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72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 16
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T EC H | 12202012 1259PM | 41388 views
Whats The Secret To ASuccessful Coffee Shop
Peter
Baskerville
Founder of 20
Cafes and Food
Businesses
Having detailed an answer to Why do most cafeacute startups
fail I guess it is only fair that I also provide an answer to the
question about why some succeed
There is no one secret to a successful coffee shop in fact
most secrets in business boil down to either hard work
extensive experience or luck or a combination of all three I
have taken success for this post to mean financially
sustainable with an appropriate ROI for the owner which
means not necessarily giving the customer everything they
would wish for
I have established and managed more than fifteen coffee shops with varying
degrees of success While there may be hundreds of reasons why a coffee
shop might succeed (including luck) here are the ones that I pursued in
Australia that lead to successful outcomes for me
1 Consistently serving the finest espresso ndash It is rare in business todiscover a product where consistently offering 100 quality is the bestcommercial decision you can make In fact I am the greatest advocate for the 80
is perfect model But espresso coffee is one of those rare products whereconsistent 100 quality matters Customers will walk past ten other competitorsto get the best espresso which is why this factor alone means you donrsquot need thehighly visible most expensive location So buy the best espresso coffee machine(34 group Italian made with e61 groupheads and set to the right pump and
temperature levels) install it with a water purifier and demineralizer use a conicalgrinder and only buy top quality Arabica or Arabica 90Robusta 10 freshlyroasted beans and make sure every cup is made by a fully trained barista who iscontinually seeking the lsquogod shotrsquo
2 Ergonomics is vital ndash Make sure the coffee workstation and layout is suchthat the barista hardly moves their feet in performing all their coffee makingduties and they are not competing for the space with other staff members Highvolume coffee sales are the foundation stone of every coffee shop so make sure
this workstation is perfectly laid out with easy access to underneath bins beanstorage and bar fridge milk having the right height benchtop with easy access tocups grinder accessories and reachable overhead storage of supplies The bestsetups also have a small inbuilt sink to allow for quick and easy ongoing cleaning
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72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 26
Who JustMade A BillionDollarsTrack the biggest winners and
losers among the 50 richest
people on the planet
See whos up and whos down raquo
Also place the cash register on the front counter in close proximity to the baristarsquosworkstation This allows the barista to hear the customer orders and get a headstart on making them in the busy times while allowing the barista to work alone inan efficient way in the very slow times
3 Use loyalty cards ndash I resisted using these for a long time hellip but they really dowork Make sure it is a quality card that will last the wear and tear and look goodin a customerrsquos wallet Nothing better than seeing a new customerrsquos face light up
when you give them a buy seven get the eighth one free loyalty card but tick offsix of them so that on their very next purchase they get a free one Cheapestcustomer acquisition ever
4 Promote multiple sales ndash A coffee shop will never make enough money topay the bills from coffee sales alone Coffee may be the prime motivator forcustomers coming to the business but they must leave with multiple sales if youare going to be successful As a target coffee should be no more than 40 of yourweekly sales and two item sales per customer transaction means you are getting it
about right So make sure the traditional coffee accompaniments (muffins cookiescakes) are close by at the point of sale and the coffee shop offers cold food colddrinks and hot food to ensure the best chance of multiple sales
5 Limit the assortment ndash Many newbies in the coffee shop game think thatwide assortments and extensive product offers are a key competitive advantageThey forget that the customer is simply hungry or thirsty or both and that a widechoice for most people creates anguish So cover the necessary categories but withlimited and strategic offers (eg three flavors are enough three sizes are enough
three types of fooddrink are enough) Every item you add to the assortmentcreates many multiples of management effort (costs) and mostly without addinganything to the revenue streams or customer experience
6 Merchandise your margins ndash Price according to perceived customer value
not according to accounting determined markups For some well known items you
will need to be at (coffee) or even below market price (coke can) and this lossshould be made up with high margins on other items that are exclusive to you or
