and stand up and let people know their is coffee culture in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas is known for many things but, least of all their culture. This is slowly changing with an underground movement of Las Vegans who are into local art and music.
The need for a great local coffeehouse is so great that even in a slumping economy I believe that it will prosper (that and a thorough business plan)
My partner and I have struggled for two years to bring our coffeehouse into fruition and we are finally two weeks away from opening. The buzz around our store has already reached a high pitch fever in our business park area alone.
It has been a long hard road to make our dream come true but, I have never regretted all the setbacks because it has taught us about real world experience. I was very naive going into this and coming through has humbled my opinion of what I know. Which is always buy coffee for those who do know.
The point is, if you have any advice that you would like to share with me about the ins and outs of being a coffeehouse owner or what you would have done differently with the knowledge you know now, it would be immensely appreciated. Or your opinion on what constitutes a great coffeehouse. How I could be a better boss to my baristas or make my customers the happiest?
These are all welcome, I have read a couple of posts on something similar but, I know deep down inside there is more for you to say.
I have done my market research, I am in a sit down drive thru location with 65,000 cars a day and a one mile business park with a huge park across from me. I was lucky to get this place and the only way this can go bad is if I mess this up. I am gonna try my best not to.
My niche is all organic fair trade coffee with all organic products liked baked goods and eco friendly as possible from the compostable cups to recycled print ads for my direct mailing campaign.
I will have live music and set aside a corner of my store for a revolving art gallery for local artists. Why, when I don''t gain any monetary value because I can and I was there once.
I believe the green lifestyle is catching on to the masses and I should play my part as a business owner.
This is the gist of my store and thanks for reading.
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Posted by SunriseCoffeeLasVegas on 2008-09-07 19:34:23 Post Subject: wise advice from coffee sages welcome
Hello,
I am so glad that this forum is here on the internet because it has become an invaluable tool for me. There are so many people out there who actually care about their fellow endeavoring coffeehouse owners. I have had more help and comfort on here from reading the posts than approaching other local coffeehouse owners in my area.
The reason I have finally made first post was because I felt that my struggles should be chronicled for any future coffeehouse owners and stand up and let people know their is coffee culture in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas is known for many things but, least of all their culture. This is slowly changing with an underground movement of Las Vegans who are into local art and music.
The need for a great local coffeehouse is so great that even in a slumping economy I believe that it will prosper (that and a thorough business plan)
My partner and I have struggled for two years to bring our coffeehouse into fruition and we are finally two weeks away from opening. The buzz around our store has already reached a high pitch fever in our business park area alone.
It has been a long hard road to make our dream come true but, I have never regretted all the setbacks because it has taught us about real world experience. I was very naive going into this and coming through has humbled my opinion of what I know. Which is always buy coffee for those who do know.
The point is, if you have any advice that you would like to share with me about the ins and outs of being a coffeehouse owner or what you would have done differently with the knowledge you know now, it would be immensely appreciated. Or your opinion on what constitutes a great coffeehouse. How I could be a better boss to my baristas or make my customers the happiest?
These are all welcome, I have read a couple of posts on something similar but, I know deep down inside there is more for you to say.
I have done my market research, I am in a sit down drive thru location with 65,000 cars a day and a one mile business park with a huge park across from me. I was lucky to get this place and the only way this can go bad is if I mess this up. I am gonna try my best not to.
My niche is all organic fair trade coffee with all organic products liked baked goods and eco friendly as possible from the compostable cups to recycled print ads for my direct mailing campaign.
I will have live music and set aside a corner of my store for a revolving art gallery for local artists. Why, when I don''t gain any monetary value because I can and I was there once.
I believe the green lifestyle is catching on to the masses and I should play my part as a business owner.
This is the gist of my store and thanks for reading.
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View entire thread: live music
Posted by Ellie on 2005-02-15 12:49:34 Post Subject: live music
Hi,
Was hoping to get some input from those of you who have live music in your coffeehouse. Do you think that a 20 X 30 sf room is large enough? I am putting together plans for a 2400sf coffeehouse that would include a 400sf patio and 600sf room that would be opened up to main part of coffeehouse when not in use for other functions such as live music.
Any advice on things like acoustics or sound system??
Thanks a bunch,
Ellie
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Posted by Ellie on 2005-02-15 12:49:34 Post Subject: live music
Hi,
Was hoping to get some input from those of you who have live music in your coffeehouse. Do you think that a 20 X 30 sf room is large enough? I am putting together plans for a 2400sf coffeehouse that would include a 400sf patio and 600sf room that would be opened up to main part of coffeehouse when not in use for other functions such as live music.
Any advice on things like acoustics or sound system??
Thanks a bunch,
Ellie
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View entire thread: Author wants to hear your Starbucks experiences
Posted by CCafe on 2005-10-05 09:18:42 Post Subject:
Javahill you are 100% correct on that. Plus they are a marketing superstar, with some of the best name recognition in the world. Not only do they have their fingers in the cookie jar but they have their hand in the your wallet. They have invested in about every major business to make their own succeed. And in doing so I believe over time as they have grown they have really lost their way.
This is one of the biggest problems when some business gets too big. In order to meet the demand you must sacrifice quality for quantity. Years ago I liked their coffee but now it stale and or over roasted. The cold drinks they come out with are horrible, and the merchandise they put their name on can sometimes be cheap with an even worse life expectancy!
Now as they push for speed and efficiency, they are dumping the traditional machine and an art form that went with it for a super auto that a monkey could use. It’s too bad they feel no longer obligated to push for the best product available. I understand the use for a super auto in a drive through or noncoffeehouse setting, but to make a push to put them in all of your coffeehouse’s…it doesn’t make sense.
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Posted by CCafe on 2005-10-05 09:18:42 Post Subject:
Javahill you are 100% correct on that. Plus they are a marketing superstar, with some of the best name recognition in the world. Not only do they have their fingers in the cookie jar but they have their hand in the your wallet. They have invested in about every major business to make their own succeed. And in doing so I believe over time as they have grown they have really lost their way.
This is one of the biggest problems when some business gets too big. In order to meet the demand you must sacrifice quality for quantity. Years ago I liked their coffee but now it stale and or over roasted. The cold drinks they come out with are horrible, and the merchandise they put their name on can sometimes be cheap with an even worse life expectancy!
Now as they push for speed and efficiency, they are dumping the traditional machine and an art form that went with it for a super auto that a monkey could use. It’s too bad they feel no longer obligated to push for the best product available. I understand the use for a super auto in a drive through or noncoffeehouse setting, but to make a push to put them in all of your coffeehouse’s…it doesn’t make sense.
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View entire thread: Business Plan
Posted by carlaivette on 2008-05-27 05:54:10 Post Subject:
Its a little late but here is a link to a free sample of a Coffeehouse Business Plan:
http://www.bplans.com/spv/3559/index.cfm?affiliate=sba
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Posted by carlaivette on 2008-05-27 05:54:10 Post Subject:
Its a little late but here is a link to a free sample of a Coffeehouse Business Plan:
http://www.bplans.com/spv/3559/index.cfm?affiliate=sba
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View entire thread: Opinions could help...
Posted by momof3qc on 2006-09-10 17:33:23 Post Subject: Opinions could help...
This is my first post, but I've been reading through the forum for a couple of weeks now. Here is my background: my husband and I purchased an ice cream shop in April, which had about 500 sq.ft. of undeveloped space in the back. Since we're in Quebec and it gets mighty cold here early, we decided to use the space to incorporate a children's party/adult meeting room and cafe into the business to get us through the winter. I had no intention of getting into real coffee barista-type service - just drip coffee, pastries and soups. Then the idea snowballed into making speciality drinks with espresso. Since we sunk every cent we had into the ice cream business, we're starting the cafe portion on a very very small budget. We're changing up the decor to be more appealing, putting in internet, etc. The potential for a real 'coffeehouse' is huge... we're in a suburb with a population of about 50,000, and only two Canadian franchise coffee shops who serve only powder-type cappuccinos. Here's my problem - I thought I found a great coffee resource in a roaster who would sell me the beans, ground coffee, etc. and rent me the machines. I can't afford a 'real' espresso machine, so I agreed to rent an automatic (Saeco Vienna Deluxe) with option to buy. The roasting company visited my establishment and suggested a drip machine and the espresso machine. It's all delivered and I'm playing with it, but I've quickly realized this is not what I need. Or is it? I'm feeling 'had' by the roaster. Does anyone think I can make it through the winter with this tiny machine? I am not a huge coffee drinker, so I can't even say if the espresso it is producing is good or not. Tastes fine to me once I've added syrup and milk! And finally, if you've read this far - how much espresso should I be making each of the following drinks sizes with - 8oz, 12oz and 16oz? I'm guessing one ounce for 8, 1.5oz for 12 and 2 for 16? Good grief... what have I gotten myself into?
Thanks for any advice,
Kim
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Posted by momof3qc on 2006-09-10 17:33:23 Post Subject: Opinions could help...
This is my first post, but I've been reading through the forum for a couple of weeks now. Here is my background: my husband and I purchased an ice cream shop in April, which had about 500 sq.ft. of undeveloped space in the back. Since we're in Quebec and it gets mighty cold here early, we decided to use the space to incorporate a children's party/adult meeting room and cafe into the business to get us through the winter. I had no intention of getting into real coffee barista-type service - just drip coffee, pastries and soups. Then the idea snowballed into making speciality drinks with espresso. Since we sunk every cent we had into the ice cream business, we're starting the cafe portion on a very very small budget. We're changing up the decor to be more appealing, putting in internet, etc. The potential for a real 'coffeehouse' is huge... we're in a suburb with a population of about 50,000, and only two Canadian franchise coffee shops who serve only powder-type cappuccinos. Here's my problem - I thought I found a great coffee resource in a roaster who would sell me the beans, ground coffee, etc. and rent me the machines. I can't afford a 'real' espresso machine, so I agreed to rent an automatic (Saeco Vienna Deluxe) with option to buy. The roasting company visited my establishment and suggested a drip machine and the espresso machine. It's all delivered and I'm playing with it, but I've quickly realized this is not what I need. Or is it? I'm feeling 'had' by the roaster. Does anyone think I can make it through the winter with this tiny machine? I am not a huge coffee drinker, so I can't even say if the espresso it is producing is good or not. Tastes fine to me once I've added syrup and milk!
And finally, if you've read this far - how much espresso should I be making each of the following drinks sizes with - 8oz, 12oz and 16oz? I'm guessing one ounce for 8, 1.5oz for 12 and 2 for 16? Good grief... what have I gotten myself into?Thanks for any advice,
Kim
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View entire thread: correct temperature of steamed milk..?
Posted by jmeiss on 2006-10-11 08:46:13 Post Subject: Re: Steaming Milk
The temperature that you should keep your milk steamed to is between 140 and 155/160. Anything hotter than that and you scald the milk and it tastes burnt. For my shop, we steam to around 140-145. I've heard that for 1/2 & 1/2 it should be steamed to around 120, but I haven't followed that advice (if not 1/2 & 1/2, then it was for another milk type). Between 140 & 160 is the magic place; make sure you have a steaming thermometer, as the correct temp range should be colored for easy use.
We always turn our steam off at 140 - the thermometer willl continue to rise and always stops at 155-160 when we do that.
As to the 120 degrees or so, that's for Soy....
___________________________
Jeremy Meiss
Parkside Coffeehouse - http://parksidecoffeehouse.com
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Posted by jmeiss on 2006-10-11 08:46:13 Post Subject: Re: Steaming Milk
The temperature that you should keep your milk steamed to is between 140 and 155/160. Anything hotter than that and you scald the milk and it tastes burnt. For my shop, we steam to around 140-145. I've heard that for 1/2 & 1/2 it should be steamed to around 120, but I haven't followed that advice (if not 1/2 & 1/2, then it was for another milk type). Between 140 & 160 is the magic place; make sure you have a steaming thermometer, as the correct temp range should be colored for easy use.
We always turn our steam off at 140 - the thermometer willl continue to rise and always stops at 155-160 when we do that.
As to the 120 degrees or so, that's for Soy....
___________________________
Jeremy Meiss
Parkside Coffeehouse - http://parksidecoffeehouse.com
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View entire thread: Has anyone ever used CrimsonCup as a consultant?
Posted by nathanvoght on 2004-11-02 09:24:35 Post Subject:
Yes, we used CrimsonCup for consulting on opening our coffeehouse two years ago, and continue to use them as our roaster and supplier. We are extremely satisfied with their service and products. Please email me at nvoght@hotmail.com if you would like more information.
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Posted by nathanvoght on 2004-11-02 09:24:35 Post Subject:
Yes, we used CrimsonCup for consulting on opening our coffeehouse two years ago, and continue to use them as our roaster and supplier. We are extremely satisfied with their service and products. Please email me at nvoght@hotmail.com if you would like more information.
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View entire thread: Coffee Bar at University
Posted by BaristaTrainer on 2004-10-20 17:56:30 Post Subject:
Hi Kimi,
A University Campus is a great place to look at proposed locations, also hospitals, office buildings, etc. I would first look at what the University has done as far as specialty coffee retail shops. You may also look at locations just off University property (still with heavy foot traffic) which you may have more luck aquiring.
Depending on how much you want to invest and what kind of menu you plan on offering you should try to determine your concept early on. You could be looking at doing a small Kiosk offering Specialty Coffee Beverages or a full coffeehouse with live music and you may want to offer panini sanwiches, beer and wine for the evening crowds.
Before consulting we owned a cafe just off a University campus that was very successful. Would love to talk in more detail!
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Posted by BaristaTrainer on 2004-10-20 17:56:30 Post Subject:
Hi Kimi,
A University Campus is a great place to look at proposed locations, also hospitals, office buildings, etc. I would first look at what the University has done as far as specialty coffee retail shops. You may also look at locations just off University property (still with heavy foot traffic) which you may have more luck aquiring.
Depending on how much you want to invest and what kind of menu you plan on offering you should try to determine your concept early on. You could be looking at doing a small Kiosk offering Specialty Coffee Beverages or a full coffeehouse with live music and you may want to offer panini sanwiches, beer and wine for the evening crowds.
