Choose Your Restaurant Accounting Strategy
When you start a new business one of the first decisions you have to make is choosing whether you are going to outsource your accounting or hire an in-house accounting department. Whether you choose to outsource your restaurant accounting or hire someone to keep things in-house, youll want an expert to handle this complex matter. There are so many moving parts to opening a coffee shop, your finances should be one aspect that is being handled with care and by someone with experience.
Writing A Business Plan
The first step to starting any type of small business is putting together a comprehensive . A business plan is more than a proposal for funding. Its a way to list out the steps that youll need to take to open your business. Its also a great time to consider whether opening a coffee shop is truly right for you.
You may be wondering how much a coffee shop owner makes, to which theres no broad answer. The amount youll be able to take home after balancing the rest of the budget depends significantly on how fast youre able to attract a steady customer base, your with overhead, equipment costs and payroll, and more. Generally, networking and social media marketing go a long way in kick-starting a business.
In a similar vein, you may be interested to know what your return on investment, or ROI, will be if you put the money into opening a coffee shop, and the answer is more complicated than you might like to hear. A coffee shops ROI has high potential because of the fast growth of the industry, but that doesnt mean every venture will be a success. It takes hard work, careful oversight and smart budgeting to maximize your ROI.
Starting a small business isnt glamorous, and your will be tight for at least the first two years. However, with our help, you wont be caught off guard by any of the costs associated with opening a coffee shop, which is a significant advantage.
Pos Systems And Financial Software
Another cost youll come across is associated with your transaction technology. Modern POS software can cost between $50 and $200 per month, while the associated hardware bundle will often cost you a one-time payment of $1,200 to $4,000. For a POS system geared towards coffee shops, check out Lightspeeds innovative .
While POS software might seem expensive in the short term, it tends to pay for itself as you run your business, making inventory and transactions easier to track.
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Staff A Greeter To Keep People From Driving Away
Theres no way around itpeople are going to attempt to drive through your shop when theyre late for work, or they have somewhere to be, fully expecting instant service. If you take too long to serve them, theyre going to get mad. Some will leave the line if theres nobody behind them, but for those who get sandwiched in the middle of a few cars, theres nowhere to turn.
Sometimes people will drive away, even when theyre the second person in line, if their perception is that things are taking too long. However, there is a way to keep people in line and its all about customer service.
The way you keep people in line, especially during the morning rush, is to have someone positioned as a dedicated greeter. This person stands outside and greets the cars in line, taking orders and passing them on to the people inside making the drinks. This accomplishes two important things. One, it gives the people inside a head start on making drinks, speeding up the line. Two, it makes the people in line feel like theyre already taken care of, decreasing the perception of their wait time. When they know their drink is being worked on, it gives them more incentive to stay in line.
If youre in the process of hiring new or additional employees to fill this role, make sure to ask them these important questions first before you make your new hire.
What Are Special Factors Important To Operate A Drive
To operate your drive-thru coffee stand will need a few things for you to deliver your coffee.
These items include:
- Power
- Water
- Restrooms need to be available for you and your employees
- Commercial commissary
WITHOUT these four basic listed items, you will not be able to serve coffee in many U.S. cities and counties.
If you have already considered several locations that you would like to set up your drive-thru, you will have to determine whether or not you will have access to water and power.
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Is Opening A Coffee Shop Right For You
Opening a coffee shop isnt for everyone and if youre picturing a kind of slack-paced Central Perk café found in an episode of Friends, then the reality of running a coffee shop may come as a shock. Like any form of catering business, make a coffee shop successful takes skills, stamina and hard work.
Watch this: Ever wondered what its like running a coffee shop? Fine Dining TV created an in-depth video revealing the secrets of running of coffee shop from sourcing beans to making an espresso:
Many people open a coffee shop without really knowing whats involved or having the experience needed to get off to a good start. If youve never worked in catering or the food services industry, its a good idea to get some experience working in someone elses coffee shop first. This will help you understand the scale of the work involved, as well as learn the ropes in terms of suppliers, marketing and how to serve customers.
The good news is you dont need any specific qualifications to run a coffee shop, although courses on general business skills such as bookkeeping and marketing along with key topics such as catering and food hygiene are a good idea. Barista training is essential, even if you plan to hire someone else to make coffee, and having a good knowledge of coffees, brewing, beans and the entire coffee making process is useful.
Learn more about how franchises work and the costs involved in buying a franchise.
Set Up Your Online Store
Whether you’re looking to move your brick-and-mortar store online or start your own business from scratch, youll need an online store.
