affenarschgeil
New member
From my longtime experience in forums with a specific knowledge base, a lot of eyes are probably already rolling, but please bear with me--I take learning seriously. 
I just graduated with a BA in English with a concentration in Writing & Rhetoric (what a cliché, right?). It was several weeks ago, while in class, that a well-respected poet and professor of mine mentioned something that had been on my mind for most of my life: the area in which I live is sorely lacking a real café. She had taught in several major metropolitan areas in the northeast that all had such establishments where she could go to write. Over the next week, several more random people (always in Starbucks, or other major chain) asked me if I knew a privately-owned coffeeshop in the area where they could just go to relax and enjoy good coffee. I'm a first-generation American from an all-German family, so I've heard complaints about this lack my whole life--there is a heavy importance put on afternoon coffee & cake in the Fatherland. It got my mind racing, since I'd been deciding what to do with the [minimum] year I'm taking off before applying to MFA programs. (This is not to say that I'm treating this as "just something to do"--it is not. Owning a foodservice establishment has been a lifelong dream.) So in doing my research and putting together a business plan to assess feasibility, Google has directed me to this forum 8-9 times out of 10. So thank you to the community for the information I've been able to gather so far. I will now do my best to outline what I have for industry-experts to scrutinize.
First, the location:
It's a free-standing, historic building with original wood flooring and fireplace. The building is well-maintained and is overflowing with charm. It's just off the main street of a very busy, high end downtown area. It's only 1,300 square feet, but has room to expand with an outside patio area (my father is a carpenter, so this isn't an expense I'd worry about). I could easily count on an extra 1,000 square feet of outside space. Cost is $3,500 per month, but is probably negotiable. This downtown area has many well-regarded restaurants I've patronized, but only one dedicated café, which, in a word, sucks, at least in my opinion. I always question my server at each of these restaurants if they'd recommend any place to get coffee in the area, and none of them have ever had an answer. These restaurants also seem to consider coffee an after-thought.
The concept:
Return to an English coffeehouse idea, where there is an importance put on exchange of ideas, reading, and learning. I plan to have bookshelves with a "take a book, leave a book" motto. I will also offer intro & intermediate writing workshops taught by MFA students from the nearby university, with higher-level courses occasionally taught by professors. This downtown area hosts international poetry and literature festivals (as well as surrounding areas), and the poets/writers always patronize local establishments after readings. I'm confident my concept will attract poets and authors from these festivals. But this patronage alone won't sustain the business, so my main focus will, of course, be delivering a product of superior quality to anything in the area that espresso-connoisseurs will flock to. (It's worth mentioning many other international events occur here, including major tennis tournaments.) I also plan to host public debates, with teams required to do their research (with citations, to be scrutinized) and present their arguments in a classic debate model, with a moderator and questions from the audience. These will cover important local issues, possibly national issues should this idea take off. Possibly even eventually offer webcast of the debate, should demand exceed seating capacity. I aim to educate the community on important information and let them make up their own mind, rather than leave this up to the news...
I know this goes against the high-turnover model, where uncomfortable furniture is employed to push consumers out the door to fit more in, but I'm personally not a fan of this idea.
Equipment:
From my research, La Marzocco seems to consistently receive the best reviews from owners and operators. I have a base of equipment I know I'll need, but I know I'm missing important little things. Please feel free to add.
La Marzocco FB80 4 Group (4 group may be too much, but I'd rather err on the side of excessive)
La Marzocco Über Boiler
La Marzocco Swift Grinder
Roaster: undecided
iPads
Under Counter Fridge: undecided
Large Storage Fridge, will possibly build external walk-in.
Ice machine: undecided
Furnishings aren't a problem either. Industrial-strength tables can easily be built by me/father.
I'm also undecided on whether to purchase commercial percolators or experiment with siphon brewing. (I can't think of one place within hundreds of miles that siphon brews). I may offer both. I am, however, unfamiliar with siphon brewing, and would probably have to take a business trip to Japan to educate myself. :smile:
I plan to have 2-3 iPad stations for customers to order from and pay at, with one Expo monitor. If the app I have in mind for this doesn't exist, I will make it/have it made. I'm hesitant to have a pastry display case, because if I photograph my offerings, I can control how it looks at all times. I can also then use the iPad for up-selling: before checkout, offer baked goods with pictures, et cetera. Then, when picking up at the counter, I or my employees can then attempt to up-sell again. At this point, I will have samples to offer (this, in my mind, cuts down on the taste-test-only customer that samples just to sample after seeing it in a case. Also saves money and room on a giant case.)
