COFFEE

HOUSE
BUSINESS PROPOSAL
INTRODUCTION
A coffee shop is an ideal business for a
gregarious person who appreciates fine coffee.
To open a successful coffee shop, you will need
equipment for brewing and serving coffee, as
well as decor and tables to create a friendly
atmosphere. The equipment for opening a
coffee shop can range from quite inexpensive
to extremely costly, depending on the quality of
the coffee you want to serve and the type of
coffee shop experience you want to provide.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Coffee Makers
Coffee shops make coffee, so you will need some
kind of equipment for brewing coffee in order to
open. You may choose an industrial coffee brewer,
or an espresso machine or both. When choosing
your coffee-brewing equipment, consider the type
of clientele you intend to draw. A high-end coffee
shop should have equipment to produce good
quality coffee, while a coffee shop geared towards
quickly serving a large volume of coffee should have
equipment that can brew a lot of coffee efficiently.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
COFFEE GRINDERS
In order to serve a quality cup of coffee,
you will need to grind the beans yourself.
Purchase an industrial coffee grinder
suitable for the type of brewing equipment
that you have, such as a grinder that is
typically used for espresso beans. Choose a
grinder that can handle the volume of
beans that you anticipate grinding.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
REFRIGERATION
You will need a refrigerator to hold your milk at
a suitable temperature. A small coffee shop
can often get by with a refrigerator designed
for home use, but if you will be doing a
considerable volume of business, you should
invest in a commercial refrigeration unit that
can hold plenty of inventory and keep your milk
cold even when the cooler door is opened
every few minutes.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
THERMAL POTS
If you will have a self-serve area for coffee
refills or milk at your coffee shop, you will
need to purchase thermal pots. These
thermoses will keep coffee hot and milk
cold even when they sit at room
temperature. Purchase large thermal pots
for coffee and smaller ones for milk.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
OPEN SIGN
A coffee shop should have a neon "open"
sign to signal to regular and potential
customers that they are open. A lit sign
makes potential customers who are driving
by much more likely to stop because they
are not risking taking the time to make a
detour only to find that your shop is closed.
EQUIMENT NEEDED
CASH REGISTER
Your coffee shop should have a cash
register to keep track of sales totals and
track transactions by category. You can
buy a cash register at an office supply store
or at a supplier that specializes in business
machines.
SERVICES & GOODS TO BE
OFFERED
• Hot and cold beverages
• Video game lounge
• Baked goods
• Burgers
• Free Wi-Fi
• Shakes & sundaes
• Delivery services
SUPPLIES NEEDED TO RUN THE
COFFEE SHOP
Furniture, Dishes and Equipment
The size of your coffee shop will determine how much furniture
and equipment you will need. Furniture needed includes
tables and chairs and possibly bar stools. Depending on the
beverages you choose to sell, the equipment you will need
can include coffee makers, tea brewers and dispensers,
espresso makers, smoothie makers, decanters and decanter
brewers, air pots and air-pot brewers and coffee grinders.
Additionally, you will need glasses, silverware and coffee
cups. An ice maker can be a beneficial accessory as well. If
you decide to include pies or pastries to compliment the
coffee, you will also need plates. A dishwasher and a
refrigerator are crucial in providing clean, efficient service.
SUPPLIES NEEDED TO RUN THE
COFFEE SHOP
Paper supplies
Many coffee drinkers enjoy having a cup of coffee
on the go. For this reason, it is important to include
disposable cups and lids in your supply list. Drinking
straws, stir straws, coffee filters, carry-out trays, coffee
sleeves, napkins and toiletries are also need to
operate a coffee house. If you elected to serve food
in your shop, carry-out trays are also important. It is
also vital to include proper storage containers for
opened products as well as labels so that they may
be properly identified.
SUPPLIES NEEDED TO RUN THE
COFFEE SHOP
Grocery Goods
In order for a coffee shop to run
successfully, you will need to ensure that
you have all of the necessary grocery
goods. This includes coffee beans, milk,
syrups, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, tea bags,
sweeteners, creamers or any other foods
you feel are useful in properly executing the
items on your menu.
SUPPLIES NEEDED TO RUN THE
COFFEE SHOP
Safety and Cleanliness
One of the most important aspects of any
business is maintaining customer and
employee safety and cleanliness. Supplies
needed for these aspects include mops,
brooms, buckets, cleaners, oven mitts or
gloves. Consider purchasing a first aid kit
and a fire extinguisher in case of
emergencies.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Open your coffee shop in the right
location. Target a local customer base.