Once you have a strong concept for your brandalong with colors, fonts, and a logoyoull have the design aspects needed to get started.
1. Start a Shopify 14-day free trial
If you havent already, start your Shopify trial and select your store name. From there, you can begin setting up your online store.
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Buy Equipment To Fit Your Space But Dont Overspend
Equipment is the most important part of making excellent coffee. In a large café, you only have to think about the quality of coffee that a given piece of equipment can produce. But in a drive-thru stand, you have to think about size as well.
Your espresso machine and your grinder are the two most important pieces to consider. When it comes to espresso machines, the biggest determining factor in size is the number of group heads on your machine.
Most commercial espresso machines come with either two or three group heads. While it may seem like having three can increase your productivity and your revenue, it doesnt always work out that way. In small spaces, having three spots to pull shots from can create more chaos than anything else.
You will almost never have more than two people working an espresso machine at a time. If you do, the third person is almost always better off steaming milk rather than also pulling shots.
Pro tip: milk steaming is usually the most work-intensive and time-consuming part of making milk-based espresso drinks. Try putting one of your baristas to work steaming and pouring milk while the other pulls shots. This can often speed up the workflow, which helps you serve more customers and sell more coffee.
Your Guide To Start A Drive
A drive-thru coffee shop is a common retail coffee concept that usually consists of a small structure or stand with one or two drive-thru service windows. Customers typically drive up to the window and order their coffee and food. As you can imagine, this is super convenient for most customers since they never have to leave their car!
Drive-thru coffee stands can vary in size and design, but typically, they serve one purpose: they conveniently offer coffee to drivers. Customers often can walk up to a coffee stand as well! The term Drive-Thru Coffee Stand is used interchangeably with Drive-Thru Coffee Shop.
Drive-thru coffee stands are widespread in the Pacific Northwest but can be found all over North America.
Starting a drive-thru coffee stand can save you a lot of money in startup costs than traditional coffee shop startup expenses. In addition, if you pick the right location, you can also generate just as much revenue as a regular coffee shop with a potentially less up-front investment.
Today, we hope to provide you with insight into what it takes to start a successful drive-thru coffee stand business. Specifically, we will discuss preliminary steps, startup costs, and recommendations to start a drive-thru coffee stand.
To start a drive-thru coffee shop successfully, you will want to write up a business plan. Your business plan will help you determine your concept, budget, and best location, among other things.
So, with these elements in mind, let’s get started!
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Ner With Joes Garage Coffee
Serve up great coffee with a top-notch supplier you can trust. With the superior quality of Joes Garage Coffee, youll give your future customers a cup of joe they cant get anywhere else. We have a selection of single-origin coffees from around the world that we use to make custom blends with tasting notes for a one-of-a-kind taste. Youll be able to give choosy customers a fantastic variety from among our ready-to-brew house blends, single-origin or organic beans, and teas.
We offer low starting minimums to help you grow, and have the capacity for large quantities as you attract more loyal customers. We even give you the option to package your coffee for resale. As your great-tasting coffee gains loyalists, you can sell packaged coffee in-house and through retailers, so your customers can get their favorite coffee shop blend at home, too.
For fantastic craft coffee, let Joes Garage Coffee supply your cafe with custom, premium roasts that compliment your brand. Learn more about the many services we can offer your startup cafe today.
Efficient Training Turns Out Confident Baristas In Less Than A Week
When you put your trainee in front of an espresso machine and systematically train them to make drinks that build off of each other, you allow them to get in the flow, continue the momentum, and remember recipes easily.
For example, youd want to have your trainee start with only hot drinks and make the following drinks in the same size, in this order: a doppio espresso, an espresso macchiato, a latte, a vanilla latte, and finally a mocha. Then repeat this for the next size. Then go to cold drinks. This is the best way to train because youre building their skills in grinding, dosing, tamping, and extractingbuilding on the complexity of the recipe slowly.
Youd save the cappuccino for last because that involves steaming the milk differently and will take them out of their flow. Also, once theyre proficient at steaming milk for a latte, it will be easier for them to confidently practice steaming milk for a cappuccino.
For ten years I was the main trainer for a high volume, corporate drive-thru espresso bar, and I produced fully trained baristas with no prior coffee experience in seven days using the method outlined above. They were so well trained I could leave them alone in the store if necessary. Our hands-on training system was specifically designed to support the quick memorization of recipes through a natural, logical progression.
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How You Explain Drinks To New Hires Defines Their Ability To Recall Recipes
When you ask a new hire to memorize individual drink recipes and you ask them how to make a 16oz mocha, a 16oz latte, and a 16oz breve, theyre going search their memory for three separate drinks. Ive watched countless new hires scratch their heads and breathe deeply with big pauses in speech while attempting to explain these three drinks after being given a packet to memorize.
