yoopers2
New member
Hi all,
I am a newly registered member but have been lurking for a few weeks as I investigated the coffee industry. This group seems very similar to a sailing group that I belong to. A ton of very valuable advice, sharing information, humor and freindship.
I have recently found a good opportunity and am in a position timewise and financially to move ahead quickly and am looking for advice and information (sorry I don't have that much advice or information to offer right now in return as I have spent 20 years making paper and my exposure to coffee has been mostly drinking Mochas). I live in a larger midwest city of approximately 200,000. Coffee is starting to grow here (not booming by any means, but growing with about 8 sitdown coffee shops and 3 new drive throughs, and a new roastery).
The downtown area is very alive but unfortunately pretty saturated with about 4 shops (including a new SB) all within walking distance of the business district and the college so I was thinking at taking a different page from the business book and look to duplicate a business model that I have seen on my trips to Seattle and Chicago. It seems that nearly every good size grocery store in those cities has a very active coffee kiosk/cart. There is not a single grocery store around here that has anything other than bad complimentary coffee in 4 oz cups or an automatic type machine that you find in gas stations.
One of the largest stores around is only about 2 miles from my house and is in the process right now of tearing out the video store and they do not have definate plans on what to do with the area. I do not want the entire area as it is quite large but would like to pitch a coffee kiosk to them as they remodel in the next couple weeks or month. The space would be right at the main entrance but still contained within the store so it does not have a separate entrance.
Since I have seen alot of these in larger cities, I was hoping someone could share some key information to help put together a business proposal/plan in the next couple of weeks. It might be a hard sell as it is a new idea in this area but if I had some good reasons of why they work well in other areas it would really help me sell them on the idea. I guess some of what I would be looking for is to answer "what is in it for them": 1) what rent do I pay them? 2) do have have to pay electrical charges for a kiosk? 3) do I offer them a percentage of sales (like 1%)? 4) Do people with coffee in their hands shop longer?? 5)??
I have shopped around on the internet including some of the sites & resources mentioned on this forum for carts/kiosks so I have basic idea of equipment costs and needs. I am hoping the business experience on this site would help me get a quick start. Thanks for any information you can share....I promise future posts won't be so wordy!
Thanks,
Future Midwest Coffee King??? :roll:
I am a newly registered member but have been lurking for a few weeks as I investigated the coffee industry. This group seems very similar to a sailing group that I belong to. A ton of very valuable advice, sharing information, humor and freindship.
I have recently found a good opportunity and am in a position timewise and financially to move ahead quickly and am looking for advice and information (sorry I don't have that much advice or information to offer right now in return as I have spent 20 years making paper and my exposure to coffee has been mostly drinking Mochas). I live in a larger midwest city of approximately 200,000. Coffee is starting to grow here (not booming by any means, but growing with about 8 sitdown coffee shops and 3 new drive throughs, and a new roastery).
The downtown area is very alive but unfortunately pretty saturated with about 4 shops (including a new SB) all within walking distance of the business district and the college so I was thinking at taking a different page from the business book and look to duplicate a business model that I have seen on my trips to Seattle and Chicago. It seems that nearly every good size grocery store in those cities has a very active coffee kiosk/cart. There is not a single grocery store around here that has anything other than bad complimentary coffee in 4 oz cups or an automatic type machine that you find in gas stations.
One of the largest stores around is only about 2 miles from my house and is in the process right now of tearing out the video store and they do not have definate plans on what to do with the area. I do not want the entire area as it is quite large but would like to pitch a coffee kiosk to them as they remodel in the next couple weeks or month. The space would be right at the main entrance but still contained within the store so it does not have a separate entrance.
Since I have seen alot of these in larger cities, I was hoping someone could share some key information to help put together a business proposal/plan in the next couple of weeks. It might be a hard sell as it is a new idea in this area but if I had some good reasons of why they work well in other areas it would really help me sell them on the idea. I guess some of what I would be looking for is to answer "what is in it for them": 1) what rent do I pay them? 2) do have have to pay electrical charges for a kiosk? 3) do I offer them a percentage of sales (like 1%)? 4) Do people with coffee in their hands shop longer?? 5)??
I have shopped around on the internet including some of the sites & resources mentioned on this forum for carts/kiosks so I have basic idea of equipment costs and needs. I am hoping the business experience on this site would help me get a quick start. Thanks for any information you can share....I promise future posts won't be so wordy!
Thanks,
Future Midwest Coffee King??? :roll:
