New business venture

[tortoise]

Hi everyone

We are seriously thinking of starting our own Italian coffee shop up. We have always wanted to and we have have found some for sale in London and nearer to us. We would sell typical Italian fayre such as paninis and Italian pastries. We would make up sandwiches on demand too with traditional fillings.

We have checked out a few of them and found they get excellent passing trade. One we went to yesterday had 30 customers between 2pm and 2:10pm and 8 of them were seated wanting hot meals.

So I was wondering if you could answer a few questions to help us on our way so to speak?

1/ What would you look for in a coffee shop? Would internet access be a bonus, family friendly, alcohol for sale etc

2/ What type of coffee or tea would you usually order in a coffee shop?

3/ If there was a seating area would you prefer waitress service?

4/ What price would you pay for the following?

An Americano coffee (normal coffee) to take away
A panini with mozzerella, proscuito (thin bacon) and rocket. Toasted

5/ When you visit a coffee shop - Costa's, Nero for example - what would you usually order?

6/ Would a comfy seating area be appealing?

Thank you very much for your help.

[Eeyore]

Hi T

What a fab idea, coffee shops are very very popular at the min, we went to one last Saturday, grotty area, fab coffee shop, and it was heaving at 3pm on a cold Saturday, and queues for tables - just for the coffee and cakes!!

OK here's my replies, hope it helps

1/ What would you look for in a coffee shop? Would internet access be a bonus, family friendly, alcohol for sale etc
For me the main thing is value for money, a friendly atmosphere with smiling fiendly staff and cleanliness. I mainly look at value for money - good quality food and preferably home-made/locally sourced too. Family places put me off, and I'm personally not over fussed for internet access, but these are my own opinions, ok?


2/ What type of coffee or tea would you usually order in a coffee shop?
If coffee I like a large espresso or americano, I alos love hot chocolate, but the full on types with liqueur in, cream and maltesers on top, wil happily pay good money for good hot chocolate.

3/ If there was a seating area would you prefer waitress service?
Yes. One place we go to, one lass does the ordering, the service, the cooking and preparing, but people don't mind waiting as it's so good. It's nice to be brought any food you order rather than to have to wait at a counter. If it's just a drink though I don't mind getting it myself.

4/ What price would you pay for the following?

An Americano coffee (normal coffee) to take away Well in our canteen it's £1.50 but in a coffee shop, up here about £2
A panini with mozzerella, proscuito (thin bacon) and rocket. Toasted With salad about £4 is the average up here, but hey, it's the north! That;'s eat in, maybe about £3.20 to take away

5/ When you visit a coffee shop - Costa's, Nero for example - what would you usually order? Coffee or if it's a warm day, coke, and I try to have a piece of cake, something like chocolate fudge, I'm terrible for home-made cakes!! I also adore chocolate cookies. If it's lunchtime, a sandwich or pannini as well as my drink.

6/ Would a comfy seating area be appealing?
Places we go to, tend to mix both styles, but the comfy seating is often taken up last, don't know why, but personally, when i go out, I never pick the comfy seats. I'm terrified I'll end up tipping my drink down my front.

We like home-made cakes, really appealing with a nice coffee. Pots of tea are favourites with my mum and Mr Eeyore but they hate it when a pot of tea for two is less than 2 cups each, bit of a con. I personally like background music, something mellow and light though

Good luck.

[Planet 24]

Ok for what its worth my 2 ha'pence worth.

I look for easy access, cleanliness not particularly fond of family places, or internet access.
Good value for money and home cooked cakes and pastries a must.


I dont drink coffee, Mr. P like good strong black french style coffee - fresh ground
I like Russian tea and occasionally fruit ones especially when its cold something like Blackcurrant or Cinnamon spiced tea.

Prefer seating and waitress service

Prices to take away about £2 panini and toasted sandwiches to eat in 3.50 - 4.00 to take away 3.20 to 3.50 but that is Northern prices, add 50p on south of the Cumberland gap.

As Eeyore says one thing that peeves me is when you have a pot of tea for two and its just 1 and a half instead :lol:

Freshly made produce, value for money and clean cheerful surroundings thats what makes a place worth coming back to :thumbs:

[Beth]

sounds exciting :D

love a new venture, in fact you are the 3rd one I have heard discussed today :yes: there must be something in the air!

the only tip I can offer is can you make sure you have normal coffee on the menu list please!