When I trained new hires, I explained the three drinks differently and painted a picture for them that created a connection between all of the drinks that made it easy. I told them a 16oz latte is two shots of espresso and steamed milk, and the other two drinks are just variations. A mocha is the same drink but with chocolate added, and a breve is a latte that uses half and half instead of milk. With this explanation, the new hire only needs to memorize one recipe for a latte, and then mocha and breve become keywords for a recipe alterationnot a separate recipe.
If youre not sure how to train your staff, you can provide state of the art training for all of your baristas through the Specialty Coffee Society of America.
Create A Business Plan
A well-thought-out business plan is key to creating any business, and a coffee shop is no exception. If you want to open a coffee shop, you probably already have a love of good coffee. To create a successful coffee shop you have to decide how you’ll get other people to love coffee as much as you do. A business plan will help get your ideas focused and in one place. Besides the basics of what your coffee shop will be and the products you’ll sell, a business plan also includes a marketing and sales plan, as well as financial projections.
An important consideration you’ll need to take care of in the early stages, and that you’ll include in your business plan, is to decide on the business structure you want your company to operate as. There are several business entity options you can choose, including a sole proprietorship, LLC, C-corp, and moreand the entity you choose will have both tax and legal implications for your business. It’s always a good idea to seek the advice of a business attorney when making these big decisions as you start your coffee shop. if you choose to open a franchise, you might already have a business entity that you have to use.
While creating your business plan, you’ll have to come up with a name for your business and an idea of where you want to open your coffee shop. Once you find the perfect location be sure to add it to your business plan, it might happen before or after you’ve written the plan.
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Staffing: Find Hire And Schedule
Finding and hiring the right team helps you deliver on your concept, ensure customers always receive stellar service and keeps your coffee shop profitable.
But who exactly do you hire? How do you approach the hiring process? And, once hired, how do you schedule employees effectively, so you’re never over or understaffed? Let’s have a look.
Questions You May Have
Is cafe au lait the same thing as a latte?
No, cafe au laits and lattes are two different drinks. Cafe au laits are made with drip coffee as their base and lattes use espresso.
Can half and half be frothed?
Yes. A drink with half and half is called a breve. If you want your cafe au lait with half and half, you can request a breve cafe au lait.
Is cafe au lait the same thing as white coffee?
Some may confuse cafe au laits with white coffeethe difference is that the milk is steamed in a cafe au lait but its cold in a white coffee.
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Create A Detailed Business Plan
Its tempting to skip the business plan. Its too much workWhos going to read itare comments we hear all the time. In reality, the real benefit in putting together a business plan is less about the final document, and more about the process. The process of writing a business plan helps you really understand your local market and take a close look at the numbers you need to make the business successful. A business plan will guide you through each stage of developing and managing your coffee shop, and will serve as a road map for how to structure, run, and grow your new business.
Your business plan should include:
- A summary: What this business stands for, and how its going to stand out.
- A local market analysis: Who are your regular customers? Who are your competitors?
- Your team: What are you going to do yourself, what team are you hiring to do the rest.
- A marketing plan: What is your point of difference? How are you going to communicate this?
- How much cash you need to get started and where its coming from.
- Financial projections: Projected Profit & Loss, Cash Flow
- A location and lease strategy.
Theres a lot to think about, but taking time to plan for each of these aspects of your business will help set you up for success.
Tips For Setting Up Your Produce Stand
Make the stand attractive to prospective customers. Several long planks mounted on two sawhorses can serve your needs and be portable enough to be packed away in your barn when the season ends. With a little imagination you can place bushel baskets of fruit in front of piles of watermelons or pumpkins at each end of your “table” to lend a bit of showmanship. But such a stand is unlikely to be seen by passing motorists. If you’re there to stay, make your stand a place that people will see and remember. Eye-catchers are needed . If possible, locate your produce stand under a large shade treeyou couldn’t find a more natural way to display it, and it will give the stand a more rustic setting.
Strive for uniqueness in your display. Nail kegs sawed in half, polished and waxed, make nice display containers. Commercial-type glass-fronted refrigerators can be bought used, and the more perishable items stored in them. Even small stands use them. In areas where they will not get trampled on, flowers can be grown to add to the attractiveness of the place, and customers should be encouraged to pick a small bouquet free for the stopping. Or stand operators can sell flowers, offering half-price if the customer wants to pick them him- or herself.
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