How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop: With Companion CD-ROM [Paperback]

Elizabeth Godsmark (Author), Lora Arduser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2004

The explosive growth of the coffee shops across the country has been phenomenal. Few people realize coffee is now the largest food import to the United States. There is money to be made on those beans. Here is the manual you need to cash in on this highly profitable segment of the food service industry. This new book is a comprehensive and detailed study of the business side of the specialty coffee and beverage shop. This superb manual should be studied by anyone investigating the opportunities of opening a coffee cafe, tea shop or coffee kiosk. If you enjoy meeting people and love coffee, this may be the perfect business for you, but keep in mind Specialty coffee retail looks easy, but as with any business, looks can be deceiving. This complete manual will arm you with everything you need including sample business forms, leases, and contracts; worksheets and checklists for planning, opening, and running day-to-day operations; sample menus; coffee drink recipes; inventory lists; plans and layouts; and dozens of other valuable, time-saving tools of the trade that no coffee entrepreneur should be without. While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you through finding a location that will bring success, learn how to draw up a winning business plan (The Companion CD-ROM has the actual business plan you can use in MS Word TM), how to buy and sell a coffee shop, basic cost control systems, profitable menu planning, sample floor plans & diagrams, successful kitchen management, equipment layout and planning, food safety & HACCP, successful beverage management, legal concerns, sales and marketing techniques, pricing formulas, learn how to set up computer systems to save time and money, learn how to hire & keep a qualified professional staff, brand new IRS tip reporting requirements, managing and training employees, generate high profile public relations and publicity, learn low cost internal marketing ideas, low and no cost ways to satisfy customers and build sales, learn how to keep bringing customers back, accounting & bookkeeping procedures, auditing, successful budgeting and profit planning development, as well as thousands of great tips and useful guidelines. The manual delivers literally hundreds of innovative ways demonstrated to streamline your business. Learn new ways to make your operation run smoother and increase performance. Shut down waste, reduce costs, and increase profits. In addition operators will appreciate this valuable resource and reference in their daily activities and as a source of ready-to-use forms, web sites, operating and cost cutting ideas, and mathematical formulas that can be easily applied to their operations. The Companion CD-ROM contains all the forms in the book as well as a sample business plan you can adapt for your own use.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Best Cover Design Award Winner - 2006 Florida Publishers Association --Book Award

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group Inc. (July 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910627312
• ISBN-13: 978-0910627313
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Hospitality Businesses
  • #68 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > New Business Enterprises
  • #72 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Hospitality, Travel & Tourism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good content, but very choppy, April 27, 2006

By 

Brandi M. Seals (Fayetteville, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop: With Companion CD-ROM (Paperback)

How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop" by Elizabeth Godsmark, Lora Aduser, and Douglas R. Brown is great for beginners looking into possibly opening a coffee shop. The book touches on a lot of information that is generic to any business, but it is a good starting point. It provides basic information on writing a business plan, scouting out a location, buying equipment, hiring a staff and more.

I wish the authors would have delved further into the various aspects of writing a business plan. As it is, it simply lists what types of topics should be covered in a business plan and basic information on what the terms mean. There is nothing comprehensive about how to create pro-forma income projections or any of the more intricate parts of the business plan.

While parts of the book seemed to just be stating common sense knowledge, the authors did provide a number of helpful websites and resources. They talk in-depth on ordering coffee, but I wish the book would have included more coffee/espresso specific information - such as numerous drink recipes, maybe tips from those that have started their own coffee shop. Things like that would have been useful.

The book's flow is also a little disappointing. Many times the writing seemed redundant because the topic had already been touched on. For some reason the authors will discuss a subject, such as using a website to enhance your business and then touch on the subject again a few chapters later without adding anything significant to the mix..

All in all, I think the book does provide a good deal of useful information to anyone looking to open a business in the food industry. I just wish it had more meat to it or that the authors would have gone more in-depth on a few key issues.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, April 11, 2006

By 

Book Woman (Southeast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop: With Companion CD-ROM (Paperback)

While adoring coffee or tea may help, it is not enough to make your new coffee and tea business an instant success. This reference book, written by successful authors Elizabeth Godsmark, Lora Arduser and Douglas Brown, should be your starting point. The predictable chapters are here - inventory and labor cost control, location assessment, public relations and bookkeeping - but there are also tidbits of information not found in similarly marketed guides. These include Internet marketing strategies, the pros and cons of buying a franchise and strategies for recruiting and retaining skilled employees. The personnel section is particularly helpful as employees are often the cornerstone of success, especially in a business where exemplary customer service is imperative. If you are not familiar with beverage and food service operational details, you will want to make it a priority to bookmark chapters 5 & 6 as they provide helpful hints on selecting gourmet coffee, choosing appropriate equipment - such as grinders, espresso machines and steamers - and a quick "cheat sheet" on tea types. On the included CD-ROM you will find a sample business plan for "Cupa Joe", as well as pertinent business forms and a coffee and tea shop supply list. This book is easy to read, offers invaluable tricks of the trade and helps prepare you for the rewarding task of opening your own coffee and tea shop. Highly recommended.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good if you plan to start a decent size business, August 20, 2011

By 

rawraws (Colorado) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop: With Companion CD-ROM (Paperback)

This book really focuses on larger, more franchise like coffee shops. If you have dreams of opening a small coffee bar in your town it's possible this book goes above and beyond what you need.