in the lsquodonrsquot-care and addictiversquo mindset of your customers So donrsquot add a blanketmarkup to your entire assortment but price line by line according to customer
expectations and what the market will bear
7 Get your beachhead strategies right ndash Getting traction in a competitivemarketplace like coffee shops is vital and you will need to have a clear
understanding of how to get customers to initially give you a go and a plan for
keeping them returning and referring you to their friends This is a whole othertopic that I have now written about here hellip What are some Biz Dev best practices
for startups
8 Counter service ndash Counter service is the cheapest most efficient and effectiveservice system for a coffee shop and it is now fully accepted by customers thanks
to the global success of McDonalds Counter service is hassle free for both you andyour customer and it significantly reduces your wages bill So get the customers to
order and pay upfront give them a number on a stand with their drinks and
deliver the food or better still give them a buzzer that calls them up to the counterwhen the food is ready Counter service means that you can handle the peak
demands that occur in coffee shops at breakfast and lunch and it is a lot lessstressful on everyone ensuring the friendly banter can remain an important part
of your offer
9 Pre-make as much as possible ndash Custom-made assortments assume thatthe customers know precisely what they want They donrsquot Customers see you as
the expert and are hoping that you will suggest to them what combination of
fooddrinks they should be trying In a coffee shop context I found it best to pre-make the food and leave the custom making to the coffee Custom food is also a
high cost option for you because you canrsquot get the economies of scale making-to-order and it limits your turnover in those peak periods where you should be busy
pumping out the sales as quickly as possible not spending the time making customorders
10 Understand what you are really selling ndash Too many businesses
including coffee shop owners donrsquot fully understand the need they are really
Q U O RA rsquo S PO PU L A R PO S T S
What Do Americans Think Of ObamasPerformance As A President 268872 views
Why Are Lawy ers So Expensive Even With TheExcess Supply Of Lawy ers 82433 views
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How Close Are We To A Real Iron Man Suit61498 views
How Much Did It Cost Y ouTube To StreamGangnam Sty le 57406 views
MO RE F RO M Q U O RA
The Coffee Connection Ltdwwwthecoffeeconnectionca
Albertas Premier Coffee SupplierConsumer Choice Winner 2013
New Business OpportunitywwweniginnetBusinessOpportunity
Run Your Own Energy Saving BusinessComplete Start-Up Pack from $14k
Need A Gas Linewwwatlheatingcom
Free In Home Quotes on all above andunderground lines
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 36
Jacob Jaber CEO
of Philz Coffee
satisfying for their customers and so they often concentrate on the wrong parts oftheir offer Customers frequent a coffee shop for many more reasons than just
hunger and thirst There is the escape from a stressful office the chance tomaintain or grow a relationship a place to get away to do some reflective work a
chance to engage with familiar coffee shop staff at a particularly lonely time or as
a place to do business and reach an agreement Understanding the needs you arereally catering to will help you better construct your offer and make decisions that
keep your customers returning and so maintaining the coffee shoprsquos success
11 Target takeaways ndash I know all your friends will tell you to get comfortablelounges free Wi-Fi table service and lots of in-house entertainment hellip but
customers sitting on one cup of coffee for hours enjoying all these benefits wonrsquotpay your rent My most financially successful coffee shops had a limited number of
not-so-comfortable bench amp bar stools to make the coffee shop look lived in and
loved but I concentrated on building the takeaway business Takeaway customerspay the same price as the sit-down customer but without any of the occupancy
costs and you will serve ten of them by the time your sit down customer hasfinished sipping on their first cup of coffee as they enjoy a chat with their friends
on Facebook using your free Wi-Fi
12 Serve on the front line - Coffee shops like restaurants are much more apeopleservice business than they are a goodstransactional one While a
goodstransactional business can still succeed with a non-present owner a coffee
shop needs the ownerrsquos care attention and engagement Customers expect it andstaff are far more enlivened when the owner in on hand taking orders or making
coffee or is generally hovering in active care of the business
Probably worth mentioning why I havenrsquot included high traffic location on
the list The reason is that it doesnrsquot necessarily work for coffee Sure you
have to be located in the area where there are a sufficient number of people