I dont go to cafes very often, not the nice ones anyway, and when I do and say Oh I would love a cuppa coffee please then they ask what sort!
I just want a normal coffe with milk in it, no fluff, no cream, no chocy bits floating no fancy names that I have to pay the earth for, just a cup of coffee :lol:

and cream cakes! they are a must :D

it has to be comfy, if people stay longer in comfort they might drink more coffee and eatmore buns but not too much seating, people want their own personal space and dont want to be crowded

quiet easy listening music in the back ground of a mediteran theme perhaps, loud enough to hear but to loud that you cant hear each other

and once a month have a singles do! amazing how many people in London cant get to meet the right person ;)
:lol:

[Sparrow]

Hi Tortoise :)

I cant really add any more to whats already been said but I wanted to wish you good luck with it :) I hope it works out if you do it :thumbs: And if you want a cream cake tester - Im willing :lol:

sparrow xx

[coppernob]

I love coffee shops and see them as a "treat" so will spend a little more on something I wouldn't usually have at home. I normally would order a cappacino and I always eat a cereal bar (have a funny thing about eating food someone else has cooked :blush: ). I've never tried a panini but they sound lovely! Ice cream would be popular though wouldn't it? CN

[sesentayuno]

Great,

For the price I think it is best to go do a bit of commercial espionage, see what is on offer in your area, what they are charging, have a coffee, sit down near the counter and make notes on what is popular in the menu, see what type of seats people go for. It is cheaper than doing a survey and you get a bigger sample :)

As for me, I am a creature of habit, latte with a dash of cinnamon will do me fine. If I have to rank my favourite coffee places, I would put it in this order (from best onwards)

Nero - ambience is good and free flow of ice water, don't like the fact that they do not accept card, but the up side is the queue moves faster.

M&S (Revive I think that is what it is called) - Best price around and ambience is good.

Starbucks - though I am a creature of habit, I like to look at the abundant of choices so I can choose my latte, I love the fact that the chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, milk is there for you to customise your own coffee.

Costa - the choice is good, but unfortunately the branch we have is hopelessly understaffed and customers has to do the clearing of the cups to sit down, no cinnamon but all latte have a choice of chocolate sprinkle (I call that discrimination :angry:)

Hope the above helps, as and when you open your coffee place, you have to let us know where it is so I can flash my NFH loyalty card :lol:

Ses

[Doktor Jon]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tortoise @ 3rd April 2007 - 5:44 PM) 247735</div>So I was wondering if you could answer a few questions to help us on our way so to speak?

1/ What would you look for in a coffee shop? Would internet access be a bonus, family friendly, alcohol for sale etc
2/ What type of coffee or tea would you usually order in a coffee shop?
3/ If there was a seating area would you prefer waitress service?
4/ What price would you pay for the following?
An Americano coffee (normal coffee) to take away
A panini with mozzerella, proscuito (thin bacon) and rocket. Toasted
5/ When you visit a coffee shop - Costa's, Nero for example - what would you usually order?
6/ Would a comfy seating area be appealing?[/b]

Good for you T :thumbs:

I'm not a typical cafe culture creature, as I rarely get to go out for a coffee more than maybe once a fortnight (if I'm very, very, very good).
You've had some great suggestions already, so here's my box of 'business' spanners ;)

1) I'd personally suggest that you avoid the alcohol route, cost wise and from an operational aspect.
Only go family friendly if you are filling a particular niche in the local market. Otherwise, I would guess that most of your target audience may be happy to spend some brief time away from their brood ... and other peoples!
Internet access might be a draw if it were free WiFi (unlike Starbucks etc.), although if you did go that route, maybe keep the websters in an area away from other customers, and don't expect them to eat and drink you out of shop and home. If they're on their 'puters, chances are your churn rate will drop and you may actually make less money per hour on that cover.
2) Italian coffee hits the spot with me. As has already been suggested, if you're going to do an italian experience, make sure it's that and not some mish mash of conflicting cultures. The three best coffee's I can ever remember (how sad is this :rolleyes: ), were had in venice, stresa, and knightsbridge ( all italian coffee shops ;) )
3) Waitress service is probably only viable when viewed in relation to number of covers, customer turnover, and potential product pricing. It's great if you can afford to do it, but it may not be necessary from the outset.
4) I never do take aways so I can't really comment on that, but please be kind to veggie's ;)
5) Black coffee, possibly a muffin or pastry.
6) I'd suggest reasonably comfortable seats at the tables, although you don't really want people spending their whole day on just one or two coffee's. Comfy seats and couches look great, but from a business perspective, I doubt that it's a terribly efficient use of 'selling space'.

If you think about starting a 'brand formula', concentrate on presentation, value for money, and set your vision to give the customers exactly what they want, you never know what may happen :D

[sp54]

Fantastic idea, T :D


1/ What would you look for in a coffee shop? Would internet access be a bonus, family friendly, alcohol for sale etc

Now I am an old fogey :rolleyes: I tend to avoid coffee shops where I have to negotiate an obstacle course of high chairs, buggies and toddlers in favour of a more 'grown up' atmosphere. I personally don't see the need to supply alcohol or provide internet access.

2/ What type of coffee or tea would you usually order in a coffee shop?

I nearly always go for cappuccino, or else just a plain filtered coffee, so long as it is good quality I am happy. In the summer it is really nice to have iced coffee as an option too :)

3/ If there was a seating area would you prefer waitress service?