Get to know the neighbourhood and
what types of people live there. In most
cases, you will be able to choose the
atmosphere of your coffee shop,
because every locale contains many
subsets of demographics. Make sure there
are enough people in the area to
patronize your business.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Scope out the competition. If another local
coffee shop attracts a funky, young customer
base, opt for a more austere atmosphere and
target a different customer base or plan to
out-funk the other place and steal some of
their loyal patrons. Learn how much the
competition charges for a coffee, a mocha,
a triple latte, a slice of pie. You can charge
more or less for your coffee products, but the
overall experience should reflect the price-
point value of your product.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Set up free access to wireless Internet for
your coffee shop. This gets people in the
door and gives them a reason to stay.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Make your coffee shop as comfortable as
possible. The more inviting the
atmosphere, the longer customers will
stay and the more loyal they will become.
Include plenty of seating, but don't cramp
the space. Sofas and booths help as well.
Plenty of traditional table seating is also
necessary.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Offer food. This keeps customers in your
coffee shop for longer periods of time.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Use "Buy Ten, Get One Free" stamp cards
to give customers incentive to buy often.
Each time a customer buys a drink or food
item, stamp the card. When it fills up, he
can turn it in for a free drink of any size.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Play the right music. If you find that customers
come to your coffee shop to study, keep the
volume down. Keep an eye on your
demographics, and play the right music for
the right crowd. Experiment with music tastes
and listen to feedback. Once you find a style
of music your customers like, try to stick with it.
Your best bet is to pump in some customized
satellite radio.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Keep everything clean, neat, orderly and self-
apparent. For example, if you are set up to have
customers bus their own dishes, place the busing
containers in plain sight. Fix any broken or rocking
tables as they develop problems. Keep the sugar
and condiment station fully stocked. Make sure
nothing is sticky for longer than a few minutes.
Situate the order, pick-up and payment counters
in plain view.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Set employee schedules clearly, and hold
employees to their commitments. Overlap
schedules so there is always someone
available to fulfill customer orders.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Keep supplies well stocked at all times,
and do not stop serving anything
because it is an hour to closing time.
HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL
COFFEE SHOP
• Maintain transparent accounting. Run
cash-outs at the end of every cashier shift
to maintain accountability. Never keep
more than $200 of petty cash in the safe.
HOW TO GET A LICENSE FOR A
COFFEE SHOP
• Contact your county or city department
of public health and ask for a copy the
food retailer's handbook. Most agencies
publish a handbook that helps new food
retailers understand the requirements of
getting a food service license.
HOW TO GET A LICENSE FOR A
COFFEE SHOP
• Fill out the application for your food
retailers' or service license. Depending on
your locale, you may need to submit a
floor plan of your coffee shop as well as
any zoning permissions you need to
obtain through your municipality.
HOW TO GET A LICENSE FOR A
COFFEE SHOP
• Submit your application along with the
required fee to your state health
department.
HOW TO GET A LICENSE FOR A
COFFEE SHOP
• Make an appointment with the health
department for an inspection of your
coffee shop before it opens. It's important
that your shop meet the requirements
before it opens or you could be subject to
heavy fines or closed down.
HOW TO GET A LICENSE FOR A
COFFEE SHOP
• Ask your city or county clerk's office if a
separate license or permit is required
through your city or county. Submit that
application and the appropriate fee.
HOW TO FINANCE A COFFEE
BUSINESS
• Assess your appetite for speculation. All
humans have some affinity for risk-taking, but
be sure you've the stomach to finance a
business reliant upon a commodity. You'll be
asked to come up with investment cash long
before you see that first a cup of java poured
into investors' cups and you won't see payoffs
until long after seasonal harvests of coffee
beans have come and gone, so if you need
cash now, take a pass.
HOW TO FINANCE A COFFEE
BUSINESS
• Obtain all of the sales, marketing and
financial data from the coffee businesses'
owners to assess the time, money and effort
they pledge to get the enterprise up and
running. You'll take a risk on the owners in
addition to future coffee crops and local
economics. Vet principles carefully. If the sum
of their collective work experience consists of
being Starbucks baristas with big dreams, find
another brew for your cash.