Anything baked will be done by me, offsite. Offerings will start small, with limited-edition runs advertised on social media/website to bring people back in and test the market for particular items.
I also plan to offer a small wine list. I'm very tempted by the excellent margins on alcohol sales. Writers are also known to enjoy wine. ;-)
About me:
My first job, at 16, was at an ice cream parlor. About 8 months in, I was made key-holding Shift Manager for the night-shift. I spent about two years here before moving to commissioned electronics sales. I spent another two years here, having been offered jobs at higher-end places like Sound Advice and one local privately-owned place that sold equipment that cost more than the house I lived in, but ultimately decided to take a job at a high-end restaurant, because the other two were more career paths in a career I didn't want. While at the restaurant, I became the go-to guy for managers. Anytime anyone called out, I was called in, even if I'd never worked that position before: I worked just about every position here for almost three years. After this, I was done working for other people, at least for a while. I turned a lifelong hobby of thrift store shopping into a business, which I've run for almost three years now. I sell very high end rare clothing, antiques, art, et cetera. I have picked up several consignors along the way without even trying. I have 100% feedback on eBay, and am a Top Rated Seller. For what it's worth, I also earned my Eagle Scout at age 14 and have generally put in leadership positions in anything I've done.
In my spare time, I experiment in the kitchen. I've picked up and experimented with vintage and antique coffee-making equipment, as well as modern items. I do not have experience with commercial espresso machines, save the fully-automatic unit I used at the restaurant. I do, however, know how a cup of espresso should taste--I've sampled many offerings from all over the world. I'm not worried about learning my way around the machine, as I'm a good reader and a quick learner. I would not open doors until my employees and I can count on a 100% efficiency on a perfect pull.
I have estimated my overhead to what I think is pretty accurate. From my number crunching, I think what I have is feasible. I'm writing this in one sitting, so I've probably neglected to mention some things.
I appreciate the time anyone puts into reading this and am looking forward to reactions. Thank you!
I just graduated with a BA in English with a concentration in Writing & Rhetoric (what a cliché, right?). It was several weeks ago, while in class, that a well-respected poet and professor of mine mentioned something that had been on my mind for most of my life: the area in which I live is sorely lacking a real café. She had taught in several major metropolitan areas in the northeast that all had such establishments where she could go to write. Over the next week, several more random people (always in Starbucks, or other major chain) asked me if I knew a privately-owned coffeeshop in the area where they could just go to relax and enjoy good coffee. I'm a first-generation American from an all-German family, so I've heard complaints about this lack my whole life--there is a heavy importance put on afternoon coffee & cake in the Fatherland. It got my mind racing, since I'd been deciding what to do with the [minimum] year I'm taking off before applying to MFA programs. (This is not to say that I'm treating this as "just something to do"--it is not. Owning a foodservice establishment has been a lifelong dream.) So in doing my research and putting together a business plan to assess feasibility, Google has directed me to this forum 8-9 times out of 10. So thank you to the community for the information I've been able to gather so far. I will now do my best to outline what I have for industry-experts to scrutinize.
First, the location:
It's a free-standing, historic building with original wood flooring and fireplace. The building is well-maintained and is overflowing with charm. It's just off the main street of a very busy, high end downtown area. It's only 1,300 square feet, but has room to expand with an outside patio area (my father is a carpenter, so this isn't an expense I'd worry about). I could easily count on an extra 1,000 square feet of outside space. Cost is $3,500 per month, but is probably negotiable. This downtown area has many well-regarded restaurants I've patronized, but only one dedicated café, which, in a word, sucks, at least in my opinion. I always question my server at each of these restaurants if they'd recommend any place to get coffee in the area, and none of them have ever had an answer. These restaurants also seem to consider coffee an after-thought.