but you donrsquot need the high traffic location in that area For a start it will carry
the most expensive rent secondly you will be competing for that space with A1
tenants (Banks telcos fashion houses franchise chains) making it near
impossible to get as a stand alone coffee shop business anyway and thirdly
high traffic dose not always translate into high turnover for coffee I made that
mistake once failing to realize that coffee is a destination rather than an
impulse purchase and too much traffic can mean that people are more
focused on getting somewhere else rather than stopping to enjoy your offer
Believe me my 1 will overcome the need to get that high traffic location and
the lower rent will make your coffee shop far more financially sustainable and
successful
This is not an exhaustive list but it will give you some ideas on what you
should be considering if you want to build a successful coffee shop See also
What is it like to ownrun a coffee shop which provides further insights into
the coffee shop business
hellip
1 Passionate people who start it because they are passionate
and talented with coffee not because they want to start a
business
2 Product that tastes better than any other nearby
3 Donrsquot act like yoursquore in the coffee business When yoursquore in
Retail yoursquore in the people business
A lot of the other things usually take care of themselves
This question originally appeared on Quora More questions on Small
Businesses
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 46
TweetTweet 32
Top Coffee Brands
New Business Ideas
Best Coffee Makers
Most Profitable Franchises
Cholesterol-Lowering Foods
Best Fruit Juices
Top Rated Franchises
Coffee Maker Reviews
See Also
A DV ERTISER V IDEO
Why do most cafeacute startups fail
Who are the real ldquojob creatorsrdquo
As an entrepreneur whatrsquos the best bit of advice yoursquove been given
Print Report Corrections Reprints amp Permissions
From Around the Web
How New iPads are
Selling for Under
$40
How to Exercise
Y our Brain to Make
It Strong
How to Speed Up
Y our PC - Tricks
Manufacturers Hate
How Penny Stocks
Create Millionaires
Every Day
Tricks Car
Insurance Agents
Dont Want Y ou to
Know
How Cruise Lines
Fill All Those
Unsold Cruise
Cabins
New Tech Lets Y ou
Speak a Language in
10 Day s
How to Add $1000
to Y our Social
Security Checks
286 124 35 31k 0
Comment Now Follow Comments
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 56
Inside Forbes
Enter Your Comment
Post Your CommentPlease log in or sign up to comment
Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting
Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network Youll be notified if your comment
is called out
CommentsCALLED-OUT Expand All Comments Follow Comments
+ expand 3 comments
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 66
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Forbes Womenrsquos Summit
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Subscriber Services
Buy Back Issues
Data Partners
Market Data by Morningstar
Thomson Reuters
AdChoices
2013 Forbes com LLC trade A ll Rights Reserved
These 100 stars earned a total $43 billion between June
2012 and June 2013
see photos
Oprah Winfrey Tops The ListOf Most Powerful Celebrities
The Versace Home HeadsTo Bankruptcy Auction
Minor League BaseballsMost Valuable Teams
see photos
Hollywoods Highest-PaidActors Of 2013
Real-Time Billionaires
![Page 2: What's the Secret to a Successful Coffee Shop_ - Forbes](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020219/55cf9a11550346d033a052aa/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 26
Who JustMade A BillionDollarsTrack the biggest winners and
losers among the 50 richest
people on the planet
See whos up and whos down raquo
Also place the cash register on the front counter in close proximity to the baristarsquosworkstation This allows the barista to hear the customer orders and get a headstart on making them in the busy times while allowing the barista to work alone inan efficient way in the very slow times
3 Use loyalty cards ndash I resisted using these for a long time hellip but they really dowork Make sure it is a quality card that will last the wear and tear and look goodin a customerrsquos wallet Nothing better than seeing a new customerrsquos face light up
when you give them a buy seven get the eighth one free loyalty card but tick offsix of them so that on their very next purchase they get a free one Cheapestcustomer acquisition ever
4 Promote multiple sales ndash A coffee shop will never make enough money topay the bills from coffee sales alone Coffee may be the prime motivator forcustomers coming to the business but they must leave with multiple sales if youare going to be successful As a target coffee should be no more than 40 of yourweekly sales and two item sales per customer transaction means you are getting it
about right So make sure the traditional coffee accompaniments (muffins cookiescakes) are close by at the point of sale and the coffee shop offers cold food colddrinks and hot food to ensure the best chance of multiple sales