Before consulting we owned a cafe just off a University campus that was very successful. Would love to talk in more detail!
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View entire thread: Charlotte NC Coffee Shop
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2007-01-10 12:53:37 Post Subject:
Counter Culture is a wholesale and e-commerce coffee roaster, their roasting facility is in Durham, and they do have a training center in Charlotte, but neither is a coffeehouse.
Counter Culture Coffee
Regional Training Center
1435 West Morehead Street
Charlotte, NC 28208
(704) 370.7758
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2007-01-10 12:53:37 Post Subject:
Counter Culture is a wholesale and e-commerce coffee roaster, their roasting facility is in Durham, and they do have a training center in Charlotte, but neither is a coffeehouse.
Counter Culture Coffee
Regional Training Center
1435 West Morehead Street
Charlotte, NC 28208
(704) 370.7758
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View entire thread: Where do you find...?
Posted by CoffeeLady on 2004-07-26 19:28:27 Post Subject: Where do you find...?
I am new to the boards, but what I have read has seemed very useful. Can anyone direct me to resources for tables and chairs, comfy chairs, and ideas for layout and cafe design? I'm looking to open a coffeehouse, and I have an idea of what I'm looking for, but in searching the web I have found very few suppliers or photos of what I'm looking for. Maybe I'm just surfing with the wrong key words. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks!
Natalie
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Posted by CoffeeLady on 2004-07-26 19:28:27 Post Subject: Where do you find...?
I am new to the boards, but what I have read has seemed very useful. Can anyone direct me to resources for tables and chairs, comfy chairs, and ideas for layout and cafe design? I'm looking to open a coffeehouse, and I have an idea of what I'm looking for, but in searching the web I have found very few suppliers or photos of what I'm looking for. Maybe I'm just surfing with the wrong key words. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks!
Natalie
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View entire thread: open and operate a drive thru and keep a full time job....??
Posted by scgirl on 2006-08-06 19:17:33 Post Subject:
Hello,
While I have not opened a drive-thru, I did open a coffeehouse inside of an existing restaurant that only serves lunch. I am open from 7:00 until 4:00 p.m. when the restaurant closes. I have (at this point) managed to stay at my full-time job. I have a college student who works with me now and manages to do a pretty good job during the day by herself.
I am located in mainly a business area, so I have not started staying open in the evenings yet.
I have received a couple of phone calls that she has run out of this or that and had to leave the office to go over there. Fortunately I work 5 minutes from the restaurant.
Since I am at the restaurant to open in the mornings (6:00 a.m.) it makes for a long day at the office.
Good luck!!!
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Posted by scgirl on 2006-08-06 19:17:33 Post Subject:
Hello,
While I have not opened a drive-thru, I did open a coffeehouse inside of an existing restaurant that only serves lunch. I am open from 7:00 until 4:00 p.m. when the restaurant closes. I have (at this point) managed to stay at my full-time job. I have a college student who works with me now and manages to do a pretty good job during the day by herself.
I am located in mainly a business area, so I have not started staying open in the evenings yet.
I have received a couple of phone calls that she has run out of this or that and had to leave the office to go over there. Fortunately I work 5 minutes from the restaurant.
Since I am at the restaurant to open in the mornings (6:00 a.m.) it makes for a long day at the office.
Good luck!!!
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View entire thread: Coffeehouse in a specialty store
Posted by T-Rai on 2006-07-19 21:25:30 Post Subject: Coffeehouse in a specialty store
Hey All! I'm a newbie, how exciting! Anyway, I'm looking to start a coffeehouse in a small little 300 square foot room in a quaint specialty store in a home built in the mid to late 1800's! Does that sound cool or what? I know the space is small, but it will probably be able to seat 12-15 people inside, plus people can roam thru the 3-level home of specialty items or sit out on the wrap around porch that overlooks the Mississippi, or on many other outdoor seating arrangements on good weather days. It's just off the highway but doesn't have direct visibility and it's in a small river town. Can I put this all together in 300 square feet space? What would an educated guesstimate be for buildout of simply building a bar and backbar with the plumbing and electric, assuming that the plumbing is right in the same area I would put the bar? What have some of you paid for the buildout just for a basic set up for espresso equipment, sinks, etc? Basic! Thanks! Did I mention that this coffee forum rocks?
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Posted by T-Rai on 2006-07-19 21:25:30 Post Subject: Coffeehouse in a specialty store
Hey All! I'm a newbie, how exciting! Anyway, I'm looking to start a coffeehouse in a small little 300 square foot room in a quaint specialty store in a home built in the mid to late 1800's! Does that sound cool or what? I know the space is small, but it will probably be able to seat 12-15 people inside, plus people can roam thru the 3-level home of specialty items or sit out on the wrap around porch that overlooks the Mississippi, or on many other outdoor seating arrangements on good weather days. It's just off the highway but doesn't have direct visibility and it's in a small river town. Can I put this all together in 300 square feet space? What would an educated guesstimate be for buildout of simply building a bar and backbar with the plumbing and electric, assuming that the plumbing is right in the same area I would put the bar? What have some of you paid for the buildout just for a basic set up for espresso equipment, sinks, etc? Basic! Thanks! Did I mention that this coffee forum rocks?
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View entire thread: Coffeehouse in a specialty store
Posted by T-Rai on 2006-07-20 23:23:37 Post Subject:
Thanks guys for the responses. I will definitely get with the health inspector and see what to do first. I don't have alot of capital to go big, but I'm sick and tired of seeing everyone else opening up coffeehouses and they don't have a clue. I ought to be able to do something with the money that I do have! I have experience, I have a desire for a standard of excellence and I want to serve people a cup of experience! Ha, korny huh! I have to believe that there is a way! Anyway, yes, I have all sorts of areas to have seating other than just in the 300 sq ft space-mostly outdoors, but it's an awesome setting! And people can browse the store as well-3 levels! I believe that we will compliment each other's business well. There is a "coffeehouse" in town that is hurting the local businesses to some degree because they don't open consistently and people come to this town for a special day out and they want the whole pie. Sometimes the guy doesn't open until 10:00 in the morning! That's straight crazy!
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Posted by T-Rai on 2006-07-20 23:23:37 Post Subject:
Thanks guys for the responses. I will definitely get with the health inspector and see what to do first. I don't have alot of capital to go big, but I'm sick and tired of seeing everyone else opening up coffeehouses and they don't have a clue. I ought to be able to do something with the money that I do have! I have experience, I have a desire for a standard of excellence and I want to serve people a cup of experience! Ha, korny huh! I have to believe that there is a way! Anyway, yes, I have all sorts of areas to have seating other than just in the 300 sq ft space-mostly outdoors, but it's an awesome setting! And people can browse the store as well-3 levels! I believe that we will compliment each other's business well. There is a "coffeehouse" in town that is hurting the local businesses to some degree because they don't open consistently and people come to this town for a special day out and they want the whole pie. Sometimes the guy doesn't open until 10:00 in the morning! That's straight crazy!
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View entire thread: Coffee Industry Marketing
Posted by neilt on 2005-05-23 09:26:46 Post Subject:
Coffeehouse sales up 77% since 1998. Will reach 6.9bil in 2003. 3600 new coffeehouses open per year, split 50-50 between indies and Starbucks. COffeehouse sales to increase by 46% by 2008.
From just-food.com 16 feb 2004.
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Posted by neilt on 2005-05-23 09:26:46 Post Subject:
Coffeehouse sales up 77% since 1998. Will reach 6.9bil in 2003. 3600 new coffeehouses open per year, split 50-50 between indies and Starbucks. COffeehouse sales to increase by 46% by 2008.
From just-food.com 16 feb 2004.
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View entire thread: America's Test Kitchen tests, well, guess :P
Posted by Caffe Latte on 2007-07-27 17:05:08 Post Subject: America's Test Kitchen tests, well, guess :P
So they tested different brands of coffee to be used in regular coffee (sorry all you espresso only people)
Interesting results came out of this.
What I find to be quite interesting is how much change came about when they added milk.
To view the whole article you have to sign up with an email addy. it's free. but below is the full article anyway
http://americastestkitchen.com/tasting. ... &iSeason=7
Coffee--Tasting Supermarket Whole Bean Coffee
from the Episode: Lighter Desserts
We secretly replaced our tasters' favorite gourmet coffee with supermarket beans. Could they tell the difference?
For related information, see The Truth about French Roast Coffee, Supermarket Coffee, and Coffee Beans vs. Preground.
We secretly replaced our tasters' favorite gourmet coffee with supermarket beans. Could they tell the difference? Our taste tests yielded surprising results.
My daily coffee ritual begins promptly at 6:30 A.M., when I plunk down $3 and change for a customized, 15-syllable concoction laced with enough caffeine to get me through half the morning. Hours later, I retrace the two-and-a-half-minute trek from the test kitchen to the local Starbucks coffeehouse, where my dealer (aka barista) starts portioning out my usual fix before I even make it up to the counter.
Trembling with product satisfaction, I stock Starbucks beans at home as well; given my daily routine, it's quite convenient. Ironically, it's when the company took the convenience factor up another notch-offering its whole beans at the grocery store-that my eyes began to wander. Amid the instant-coffee "crystals" and the tin cans of preground coffee sat several shelves' worth of whole-bean coffee brands. Some hailed from other coffeehouses, vying (like Starbucks) for a piece of the lucrative coffee-aisle action; others were straight-ahead supermarket brands, priced per pound at less than what I normally pay for a single iced-venti-no-foam-latte.
Could any of them compete in taste with my old standby? To find out, I bought eight whole-bean coffees at the supermarket. For each brand, I chose the "house blend," or whatever medium roast was widely available.
Tasters' Choice(s)
Test kitchen staffers first tried the coffees brewed regular strength. The differences were striking. Some coffees were strong and smoky, others tasted light and "chocolaty," still others boasted hints of caramel or molasses. For a few of the brands, the tasting sheets overflowed with invective decrying bitter, rancid, or harsh qualities. Most surprising, Starbucks came in not first but fifth out of the eight samples. "Burnt, with a bitter aftertaste," said one taster. "Like gnawing on charcoal," said another. Top honors went instead to Green Mountain Roasters and Eight O'Clock, which tasters found complex and well balanced.
By no stretch am I a trained coffee expert, but I also wasn't convinced that I've been blithely sucking down "burnt coffee" twice a day. So I devised one more test--a tasting of coffee with milk. Why? An informal poll revealed that more than two-thirds of the Cook's staff (including me) add milk to their coffee, and it seemed only fair to try the brands that way, too. So I brewed up eight more pots, added 3/4 cup warmed whole milk to each, and summoned 25 soon-to-be-jittery tasters into the test kitchen for another tour.
Sure enough, preferences changed. This time, Green Mountain and Eight O'Clock, the plain-coffee champs, ended up in the lower ranks--bland and insipid, according to tasters. In contrast, Starbucks landed near the top, along with Millstone and Seattle's Best, two other fairly assertive coffees. The bitter, burnt notes that had menaced tasters in the first round were suddenly "robust" and "complex" when tempered by the milk. Simply watered down? Not quite. Additional research revealed that the proteins in milk (and cream) bind some of the bitter-tasting phenolic compounds, reducing the bitterness and intensity of the coffee flavor.
Dark Matter
So far I had based my analysis on tasters' subjective descriptions. But there was a better way. In general, the longer a coffee bean roasts, the darker and more strongly flavored it becomes. Although it's possible to make a rough comparison of roast darkness by eyeballing alone, experts use an instrument called an Agtron to measure exactly how much light the beans reflect. The higher the Agtron reading (that is, the more light the beans reflect), the lighter the roast: An Agtron reading of 85 would indicate an ultra-light, almost tealike coffee; the darkest French roast out there would be closer to 15.
To find out how roast darkness lined up with taster preference, I sent the samples to a lab that specializes in coffee analysis. The Agtron readings differed markedly. From darkest to lightest: Starbucks (34.9), Millstone (36.5), Seattle's Best (40.0), Chock Full o' Nuts (40.3), Green Mountain (48.0), Folgers (48.9), Eight O'Clock (51.4), and Dunkin' Donuts (59.9).
From this data, I made two important discoveries. First, according to coffee-industry standards, the four darkest coffees in our lineup (Starbucks through Chock Full o' Nuts) are considered "dark" roasts, while the remaining four (Green Mountain through Dunkin' Donuts) are "medium." Second, roast darkness correlated with our tasting-room experience: Green Mountain and Eight O'Clock, both lighter roasts, triumphed in the plain tasting yet proved too mild in the milk round. By contrast, the three darkest roasts (Starbucks, Millstone, and Seattle's Best) were the milk-round champs.
Still troubling was how to explain Chock Full o' Nuts, Folgers, and Dunkin' Donuts--three brands that stubbornly refused to play by the light-roast/dark-roast rules.
Grounds for Dismissal
Luckily, some of the best discoveries happen by accident. The lab I hired to measure roast darkness had included several other tests for the same fee. Most of the data seemed better suited for a coffee dissertation than a magazine article-"package integrity" scores, moisture levels, and so forth. When I reached the last line, however, I noticed an odd-sounding measurement: "6 quakers," read one report; "1 quaker," read another. I had no idea what a quaker was, but given that my three problem coffees--Chock Full o' Nuts (7), Folgers (8), and Dunkin' Donuts (9)--had the most, I was determined to find out. Turns out, a quaker is coffee-industry jargon for an underdeveloped coffee bean that fails to get sorted out before the roasting stage. Less dense than a regular, mature bean, quakers can wreak havoc on the coffee's flavor profile, imparting a spoiled taste to the brew. So desirable is quaker-free coffee that beans are graded based on quaker count, and buyers are willing to pay a premium for beans that come up clean in spot tests.
The lab had found quaker counts in our coffees ranging from 0 to 9--based on a 100-gram sample (just over a cup). Do those numbers really matter to the casual coffee drinker? In a word, yes. In a 1-pound (455-gram) bag of Millstone coffee, you would expect to find just 4 1/2 quakers total, while in a 1-pound bag of Dunkin' Donuts coffee there might be 40.
