Opening new Coffee & Wine Bar in Minneapolis area

[skeeter]

I have plans in place to open a coffee and wine bar in May of this year.

I'm curious if anyone offers wine by the glass?

Anyone seen wine bars in other espresso bars (ie not full restaurants)? I know PJ's (out of Louisiana and now Atlanta) new concept is to incorporate coffee and wine. And I just saw a Barnies in FL with wine and beer by the glass in the evening.

Just wondering about the independents. Does anyone out there offer wine by the glass in the evening?

I would love to find someone in the Minneapolis area with the same vision to either manage the operation or perhaps even become a partner.

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[cafemakers]

The approach is great; these types of wine and coffee bars thrive in many countries around the world. There is no doubt in my mind that the concept would be more popular around the USA if alcohol laws were consistent and less restrictive.

For example, many states and local jurisdictions (Los Angeles, for one) prohibits businesses from serving wine unless a certain percentage of their revenue is derrived from serving food, or some other condition is met. In LA County you must operate a full service restaurant that makes 51% of its revenues from food before they will grant any license to serve an alcoholic beverage by the glass - wine and beer included. The other alternative is to start a full bar, but there are a limited number of available permits and your paperwork demand (and insurance costs) go through the roof.

We recently had a customer in Los Angeles investigate the possibility of serving wine by the glass in their coffee shop and found that unless they added a full kitchen and food menu, the best that they could do is sell wine by the bottle. The concept was abandoned.

I hope that Minneapolis is more reasonable!

Good luck,

Andrew

 

[coffee first]

bean & wine

skeeter: I live in western sub. of minneapolis. there are two shops in
Excelsior that have wine and beer.if you need good adv. call them .
DUNN BROS. and THE WINE & BEAN.
We have been looking for a coffee shop with a good location for almost
a year,most are asking to much for what they make. good luck

 

[Tam]

My husband and I are looking at a site south of the Minneapolis suburbs. Unfortunately, Caribou just opened in town. We're aiming at a lot on the commuter's route to Apple Valley.... with a non-Northwoods feel.

 

[ourcoffeebarn]

A wine and Coffee Shop sounds like a GREAT plan! I would say that wine by the bottle would be the easiest way to start, but I am a coffee roaster and coffee lover and only an occasional wine drinker. I am in west central Wisconsin only about 45 min from Apple Valley and I may be of some coffee help.

 

[upnorthcoffee]

Cindy,

Did I see your shop on Washington Ave & 4th Ave N or thereabouts? I was driving past the other day and saw coffee & wine on the window, but didn't think much more of it till now.

 

[Jmastrangelo]

I will be opening a coffee/wine/martini bar later this month in Westford, MA. Lots of people in this area have already expressed great interest in the concept. I will let you all know how it goes.

We will be roasting our own coffee beans to add a little to the usual coffee bar.

If you are every in the New England area, be sure to stop by Belle's Bistro. http://www.bellesbistro.com

 

[frozenx-plosion]

I have a product that might interest you guys.

 

[cafemakers]

I have a product that might interest you guys. It's a base that can be used to make the best blended cocktails (can also be used for coffee frappes and fruit smoothies). You have to try Kahlua FX, Irish Cream FX, Fuzzy navel FX and many more. You can even blend it with wine to make a fruity wine cocktail.

Let me know if you would like to try a free sample pack!

Some find this kind of advertising X-treemly annoying.

Kindly reserve the promotions for the Business to Business category, here: http://www.coffeeforums.com/viewforum.php?f=14

Thank you,

Andrew

 

[frozenx-plosion]

Sorry, didn't mean to upset anyone, more so trying to offer some help.

I have a product that might interest you guys. It's a base that can be used to make the best blended cocktails (can also be used for coffee frappes and fruit smoothies). You have to try Kahlua FX, Irish Cream FX, Fuzzy navel FX and many more. You can even blend it with wine to make a fruity wine cocktail.

Let me know if you would like to try a free sample pack!

Some find this kind of advertising X-treemly annoying.

Kindly reserve the promotions for the Business to Business category, here: http://www.coffeeforums.com/viewforum.php?f=14

Thank you,

Andrew

 

[CCafe]

Bravo!

 

[KS]

Wine & Espresso

We import Italian espresso and Meditteranean wines and it is our dream to open an espresso/wine bar. I'd love to be kept up to date on everyone's wine/espresso ventures. We have a line of Tuscan wines that we would like to sell by the glass if we get a place open. It would be our house wine and then I'd like to offer rotating specials on wines by the glass. One of our coffeehouse clients is a bar by night and they have run into some trouble by offering too many different wines by the glass. They don't stay extremely busy during the week and sometimes a bottle is ruined before more than a glass or two has been sold from it. Anyway, keep us up to date on any wine/espresso combo ventures.