Kicking around the idea....Christian coffeehouse

[ChristianEdge]

Latte $1.25
Cappuccinos $1.50
Smoothies $2.50
Our only "Fundraising" (I use quotations, too) is selling coffee by-the-pound.
We pay $5.85 per lb for all coffee-whole bean, regular or decaf or flavored or not.
We sell it for $4.50 1/2 lb and $8.50 a full lb.

I see there are more recent posts when I search "Community Coffeehouse" so I'm going to jump there.
I'm new at this blog stuff, so please be patient with me until I find my way around.

Thanks Rose

 

[lynnibug]

Kellyco, that is an awesome idea and it appears you have a lot of support here. The best advice I can offer is to make Jesus the CEO! I would love to feature your story on my blog OneMonthOfWisdom.com/wisdomblog if you are willing to share it.

 

[coffeeroastersclub]

I think it is a great idea. I know people who are doing what you envision (people who have purchased roasters from me).

Len

 

[big foot marty]

It looks like this is a GOOD IDEA, On Good Friday afternoon- God Bless.

 

[Wakemeup]

I think a Christian coffee house is a wonderful idea! There are starting to appear in many states. You should visit their website to see what they are doing. Maybe that will help you develop your business concept!

 

[frothycoffee]

hey, i like the idea, but i wouldnt label it as "Christian", you wouldnt want to discourage nonchristian from coming into your coffee shop, christians shouldnt seperate themselves from the world

 

[topher]

I agree with frothycoffee. Why alienate non Christians?

 

[tortillatree]

I'll third the opinion. I'm a Christian, and a passionate one at that, but "Christian Coffeeshops" just feel and sound like a cult. I've seen a couple come and go, and instead of being a ministry to their neighborhood, they alienate everyone who doesn't consider themselves Christian.

Sooo...I DID work at a coffeeshop attached to a Christian bookstore, and that worked really well. Everyone is invited to come and hang out, and even read...

I also have worked at a standard coffeeshop that was just a coffeeshop, and that's probably the greatest chance for ministry of all. Welcome EVERYONE in, be their salt and lamppost, be the witness without rubbing it their face, be hospitable, loving, create the atmosphere for conversations to happen....

Okay, also, you want to be profitable, or you will be putting a lot of work into something that can't last. Yes, a latte only costs something like 55 cents to build, so $1.25 seems fair, but you'd better have really high volume if you're going to do that. If you only sell 10 drinks an hour, you're only making $7 an hour. That's not even enough to pay someone's wages, let alone the electric, heating, air conditioning, insurance, licenses, advertising, etc etc. There is a point where the prices become greedy, ie, if I see a latte for $4.50 I won't buy it, just for the fact that I feel I'm supporting greed. But I think somewhere in the middle wouldn't be unwise to shoot for.

 

[calchapman9]

I think it's a great idea. With enough planning and market research, you could get some loyal customers.

 

[David Hansen]

I like this idea. As a Christian it would be great to have a place to meet and socialize with fellow Christians outside of church. I don't drink alcohol and by the time church is over I'm ready to go home so something like this would be awesome.

 

[irriducibili]

how about combining it with christian library? sounds perfect for me.

 

[sidg]

Apparently I missed this thread when I joined here but would be interested to know if there is anyone else who is actually doing this.
We have a shop that has been opened now for 6 months that is owned by a church. It is actually a new new church start and new business start all in one which has its own trials let me assure you.
We are a for profit coffee shop that is owned by the nonprofit church. We are getting to be known in the community as a gathering space which has excellent coffee and baked goods. It is working in creating the community that we had envisioned and the church is starting to see people check out the Sunday morning gatherings who have gotten to know us through the shop.
There are some unique challenges when it comes to keeping a Christian focus such as making sure we don't look down upon people who come in just to use the rest room or those kids who come in asking for a cup of water. It means that while we want to maximize our profit we also do't want to do so at the expense of our mission. It means that we balance being an inviting place for other Christians to meet for Bible Study, etc. and not becoming only a place for Christians to gather.
Any one else want to share their challenges?
Sid

 

[brandonlink]

wow i think this could be a good idea. a cozy Christian coffee shop could be a great hangout, as long as the internet is fast and the coffee is good!!

Cedarville University

 

[responsiblecoffee]

There are Christian bookstores so why not! I think it would do well, although any new small business is going to have to be careful in this economy. However, serving a niche might actually help a small business right now, especially such a large niche like "Christian."

 

[RiverRoom]

Just came across this forum, I realize the thread began ten years ago, so I'm hoping some of those involved in the past are still active.

I have founded a Christian coffeehouse as an outreach for my church about three years ago called The River Room Coffeehouse. It has only been open on Friday nights, but we've had about 45 bands and groups at The River Room over the past three years. We sell sandwiches and drinks to raise funds to bless the bands or music ministry with a love offering.

Anyway, I feel God leading me to do something more commercial to reach more people and provide a non-churchy environment that might encourage those not going to church to come out and hear the music, and maybe even attend a church service on Sunday. So I am about to take over a restaurant with about 4900 sq ft. of space. It has a full kitchen, seats 140 people, and will also have two small conference rooms that seat about 30 people each.

I have a young lady with 8 years experience running a cafe/bakery who will be running the coffeehouse during the day. My vision is to be open for breakfast and lunch. Still debating as to be open for dinner or not. My thoughts are to have a space of ministries to utilize the restaurant for meetings and such in the evenings. Will have live music on Friday and Saturday nights with Christian bands and artists as in the past.

I would appreciate any feedback from those who have gone on and done this ahead of me. Checking out this forum, there are many. So I hope you can share what you found are loved by the community, disliked by the community, profitable, and anything that would lead to success. This will be a nonprofit church running a for profit coffeehouse. Our desire is to hopefully draw those people who aren't going to a church, have been hurt by churches in the past to feel comfortable in coming to hear the music and maybe even attending a Sunday service. Also, want to provide a quite place for Christians and non Christians to relax, talk, and fellowship. Not looking for homesteaders, but would welcome people staying for 30 to 50 minutes or so.

My name is Ray Boetcher, and would welcome your posts. If the information is lengthly and detailed, it would probably be best to email me at theriverroom AT minister DOT com. I would love for you to visit us online at TheRiverRoomCoffeehouse dot com ( I hope that was OK to give this URL, I am not trying to sell anything, just seeking input and advice based on what I've been doing). The website will of course be changing when we become a full fledged cafe/coffeehouse open for breakfast and lunch.

Thanks for this forum. Hope to one day be able to offer advice that will help someone else starting out.