How much training would I need to identify quakers? None at all, said Mané Alves, the lab's director. "Open up any bag of . You will see them--beans that are lighter colored than the rest." So I dumped several bags of coffee onto the countertop and, sure enough, the coffee was crawling with them! I began sorting and an hour later had a cupful of quakers. How awful could these pale beans really be? I had my answer minutes later, when I brewed a fresh pot of coffee made entirely from quakers. The smell was putrid enough, but the first taste dispelled any suspicions that quaker count was merely some academic exercise. The experiment isolated a taste I've always associated with bad gas-station coffee but conflated (incorrectly) with the burnt taste that comes from leaving the pot on the burner too long. Suffice it to say a quaker is indeed something best avoided.
Beyond roast darkness and quaker count, the experts also acknowledged that the brands in our lineup draw from raw (or "green") beans of varying quality. But spending a mint on prime beans doesn't guarantee a tasty brew. For example, says Alves, Starbucks and Seattle's Best "consistently buy better green beans" than the other brands, but the dark roasting they undergo obscures many of the nuances.
So where did we come out? Turns out it is possible to get good whole-bean coffee at the supermarket, but you may have to spend close to Starbucks prices. Millstone ($7.99 for 11 ounces) and Starbucks ($9.39 for 12 ounces) were our favorite darker roasts, while Green Mountain Roasters ($7.49 for 12 ounces) and Eight O'Clock (a cheap $4.99 for 13 ounces) were the best for light-roast fans and those that drink their coffee black.
a pdf http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/ ... Coffee.pdf
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Posted by Caffe Latte on 2007-07-27 17:05:08 Post Subject: America's Test Kitchen tests, well, guess :P
So they tested different brands of coffee to be used in regular coffee (sorry all you espresso only people)
Interesting results came out of this.
What I find to be quite interesting is how much change came about when they added milk.
To view the whole article you have to sign up with an email addy. it's free. but below is the full article anyway
http://americastestkitchen.com/tasting. ... &iSeason=7
Coffee--Tasting Supermarket Whole Bean Coffee
from the Episode: Lighter Desserts
We secretly replaced our tasters' favorite gourmet coffee with supermarket beans. Could they tell the difference?
For related information, see The Truth about French Roast Coffee, Supermarket Coffee, and Coffee Beans vs. Preground.
We secretly replaced our tasters' favorite gourmet coffee with supermarket beans. Could they tell the difference? Our taste tests yielded surprising results.
My daily coffee ritual begins promptly at 6:30 A.M., when I plunk down $3 and change for a customized, 15-syllable concoction laced with enough caffeine to get me through half the morning. Hours later, I retrace the two-and-a-half-minute trek from the test kitchen to the local Starbucks coffeehouse, where my dealer (aka barista) starts portioning out my usual fix before I even make it up to the counter.
Trembling with product satisfaction, I stock Starbucks beans at home as well; given my daily routine, it's quite convenient. Ironically, it's when the company took the convenience factor up another notch-offering its whole beans at the grocery store-that my eyes began to wander. Amid the instant-coffee "crystals" and the tin cans of preground coffee sat several shelves' worth of whole-bean coffee brands. Some hailed from other coffeehouses, vying (like Starbucks) for a piece of the lucrative coffee-aisle action; others were straight-ahead supermarket brands, priced per pound at less than what I normally pay for a single iced-venti-no-foam-latte.
Could any of them compete in taste with my old standby? To find out, I bought eight whole-bean coffees at the supermarket. For each brand, I chose the "house blend," or whatever medium roast was widely available.
Tasters' Choice(s)
Test kitchen staffers first tried the coffees brewed regular strength. The differences were striking. Some coffees were strong and smoky, others tasted light and "chocolaty," still others boasted hints of caramel or molasses. For a few of the brands, the tasting sheets overflowed with invective decrying bitter, rancid, or harsh qualities. Most surprising, Starbucks came in not first but fifth out of the eight samples. "Burnt, with a bitter aftertaste," said one taster. "Like gnawing on charcoal," said another. Top honors went instead to Green Mountain Roasters and Eight O'Clock, which tasters found complex and well balanced.
By no stretch am I a trained coffee expert, but I also wasn't convinced that I've been blithely sucking down "burnt coffee" twice a day. So I devised one more test--a tasting of coffee with milk. Why? An informal poll revealed that more than two-thirds of the Cook's staff (including me) add milk to their coffee, and it seemed only fair to try the brands that way, too. So I brewed up eight more pots, added 3/4 cup warmed whole milk to each, and summoned 25 soon-to-be-jittery tasters into the test kitchen for another tour.
Sure enough, preferences changed. This time, Green Mountain and Eight O'Clock, the plain-coffee champs, ended up in the lower ranks--bland and insipid, according to tasters. In contrast, Starbucks landed near the top, along with Millstone and Seattle's Best, two other fairly assertive coffees. The bitter, burnt notes that had menaced tasters in the first round were suddenly "robust" and "complex" when tempered by the milk. Simply watered down? Not quite. Additional research revealed that the proteins in milk (and cream) bind some of the bitter-tasting phenolic compounds, reducing the bitterness and intensity of the coffee flavor.
Dark Matter
So far I had based my analysis on tasters' subjective descriptions. But there was a better way. In general, the longer a coffee bean roasts, the darker and more strongly flavored it becomes. Although it's possible to make a rough comparison of roast darkness by eyeballing alone, experts use an instrument called an Agtron to measure exactly how much light the beans reflect. The higher the Agtron reading (that is, the more light the beans reflect), the lighter the roast: An Agtron reading of 85 would indicate an ultra-light, almost tealike coffee; the darkest French roast out there would be closer to 15.
To find out how roast darkness lined up with taster preference, I sent the samples to a lab that specializes in coffee analysis. The Agtron readings differed markedly. From darkest to lightest: Starbucks (34.9), Millstone (36.5), Seattle's Best (40.0), Chock Full o' Nuts (40.3), Green Mountain (48.0), Folgers (48.9), Eight O'Clock (51.4), and Dunkin' Donuts (59.9).
From this data, I made two important discoveries. First, according to coffee-industry standards, the four darkest coffees in our lineup (Starbucks through Chock Full o' Nuts) are considered "dark" roasts, while the remaining four (Green Mountain through Dunkin' Donuts) are "medium." Second, roast darkness correlated with our tasting-room experience: Green Mountain and Eight O'Clock, both lighter roasts, triumphed in the plain tasting yet proved too mild in the milk round. By contrast, the three darkest roasts (Starbucks, Millstone, and Seattle's Best) were the milk-round champs.
Still troubling was how to explain Chock Full o' Nuts, Folgers, and Dunkin' Donuts--three brands that stubbornly refused to play by the light-roast/dark-roast rules.
Grounds for Dismissal
Luckily, some of the best discoveries happen by accident. The lab I hired to measure roast darkness had included several other tests for the same fee. Most of the data seemed better suited for a coffee dissertation than a magazine article-"package integrity" scores, moisture levels, and so forth. When I reached the last line, however, I noticed an odd-sounding measurement: "6 quakers," read one report; "1 quaker," read another. I had no idea what a quaker was, but given that my three problem coffees--Chock Full o' Nuts (7), Folgers (8), and Dunkin' Donuts (9)--had the most, I was determined to find out. Turns out, a quaker is coffee-industry jargon for an underdeveloped coffee bean that fails to get sorted out before the roasting stage. Less dense than a regular, mature bean, quakers can wreak havoc on the coffee's flavor profile, imparting a spoiled taste to the brew. So desirable is quaker-free coffee that beans are graded based on quaker count, and buyers are willing to pay a premium for beans that come up clean in spot tests.
The lab had found quaker counts in our coffees ranging from 0 to 9--based on a 100-gram sample (just over a cup). Do those numbers really matter to the casual coffee drinker? In a word, yes. In a 1-pound (455-gram) bag of Millstone coffee, you would expect to find just 4 1/2 quakers total, while in a 1-pound bag of Dunkin' Donuts coffee there might be 40.
How much training would I need to identify quakers? None at all, said Mané Alves, the lab's director. "Open up any bag of . You will see them--beans that are lighter colored than the rest." So I dumped several bags of coffee onto the countertop and, sure enough, the coffee was crawling with them! I began sorting and an hour later had a cupful of quakers. How awful could these pale beans really be? I had my answer minutes later, when I brewed a fresh pot of coffee made entirely from quakers. The smell was putrid enough, but the first taste dispelled any suspicions that quaker count was merely some academic exercise. The experiment isolated a taste I've always associated with bad gas-station coffee but conflated (incorrectly) with the burnt taste that comes from leaving the pot on the burner too long. Suffice it to say a quaker is indeed something best avoided.
Beyond roast darkness and quaker count, the experts also acknowledged that the brands in our lineup draw from raw (or "green") beans of varying quality. But spending a mint on prime beans doesn't guarantee a tasty brew. For example, says Alves, Starbucks and Seattle's Best "consistently buy better green beans" than the other brands, but the dark roasting they undergo obscures many of the nuances.
So where did we come out? Turns out it is possible to get good whole-bean coffee at the supermarket, but you may have to spend close to Starbucks prices. Millstone ($7.99 for 11 ounces) and Starbucks ($9.39 for 12 ounces) were our favorite darker roasts, while Green Mountain Roasters ($7.49 for 12 ounces) and Eight O'Clock (a cheap $4.99 for 13 ounces) were the best for light-roast fans and those that drink their coffee black.
a pdf http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/ ... Coffee.pdf
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View entire thread: Are American business people moralistic about profits?
Posted by MakoShark on 2008-06-15 08:03:58 Post Subject:
I remember years ago, as a teenager I visited NYC during a summer trip across the country from California. It was an amazing experience for an 17 year old. (Why my mother allowed me and a friend drive across the country one summer I'll never know)
One of my lasting impressions of New York was the way people in business interacted with their customers. I'm talking about store operators, cab drivers, ticket takers; most anybody that is in contact with the general public. I was amazed at the brusqueness of the clerks and proprietors. I realized eventually that they were not brusque but curt. They were not necessarily rude, just short in their manner.
Years later I have noticed a marked difference in this tone in New York. It does seem to be a much friendlier place now than what I remember in my teens. But it is a busy place. New York is unique in it's feel, but not unique in it's pace. People of New York are part of this feel, in fact are active participants.
I'm no Social Scientist, but I believe the business atmosphere or feel that many coffeehouse operators strive to create may seek to grasp what is natural and inherent in New York. A busy coffeehouse will exude the "rush". Who's next! What do you want? Next!
But I don't believe it universally has to do with their view about profits or morals of profitability, either the proprietors or the customers. I don't think they are being insulting to their customers, any more than customers are enjoying being abused. I don't think either exist universally. Customers frequent coffeehouses where they feel comfortable. Those who do not enjoy the atmosphere in such a place will naturally gravitate away from it, toward a more pleasant place.
And so, competition among coffeehouses takes care of itself, always finding what will work in a given marketplace and what will not. As a business person, it is for you to decide what works in your market and what will bring customers through your doors. It may be the unique experience of a NY cafe, with "rude" baristas and counter people. Hopefully the fast pace of your operation will build a fast pace of customers through the doors. If not, then perhaps a more friendly and relaxed approach will work better. Key point: bring them through the doors.
Mako
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Posted by MakoShark on 2008-06-15 08:03:58 Post Subject:
I remember years ago, as a teenager I visited NYC during a summer trip across the country from California. It was an amazing experience for an 17 year old. (Why my mother allowed me and a friend drive across the country one summer I'll never know)
One of my lasting impressions of New York was the way people in business interacted with their customers. I'm talking about store operators, cab drivers, ticket takers; most anybody that is in contact with the general public. I was amazed at the brusqueness of the clerks and proprietors. I realized eventually that they were not brusque but curt. They were not necessarily rude, just short in their manner.
Years later I have noticed a marked difference in this tone in New York. It does seem to be a much friendlier place now than what I remember in my teens. But it is a busy place. New York is unique in it's feel, but not unique in it's pace. People of New York are part of this feel, in fact are active participants.
I'm no Social Scientist, but I believe the business atmosphere or feel that many coffeehouse operators strive to create may seek to grasp what is natural and inherent in New York. A busy coffeehouse will exude the "rush". Who's next! What do you want? Next!
But I don't believe it universally has to do with their view about profits or morals of profitability, either the proprietors or the customers. I don't think they are being insulting to their customers, any more than customers are enjoying being abused. I don't think either exist universally. Customers frequent coffeehouses where they feel comfortable. Those who do not enjoy the atmosphere in such a place will naturally gravitate away from it, toward a more pleasant place.
And so, competition among coffeehouses takes care of itself, always finding what will work in a given marketplace and what will not. As a business person, it is for you to decide what works in your market and what will bring customers through your doors. It may be the unique experience of a NY cafe, with "rude" baristas and counter people. Hopefully the fast pace of your operation will build a fast pace of customers through the doors. If not, then perhaps a more friendly and relaxed approach will work better. Key point: bring them through the doors.
Mako
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View entire thread: Dream
Posted by CCafe on 2006-04-13 11:18:51 Post Subject:
You’re a very sick person to be dreaming about someone else's coffeehouse!
Or maybe it is time for a change in your daily routine.
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Posted by CCafe on 2006-04-13 11:18:51 Post Subject:
You’re a very sick person to be dreaming about someone else's coffeehouse!
Or maybe it is time for a change in your daily routine.
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View entire thread: New to the coffee forum
Posted by Java K's, Inc on 2005-06-13 21:10:59 Post Subject: New to the coffee forum
I am new to the coffee forum and an upcoming coffeehouse owner expecting to open this July. The name of my shop is Java K's, Inc. and I am located in Greensboro, N.C. This is my first venture as a business owner, I retired in 2003 and have been preparing for this adventure for the past two years. What an experience this has been and I'm not even open yet! I've been following this forum for the past year and have received many helpful hints from these posts. Hopefully I will be able to add some helpful hints in the years to come. Keep up the good work.