5 Limit the assortment ndash Many newbies in the coffee shop game think thatwide assortments and extensive product offers are a key competitive advantageThey forget that the customer is simply hungry or thirsty or both and that a widechoice for most people creates anguish So cover the necessary categories but withlimited and strategic offers (eg three flavors are enough three sizes are enough
three types of fooddrink are enough) Every item you add to the assortmentcreates many multiples of management effort (costs) and mostly without addinganything to the revenue streams or customer experience
6 Merchandise your margins ndash Price according to perceived customer value
not according to accounting determined markups For some well known items you
will need to be at (coffee) or even below market price (coke can) and this lossshould be made up with high margins on other items that are exclusive to you or
in the lsquodonrsquot-care and addictiversquo mindset of your customers So donrsquot add a blanketmarkup to your entire assortment but price line by line according to customer
expectations and what the market will bear
7 Get your beachhead strategies right ndash Getting traction in a competitivemarketplace like coffee shops is vital and you will need to have a clear
understanding of how to get customers to initially give you a go and a plan for
keeping them returning and referring you to their friends This is a whole othertopic that I have now written about here hellip What are some Biz Dev best practices
for startups
8 Counter service ndash Counter service is the cheapest most efficient and effectiveservice system for a coffee shop and it is now fully accepted by customers thanks
to the global success of McDonalds Counter service is hassle free for both you andyour customer and it significantly reduces your wages bill So get the customers to
order and pay upfront give them a number on a stand with their drinks and
deliver the food or better still give them a buzzer that calls them up to the counterwhen the food is ready Counter service means that you can handle the peak
demands that occur in coffee shops at breakfast and lunch and it is a lot lessstressful on everyone ensuring the friendly banter can remain an important part
of your offer
9 Pre-make as much as possible ndash Custom-made assortments assume thatthe customers know precisely what they want They donrsquot Customers see you as
the expert and are hoping that you will suggest to them what combination of
fooddrinks they should be trying In a coffee shop context I found it best to pre-make the food and leave the custom making to the coffee Custom food is also a
high cost option for you because you canrsquot get the economies of scale making-to-order and it limits your turnover in those peak periods where you should be busy
pumping out the sales as quickly as possible not spending the time making customorders
10 Understand what you are really selling ndash Too many businesses
including coffee shop owners donrsquot fully understand the need they are really
Q U O RA rsquo S PO PU L A R PO S T S
What Do Americans Think Of ObamasPerformance As A President 268872 views
Why Are Lawy ers So Expensive Even With TheExcess Supply Of Lawy ers 82433 views
Where Does Marine Force Recon Fit In TheWorld Of Special Operations 79047 views
How Close Are We To A Real Iron Man Suit61498 views
How Much Did It Cost Y ouTube To StreamGangnam Sty le 57406 views
MO RE F RO M Q U O RA
The Coffee Connection Ltdwwwthecoffeeconnectionca
Albertas Premier Coffee SupplierConsumer Choice Winner 2013
New Business OpportunitywwweniginnetBusinessOpportunity
Run Your Own Energy Saving BusinessComplete Start-Up Pack from $14k
Need A Gas Linewwwatlheatingcom
Free In Home Quotes on all above andunderground lines
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 36
Jacob Jaber CEO
of Philz Coffee
satisfying for their customers and so they often concentrate on the wrong parts oftheir offer Customers frequent a coffee shop for many more reasons than just
hunger and thirst There is the escape from a stressful office the chance tomaintain or grow a relationship a place to get away to do some reflective work a
chance to engage with familiar coffee shop staff at a particularly lonely time or as
a place to do business and reach an agreement Understanding the needs you arereally catering to will help you better construct your offer and make decisions that
keep your customers returning and so maintaining the coffee shoprsquos success
11 Target takeaways ndash I know all your friends will tell you to get comfortablelounges free Wi-Fi table service and lots of in-house entertainment hellip but
customers sitting on one cup of coffee for hours enjoying all these benefits wonrsquotpay your rent My most financially successful coffee shops had a limited number of
not-so-comfortable bench amp bar stools to make the coffee shop look lived in and
loved but I concentrated on building the takeaway business Takeaway customerspay the same price as the sit-down customer but without any of the occupancy
