The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Coffee Bar (Paperback)

~ (Author), W. Eric Martin (Author), (Author) "Coffee is big business both in the United States and around the world, and when you look closely at how coffee is made and served,..." (more)
Key Phrases: steaming wand, coffee bar owner, brewing system, Beans of Wisdom, Contents May Be Hot, Which Products To Sell (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Brew up your own business.

This is a step-by-step guide to realizing what for many people is a cherished dream: opening a successful coffee bar. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting and Running a Coffee Bar includes the dirt on what it’s really like to work behind the counter and information on everything from how to build a business plan, to how to make the drinks and how to price them.

-Only series book of its kind

-The specialty coffee business is still growing

-Small businesses create 7 out of 10 new jobs in America

-Susan Gilbert has started and run five successful coffee bars

About the Author

Linda Formichelli, the author of five books, has written more than 120 articles for such magazines as Family Circle, USA Weekend, Men’s Fitness, Writer’s Digest, and Psychology Today. W. Eric Martin is an award-winning writer whose articles have appeared in Games, Psychology Today, Woman’s Day, Speak, Collages & Bricolages, and more. Susan Gilbert founded her first cafe in downtown San Diego, California. Growing to five locations in less than three years, Susan sold the main location in 1994 at a profit. She still operates Cafe in the Park, which is regularly featured on TV’s Discovery Dining.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592574068
• ISBN-13: 978-1592574063
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,704 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-balanced, lively, informative, and entertaining, March 16, 2006

By	H. Grove "owling6683" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

One of the things that struck me most about this book is that it seems perfectly balanced. By this I mean that it covers all the general business angles of running a coffee bar, but it never loses sight of its coffee-oriented focus. While there's certainly plenty of information that people running other businesses would find useful in here, you'll never find yourself thinking that you could have gotten the same information out of a more generic business or restaurant business guide. Everything focuses on the particular application of principles to the unique issues and problems that face the owner and operator of a coffee bar. Even when discussing cross-promotion and various forms of publicity the book discusses things that are likely to work best with your products and services.

You won't just find information in here on business plans, licensing issues, equipment, suppliers, staffing, and publicity however. There are guides to roasting beans (in case you want to create your own blends, or just want to understand what you're buying), creating a wide variety of coffee drinks and related treats, and cultivating repeat customers.

In addition to the vast wealth of information, the attitude with which this book was written is fantastic. It's practical yet positive, realistic yet optimistic. It livens things up with a dry wit yet never allows the humor to get in the way of the information it's trying to convey. It will make you excited about even topics like marketing your business without ever coming across as empty cheerleading.

I quite enjoyed reading this book, and have to firmly remind myself after reading it that no, I really am not the kind of person who can go out and start such a business. Because after reading all of this handy and fascinating information, the prospect is delightfully tempting!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserves 10 stars, March 9, 2006

By	Lucy Kaufman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a must for anyone who plans to open a coffee bar or shop. It not only provides all the necessary information for menu, location, prepration of specialty coffee drinks, everything you need to know about running a business is included. The descriptions of employee training manual and employee handbook, how to hire and fire, as well as too many vital things to mention, have me reading it again and again. This book will be a useful tool for months (years) in the future.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More Like "Incomplete", February 6, 2007

By	Tunisia Davis "Avid Reader" (McAllen, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was a starting point, but was not "Complete" by any means. I was hoping this book would delve into specifics, such as how to go about obtaining contractors to have a coffee bar built, or give real life statistical examples of day-to-day coffee bar operations. Understanding the author(s) cannot possibly account for everything one would experience as a coffee bar owner, it would have been nice to get a picture. The good thing about the book, as stated earlier, is it gives ideas of things one should think about- such as payroll, hiring tips, color schemes, etc. but again, they're just starting points. It will be necessary for me to purchase another book to build on this one......bummer