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Posted by Java K's, Inc on 2005-06-13 21:10:59 Post Subject: New to the coffee forum
I am new to the coffee forum and an upcoming coffeehouse owner expecting to open this July. The name of my shop is Java K's, Inc. and I am located in Greensboro, N.C. This is my first venture as a business owner, I retired in 2003 and have been preparing for this adventure for the past two years. What an experience this has been and I'm not even open yet! I've been following this forum for the past year and have received many helpful hints from these posts. Hopefully I will be able to add some helpful hints in the years to come. Keep up the good work.
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View entire thread: NEW STORE
Posted by Ellie on 2005-03-04 18:18:15 Post Subject:
JPS,
I just now have gotten around to reading this post, and enjoyed the pictures from your coffeehouse. I have not started on my coffeehouse yet - am waiting to pounce on the right location when it presents itself.
Meanwhile, I am curious, your business looks mighty healthy...how many cups per day, on average do you sell, if I am not being too nosy. Or do you use something else as an activity base? (Again, I don't want to be too nosy).
Thanks,
Ellie
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Posted by Ellie on 2005-03-04 18:18:15 Post Subject:
JPS,
I just now have gotten around to reading this post, and enjoyed the pictures from your coffeehouse. I have not started on my coffeehouse yet - am waiting to pounce on the right location when it presents itself.
Meanwhile, I am curious, your business looks mighty healthy...how many cups per day, on average do you sell, if I am not being too nosy. Or do you use something else as an activity base? (Again, I don't want to be too nosy).
Thanks,
Ellie
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View entire thread: Coffeehouse for Sale
Posted by pitansk on 2005-03-26 14:32:58 Post Subject: Coffeehouse for Sale
Established coffeehouse for sale in Austin, TX.
Gross in $300's per year.
2000 square feet, fully equipped, beer/wine license, pastries, local deli lunch items.
Located near major University.
Looking to sell quickly.
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Posted by pitansk on 2005-03-26 14:32:58 Post Subject: Coffeehouse for Sale
Established coffeehouse for sale in Austin, TX.
Gross in $300's per year.
2000 square feet, fully equipped, beer/wine license, pastries, local deli lunch items.
Located near major University.
Looking to sell quickly.
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View entire thread: New to the coffee forum
Posted by Java K's, Inc on 2005-06-15 21:01:11 Post Subject: Re: New to the coffee forum
I am new to the coffee forum and an upcoming coffeehouse owner expecting to open this July. The name of my shop is Java K's, Inc. and I am located in Greensboro, N.C. This is my first venture as a business owner, I retired in 2003 and have been preparing for this adventure for the past two years. What an experience this has been and I'm not even open yet! I've been following this forum for the past year and have received many helpful hints from these posts. Hopefully I will be able to add some helpful hints in the years to come. Keep up the good work. There is no future in being an ordinary person!
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Posted by Java K's, Inc on 2005-06-15 21:01:11 Post Subject: Re: New to the coffee forum
I am new to the coffee forum and an upcoming coffeehouse owner expecting to open this July. The name of my shop is Java K's, Inc. and I am located in Greensboro, N.C. This is my first venture as a business owner, I retired in 2003 and have been preparing for this adventure for the past two years. What an experience this has been and I'm not even open yet! I've been following this forum for the past year and have received many helpful hints from these posts. Hopefully I will be able to add some helpful hints in the years to come. Keep up the good work.
There is no future in being an ordinary person!
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View entire thread: The Macchiato 20oz??? Is this a Stupid Question?
Posted by rgs2rchs on 2008-01-08 14:16:36 Post Subject: The Macchiato 20oz??? Is this a Stupid Question?
Ok, I was sitting here daydreaming about my new venture (final stages of opening a coffeehouse) and it hit me. I make macchiato here at home (doubles) roughly 1.75-20z of espresso with foam on top. I never had one from say SB or The Coffee Beanery but was wondering... How in the world do you make a 12,16, or 20oz macchiato. From my understand it should only have espresso with foam and I know SB or anyone else for that fact could be pouring say 10oz shots topped with foam. Please explain.
Sean
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Posted by rgs2rchs on 2008-01-08 14:16:36 Post Subject: The Macchiato 20oz??? Is this a Stupid Question?
Ok, I was sitting here daydreaming about my new venture (final stages of opening a coffeehouse) and it hit me. I make macchiato here at home (doubles) roughly 1.75-20z of espresso with foam on top. I never had one from say SB or The Coffee Beanery but was wondering... How in the world do you make a 12,16, or 20oz macchiato. From my understand it should only have espresso with foam and I know SB or anyone else for that fact could be pouring say 10oz shots topped with foam. Please explain.
Sean
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View entire thread: What makes a good cafe/coffeehouse?
Posted by Hulkster on 2005-06-27 09:22:57 Post Subject:
my ideal coffeehouse is like "Cheers" without beer. It's good to go to a place where you can meet people and have a good time. I don't particularly like an 'eat/drink and go' atmosphere.
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Posted by Hulkster on 2005-06-27 09:22:57 Post Subject:
my ideal coffeehouse is like "Cheers" without beer. It's good to go to a place where you can meet people and have a good time. I don't particularly like an 'eat/drink and go' atmosphere.
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View entire thread: Opening a New Cafe Across from the Lake
Posted by Gary on 2004-04-01 09:55:06 Post Subject: help planning a coffeeshop
Hi Jennifer,
I found a book that is fairly comprehensive for how to startup a coffeehouse/coffeebar and I paid less than $20 for it. It's from the "Start & Run A" series of books. This one is:
Start & Run A Coffee Bar, by Tom Matzen and Marybeth Harrison, Self-Counsel Press Business Series. ISBN 1-55-180-354-2.
The authors favor roasting your own beans but I think there are lots of very good coffee roasters from which you can get your bean supply. That's what I'm planning to do.
Another good book is "Espresso! Starting and Running Your Own Specialty Coffee Business" by Joe Monaghan and Julie Sheldon Huffaker, Wiley Press, ISBN 0-471-12138-x.
This book favors the "coffee cart" model of business but has more good insights. Also this book is a little dated (copyright 1995) when it comes to example prices on a latte.
Also, if you're like me and never started a business I highly suggest going to your local SBA office for more resources to help write a business plan. Like what EspressoOutfitters says, Health Department review plans are required, but that's only one part of the business plan to help get your business off on the right track. I think a lot of people only right a business plan to get a loan or to get a lease on a site. I disagree, even if you have all these things, write a plan anyway to keep from wasting your resources.
Cheers,
Gary
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Posted by Gary on 2004-04-01 09:55:06 Post Subject: help planning a coffeeshop
Hi Jennifer,
I found a book that is fairly comprehensive for how to startup a coffeehouse/coffeebar and I paid less than $20 for it. It's from the "Start & Run A" series of books. This one is:
Start & Run A Coffee Bar, by Tom Matzen and Marybeth Harrison, Self-Counsel Press Business Series. ISBN 1-55-180-354-2.
The authors favor roasting your own beans but I think there are lots of very good coffee roasters from which you can get your bean supply. That's what I'm planning to do.
Another good book is "Espresso! Starting and Running Your Own Specialty Coffee Business" by Joe Monaghan and Julie Sheldon Huffaker, Wiley Press, ISBN 0-471-12138-x.
This book favors the "coffee cart" model of business but has more good insights. Also this book is a little dated (copyright 1995) when it comes to example prices on a latte.
Also, if you're like me and never started a business I highly suggest going to your local SBA office for more resources to help write a business plan. Like what EspressoOutfitters says, Health Department review plans are required, but that's only one part of the business plan to help get your business off on the right track. I think a lot of people only right a business plan to get a loan or to get a lease on a site. I disagree, even if you have all these things, write a plan anyway to keep from wasting your resources.
Cheers,
Gary
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View entire thread: T-shirts
Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-17 17:33:58 Post Subject: Selling T-Shirts In Our Coffeehouse
We have decided to take a chance on having T-shirts in our coffeehouse. We have had them now for about a week+, and have already sold one and presold 2 others, as well as having a few others that would buy one in a size that we currently don't have. Ours have an interesting saying on them, along with our coffeehouse name. I don't expect to sell a ton of them, but they are unique, as only one of the other coffeeshops in a 30 mile radius is doing this, and they have something different on theirs.
I agree with Equus007 that selling travel mugs/cups with your logo on them would be more effective marketing, but only to the person that has it and the very few people that would see the logo on the mug. A T-shirt, however, is much easier for the masses to read, and has the potential to get more people into your shop that might not have otherwise; the mug with your logo will simply help to remind that one customer to continue coming back to your shop. In this respect, both are good marketing ideas.
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Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-17 17:33:58 Post Subject: Selling T-Shirts In Our Coffeehouse
We have decided to take a chance on having T-shirts in our coffeehouse. We have had them now for about a week+, and have already sold one and presold 2 others, as well as having a few others that would buy one in a size that we currently don't have. Ours have an interesting saying on them, along with our coffeehouse name. I don't expect to sell a ton of them, but they are unique, as only one of the other coffeeshops in a 30 mile radius is doing this, and they have something different on theirs.
I agree with Equus007 that selling travel mugs/cups with your logo on them would be more effective marketing, but only to the person that has it and the very few people that would see the logo on the mug. A T-shirt, however, is much easier for the masses to read, and has the potential to get more people into your shop that might not have otherwise; the mug with your logo will simply help to remind that one customer to continue coming back to your shop. In this respect, both are good marketing ideas.
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View entire thread: What makes a good cafe/coffeehouse?
Posted by celement on 2005-06-27 19:55:09 Post Subject:
my ideal coffeehouse is like "Cheers" without beer. It's good to go to a place where you can meet people and have a good time. I don't particularly like an 'eat/drink and go' atmosphere.
and in a terrific location, convenient, with high volumes of traffic, to support a very profitable drive through...
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Posted by celement on 2005-06-27 19:55:09 Post Subject:
my ideal coffeehouse is like "Cheers" without beer. It's good to go to a place where you can meet people and have a good time. I don't particularly like an 'eat/drink and go' atmosphere.
and in a terrific location, convenient, with high volumes of traffic, to support a very profitable drive through...
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View entire thread: Promotion-Word of Mouth Idea?
Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-19 14:47:08 Post Subject: Promotion
I think that this would be a really cool idea! You can build a good marketing scheme around this to kick things off, and you can always issue follow-up press releases when someone takes over the "crown". You would need to setup some basic ground rules that are readily posted or given to the prospective contestants, even perhaps a waiver (check with your lawyer first!). Be sure to take their picture and post it in the store; you could also have a list of people who tried but failed and list how many shots they did get (hey, I don't know if I'd even want to down 3 shots, let alone 8 or 9!).
I think that I'm going to try to flesh out this idea more to see if its something that we may want to do at our coffeehouse. Thanks for the idea!
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Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-19 14:47:08 Post Subject: Promotion
I think that this would be a really cool idea! You can build a good marketing scheme around this to kick things off, and you can always issue follow-up press releases when someone takes over the "crown". You would need to setup some basic ground rules that are readily posted or given to the prospective contestants, even perhaps a waiver (check with your lawyer first!). Be sure to take their picture and post it in the store; you could also have a list of people who tried but failed and list how many shots they did get (hey, I don't know if I'd even want to down 3 shots, let alone 8 or 9!).
I think that I'm going to try to flesh out this idea more to see if its something that we may want to do at our coffeehouse. Thanks for the idea!
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View entire thread: coffee & alcohol or liquors
Posted by phaelon56 on 2004-09-24 20:12:02 Post Subject:
The type of crowd you'll draw and the kind of scene you're likely to have will vary in part depending on how close you are to a "party area". If the location is in or adjacent to the sort of entertainment district that many small to mid sized and larger cities have (e.g. the Flats in Cleveland, LoDo in Denver, Buckhead in Denver etc) you may get the spillover of a rowdy and boisterous crowd but not as intensely as the bars do because by nature a coffeehouse that sells liquor will draw a perhaps more cerebral, more mature and quieter patron.
Best bet is to visit a Cosi's location in NYC, Philly or DC that is already deploying this exact concept quite successfully. I'm not sure that all Cosi's do it but there should be at least one in every major Northeast city that's set up this way. The one I'm familiar with in NYC is on Broadway at the corner of 13th Street across from the Regal 14 Cineplex.
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Posted by phaelon56 on 2004-09-24 20:12:02 Post Subject:
The type of crowd you'll draw and the kind of scene you're likely to have will vary in part depending on how close you are to a "party area". If the location is in or adjacent to the sort of entertainment district that many small to mid sized and larger cities have (e.g. the Flats in Cleveland, LoDo in Denver, Buckhead in Denver etc) you may get the spillover of a rowdy and boisterous crowd but not as intensely as the bars do because by nature a coffeehouse that sells liquor will draw a perhaps more cerebral, more mature and quieter patron.
Best bet is to visit a Cosi's location in NYC, Philly or DC that is already deploying this exact concept quite successfully. I'm not sure that all Cosi's do it but there should be at least one in every major Northeast city that's set up this way. The one I'm familiar with in NYC is on Broadway at the corner of 13th Street across from the Regal 14 Cineplex.
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View entire thread: What makes a good cafe/coffeehouse?
Posted by OKCoffee on 2005-06-27 01:23:33 Post Subject: What makes a good cafe/coffeehouse?
So, I read the rules and they said that URL dropping is not OK, unless it is accompanied by quotes and discussion. So, I'm not going to drop one, but I'd like to initiate some discussion on what makes a good cafe/coffeehouse ... does anyone have tips on menu offerings, location, price, atmosphere ... I'm thinking about opening one and may use your suggestions ... and, if anyone would be interested in taking a survey about their preferences on coffeehouses, then please leave a comment and I'll send you the URL ...
Thanks, guys!
- OKCoffee
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Posted by OKCoffee on 2005-06-27 01:23:33 Post Subject: What makes a good cafe/coffeehouse?
So, I read the rules and they said that URL dropping is not OK, unless it is accompanied by quotes and discussion. So, I'm not going to drop one, but I'd like to initiate some discussion on what makes a good cafe/coffeehouse ... does anyone have tips on menu offerings, location, price, atmosphere ... I'm thinking about opening one and may use your suggestions ... and, if anyone would be interested in taking a survey about their preferences on coffeehouses, then please leave a comment and I'll send you the URL ...