costs and you will serve ten of them by the time your sit down customer hasfinished sipping on their first cup of coffee as they enjoy a chat with their friends
on Facebook using your free Wi-Fi
12 Serve on the front line - Coffee shops like restaurants are much more apeopleservice business than they are a goodstransactional one While a
goodstransactional business can still succeed with a non-present owner a coffee
shop needs the ownerrsquos care attention and engagement Customers expect it andstaff are far more enlivened when the owner in on hand taking orders or making
coffee or is generally hovering in active care of the business
Probably worth mentioning why I havenrsquot included high traffic location on
the list The reason is that it doesnrsquot necessarily work for coffee Sure you
have to be located in the area where there are a sufficient number of people
but you donrsquot need the high traffic location in that area For a start it will carry
the most expensive rent secondly you will be competing for that space with A1
tenants (Banks telcos fashion houses franchise chains) making it near
impossible to get as a stand alone coffee shop business anyway and thirdly
high traffic dose not always translate into high turnover for coffee I made that
mistake once failing to realize that coffee is a destination rather than an
impulse purchase and too much traffic can mean that people are more
focused on getting somewhere else rather than stopping to enjoy your offer
Believe me my 1 will overcome the need to get that high traffic location and
the lower rent will make your coffee shop far more financially sustainable and
successful
This is not an exhaustive list but it will give you some ideas on what you
should be considering if you want to build a successful coffee shop See also
What is it like to ownrun a coffee shop which provides further insights into
the coffee shop business
hellip
1 Passionate people who start it because they are passionate
and talented with coffee not because they want to start a
business
2 Product that tastes better than any other nearby
3 Donrsquot act like yoursquore in the coffee business When yoursquore in
Retail yoursquore in the people business
A lot of the other things usually take care of themselves
This question originally appeared on Quora More questions on Small
Businesses
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 46
TweetTweet 32
Top Coffee Brands
New Business Ideas
Best Coffee Makers
Most Profitable Franchises
Cholesterol-Lowering Foods
Best Fruit Juices
Top Rated Franchises
Coffee Maker Reviews
See Also
A DV ERTISER V IDEO
Why do most cafeacute startups fail
Who are the real ldquojob creatorsrdquo
As an entrepreneur whatrsquos the best bit of advice yoursquove been given
Print Report Corrections Reprints amp Permissions
From Around the Web
How New iPads are
Selling for Under
$40
How to Exercise
Y our Brain to Make
It Strong
How to Speed Up
Y our PC - Tricks
Manufacturers Hate
How Penny Stocks
Create Millionaires
Every Day
Tricks Car
Insurance Agents
Dont Want Y ou to
Know
How Cruise Lines
Fill All Those
Unsold Cruise
Cabins
New Tech Lets Y ou
Speak a Language in
10 Day s
How to Add $1000
to Y our Social
Security Checks
286 124 35 31k 0
Comment Now Follow Comments
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 56
Inside Forbes
Enter Your Comment
Post Your CommentPlease log in or sign up to comment
Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting
Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network Youll be notified if your comment
is called out
CommentsCALLED-OUT Expand All Comments Follow Comments
+ expand 3 comments
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 66
Channels
Business
Investing
Technology
Entrepreneurs
OpEd
Leadership
Lifestyle
Lists
Company Info
Forbes Careers
Advertising Information
Investment Newsletters
Reprints amp Permissions
Terms and Conditions
Privacy Statement
Contact Us
Sitemap
Help
Affiliate Sites
Forbes China
Forbes India
Forbes Israel
Forbes Mexico
Forbes Middle East
Forbes Poland
Forbes Romania
Forbes Russia
Forbes Ukraine
RealClear Politics
RealClear Markets
RealClear World
RealClear Sports
Forbes Conferences
How to Safely Grow Your Wealth
Forbes Asiarsquos Power BusinessWomen
Forbes Womenrsquos Summit
Global CEO Conference
Forbes Healthcare Summit
Forbes 9th Annual CMO Summit
Techonomy
Publications
Free Trial Issue
Subscriber Services
Buy Back Issues
Data Partners
Market Data by Morningstar
Thomson Reuters
AdChoices
2013 Forbes com LLC trade A ll Rights Reserved
These 100 stars earned a total $43 billion between June
2012 and June 2013
see photos
Oprah Winfrey Tops The ListOf Most Powerful Celebrities
The Versace Home HeadsTo Bankruptcy Auction
Minor League BaseballsMost Valuable Teams
see photos
Hollywoods Highest-PaidActors Of 2013
Real-Time Billionaires
![Page 3: What's the Secret to a Successful Coffee Shop_ - Forbes](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020219/55cf9a11550346d033a052aa/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 36
