Can an Independent Coffee Shop Make-It in Coffeebuck$ America?
Menu Planning For Your Coffee Shop
People are always commenting on how Coffeebuck$ seems to be everywhere. They don't seem to be everywhere, they are everywhere, taking in an average of $12 a day from it's regular customers! All those lattes add-up.
I was on a run when I noticed a film crew setting-up a location shoot in a shopping center that was off the main commuting route. There were trailers with lighting equipment and dressing rooms for the actors. The filming was taking place in an around a coffee shop with the unlikely name of...,Coffee Shop.
I recall that two years ago I was handed a copyshop flyer announcing the opening of the Coffee Shop and was pleased to see that it was still in business considering that there are three Coffeebuck$ within two miles of it. It had a simple flat sign that was easy for the propmaster to cover with the logo made-up for the filming. The program being filmed was NBC's Medium, with Patricia Arquette playing a stay-at-home-mom whose nightmares lead her to the solution of crimes as she aids the district attorney in her home town.
This business is a Mom 'n Pop Operation. I went by there Mother's Day and the Coffee Shop was closed so the family could spend the day at home. Now they were the location for a television filming.
Many stay-at-home-moms are looking for businesses to operate now that the kids are older and participate in after school sports so that they get home in the late afternoon. Stay-at-home-moms are an underserved segment of the Internet and I am always looking for topics that will interest them.
Associated Content's small business writer Sarah McHattie says a well-designed menu makes it easy for customers to decide what is being offered by the independent coffee shop.
There is an endless variety of pastries and desserts available from the commercial bakeries that deliver every morning, or perhaps you would prefer to make and bake your own from family recipes that might make the difference in competing with the 8,000 store chain. The Recipe Writer's Handbook by Barbra Gibbs Ostmann will help you organize your pastry selection.
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Sarah McHattie discusses competitors pricing, this will determine how much you will be able to ask customers to spend at your initially unknown coffee shop. Her article is here.
When you scout locations for your coffee shop, look where Coffeebuck$ ain't. That is, the chain is looking to serve morning commuters primarily, and then all the other latte business is a secondary source of iciing on the bearclaw for America's coffee grande.
Successful mom 'n poppers have based their shops around bookstores and art galleries. Drawing-up your business plan for making your coffeshop serve the needs of your neighborhood, and providing a quiet place to relax while the kids are on the Internet videogaming at home can fill the tables in the evening.
Published by Steve Lee
I have always been interested in the publishing business and now Associated Content is allowing me to experiment with the various ideas that come up while I am working on my writing projects. View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentHere is a site for a listing of Independent Coffee Shops: http://www.cafehunt.com
I doubt it. Most entrants are looking for an easy side business to pad their retirement or add a second home. Without the volume advantages of the big corporate players, they will need a deep niche to differentiate themselves to allow HIGHER prices. Most people underestimate the revenue generated by a mom and pop operation like this. The average McDonalds grosses <$1M and the expense side is heavy (ie. Franchise fees).