Thanks, guys!
- OKCoffee
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View entire thread: One Group or Two 2 ?
Posted by ReadSt on 2005-09-12 08:23:00 Post Subject: One Group or Two 2 ?
I'm opening a very small coffeehouse/bookstore and am getting a lot of conflicting advice about the limits of a one group machine.
One dealer recommended the Rancilio Epoca and said that it could pull as many shots in an hour that a human could possibly do.
The Cimbali dealer advises that with a one group I will not be able to pull consecutive shots (more than 3 in a row) without waiting.
The two group (M29 Start) is $1300 more than the Rancilio. It's hard to estimate how many customers I will have, and I don't have much time to make a decision.
Could anyone offer advice/feedback?
Thanks
C
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Posted by ReadSt on 2005-09-12 08:23:00 Post Subject: One Group or Two 2 ?
I'm opening a very small coffeehouse/bookstore and am getting a lot of conflicting advice about the limits of a one group machine.
One dealer recommended the Rancilio Epoca and said that it could pull as many shots in an hour that a human could possibly do.
The Cimbali dealer advises that with a one group I will not be able to pull consecutive shots (more than 3 in a row) without waiting.
The two group (M29 Start) is $1300 more than the Rancilio. It's hard to estimate how many customers I will have, and I don't have much time to make a decision.
Could anyone offer advice/feedback?
Thanks
C
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View entire thread: When does a coffeehouse become a restaurant?
Posted by doubleshot on 2005-07-21 20:33:05 Post Subject: When does a coffeehouse become a restaurant?
Thanks, Andy. I visited the building department yesterday and will be at the health department tomorrow. (Big learning curve, here.)
BTW, saw your presentation on coffeehouse marketing at SCAA-Seattle earlier this year...tremendous advice. Thanks.
Scott
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Posted by doubleshot on 2005-07-21 20:33:05 Post Subject: When does a coffeehouse become a restaurant?
Thanks, Andy. I visited the building department yesterday and will be at the health department tomorrow. (Big learning curve, here.)
BTW, saw your presentation on coffeehouse marketing at SCAA-Seattle earlier this year...tremendous advice. Thanks.
Scott
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View entire thread: Big Named Coffee Shop Hurting Me, The Little Guy
Posted by Gary on 2004-03-23 10:30:37 Post Subject:
I don't own a shop (yet) and have not experienced what you are going through. But here's my $.02.
1. Don't panic.
2. Stop in at the "other coffeehouse" and observe it carefully. Try their coffee and pastries or whatever they are serving. Find out what the hub-bub is all about. Observe the customers and see if you can discerrn why there are going there instead of your place. However, don't try to match everything they are doing. It will come off as being superficial.
3. Like what the other poster had said, keep your focus on quality. Don't shortcut quality for speed of service, or cutting costs.
4. Customers (I am a professional customer ) like proper service. I once saw a barista at some coffeehouse set down a to-go cup of drip coffee, yelled out "drip coffee!", turn around and disappeared before the customer turned her head to look at the counter. It wasn't even busy (I was the only other customer there!) No eye contact, no smile, literally no service. And it was rude, rude, rude. Fact is, coffee is more of an experience including the product AND the service. If you and your baristas have time, chat with your customers if it looks to be an opportunity. Love the people who walk into your door. (but don't get all puppydog-like and slobber all over them )
5. Ask your baristas for input on more ideas.
wish you my best!
Gary
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Posted by Gary on 2004-03-23 10:30:37 Post Subject:
I don't own a shop (yet) and have not experienced what you are going through. But here's my $.02.
1. Don't panic.
2. Stop in at the "other coffeehouse" and observe it carefully. Try their coffee and pastries or whatever they are serving. Find out what the hub-bub is all about. Observe the customers and see if you can discerrn why there are going there instead of your place. However, don't try to match everything they are doing. It will come off as being superficial.
3. Like what the other poster had said, keep your focus on quality. Don't shortcut quality for speed of service, or cutting costs.
4. Customers (I am a professional customer
) like proper service. I once saw a barista at some coffeehouse set down a to-go cup of drip coffee, yelled out "drip coffee!", turn around and disappeared before the customer turned her head to look at the counter. It wasn't even busy (I was the only other customer there!) No eye contact, no smile, literally no service. And it was rude, rude, rude. Fact is, coffee is more of an experience including the product AND the service. If you and your baristas have time, chat with your customers if it looks to be an opportunity. Love the people who walk into your door. (but don't get all puppydog-like and slobber all over them )5. Ask your baristas for input on more ideas.
wish you my best!
Gary
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View entire thread: I'm not just coffee, please reply!
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-08-17 12:34:38 Post Subject:
A quote about doing business with a coffee theme:
Exposure plus 95 cents might buy you a decent cup of coffee. The key is to 'position' yourself in your market as the expert, the resource, the only person your prospect would ever even THINK of doing business with, or referring to others.
- Bob Burg
When you are the expert, then you can have the coffeehouse you always want to have...of course when all else failed, sell them jumbo almond mocha mint white chocolate lattes for $4.50 plus tax
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-08-17 12:34:38 Post Subject:
A quote about doing business with a coffee theme:
Exposure plus 95 cents might buy you a decent cup of coffee. The key is to 'position' yourself in your market as the expert, the resource, the only person your prospect would ever even THINK of doing business with, or referring to others.
- Bob Burg
When you are the expert, then you can have the coffeehouse you always want to have...of course when all else failed, sell them jumbo almond mocha mint white chocolate lattes for $4.50 plus tax
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View entire thread: Chai Tea Frappe?
Posted by sunshinecafe on 2008-08-19 17:13:32 Post Subject:
Has anyone ever used the Big Train Chai Teas? I have a small coffeehouse in Southern Oregon and no kidding, I have people driving 20 + miles for my Chai Teas, hot, iced or blended like a frappe. The flavor is the best, by far, that I''ve found, and I''ve been doing this for 10 years.
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Posted by sunshinecafe on 2008-08-19 17:13:32 Post Subject:
Has anyone ever used the Big Train Chai Teas? I have a small coffeehouse in Southern Oregon and no kidding, I have people driving 20 + miles for my Chai Teas, hot, iced or blended like a frappe. The flavor is the best, by far, that I''ve found, and I''ve been doing this for 10 years.
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View entire thread: nebody else's life revolve around coffee?
Posted by javaluva on 2005-06-13 07:22:27 Post Subject:
I've been in the coffee business for 5 yrs. and sometimes days are rough, I agree. Maybe we are the same peson. You describe me to a t! I live in a small town tho and we just recently got a strbx 20 miles away. When we opened, there wasn't a coffeehouse ANYWHERE here. (my family is from CA) No one around here even knew what espresso was. Now that there's a strbx near, they are all experts! Some days it ticks me off, but it's not that bad. After reading your post. I thought of an idea. What if you separated yourself from the "strbx" by having signature drinks. Just a few latte with funky names, and a special drink board. Something like the "looney bean" or name them after streets or buildings in your town, that way it gives your customers the feeling like it is THEIR coffeehouse. you might be doing this already. I'm great at coming up with coffee names. Funky ones too.
I too eat sleep and drink coffee. Constantly thinking. Just don't let it consume you. It's a great feeling to walk into the shop, and say...ah...Mine!
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Posted by javaluva on 2005-06-13 07:22:27 Post Subject:
I've been in the coffee business for 5 yrs. and sometimes days are rough, I agree. Maybe we are the same peson. You describe me to a t! I live in a small town tho and we just recently got a strbx 20 miles away. When we opened, there wasn't a coffeehouse ANYWHERE here. (my family is from CA) No one around here even knew what espresso was. Now that there's a strbx near, they are all experts! Some days it ticks me off, but it's not that bad. After reading your post. I thought of an idea. What if you separated yourself from the "strbx" by having signature drinks. Just a few latte with funky names, and a special drink board. Something like the "looney bean" or name them after streets or buildings in your town, that way it gives your customers the feeling like it is THEIR coffeehouse. you might be doing this already. I'm great at coming up with coffee names. Funky ones too.
I too eat sleep and drink coffee. Constantly thinking. Just don't let it consume you. It's a great feeling to walk into the shop, and say...ah...Mine!
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View entire thread: espresso mix is bitter..please help!!
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2007-02-27 12:35:31 Post Subject:
It could be many things, so I will start with some obvious ones.
Espresso is bitter if the roast is too dark. I don't think your blend is too dark although I don't know what sequella, colombia brown or barbera are like.
Espresso is bitter if it is over extracted. Set you grind coarser. Pack your portafilter with 30 pounds of pressure with a decent tamper. Observe the espresso once you engaged the machine. The first few drips should start at anywhere from 4 to 8 seconds after you engaged the machine. The pour should be a thick oozing consistency. When the color turned lightish blond, stop the extraction. Total time should be anywhere from 20 seconds to 30 seconds. I'd go with 26 to 29 seconds.
Espresso is bitter if the water temperature is too hot. I believe you have a heat exchange machine. And if the machine is idled for more than 5 minutes, the water is too hot, and the hot water needs to be flushed before you make your espresso. Engage the button for about 5 seconds or until the boiling water is cleared - it makes an obvious boiling water sound. If you pushed the button with the portafilter in the group, remember to wipe it dry before putting freshly grounded coffee in it.
On the subject of freshness, do you know how fresh are your beans? If you are in the US, those Italian beans are going to be pretty stale.
One suggestion for you. Find the best coffeehouse in your area, if the espresso is pretty good, ask the barista to stop by and see your set up and show you how to work the machine. You don't have to pay them anything, a couple of brewskies should do the trick.
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2007-02-27 12:35:31 Post Subject:
It could be many things, so I will start with some obvious ones.
Espresso is bitter if the roast is too dark. I don't think your blend is too dark although I don't know what sequella, colombia brown or barbera are like.
Espresso is bitter if it is over extracted. Set you grind coarser. Pack your portafilter with 30 pounds of pressure with a decent tamper. Observe the espresso once you engaged the machine. The first few drips should start at anywhere from 4 to 8 seconds after you engaged the machine. The pour should be a thick oozing consistency. When the color turned lightish blond, stop the extraction. Total time should be anywhere from 20 seconds to 30 seconds. I'd go with 26 to 29 seconds.
Espresso is bitter if the water temperature is too hot. I believe you have a heat exchange machine. And if the machine is idled for more than 5 minutes, the water is too hot, and the hot water needs to be flushed before you make your espresso. Engage the button for about 5 seconds or until the boiling water is cleared - it makes an obvious boiling water sound. If you pushed the button with the portafilter in the group, remember to wipe it dry before putting freshly grounded coffee in it.
On the subject of freshness, do you know how fresh are your beans? If you are in the US, those Italian beans are going to be pretty stale.
One suggestion for you. Find the best coffeehouse in your area, if the espresso is pretty good, ask the barista to stop by and see your set up and show you how to work the machine. You don't have to pay them anything, a couple of brewskies should do the trick.
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View entire thread: need stronger coffee - Cuisinart Brew Central is too weak!
Posted by manual_drip_brewer on 2008-06-19 23:04:30 Post Subject: Auto-Drip doesn't heat the water hot enough, try manual drip
As OurCoffeeBarn pointed out the chemex manual drip brewer makes great coffee, it you don't want to risk the 30 bucks get a melitta cone or go into a Seattle's Best coffeehouse and buy one of there manual drip cones. Heat the water to a boil and bloom or briefly saturate the grounds ahead of time. You may be as shocked as I was to find out this humble little device puts the machines with bells and whistles to shame.
Try to catch Alton Brown's "Good Eats" segment on making coffee at home. He focuses on the manual drip method as the best.
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Posted by manual_drip_brewer on 2008-06-19 23:04:30 Post Subject: Auto-Drip doesn't heat the water hot enough, try manual drip
As OurCoffeeBarn pointed out the chemex manual drip brewer makes great coffee, it you don't want to risk the 30 bucks get a melitta cone or go into a Seattle's Best coffeehouse and buy one of there manual drip cones. Heat the water to a boil and bloom or briefly saturate the grounds ahead of time. You may be as shocked as I was to find out this humble little device puts the machines with bells and whistles to shame.
Try to catch Alton Brown's "Good Eats" segment on making coffee at home. He focuses on the manual drip method as the best.
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View entire thread: Fancy POS or plain ole register?
Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-15 10:28:59 Post Subject: POS System
My wife and I debated about this subject when we were in the process of opening up our coffeehouse. On one hand, a simple register can be very effective and easy to learn. However, a full POS system can be a huge time saver with reporting capabilities, inventory control help, etc.. After much thought and analysis of different machines in both categories, we opted to go with a POS system (Coffee Shop Manager). We are very happy with it, and would recommend it for new shops or existing shops looking to modernize. One other thing to keep in mind with a POS system is the cost. We were looking at differences of 5 or 6 times more expensive with the POS versus the humble register. One has to calculate the amount of time you would spend hand-generating the reports that a typical POS system can spit out at any time. When factoring this in, we felt that it was worth it in the long run - and we intend to be around for a long time!
While not for everyone, we enjoy having a POS system. And, we use it as a selling point for our customers because we can go back into their history to see what they purchased before that they liked, or to help make sure that they don't get something that they didn't like. That's my 2 cents...
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Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-15 10:28:59 Post Subject: POS System
My wife and I debated about this subject when we were in the process of opening up our coffeehouse. On one hand, a simple register can be very effective and easy to learn. However, a full POS system can be a huge time saver with reporting capabilities, inventory control help, etc.. After much thought and analysis of different machines in both categories, we opted to go with a POS system (Coffee Shop Manager). We are very happy with it, and would recommend it for new shops or existing shops looking to modernize. One other thing to keep in mind with a POS system is the cost. We were looking at differences of 5 or 6 times more expensive with the POS versus the humble register. One has to calculate the amount of time you would spend hand-generating the reports that a typical POS system can spit out at any time. When factoring this in, we felt that it was worth it in the long run - and we intend to be around for a long time!
While not for everyone, we enjoy having a POS system. And, we use it as a selling point for our customers because we can go back into their history to see what they purchased before that they liked, or to help make sure that they don't get something that they didn't like. That's my 2 cents...