Waitress service is nice, but not essential in a coffee shop setting IMO

4/ What price would you pay for the following?

Coffee here would be £1.75 - £2.00 and a panini with salad about £3.50 -£4.00

5/ When you visit a coffee shop - Costa's, Nero for example - what would you usually order?

If we were having lunch, a coffee and a panini, if we were too late for lunch, a coffee and a nice cake

6/ Would a comfy seating area be appealing?

I'm not overly fond of the sofa type seating myself, I prefer a comfy table and chair!
I think low background music is nice, especially if it is soothing music - makes me want to linger over another coffee :lol:

One of the most popular places around my way to go for a light lunch is one of the nearby garden centres!! We, as do many people we know go there just to eat, not necessarily to shop. It is so popular they have just re fitted it and doubled its size. They do lovely paninis, but whereas some places just stick a lettuce leaf and slice of cucumber on the side, at the garden centre you get a full decently prepared salad [and crisps too, but I am not bothered by them]. My fave there is tuna, cheese and onion. Although their coffee choice could be improved, they have a wide selection of cakes to die for, all supplied by a local lady, and are proper 'home made' cakes. At £1.99 a slice, they are still very popular and there is a good range of them. It has a nice mediterranean style feel to it with statues and large plants decorating the place. It is always busy there, even in the winter months, and that place must be a little gold mine. They also do a range of sandwich fillings and you choose what bread you want eg. ciabbata, baguette, wholemeal etc etc. They have a decent choice of bread alone. It obviously works well too :)

Good luck! :)

[kebea41]

Hi everybody,
Talking about coffee shops there is a good Italian one in my home town with leather long settees and little coffee tables. It has been made to relax the passing shopper. It does sell sandwiches, the odd hot meals and 20 different types of coffee these range from £1.50 up to £3.00 but the £3.00 pounds one are very special served with fresh cream and Italian biscuits mmmmmmmmmm lovely.

I personal love the Italian coffee shops the coffees are really good and i always needs some caffine to keep me going on a hard days shopping yaaaaaaaaa :daisy

Great idea i wish you good luck and lets us all know when you get started. :) :

[tortoise]

Hi all

A big thank you for your answers. :) Sorry I didn't reply sooner have been at work again!!

We were thinking of wifi access as we are looking to open in London maybe, so thought that might be good for office workers etc. But good comment about it reducing coffee flow.

Yes, normal coffee will be on the menu! Did you know Italians treat Cappucino as a breakfast drink and they spot tourists by the fact that if you order after 10am then you are from "out of town"!! Of course we will serve you any coffee you like!

Of course there will be cakes! I love a muffin with my tea or a piece of toffee cake.

I think for family friendly access we will make the aisles buggy width and maybe offer bottle warming etc. But if we open in the city that probably won't be an issue.

I will print off your suggestions if that is ok with all of you to just show Mr T. If you'd rather I didn't let me know. :)

Thanks again to all of you :D

T xxxx

[sp54]

Hi T

We've been to Windsor today and I thought of you as I was eating my panini looking at the castle :P :lol:

Seriously though, if you are planning on a London shop try going for a tourist hot spot!! In Windsor today we paid a lot more because it was a tourist area. The paninis were £4-5 for example, and they were nice enough, but only a little bit of mixed salad leaves with it, so not that impressive. It was very nice on a day like today eating outside overlooking the river and the castle, but I was thinking how much more you can charge for that privilege! Not sure how much the coffee was though :rolleyes: :unsure:

See, I even think about you lot when I am not online :lol: :rolleyes:

[Doktor Jon]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tortoise @ 5th April 2007 - 10:50 AM) 248013</div>We were thinking of wifi access as we are looking to open in London maybe, so thought that might be good for office workers etc.[/b]

You'll need to do your research very carefully T.

Operating costs are higher in London than anywhere else in the country ( and much of europe!), there's more competition, and opening hours tend to be longer (most central London retailers are open till 8 or 9p.m. as standard). If your overheads are higher, you may need to stay open longer to make the extra cash needed to stay open!

If you go the WiFi route you'll have to do it properly, and whilst this is not my area of expertise, it's probably worth considering that anyone sitting outside would equally be able to access your network, without having to come in and buy a coffee.

Perhaps if you could spot an up and coming 'trendy' area, then you might be able to get in whilst it's on the rise (and cheaper), and don't forget, there's quite a few chunky bits of London that are starting to get going for some do or other that's happening in 2012 ;)

[tortoise]

Thanks DJ I wouldn't have thought of the Wifi thing.

I think we will just go for a few seats and aim at the take away market.

We have joined a few business pages so we have a few ideas in the pipeline, including other ventures.

Keep the advice coming though everyone as you are thinking of things that we would probably miss.

SP- I think of you all the time too Hun!! :lol: