How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop (How to Open & Operate a ...) (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author), Douglas R. Brown (Author) "This chapter lists and describes the essential pre-opening activities and procedures which must be completed by any prospective Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop owner..." (more)
Key Phrases: retail beverage, withheld income tax, timely filed return, Social Security, United States, Department of Labor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Company (FL) (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910627312
• ISBN-13: 978-0910627313
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 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)

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.

10 of 14 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

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.

13 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Start, May 8, 2006

By	Lindsay Zortman (Vermillion, South Dakota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"HOW TO OPEN A FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL COFFEE, ESPRESSO & TEA SHOP" by Elizabeth Godsmark, Lora Arduser and Douglas R. Brown.

Coffee is a huge industry across the country and around the world. In the introduction of "How to open a financially successful coffee, espresso & tea shop" the authors point out that the coffee industry is a $5 billion industry, which is growing more and more every year.

Anyone who is interested in starting his or her own coffee, espresso, or tea shop is going to be fascinated in this book. The authors start at the beginning with developing a business plan. The give examples and even offer a CD program that has preformatted documents. Licenses, business name, choosing suppliers, and equipment requirements are all discussed in the opening chapters.

Many aspects of running a successful coffee, espresso & tea business are discussed throughout this book. The authors have done a tremendous job in giving an introduction to opening this type of business. They talk about profit planning and advertising, as well as choosing the best equipment and managing your operating costs.

Without a doubt this is a definite must have book for anyone even thinking about starting this kind of business. The author's are able to skillfully introduce all the major concerns with opening a coffee, espresso & tea business. They provide a wealth of information that will help clarify a person's views of what is actually required to open, operate, and run a financially successful coffee, espresso & teashop.