What makes your shop unique?

[koffeekettle]

What is it about your shop that makes attracts people (and keeps 'em coming back) instead of going to the place down the street.

internet access?
live music/performances?
interesting books/games?
???


Just wondering.

 

[ElPugDiablo]

coffee :!:

 

[Muddycup]

coffee, product consistency, staff interaction with the customer.

 

[Grove_and_Grind]

My cafe is quite unique. I sell my products not only across the kitchen table but over the internet. I also franchise my cafe's with the goal to have one on every steet corner in North America. Big dreams but quickly becoming a reality

 

[Muddycup]

sorry,, I smell a multi-level affiliate program promotion going here!

 

[Grove_and_Grind]

I have no idea of what a multi level affiliate program is. Are you asking if it is network marketting program? If so I wouldn't be so stupid as to play smoke and mirrors because it certainly is. I have also owned a number of other businesses other than network marketting and to be quite honest none of them payed anywhere near the same money. I'm not here to promote anything so relax. It's to bad that NM has gained such a bad rep because of the rotten apples out there, it trully is a great industry if you are with the right people...notice I didn't say company. I am personally on the board for this company and resposible for designing the matrix and comp plan. It trully is unique to the MLM mentality most people hold as the car salesman attitude. I always find myself having to defend my position in NM but the truth is I have helped many people change their lives and for that I refuse to feel guilty or shamed. You provide a service or product and so do I. The only difference here is I allow people to sell the same products and services while training them to do so. If that makes me less a businessman in your eyes Then that's a shame. Please accept the fact that I am here to learn as you and give helpful advice to you. I posted a help topic on internet marketting and received a response from you that internet cafes were a thing of the past...thanks for the help.

 

[Muddycup]

MLM businesses have there place in society, "some" of the topics on this forum as well as the other forums on the internet are for and about coffee, future coffee shop owners and those who own their own shop.

I am not asking you to defend yourself, I am sure that you are successfull and want to share that. When you answer a question on any forum respond to the thread and try not to relate it each time to the MLM.

As far as Internet cafes, almost all metro areas in the next few years will have regional Wifi's, most people will move from not owning a PC to laptop or moblie devices, this is the future, having strickly a cafe devoted to internet is "in my opinion" out dated. Having PC's as an adjunct to a coffee house can be beneficial.

 

[Grove_and_Grind]

I'm not out to disagree with you that internet cafe's as a physical location aren't a possible wave to the future. Even Starbucks is headed in that direction. But they also sell coffee over the web no different than I. Like I said our company is unique as we have already puchased a building to set up a internet cafe with a roaster and tasting area.Similar to going to a micro brew pub where you can witness the coffee being roasted in real time. The tasting area will serve as a place people can pay a price on different packages for a tour and tasting experience all rolled into one. So where my meat and bones is NM our vision is much bigger than that.

 

[Muddycup]

I agree with you, I think coffee house/roasting tasting concept sounds great, just like coffee houses that actually cook food, have live performances and stages, or coffee houses that have beer and wine. These are all variations of the same original concept and anyone looking to open ther own shop should include these ideas in there business plan.

What I mean't about internet cafes is that having a cafe that is set up mostly for internet use only, i.e. computers you charge for, is becoming out dated, most cities will have free regional WiFi soon, starbuck will be $%#@ out of luck soon. Having some computers (internet cafe) as an addition to other revenue streams is fine, I find alot of people who are visting from out of town always want to check there e-mail

 

[CCafe]

I have to agree with Muddycup on this one. We started out in 1997 with 3 paid Internet Kiosks and then went down to 2 in 2000. Now after 6 years were starting to contemplate going down to just 1 machine.

5 to 10 years ago most people were using laptops for business use. That has been slowing changing and now more people are using them for personal use. This change is going to kill the paid Internet Cafe.

As of right now the only reason I see to starting a computer cafe is for gaming purpose’s. Even with that it is still going to be a hard one to pull off.

 

[topher]

My favorite had to be the last shop that I roasted for. I added a full liquor bar for coffee based drinks...average price was $9.50...very top notch!