The concept:
Return to an English coffeehouse idea, where there is an importance put on exchange of ideas, reading, and learning. I plan to have bookshelves with a "take a book, leave a book" motto. I will also offer intro & intermediate writing workshops taught by MFA students from the nearby university, with higher-level courses occasionally taught by professors. This downtown area hosts international poetry and literature festivals (as well as surrounding areas), and the poets/writers always patronize local establishments after readings. I'm confident my concept will attract poets and authors from these festivals. But this patronage alone won't sustain the business, so my main focus will, of course, be delivering a product of superior quality to anything in the area that espresso-connoisseurs will flock to. (It's worth mentioning many other international events occur here, including major tennis tournaments.) I also plan to host public debates, with teams required to do their research (with citations, to be scrutinized) and present their arguments in a classic debate model, with a moderator and questions from the audience. These will cover important local issues, possibly national issues should this idea take off. Possibly even eventually offer webcast of the debate, should demand exceed seating capacity. I aim to educate the community on important information and let them make up their own mind, rather than leave this up to the news...
I know this goes against the high-turnover model, where uncomfortable furniture is employed to push consumers out the door to fit more in, but I'm personally not a fan of this idea.
Equipment:
From my research, La Marzocco seems to consistently receive the best reviews from owners and operators. I have a base of equipment I know I'll need, but I know I'm missing important little things. Please feel free to add.
La Marzocco FB80 4 Group (4 group may be too much, but I'd rather err on the side of excessive)
La Marzocco Über Boiler
La Marzocco Swift Grinder
Roaster: undecided
iPads
Under Counter Fridge: undecided
Large Storage Fridge, will possibly build external walk-in.
Ice machine: undecided
Furnishings aren't a problem either. Industrial-strength tables can easily be built by me/father.
I'm also undecided on whether to purchase commercial percolators or experiment with siphon brewing. (I can't think of one place within hundreds of miles that siphon brews). I may offer both. I am, however, unfamiliar with siphon brewing, and would probably have to take a business trip to Japan to educate myself. :smile:
I plan to have 2-3 iPad stations for customers to order from and pay at, with one Expo monitor. If the app I have in mind for this doesn't exist, I will make it/have it made. I'm hesitant to have a pastry display case, because if I photograph my offerings, I can control how it looks at all times. I can also then use the iPad for up-selling: before checkout, offer baked goods with pictures, et cetera. Then, when picking up at the counter, I or my employees can then attempt to up-sell again. At this point, I will have samples to offer (this, in my mind, cuts down on the taste-test-only customer that samples just to sample after seeing it in a case. Also saves money and room on a giant case.)
Anything baked will be done by me, offsite. Offerings will start small, with limited-edition runs advertised on social media/website to bring people back in and test the market for particular items.
I also plan to offer a small wine list. I'm very tempted by the excellent margins on alcohol sales. Writers are also known to enjoy wine. ;-)
About me:
My first job, at 16, was at an ice cream parlor. About 8 months in, I was made key-holding Shift Manager for the night-shift. I spent about two years here before moving to commissioned electronics sales. I spent another two years here, having been offered jobs at higher-end places like Sound Advice and one local privately-owned place that sold equipment that cost more than the house I lived in, but ultimately decided to take a job at a high-end restaurant, because the other two were more career paths in a career I didn't want. While at the restaurant, I became the go-to guy for managers. Anytime anyone called out, I was called in, even if I'd never worked that position before: I worked just about every position here for almost three years. After this, I was done working for other people, at least for a while. I turned a lifelong hobby of thrift store shopping into a business, which I've run for almost three years now. I sell very high end rare clothing, antiques, art, et cetera. I have picked up several consignors along the way without even trying. I have 100% feedback on eBay, and am a Top Rated Seller. For what it's worth, I also earned my Eagle Scout at age 14 and have generally put in leadership positions in anything I've done.
In my spare time, I experiment in the kitchen. I've picked up and experimented with vintage and antique coffee-making equipment, as well as modern items. I do not have experience with commercial espresso machines, save the fully-automatic unit I used at the restaurant. I do, however, know how a cup of espresso should taste--I've sampled many offerings from all over the world. I'm not worried about learning my way around the machine, as I'm a good reader and a quick learner. I would not open doors until my employees and I can count on a 100% efficiency on a perfect pull.
I have estimated my overhead to what I think is pretty accurate. From my number crunching, I think what I have is feasible. I'm writing this in one sitting, so I've probably neglected to mention some things.
I appreciate the time anyone puts into reading this and am looking forward to reactions. Thank you!