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View entire thread: Can you help an idiot?
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2008-06-16 16:39:22 Post Subject:
But in the US, we like to give it an American spin, so anything goes. But if you want to be technical...according to World Barista Championship: A cappuccino is a beverage of ratios, producing a harmonious balance of espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk. A traditional cappuccino is a five- to six-ounce beverage (150 to 180ml), served in a five- to six-ounce (150 to 180ml) cup with a handle. (Please note: For the purpose of the WBC cappuccinos should not be topped with any additional spices and/or powered flavorings.) The US Barista Championship uses the same definition. If we use this as THE definition, then the 12 ounce, 16 ounce, 20 ounce drinks that are on most of the US coffeehouse's menu as cappuccino are wrong, and the 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3 definition is also wrong.
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2008-06-16 16:39:22 Post Subject:
But in the US, we like to give it an American spin, so anything goes. But if you want to be technical...according to World Barista Championship: A cappuccino is a beverage of ratios, producing a harmonious balance of espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk. A traditional cappuccino is a five- to six-ounce beverage (150 to 180ml), served in a five- to six-ounce (150 to 180ml) cup with a handle. (Please note: For the purpose of the WBC cappuccinos should not be topped with any additional spices and/or powered flavorings.) The US Barista Championship uses the same definition. If we use this as THE definition, then the 12 ounce, 16 ounce, 20 ounce drinks that are on most of the US coffeehouse's menu as cappuccino are wrong, and the 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3 definition is also wrong.
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View entire thread: When does a coffeehouse become a restaurant?
Posted by doubleshot on 2005-07-18 00:53:10 Post Subject: When does a coffeehouse become a restaurant?
Currently writing a business plan for a place in Northern California.
At what level of food prep does a coffeehouse legally become a restaurant:
Premaking sandwiches onsite for a panini grill?
Making gelato?
Serving premade (off-site) but not prepackaged deli salads?
Or, does it require actually cooking food, as opposed to cold prep?
My place will be an espresso bar first and foremost. And, I'm also looking at some of the profit centers above.
Thanks.
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Posted by doubleshot on 2005-07-18 00:53:10 Post Subject: When does a coffeehouse become a restaurant?
Currently writing a business plan for a place in Northern California.
At what level of food prep does a coffeehouse legally become a restaurant:
Premaking sandwiches onsite for a panini grill?
Making gelato?
Serving premade (off-site) but not prepackaged deli salads?
Or, does it require actually cooking food, as opposed to cold prep?
My place will be an espresso bar first and foremost. And, I'm also looking at some of the profit centers above.
Thanks.
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View entire thread: coffee habits
Posted by ladinr01 on 2006-03-30 16:00:26 Post Subject: coffee habits
opening a coffeehouse later this year and doing a little informal survey...
how often do you visit a coffeehouse in a given week and how much do you spend per visit?
i'm only a once a week visitor, prolly $5 on average
thanks
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Posted by ladinr01 on 2006-03-30 16:00:26 Post Subject: coffee habits
opening a coffeehouse later this year and doing a little informal survey...
how often do you visit a coffeehouse in a given week and how much do you spend per visit?
i'm only a once a week visitor, prolly $5 on average
thanks
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View entire thread: Surprise! Thinking of opening my own coffeehouse..
Posted by sarah on 2005-01-26 15:20:32 Post Subject: Surprise! Thinking of opening my own coffeehouse..
I'm in the beginning stages of thinking about opening a coffeehouse and would appreciate just any little piece of advice. I currently work in a coffeehouse and I enjoy it a great deal and think I would enjoy owning one. Thanks in advance for all your advice!
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Posted by sarah on 2005-01-26 15:20:32 Post Subject: Surprise! Thinking of opening my own coffeehouse..
I'm in the beginning stages of thinking about opening a coffeehouse and would appreciate just any little piece of advice. I currently work in a coffeehouse and I enjoy it a great deal and think I would enjoy owning one. Thanks in advance for all your advice!
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View entire thread: Name for coffeeshop
Posted by sld on 2004-11-22 17:46:29 Post Subject: Name for coffeeshop
Hello-
We are having some trouble coming up with a name for our coffeeshop. We have two in mind but will take any suggestions. One of the names is The Purple Cup and the other is Linc's Coffeehouse(he's our dog). We have a friend who's an artist that will do our logo. Thanks for your help.
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Posted by sld on 2004-11-22 17:46:29 Post Subject: Name for coffeeshop
Hello-
We are having some trouble coming up with a name for our coffeeshop. We have two in mind but will take any suggestions. One of the names is The Purple Cup and the other is Linc's Coffeehouse(he's our dog). We have a friend who's an artist that will do our logo. Thanks for your help.
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View entire thread: Hi! I'm new =)
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-02-21 14:50:45 Post Subject:
1) Are you going to move to China? If not don't do it.
2) How connected are you or your partners? If not, are you willing to grease multiple palms?
3) Where in China? If in Shanghai/Shenzheng/Beijing have you look into rent? Two years ago prime location in Shanghai was as high as U$ 60/sf. Sure, you can offset it somewhat with low labor cost, but you still need to put out U$10,000 per month for 2000 sf. Two years ago there were three Starbucks in Shanghai, and I don't think they were profitable.
4) Are you offering other items beside coffees, pastries? Meaning are you offering food items? I don't think pure coffeehouse concept does well in China. There is a Taiwanese chain with about 200 stores that do well, but they have traditional Chinese and quasi-Western food menu, and coffees were really secondary, not to mention not very good. Come to think of it, their food were so-so too. They are really selling Taiwan/Japan style Western atmosphere.
5) Foreign operators that are making piles over there, are KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald with name recognition and beaucoup bucks. They are not selling quality stuffs, what they are selling is the perceived piece of Americana. I know of of one group of Chinese Americans with similar idea, but their concept is more like the Taiwanese group mentioned above. They have a every American name trademarked, New York Coffee??? But they know jack about coffee. That does not mean I think they will fail, it just that they are not selling good coffee. One thing they are pretty smart about is that they will start in smaller secondary market where cost of doing business is cheaper.
Someone once asked Richard Branson what is the secret of be coming a millionair, he replied "start out with a billion, and start an airline". So...if you still want to be a millionair, I can find out (green or roasted??) coffee beans laws for you. My sister-in-law works for an American commodity firm in Shanghai that brings and sells all type of argri-commodities, her sister is a custom broker.
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-02-21 14:50:45 Post Subject:
1) Are you going to move to China? If not don't do it.
2) How connected are you or your partners? If not, are you willing to grease multiple palms?
3) Where in China? If in Shanghai/Shenzheng/Beijing have you look into rent? Two years ago prime location in Shanghai was as high as U$ 60/sf. Sure, you can offset it somewhat with low labor cost, but you still need to put out U$10,000 per month for 2000 sf. Two years ago there were three Starbucks in Shanghai, and I don't think they were profitable.
4) Are you offering other items beside coffees, pastries? Meaning are you offering food items? I don't think pure coffeehouse concept does well in China. There is a Taiwanese chain with about 200 stores that do well, but they have traditional Chinese and quasi-Western food menu, and coffees were really secondary, not to mention not very good. Come to think of it, their food were so-so too. They are really selling Taiwan/Japan style Western atmosphere.
5) Foreign operators that are making piles over there, are KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald with name recognition and beaucoup bucks. They are not selling quality stuffs, what they are selling is the perceived piece of Americana. I know of of one group of Chinese Americans with similar idea, but their concept is more like the Taiwanese group mentioned above. They have a every American name trademarked, New York Coffee??? But they know jack about coffee. That does not mean I think they will fail, it just that they are not selling good coffee. One thing they are pretty smart about is that they will start in smaller secondary market where cost of doing business is cheaper.
Someone once asked Richard Branson what is the secret of be coming a millionair, he replied "start out with a billion, and start an airline". So...if you still want to be a millionair, I can find out (green or roasted??) coffee beans laws for you. My sister-in-law works for an American commodity firm in Shanghai that brings and sells all type of argri-commodities, her sister is a custom broker.
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View entire thread: Where to find cups and saucers?
Posted by Hideaway on 2007-03-22 15:49:01 Post Subject: Where to find cups and saucers?
I am starting up a coffeehouse and I am having trouble finding matching cups and saucers. I just can''t seem to find anything without having to order them from China! I am looking for a round flared cup (wide-mouthed) and saucer in 4, 12, 16, and 20 oz sizes. I was looking for just white, but as my search continued, it got me thinking about maybe a light blue-green color. Any help on this would be very helpful. Thanks y''all.
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Posted by Hideaway on 2007-03-22 15:49:01 Post Subject: Where to find cups and saucers?
I am starting up a coffeehouse and I am having trouble finding matching cups and saucers. I just can''t seem to find anything without having to order them from China! I am looking for a round flared cup (wide-mouthed) and saucer in 4, 12, 16, and 20 oz sizes. I was looking for just white, but as my search continued, it got me thinking about maybe a light blue-green color. Any help on this would be very helpful. Thanks y''all.
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View entire thread: Examples of monthly expenses/budget and opinions
Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-08-10 15:26:05 Post Subject:
Whew! Where to begin? Well, much of what I have to say is based on my experiences in starting my own coffeehouse this past April. Before we opened, we worked on things for 16 months prior, and I still could have used more time for research. Let's start with a business plan. Have you written one up for this business yet? I'm guessing that if you have, it's not yet complete, otherwise why ask for the figures you are asking for. Location is important, as is ease of access, as well as visibility/line-of-sight.
One thing that immediately jumped to my mind was when you mentioned that there is a 4 lane road. Depending on the volume of traffic, this could be a negative. Example: in a larger city about 30 minutes from where I am, a new coffee shop opened along a very busy 6 lane highway. The trouble was that unless you were in the correct lane to get off and go to the shop, you couldn't move across the lanes to get there. Also, there was no traffic light at that intersection, which made things even more difficult. End result: they closed up within 3 months. I don't say this to scare you, but to have you try to look at your potential location from the perspective of a customer. How much of a pain is it to get there during certain times of the day? Is it enough of a hassle that they would rather keep driving down to Starbucks where they may have an easier time getting their java?
What kinds of traffic counts for the main road have you found out? How long has the Starbucks and the other independant been in business at those locations? Have you been into either of them to see what they are doing/not doing? What is the square footage of the potential building? I'm presuming that the building already has water and electric going to it, but are they up to code? What about any city regulations regarding drive-throughs (distance from curb, minimum space requirements, etc.)? Will you have enough space to adequately house all of the items that you need to run the business (cups, lids, coffee beans, napkins, straws, syrups, mixes, ice, milk, etc.)? And the questions go on and on and on....
I would also start asking around about the previous business and why they didn't last long in that location. You might learn some very interesting bits of information that would help you to be successful. Example: in my town a few years ago, there was a coffee shop that had been open for 2 years, but then closed. I had been in it before it closed, and thought that it was pretty decent. Just a month ago or so, I had the opportunity to talk with one of the former owners of the business, and I learned that they had to close because of other family members' health issues. Now, in this case, it turned out not to be lack of business that caused them close, but it was still interesting to speak with her just to learn more. Who knows, maybe that pizza business just didn't do their homework on costs and just didn't price their products right. But you never know unless you ask.
As for equipment, my suggestion is not to get yourself tied to any one particular supplier or roaster. Granted, this will probably mean that you will need to put out money to get your equipment, new or used, but at least you won't be shakled to a vendor/supplier/whatever, which allows you the freedom to keep on the lookout for better products to bring into your shop. Be independant, but always try to ask for advice and to learn more.
I'm sure that I didn't cover all of what you were looking for, and hopefully others can toss in their 2 cents for you as well. My final advice at this point is to keep asking questions, and research, research, research. The more you know before you jump in, the easier it will be to swim. If you wish, you can e-mail/message me for a more detailed give and take between us.
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Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-08-10 15:26:05 Post Subject:
Whew! Where to begin? Well, much of what I have to say is based on my experiences in starting my own coffeehouse this past April. Before we opened, we worked on things for 16 months prior, and I still could have used more time for research. Let's start with a business plan. Have you written one up for this business yet? I'm guessing that if you have, it's not yet complete, otherwise why ask for the figures you are asking for. Location is important, as is ease of access, as well as visibility/line-of-sight.
One thing that immediately jumped to my mind was when you mentioned that there is a 4 lane road. Depending on the volume of traffic, this could be a negative. Example: in a larger city about 30 minutes from where I am, a new coffee shop opened along a very busy 6 lane highway. The trouble was that unless you were in the correct lane to get off and go to the shop, you couldn't move across the lanes to get there. Also, there was no traffic light at that intersection, which made things even more difficult. End result: they closed up within 3 months. I don't say this to scare you, but to have you try to look at your potential location from the perspective of a customer. How much of a pain is it to get there during certain times of the day? Is it enough of a hassle that they would rather keep driving down to Starbucks where they may have an easier time getting their java?
What kinds of traffic counts for the main road have you found out? How long has the Starbucks and the other independant been in business at those locations? Have you been into either of them to see what they are doing/not doing? What is the square footage of the potential building? I'm presuming that the building already has water and electric going to it, but are they up to code? What about any city regulations regarding drive-throughs (distance from curb, minimum space requirements, etc.)? Will you have enough space to adequately house all of the items that you need to run the business (cups, lids, coffee beans, napkins, straws, syrups, mixes, ice, milk, etc.)? And the questions go on and on and on....
I would also start asking around about the previous business and why they didn't last long in that location. You might learn some very interesting bits of information that would help you to be successful. Example: in my town a few years ago, there was a coffee shop that had been open for 2 years, but then closed. I had been in it before it closed, and thought that it was pretty decent. Just a month ago or so, I had the opportunity to talk with one of the former owners of the business, and I learned that they had to close because of other family members' health issues. Now, in this case, it turned out not to be lack of business that caused them close, but it was still interesting to speak with her just to learn more. Who knows, maybe that pizza business just didn't do their homework on costs and just didn't price their products right. But you never know unless you ask.