HOW TO FINANCE A COFFEE
BUSINESS
• Commission a competitive analysis to assess
the neighbourhood or community that's to be
home to the coffee business in question. Six
coffee shops within a one-mile radius plus
coffee-brewing drive-thru chains means that
the business you'll help finance will require an
expensive marketing effort to survive. If that
component is missing, your return on
investment could be a long shot at best.
HOW TO FINANCE A COFFEE
BUSINESS
• Keep tabs on the international coffee market, as
your investment will depend upon successful
growing seasons in nations like Jamaica, Columbia
or Kenya. One weather disaster or period of social
unrest can put your investment in jeopardy.
Staying in the loop about global coffee traffic will
also help you keep tabs on "short sellers,"
commodity speculators poised to pull profits on a
dime, spiking coffee prices and your potential for
profit taking.
HOW TO FINANCE A COFFEE
BUSINESS
• Make a decision once you've weighed the
pros and cons of investing in the coffee
business. If you jump in, make your financial
commitment on your own terms after having
your attorney vet financing agreements. Pay
out your fiscal commitment over time if you
want to stay liquid or infuse the business with a
one-time pay out to gain a tax write-off or
other financial advantage.
HOW TO FINANCE A COFFEE
BUSINESS
• Stay as close to your investment as you do to
the global coffee market, but don't be
obtrusive. As a financier, you have a perfect
right to maintain close ties to the coffee
company enjoying the fruits of your financial
help, but be sensible about your influence.
Practice financier etiquette by working hard
behind the scenes to build the business.
COFFEE SHOP INTERIOR
DESIGN IDEAS
• Coffee shops have become the new
gathering place for people outside of their
homes, replacing the corner bar as the place
to meet. A successful coffee shop will have
many elements in its design that make
customers feel comfortable, make them want
to linger for a while, and get them to come
back over and over again. Every part of a
coffee shop design can result in repeat
business, if you know what your customers are
looking for.
COFFEE SHOP INTERIOR
DESIGN IDEAS
FURNITURE
People come to coffee shops for many different
reasons, and the furniture should reflect this.
Some come to meet with friends, and will need
larger tables with chairs or stools to gather
around. Some are there for meeting one
special person, and will need smaller and more
intimate tables. Some come on their own simply
to relax, so come larger comfortable chairs with
side tables would fit in. Good lighting for
reading is important, and lots of electric outlets
for plugging in laptops are appreciated, as well.
COFFEE SHOP INTERIOR
DESIGN IDEAS
THINGS TO DO
Making a coffee shop feel much like home will go a
long way towards getting your customers to come
back over and over. A fireplace along one wall or in
the centre of the room can provide a focal point
around which people will join and hold conversations.
A bookshelf, perhaps added to by the shop regulars,
gives lone coffee drinkers some quiet entertainment.
Game tables decorated with chess and backgammon
boards are naturals for people staying for a while. Quiet
music is always a plus for relaxing and just enjoying the
atmosphere. Put up a trivia quiz board, and have each
customer guess the trivia question of the day, giving
them a small discount for correct answers.
COFFEE SHOP INTERIOR
DESIGN IDEAS
PERSONALIZE IT
Making the customers feel like home will help them
to feel as if this is "their" shop. Personalize coffee
mugs and put up a shelf behind the counter to
display them. Pass out colouring sheets and crayons
to customers' children and hang the resulting artwork
on the walls. Put up a large bulletin board and post
frequently-taken photographs of regular customers.
If any regulars are musicians, ask them to play for an
hour. If your shop is near a college campus,
decorate with school logos. Make the shop a part of
the community, and customers will make it a daily
stop on their schedule.
COFFEE SHOP INTERIOR
DESIGN IDEAS
MAKE IT SEASONAL
Decorate your shop according to the seasons.
Let the customers decorate your Christmas tree.
Put out baskets of artificial flowers in the spring.
Hang autumn leaves in the fall. Find coloured
mugs to use on holiday weeks: green for St.
Patrick's Day, red for Valentine's Day. Keep the
decorations simple, but constantly changing.
Your regular customers will think of this as
another home, so decorate it like it is.
COFFEE SHOP INTERIOR
DESIGN IDEAS
THE WALLS
Keep your wall decorations homey, simple and
personalized. Take pictures of regular customers
in their favourite seat and frame and hang
them. Name drinks after customers and create
plaques celebrating them. Hang black and
white photos of the neighbourhood, from past
and present. Take a large group picture of all
team members, and have everyone autograph
it. Personalize everything in your shop, and it will
feel more like home.