Jacob Jaber CEO
of Philz Coffee
satisfying for their customers and so they often concentrate on the wrong parts oftheir offer Customers frequent a coffee shop for many more reasons than just
hunger and thirst There is the escape from a stressful office the chance tomaintain or grow a relationship a place to get away to do some reflective work a
chance to engage with familiar coffee shop staff at a particularly lonely time or as
a place to do business and reach an agreement Understanding the needs you arereally catering to will help you better construct your offer and make decisions that
keep your customers returning and so maintaining the coffee shoprsquos success
11 Target takeaways ndash I know all your friends will tell you to get comfortablelounges free Wi-Fi table service and lots of in-house entertainment hellip but
customers sitting on one cup of coffee for hours enjoying all these benefits wonrsquotpay your rent My most financially successful coffee shops had a limited number of
not-so-comfortable bench amp bar stools to make the coffee shop look lived in and
loved but I concentrated on building the takeaway business Takeaway customerspay the same price as the sit-down customer but without any of the occupancy
costs and you will serve ten of them by the time your sit down customer hasfinished sipping on their first cup of coffee as they enjoy a chat with their friends
on Facebook using your free Wi-Fi
12 Serve on the front line - Coffee shops like restaurants are much more apeopleservice business than they are a goodstransactional one While a
goodstransactional business can still succeed with a non-present owner a coffee
shop needs the ownerrsquos care attention and engagement Customers expect it andstaff are far more enlivened when the owner in on hand taking orders or making
coffee or is generally hovering in active care of the business
Probably worth mentioning why I havenrsquot included high traffic location on
the list The reason is that it doesnrsquot necessarily work for coffee Sure you
have to be located in the area where there are a sufficient number of people
but you donrsquot need the high traffic location in that area For a start it will carry
the most expensive rent secondly you will be competing for that space with A1
tenants (Banks telcos fashion houses franchise chains) making it near
impossible to get as a stand alone coffee shop business anyway and thirdly
high traffic dose not always translate into high turnover for coffee I made that
mistake once failing to realize that coffee is a destination rather than an
impulse purchase and too much traffic can mean that people are more
focused on getting somewhere else rather than stopping to enjoy your offer
Believe me my 1 will overcome the need to get that high traffic location and
the lower rent will make your coffee shop far more financially sustainable and
successful
This is not an exhaustive list but it will give you some ideas on what you
should be considering if you want to build a successful coffee shop See also
What is it like to ownrun a coffee shop which provides further insights into
the coffee shop business
hellip
1 Passionate people who start it because they are passionate
and talented with coffee not because they want to start a
business
2 Product that tastes better than any other nearby
3 Donrsquot act like yoursquore in the coffee business When yoursquore in
Retail yoursquore in the people business
A lot of the other things usually take care of themselves
This question originally appeared on Quora More questions on Small
Businesses
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 46
TweetTweet 32
Top Coffee Brands
New Business Ideas
Best Coffee Makers
Most Profitable Franchises
Cholesterol-Lowering Foods
Best Fruit Juices
Top Rated Franchises
Coffee Maker Reviews
See Also
A DV ERTISER V IDEO
Why do most cafeacute startups fail
Who are the real ldquojob creatorsrdquo
As an entrepreneur whatrsquos the best bit of advice yoursquove been given
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2013 Forbes com LLC trade A ll Rights Reserved
These 100 stars earned a total $43 billion between June
2012 and June 2013
see photos
Oprah Winfrey Tops The ListOf Most Powerful Celebrities
The Versace Home HeadsTo Bankruptcy Auction
Minor League BaseballsMost Valuable Teams
see photos
Hollywoods Highest-PaidActors Of 2013
Real-Time Billionaires
![Page 4: What's the Secret to a Successful Coffee Shop_ - Forbes](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020219/55cf9a11550346d033a052aa/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
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A DV ERTISER V IDEO
Why do most cafeacute startups fail
Who are the real ldquojob creatorsrdquo
As an entrepreneur whatrsquos the best bit of advice yoursquove been given
Print Report Corrections Reprints amp Permissions
From Around the Web
How New iPads are
Selling for Under
$40
How to Exercise
Y our Brain to Make
It Strong
How to Speed Up
Y our PC - Tricks