As for equipment, my suggestion is not to get yourself tied to any one particular supplier or roaster. Granted, this will probably mean that you will need to put out money to get your equipment, new or used, but at least you won't be shakled to a vendor/supplier/whatever, which allows you the freedom to keep on the lookout for better products to bring into your shop. Be independant, but always try to ask for advice and to learn more.
I'm sure that I didn't cover all of what you were looking for, and hopefully others can toss in their 2 cents for you as well. My final advice at this point is to keep asking questions, and research, research, research. The more you know before you jump in, the easier it will be to swim. If you wish, you can e-mail/message me for a more detailed give and take between us.
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View entire thread: Interesting Coffee Facts/Trivia???
Posted by tlowing on 2008-03-18 09:40:10 Post Subject:
From Physical Geography
By Mary Somerville, 1854
The earlier history of the C. tree is not very clear. It was not known to the Greeks or Romans; but in Abyssinia and Ethiopia it has been used from time immemorial; and in Arabia it was certainly in use in the 15th c., and over the rest of the east in the 16th century. Towards the end of the 17th c., it was carried from Mocha to Batavia by Wieser, a burgomaster of Amsterdam, where it was soon extensively planted, and at last young plants were sent to the botanical garden at Amsterdam, from which the Paris garden obtained a tree. A layer of this was carried out to Martinique in 1720, where it succeeded so well, that in a few years all the West Indies could be supplied with young trees.
The employment of C. as a beverage was introduced from Arabia, in the 16th c.,into Egypt ana Constantinople. Leonhard Rauwolf, a German physician, was probably the first to make C. known in Europe, by the account of his travels printed in 1573. Soon after the first introduction of C., COFFEE-HOUSES arose almost everywhere. The first in Europe was established in Constantinople in 1551. In London, the first coffeehouse was opened in Newman's court, Cornhill, in 1652, by a Greek named Pasquet. This Greek was the servant of an English merchant named Edwards, who brought some C. with him from Smyrna, and whose house, when the fact became known, was so thronged with friends and visitors to taste the new beverage, that to relieve himself from annoyance, Edwards established his servant in a coffee-house. The first coffee-house in France was opened at Marseilles iu 1671, and in 1672 there was one opened iu Paris, which soon had several competitors.
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Posted by tlowing on 2008-03-18 09:40:10 Post Subject:
From Physical Geography
By Mary Somerville, 1854
The earlier history of the C. tree is not very clear. It was not known to the Greeks or Romans; but in Abyssinia and Ethiopia it has been used from time immemorial; and in Arabia it was certainly in use in the 15th c., and over the rest of the east in the 16th century. Towards the end of the 17th c., it was carried from Mocha to Batavia by Wieser, a burgomaster of Amsterdam, where it was soon extensively planted, and at last young plants were sent to the botanical garden at Amsterdam, from which the Paris garden obtained a tree. A layer of this was carried out to Martinique in 1720, where it succeeded so well, that in a few years all the West Indies could be supplied with young trees.
The employment of C. as a beverage was introduced from Arabia, in the 16th c.,into Egypt ana Constantinople. Leonhard Rauwolf, a German physician, was probably the first to make C. known in Europe, by the account of his travels printed in 1573. Soon after the first introduction of C., COFFEE-HOUSES arose almost everywhere. The first in Europe was established in Constantinople in 1551. In London, the first coffeehouse was opened in Newman's court, Cornhill, in 1652, by a Greek named Pasquet. This Greek was the servant of an English merchant named Edwards, who brought some C. with him from Smyrna, and whose house, when the fact became known, was so thronged with friends and visitors to taste the new beverage, that to relieve himself from annoyance, Edwards established his servant in a coffee-house. The first coffee-house in France was opened at Marseilles iu 1671, and in 1672 there was one opened iu Paris, which soon had several competitors.
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View entire thread: Examples of monthly expenses/budget and opinions
Posted by Beanster on 2006-08-10 11:03:29 Post Subject: Examples of monthly expenses/budget and opinions
I've been reading this forum about a week and read A LOT of the posts so it's kind of run together in my head now and most info I've probably found but can't find exact threads. Basically just want an example of monthly expenses such as rent, etc. This will be just a small double drive-thru. Going to try and paint a picture of the area and what I plan to do and also get opinions on if you think it would work/be a good idea.
Also startup costs. I need to try and get it done as low cost as possible for me to be able to afford it. I'm looking at a building that isn't a drive thru but looks to be about the same size as a typical double espresso drive-thru I've been seeing online and on this forum. So drive-thru windows could be built on both sides. I am guessing for the most part the inside will just need to have the equipment dropped in. It's a small half-block from a university with an enrollment of about 6,500.
This block is basically an island block that follows a busy road this building is on(with the building being on the busy street end of the block). So on one side the busy 4 lane road, the other a street that has the college on the left, the half block on the right. Both sides have apts, college oriented shops/bars/university bookstore/laundromats/burger joint etc. Also a few small offices like real estate, chiropractors, etc. No coffee shops though. Heck, there is even a roaster down the street!
There is a drive-thru Starbucks down the road though less than 5 minutes but it's more when you get to a major retail/shopping zone. Also in another direction the popular local coffeehouse(that also has a drive-thru) that is less than 5 minutes away. Service there is slow though and half the time I'll give up on waiting at the drive-thru for someone to say something and just go in. There are no other specialty coffee joints in the city except for one inside a Hastings(like having a Starbucks inside a Barnes and Noble). And the city population is 90,000.
The location was previously a tiny take out/delivery pizza shop that wasn't open long. Probably been closed a year/year and a half. I remember there was a lot of buzz about it. A lot of business from college students dropping by for a slice or 2. I remember calling a few times trying to place orders and nobody would answer and would sometimes not be willing to deliver. I think they probably closed because they were overwhelmed and maybe over their head/ill prepared. Not because of lack of business.
So I think it could be a good location. It's not a very attractive spot I wouldn't think for most businesses because I don't think much could be done with the small space. Nothing special to look at basically a rectangular wooden box with paint. I don't think people would know what to do with it. But thinking along the lines of what I plan to do I think it could work well as a drive-thru. One negative is that driving down the main road from one side you can't see it until you're driving by because a vacant taller/larger building next to it(would be just enough room between for a drive-thru lane) is pretty close to the street. But coming from the other direction you can see it from a ways off and it's the right side of the street. I do still need to do a traffic count.
Like I said I'm trying to do this relatively cheaply. So I'm figuring it will be cheaper than having a building built and putting it on a site and having to get all the plumbing/electr. etc. done. And I know people recommend getting the best site as opposed to cheapest but I do think this one would be good and very low overhead. And once I proved I was making this work I could then have an easier job of getting some good financing and opening another location that might be more profitable. Although I do think this spot could work great. I'm guessing rent would be very low for this spot. Cost of living is low here in the first place. I freak out seeing people that have to pay thousands on rent. This place may be in the low hundreds I'm guessing. I figure I won't HAVE to sell as much coffee at this location as the avg. coffee drive-thru to make money. And I don't need to get rich, If I netted 25-30k/year for myself I'd be happy. And no I don't even expect to make much money if at all the first year.
So basically with all my rambling descriptions do you think this is the type of spot that could work? And could someone project startup costs, like cheap ways of getting the equipment(leasing? remember someone mentioning the distributor gave them free equipment to work with them exclusively? and so on?). It's possible when it comes to the building I may not have to do much more than drop the equipment, paint the exterior, get signage, and pave the lot(uh, just gravel right now). Of course, no way of knowing what's up on the inside right now so that's best case I figure. So what am I missing under the best case scenario?
Then also the monthly expenses so I can get an idea of how much coffee I'd need to sell? I do plan to serve bagels and muffins in the morning in addition to the coffee. Maybe breakfast sandwiches made out of bagels and croissants. And breakfast burritos. If you serve breakfast burritos in these parts, people WILL come. Then after 11am probably paninis.
Sorry for the long-windedness! Just drank a 'grande' latte and that java jive is making my brain jump all over the place!
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Posted by Beanster on 2006-08-10 11:03:29 Post Subject: Examples of monthly expenses/budget and opinions
I've been reading this forum about a week and read A LOT of the posts so it's kind of run together in my head now and most info I've probably found but can't find exact threads. Basically just want an example of monthly expenses such as rent, etc. This will be just a small double drive-thru. Going to try and paint a picture of the area and what I plan to do and also get opinions on if you think it would work/be a good idea.
Also startup costs. I need to try and get it done as low cost as possible for me to be able to afford it. I'm looking at a building that isn't a drive thru but looks to be about the same size as a typical double espresso drive-thru I've been seeing online and on this forum. So drive-thru windows could be built on both sides. I am guessing for the most part the inside will just need to have the equipment dropped in. It's a small half-block from a university with an enrollment of about 6,500.
This block is basically an island block that follows a busy road this building is on(with the building being on the busy street end of the block). So on one side the busy 4 lane road, the other a street that has the college on the left, the half block on the right. Both sides have apts, college oriented shops/bars/university bookstore/laundromats/burger joint etc. Also a few small offices like real estate, chiropractors, etc. No coffee shops though. Heck, there is even a roaster down the street!
There is a drive-thru Starbucks down the road though less than 5 minutes but it's more when you get to a major retail/shopping zone. Also in another direction the popular local coffeehouse(that also has a drive-thru) that is less than 5 minutes away. Service there is slow though and half the time I'll give up on waiting at the drive-thru for someone to say something and just go in. There are no other specialty coffee joints in the city except for one inside a Hastings(like having a Starbucks inside a Barnes and Noble). And the city population is 90,000.
The location was previously a tiny take out/delivery pizza shop that wasn't open long. Probably been closed a year/year and a half. I remember there was a lot of buzz about it. A lot of business from college students dropping by for a slice or 2. I remember calling a few times trying to place orders and nobody would answer and would sometimes not be willing to deliver. I think they probably closed because they were overwhelmed and maybe over their head/ill prepared. Not because of lack of business.
So I think it could be a good location. It's not a very attractive spot I wouldn't think for most businesses because I don't think much could be done with the small space. Nothing special to look at basically a rectangular wooden box with paint. I don't think people would know what to do with it. But thinking along the lines of what I plan to do I think it could work well as a drive-thru. One negative is that driving down the main road from one side you can't see it until you're driving by because a vacant taller/larger building next to it(would be just enough room between for a drive-thru lane) is pretty close to the street. But coming from the other direction you can see it from a ways off and it's the right side of the street. I do still need to do a traffic count.
Like I said I'm trying to do this relatively cheaply. So I'm figuring it will be cheaper than having a building built and putting it on a site and having to get all the plumbing/electr. etc. done. And I know people recommend getting the best site as opposed to cheapest but I do think this one would be good and very low overhead. And once I proved I was making this work I could then have an easier job of getting some good financing and opening another location that might be more profitable. Although I do think this spot could work great. I'm guessing rent would be very low for this spot. Cost of living is low here in the first place. I freak out seeing people that have to pay thousands on rent. This place may be in the low hundreds I'm guessing. I figure I won't HAVE to sell as much coffee at this location as the avg. coffee drive-thru to make money. And I don't need to get rich, If I netted 25-30k/year for myself I'd be happy. And no I don't even expect to make much money if at all the first year.
So basically with all my rambling descriptions do you think this is the type of spot that could work? And could someone project startup costs, like cheap ways of getting the equipment(leasing? remember someone mentioning the distributor gave them free equipment to work with them exclusively? and so on?). It's possible when it comes to the building I may not have to do much more than drop the equipment, paint the exterior, get signage, and pave the lot(uh, just gravel right now). Of course, no way of knowing what's up on the inside right now so that's best case I figure. So what am I missing under the best case scenario?
Then also the monthly expenses so I can get an idea of how much coffee I'd need to sell? I do plan to serve bagels and muffins in the morning in addition to the coffee. Maybe breakfast sandwiches made out of bagels and croissants. And breakfast burritos. If you serve breakfast burritos in these parts, people WILL come. Then after 11am probably paninis.
Sorry for the long-windedness! Just drank a 'grande' latte and that java jive is making my brain jump all over the place!
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View entire thread: You know you drink too much coffee when...
Posted by JavaQueen on 2005-02-25 11:40:53 Post Subject: You know you drink too much coffee when...
Juan Valdez names his mule after you.
You chew on your roommate's fingernails.
You can jump-start your car without cables.
You do twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in.
You can't remember your second cup.
You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
Starbucks has a mortgage on your house.
Your birthday is a national holiday in Columbia.
You don't sweat - you percolate.
You grind coffee beans in your mouth
You spend every vacation visiting "Maxwell House."
You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
Your T-shirt says, "Decaffeinated coffee is the devil's coffee."
Your so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
Cocaine is a downer.
All your kids are named "Joe."
When someone says. "How are you?", you say, "Good to the last drop."
You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can
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Posted by JavaQueen on 2005-02-25 11:40:53 Post Subject: You know you drink too much coffee when...
Juan Valdez names his mule after you.
You chew on your roommate's fingernails.
You can jump-start your car without cables.
You do twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in.
You can't remember your second cup.
You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
Starbucks has a mortgage on your house.
Your birthday is a national holiday in Columbia.
You don't sweat - you percolate.
You grind coffee beans in your mouth
You spend every vacation visiting "Maxwell House."
You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
Your T-shirt says, "Decaffeinated coffee is the devil's coffee."
Your so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
Cocaine is a downer.
All your kids are named "Joe."
When someone says. "How are you?", you say, "Good to the last drop."
You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can
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View entire thread: Coffee Jokes
Posted by jimmyboy on 2006-08-07 14:38:04 Post Subject: Re: Coffee Jokes
Why Coffee Is Better Than Men
A cup of coffee looks good in the morning. You won't fall asleep after a cup of coffee. You can always warm coffee up. Coffee comes with endless refills. You won't get arrested for ordering coffee at 3 AM. Coffee is out of your system by tomorrow morning. You can make coffee as sweet as you want. Coffee smells and tastes good. You can turn the pot on, leave the room, and it'll be hot when you get back. They have coffee at police stations. You can always ditch a bad cup of coffee. No matter how ugly you are, you can always get a cup of coffee. A big cup or small cup? It doesn't matter. You can have an intelligent conversation with coffee. Coffee is ready in 15 minutes or less. Coffee doesn't take up half your bed. Coffee doesn't mind if you wake up at 3 AM and decide to have a cup. INSTANT COFFEE!
Yeah...this one has women written all over it. Nice title change.
-------------------------------------------
78 Ways to know if you drink too much coffee...
You answer the door before people knock.
Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.
The only kitchen appliances you own are made by Mr. Coffee.
You ski uphill.
You get a tax cut for all the coffee you bought.
You get a speeding ticket even when you're parked.
You speed walk in your sleep.
You have a bumper sticker that says: "Coffee drinkers are good in the sack."
You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
You just completed another sweater and you don't know how to knit.
You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
You sleep with your eyes open.
When you open your dish cabinet, and there are only mugs.
You have to watch videos in fast-forward.
The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.
You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
You lick your coffeepot clean.
You spend every vacation visiting "Maxwell House."
You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
You've worn out your third pair of tennis shoes this week.
Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
Your coffee cake, must have coffee in it.
You chew other people's fingernails.
Your T-shirt says, "Decaffeinated coffee is the devil's blend."
You're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
You can type sixty words per minute... with your feet.
The only gift you get for Valentines Day you get chocolate covered beans.
You can jump-start your car without cables.
All your kids are named "Joe".
Your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low."
You don't sweat, you percolate.
You buy 1/2 & 1/2 by the barrel.
You've worn out the handle on your favorite mug.
You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in.
You forget to unwrap candy bars before eating them.
Richard Simmons thinks you need to calm down.
Every shirt or blouse you own has a coffee stain on it.
You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
People get dizzy just watching you.
You've worn the finish off your coffee table.
The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you.
Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
You're so wired, you pick up AM radio and people test their batteries in your ears.
Your life's goal is to amount to a hill of beans.
Instant coffee takes too long.
When someone says. "How are you?", you say, "Good to the last drop."
You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.
You want to come back as a coffee mug in your next life.
Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil.
Your hand is permanently shaped to hold your mug.
You'd be willing to spend time in a Turkish prison.
You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
You're offended when people use the word "brew" to mean beer.
You name your cats "Cream" and "Sugar."
You get drunk just so you can sober up.
You speak perfect Arabic without ever taking a lesson.
Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.
You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
You can jump to the moon.
You short out motion detectors.
You cry over spilled milk.
You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
Your nervous twitch registers on the Richter scale.
You think being called a "drip" is a compliment.
You don't tan, you roast.
You don't get mad, you get steamed.
Your three favorite things in life are...coffee before, coffee during and coffee after.
Your lover uses soft lights, romantic music, and a glass of iced coffee to get you in the mood.
You can't even remember your second cup.
You help your dog chase its tail.
You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.
Your coffee mug is insured by Lloyds of London.
You introduce your spouse as your coffeemate.
You think CPR stands for "Coffee Provides Resuscitation."
Your first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee with an I.V. hookup.
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Posted by jimmyboy on 2006-08-07 14:38:04 Post Subject: Re: Coffee Jokes
Why Coffee Is Better Than Men
A cup of coffee looks good in the morning. You won't fall asleep after a cup of coffee. You can always warm coffee up. Coffee comes with endless refills. You won't get arrested for ordering coffee at 3 AM. Coffee is out of your system by tomorrow morning. You can make coffee as sweet as you want. Coffee smells and tastes good. You can turn the pot on, leave the room, and it'll be hot when you get back. They have coffee at police stations. You can always ditch a bad cup of coffee. No matter how ugly you are, you can always get a cup of coffee. A big cup or small cup? It doesn't matter. You can have an intelligent conversation with coffee. Coffee is ready in 15 minutes or less. Coffee doesn't take up half your bed. Coffee doesn't mind if you wake up at 3 AM and decide to have a cup. INSTANT COFFEE!
Yeah...this one has women written all over it. Nice title change.
-------------------------------------------
78 Ways to know if you drink too much coffee...
You answer the door before people knock.
Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.
The only kitchen appliances you own are made by Mr. Coffee.
You ski uphill.
You get a tax cut for all the coffee you bought.
You get a speeding ticket even when you're parked.
You speed walk in your sleep.
You have a bumper sticker that says: "Coffee drinkers are good in the sack."
You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
You just completed another sweater and you don't know how to knit.
You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
You sleep with your eyes open.
When you open your dish cabinet, and there are only mugs.
You have to watch videos in fast-forward.
The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.
You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
You lick your coffeepot clean.
You spend every vacation visiting "Maxwell House."
You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
You've worn out your third pair of tennis shoes this week.
Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
Your coffee cake, must have coffee in it.
You chew other people's fingernails.
Your T-shirt says, "Decaffeinated coffee is the devil's blend."
You're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
You can type sixty words per minute... with your feet.
The only gift you get for Valentines Day you get chocolate covered beans.
You can jump-start your car without cables.
All your kids are named "Joe".
Your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low."
You don't sweat, you percolate.
You buy 1/2 & 1/2 by the barrel.
You've worn out the handle on your favorite mug.
You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in.
You forget to unwrap candy bars before eating them.
Richard Simmons thinks you need to calm down.
Every shirt or blouse you own has a coffee stain on it.
You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
People get dizzy just watching you.
You've worn the finish off your coffee table.
The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you.
Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
You're so wired, you pick up AM radio and people test their batteries in your ears.
Your life's goal is to amount to a hill of beans.
Instant coffee takes too long.
When someone says. "How are you?", you say, "Good to the last drop."
You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.
You want to come back as a coffee mug in your next life.
Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil.
Your hand is permanently shaped to hold your mug.
You'd be willing to spend time in a Turkish prison.
You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
You're offended when people use the word "brew" to mean beer.
You name your cats "Cream" and "Sugar."
You get drunk just so you can sober up.
You speak perfect Arabic without ever taking a lesson.
Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.
You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
You can jump to the moon.
You short out motion detectors.
You cry over spilled milk.
You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
Your nervous twitch registers on the Richter scale.
You think being called a "drip" is a compliment.
You don't tan, you roast.
You don't get mad, you get steamed.
Your three favorite things in life are...coffee before, coffee during and coffee after.
Your lover uses soft lights, romantic music, and a glass of iced coffee to get you in the mood.
You can't even remember your second cup.
You help your dog chase its tail.
You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.
Your coffee mug is insured by Lloyds of London.
You introduce your spouse as your coffeemate.
You think CPR stands for "Coffee Provides Resuscitation."
Your first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee with an I.V. hookup.
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View entire thread: Valuation of existing espresso cafe
Posted by Ellie on 2005-04-08 07:13:38 Post Subject:
I am not a business broker either, but I did work in large business acquisistion analysis in a previous life. What we were concerned with was the potential for future earnings. Are the fixed assets (espresso machine, grinders, etc.) going to really work for you, or will you need to replace them soon? Even tho we don't ordinarily think of employees as fixed assets, they are indeed assets, and I saw a coffehouse fail here when the employees decided they didn't like the new owner, and resigned en masse. How long does the lease contract at $800/mo go for (factor in a higher lease rate if the lease is up soon).
Do you have ideas for how you can increase sales, or do you think sales are about at the highest they can realistically get? Can you do a better management job, or reduce expenses?
Another question - $5,000 seems high to me for inventory for a coffeehouse that size. Does it to you?
After looking at all the factors, we actually did like they do in the textbooks, and discounted future (about 20 yrs out) free cash flows (after tax) back to the present. No, we did not add in the value of the assets. And then we used that as a jumping-off point in negotiations.
Hope this helps a little.
Ellie
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Posted by Ellie on 2005-04-08 07:13:38 Post Subject:
I am not a business broker either, but I did work in large business acquisistion analysis in a previous life. What we were concerned with was the potential for future earnings. Are the fixed assets (espresso machine, grinders, etc.) going to really work for you, or will you need to replace them soon? Even tho we don't ordinarily think of employees as fixed assets, they are indeed assets, and I saw a coffehouse fail here when the employees decided they didn't like the new owner, and resigned en masse. How long does the lease contract at $800/mo go for (factor in a higher lease rate if the lease is up soon).
Do you have ideas for how you can increase sales, or do you think sales are about at the highest they can realistically get? Can you do a better management job, or reduce expenses?
Another question - $5,000 seems high to me for inventory for a coffeehouse that size. Does it to you?
After looking at all the factors, we actually did like they do in the textbooks, and discounted future (about 20 yrs out) free cash flows (after tax) back to the present. No, we did not add in the value of the assets. And then we used that as a jumping-off point in negotiations.
Hope this helps a little.
Ellie
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View entire thread: roast or not to roast??
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-06-30 12:42:04 Post Subject:
Assuming you are asking about drum roasting, if you have never roast before, Diedrich in Sandpoint, Idaho, Ambex, and other roaster manufacturers offer seminar that will give you some ideas if roasting is for you. Roasting is not hard to learn, but it takes effort and dedication to be a decent roaster, never mind a master roaster. Without a doubt roasting adds additional complexities to your operation. But if you can roast better than average beans, the positives are that your cost of beans is lower, your beans are more fresh, and all things being equal your customers will think your shop is more quality oriented. The negative are that if you cannot deliver on the perceived quality, i.e. your coffee taste no better than the shop down the street, then it's a waste of your money and your time. Oh, did I mention roaster fire? Ultimately, it all depends on your level of expertise. If you have plenty of experience running a coffeehouse, then it's up to you if you want to take the next step.
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-06-30 12:42:04 Post Subject:
Assuming you are asking about drum roasting, if you have never roast before, Diedrich in Sandpoint, Idaho, Ambex, and other roaster manufacturers offer seminar that will give you some ideas if roasting is for you. Roasting is not hard to learn, but it takes effort and dedication to be a decent roaster, never mind a master roaster. Without a doubt roasting adds additional complexities to your operation. But if you can roast better than average beans, the positives are that your cost of beans is lower, your beans are more fresh, and all things being equal your customers will think your shop is more quality oriented. The negative are that if you cannot deliver on the perceived quality, i.e. your coffee taste no better than the shop down the street, then it's a waste of your money and your time. Oh, did I mention roaster fire? Ultimately, it all depends on your level of expertise. If you have plenty of experience running a coffeehouse, then it's up to you if you want to take the next step.
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View entire thread: Does Anyone Ever RENT a Roaster?
Posted by Aliciajane on 2004-10-25 14:59:26 Post Subject: Does Anyone Ever RENT a Roaster?
Hi - I'm relatively new to the forum (though I've been reading it for a little while now). My husband and I are currently writing a business plan for a coffeehouse that would include a custom roasting component. From the reading I've done, it seems like a good roaster could cost upwards of $14,000...is this not true?
Here's my question - and I hope it's not stupid - does anyone ever rent a roaster? Our thought is that we could rent for a year or so and then buy a roaster when our business was off the ground and survival more certain. Buying the espresso machine, etc. makes plenty of sense - but this big piece for the roaster does take a chunk of funding we'd rather put up after things are stable.
Any thoughts are helpful -thanks!
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Posted by Aliciajane on 2004-10-25 14:59:26 Post Subject: Does Anyone Ever RENT a Roaster?
Hi - I'm relatively new to the forum (though I've been reading it for a little while now). My husband and I are currently writing a business plan for a coffeehouse that would include a custom roasting component. From the reading I've done, it seems like a good roaster could cost upwards of $14,000...is this not true?
Here's my question - and I hope it's not stupid - does anyone ever rent a roaster? Our thought is that we could rent for a year or so and then buy a roaster when our business was off the ground and survival more certain. Buying the espresso machine, etc. makes plenty of sense - but this big piece for the roaster does take a chunk of funding we'd rather put up after things are stable.
Any thoughts are helpful -thanks!
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View entire thread: New to the Coffee Business
Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-03-15 16:34:19 Post Subject:
www.freshcup.com
www.teaandcoffee.net
However, trade journals are not going to give you as much knowledge as actually working in a quality oriented coffeehouse.
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Posted by ElPugDiablo on 2005-03-15 16:34:19 Post Subject:
www.freshcup.com
www.teaandcoffee.net
However, trade journals are not going to give you as much knowledge as actually working in a quality oriented coffeehouse.
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View entire thread: Fresh Cup Roadshow
Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-25 14:22:18 Post Subject: Fresh Cup Roadshow - Report
Just wanted to post a report from our experience this past weekend attending the Fresh Cup Roadshow in Minneapolis:
We had a great time, met a lot of new people, got to chat with a number of reps, both potential and current, and attended a number of seminars that gave us a lot to think about with our coffeehouse.
I would recommend that anyone with the ability to attend one of the next shows in Dallas or Pittsburgh do so. You will not be disappointed with what you learn and see. If anyone is interested in some specifics of our time at the Show, contact me privately with your questions.
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Posted by Comfy Place on 2006-07-25 14:22:18 Post Subject: Fresh Cup Roadshow - Report
Just wanted to post a report from our experience this past weekend attending the Fresh Cup Roadshow in Minneapolis:
We had a great time, met a lot of new people, got to chat with a number of reps, both potential and current, and attended a number of seminars that gave us a lot to think about with our coffeehouse.
I would recommend that anyone with the ability to attend one of the next shows in Dallas or Pittsburgh do so. You will not be disappointed with what you learn and see. If anyone is interested in some specifics of our time at the Show, contact me privately with your questions.
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View entire thread: Reccomendations?
Posted by CCafe on 2007-02-15 05:38:17 Post Subject:
Instead of looking at a 3 or 4 group how about two 2 groups. This way you have redundancy incase one machine crashes. I maintain a 3 group and a 2 group for the coffeehouse I work for. 7 months out of the year the 2 group is barely used. The other 5 its solely used for Farmers Market on Saturday.
It is there for when I take the 3 group down for maintenance.
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Posted by CCafe on 2007-02-15 05:38:17 Post Subject:
Instead of looking at a 3 or 4 group how about two 2 groups. This way you have redundancy incase one machine crashes. I maintain a 3 group and a 2 group for the coffeehouse I work for. 7 months out of the year the 2 group is barely used. The other 5 its solely used for Farmers Market on Saturday.
It is there for when I take the 3 group down for maintenance.
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