IDEA NSW09: Caff-a-hol (Coffee Shop by Day, Bar by Night)
Fixed overhead is a major issue with any coffee shop or tavern/bar. I'm wondering if you could balance a Coffee Shop by Day and a Tavern/Bar by night. JJ's market tries to do that, but its so small that I can't use it as a model. Would it work?
If so, you could keep the doors open much longer and decrease your fixed cost portion of expenses.
If so, you could keep the doors open much longer and decrease your fixed cost portion of expenses.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Ledgerwood on -
My thoughts:
(1) Staff - would the same types of folks be interested in working at effectively two different establishments? I would imagine there is an allure to a certain schedule that appeals to the coffee house staff that might not appeal to the bar staff (and the same in reverse).
(2) Location - people drive to get coffee to weird locations (like Crema) and might be less inclined to drive to a singularly located bar. It's sort of like a different vibe so you'd have to select really carefully to take advantage of both draws. Bars like to be near bars but do coffee shops like to be near bars that are closed during the day?
I dig the idea and it would be at the least worthwhile to figure out why someone hasn't done this (or has and we don't know about it).
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Permalink Reply by Adel ElMessiry on -
How about adding kids area?
This way the coffee shop will be more attractive to parents.
Parents can take their kids to the coffee shop and meet others, enjoy coffee and do not have to worry about kids.
I think that we need to look into what makes the coffee shop experience more attractive.
What do you think?
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Permalink Reply by Nicholas Holland on -
Interesting thought - but I'm guessing you mean a coffee shop + kids area (removing the BAR part). I think that's definitely unique. However, I wonder if a majority of the coffee shop patrons are parents without daycare? I think that would make sense on the weekend, but during the week I think most patrons are students/professionals.
Who knows :)
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Permalink Reply by Matt Bigelow on -
You know, I was just mulling the idea of a coffee shop with a kids area today when I was meeting some Digital Nashville folks at Ugly Mugs in East Nashville. There were a few sets of parents in the place, and they seemed a bit awkward. (Although it looked like their kids were "stroller-aged" rather than "run around on the carpet and cause havoc-aged.")
That said, making coffee shops more accommodating to parent with kids seems like a no-brainer but I've never noticed a super parent/kid-friendly coffee shop (DISCLAIMER: I don't have kids, so I'm not sure I'd notice one if I saw one).
On a side note, there's an awesome space for sale just north of Sylvan Park (circa 51st and Illinois Ave.) with 4,000+ feet of retail space and an apartment. Definitely a neighborhood that hasn't come up as quickly as Sylvan Park or East Nashville, but it'd be a cool space for a coffee shop/bar or a "parent-friendly" coffee shop.
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Permalink Reply by C. Smith on -
Just as David mentioned "location" above as being a concern for a bar, I believe it is equally concerning for coffee. I have seen two coffee houses in great neighborhood locations not make it because they were relying on traffic from the neighborhood to sustain them with no promise of driving or business patrons.
The idea is certainly interesting and a great candidate for testing the concept would have been Caffeine - previously doing business at 1516 Demonbreun St.
A major consideration would be the patrons. With concepts like these, the success relies heavily on how well the concept and decor fit within the neighborhood/community. Will it be accepted as a hang-out fit for the neighborhood or cold and commercial out to make a buck?
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Permalink Reply by Chad Upjohn on -
Here is an article on Starbucks venture into a similar realm. It was called Circadia.
Circadia: Starbucks Venture into Alcohol
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Permalink Reply by Nicholas Holland on
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No word on why it died... That article was from pre-2000!
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Permalink Reply by Lora Stevenson Obrohta on -
Talked to Cafe Coco?
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Permalink Reply by David Ledgerwood on
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Looks like the Starbucks experiments continue:
http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2009/08/07/your-two-neighborhood-...
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/2009/07/30/stealth-starbucks-m...
http://sf.curbed.com/tags/starbucks
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