Manufacturers Hate
How Penny Stocks
Create Millionaires
Every Day
Tricks Car
Insurance Agents
Dont Want Y ou to
Know
How Cruise Lines
Fill All Those
Unsold Cruise
Cabins
New Tech Lets Y ou
Speak a Language in
10 Day s
How to Add $1000
to Y our Social
Security Checks
286 124 35 31k 0
Comment Now Follow Comments
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 56
Inside Forbes
Enter Your Comment
Post Your CommentPlease log in or sign up to comment
Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting
Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network Youll be notified if your comment
is called out
CommentsCALLED-OUT Expand All Comments Follow Comments
+ expand 3 comments
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 66
Channels
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Investing
Technology
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Leadership
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Contact Us
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Forbes Romania
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RealClear Politics
RealClear Markets
RealClear World
RealClear Sports
Forbes Conferences
How to Safely Grow Your Wealth
Forbes Asiarsquos Power BusinessWomen
Forbes Womenrsquos Summit
Global CEO Conference
Forbes Healthcare Summit
Forbes 9th Annual CMO Summit
Techonomy
Publications
Free Trial Issue
Subscriber Services
Buy Back Issues
Data Partners
Market Data by Morningstar
Thomson Reuters
AdChoices
2013 Forbes com LLC trade A ll Rights Reserved
These 100 stars earned a total $43 billion between June
2012 and June 2013
see photos
Oprah Winfrey Tops The ListOf Most Powerful Celebrities
The Versace Home HeadsTo Bankruptcy Auction
Minor League BaseballsMost Valuable Teams
see photos
Hollywoods Highest-PaidActors Of 2013
Real-Time Billionaires
![Page 5: What's the Secret to a Successful Coffee Shop_ - Forbes](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020219/55cf9a11550346d033a052aa/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 56
Inside Forbes
Enter Your Comment
Post Your CommentPlease log in or sign up to comment
Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting
Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network Youll be notified if your comment
is called out
CommentsCALLED-OUT Expand All Comments Follow Comments
+ expand 3 comments
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 66
Channels
Business
Investing
Technology
Entrepreneurs
OpEd
Leadership
Lifestyle
Lists
Company Info
Forbes Careers
Advertising Information
Investment Newsletters
Reprints amp Permissions
Terms and Conditions
Privacy Statement
Contact Us
Sitemap
Help
Affiliate Sites
Forbes China
Forbes India
Forbes Israel
Forbes Mexico
Forbes Middle East
Forbes Poland
Forbes Romania
Forbes Russia
Forbes Ukraine
RealClear Politics
RealClear Markets
RealClear World
RealClear Sports
Forbes Conferences
How to Safely Grow Your Wealth
Forbes Asiarsquos Power BusinessWomen
Forbes Womenrsquos Summit
Global CEO Conference
Forbes Healthcare Summit
Forbes 9th Annual CMO Summit
Techonomy
Publications
Free Trial Issue
Subscriber Services
Buy Back Issues
Data Partners
Market Data by Morningstar
Thomson Reuters
AdChoices
2013 Forbes com LLC trade A ll Rights Reserved
These 100 stars earned a total $43 billion between June
2012 and June 2013
see photos
Oprah Winfrey Tops The ListOf Most Powerful Celebrities
The Versace Home HeadsTo Bankruptcy Auction
Minor League BaseballsMost Valuable Teams
see photos
Hollywoods Highest-PaidActors Of 2013
Real-Time Billionaires
![Page 6: What's the Secret to a Successful Coffee Shop_ - Forbes](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020219/55cf9a11550346d033a052aa/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
72113 Whats The Secret To A Successful Coffee Shop - Forbes
wwwforbescomsitesquora20121220whats-the-secret-to-a-successful-coffee-shop 66
Channels
Business
Investing
Technology
Entrepreneurs
OpEd
Leadership
Lifestyle
Lists
Company Info
Forbes Careers
Advertising Information
Investment Newsletters
Reprints amp Permissions
Terms and Conditions
Privacy Statement
Contact Us
Sitemap
Help
Affiliate Sites
Forbes China
Forbes India
Forbes Israel
Forbes Mexico
Forbes Middle East
Forbes Poland
Forbes Romania
Forbes Russia
Forbes Ukraine
RealClear Politics
RealClear Markets
RealClear World
RealClear Sports
Forbes Conferences
How to Safely Grow Your Wealth
Forbes Asiarsquos Power BusinessWomen
Forbes Womenrsquos Summit
Global CEO Conference
Forbes Healthcare Summit
Forbes 9th Annual CMO Summit
Techonomy
Publications
Free Trial Issue
Subscriber Services
Buy Back Issues
Data Partners
Market Data by Morningstar
Thomson Reuters
AdChoices
2013 Forbes com LLC trade A ll Rights Reserved
These 100 stars earned a total $43 billion between June
2012 and June 2013
see photos
Oprah Winfrey Tops The ListOf Most Powerful Celebrities
The Versace Home HeadsTo Bankruptcy Auction
Minor League BaseballsMost Valuable Teams
see photos
Hollywoods Highest-PaidActors Of 2013
Real-Time Billionaires