What would make a superb coffee shop/cafe?

Question

I'm looking into the possibility of starting my own coffee shop/cafe. There are a lot of choices to make in deciding the look, feel, and taste of the cafe. Below, I've listed some possible elements of a coffee house. I would welcome any advice and suggestions; what would you look for in a coffee house experience. Also, what are the guidelines to using different brands of coffee that are available in the market, and do you have any suggestions on how to make the coffee house experience unique if using market brand coffee? Thank you.

1. Exotic coffee
2. A coffee house theme (tropical, Christian bookstore, etc.)
3. Serving other beverages (tea, smoothies, etc.)

P.S. please be creative and give me some unique ideas.

Answer 1

I think a lot of answers are going to depend on where you are. For instance, if you have a lot of coffee shops in your area, you might try setting yourself apart by offering unusual alternatives, like white coffee. But if you will in an area without a lot of competition, I would start with the basics and add on as customers make suggestions... and they will.

As to a theme, again it would depend, but this would depend more on you and your interests because you would know enough about those interests to really make a special place around them. For instance, if you love reading and literature, you might want to start a coffee shop based around a library theme. Then you could have authors come in and do signings and readings or you could offer your shop on certain evenings for book clubs.

Tea is a must. Not everyone drinks coffee, but they might want to hang out with their friends who do. We offer many different teas in black, green, and herbal, even a few white and red teas. Some other good alternatives are juices, chai, hot cocoa, and cold drinks, like iced teas.

Smoothies willl probably depend on where you are located. We are right next to a couple of schools and smoothies and frozen shake type drinks are among our best sellers. Starbucks number 1 seller, winter and summer, is their frappuccinos.

Having great coffee will be your biggest asset. Do some research on the net and ask for samples. Our customers really like coffees that are locally roasted, so you might want to go that route. It also allows quick delivery of coffee, the day after roasting, which really improves quality. We also have triple certification fo our coffee, organic, fair trade, and shade grown, and we have customers comment every day on that. But we are also in a big city with a lot of awareness of ecological concerns and a lot of other coffee shops around, so we have to stand out.

Good luck!

Answer 2

i like tropical theme. in addition, there is one that i go to, frequently, that is a book store. you can snack, drink scores of different flavors of tea and coffee, in addition, there are comfortable chairs where you can do this and read any of the books in the store and purchase the books if you enjoy it enough to re-read or you are are person that just has to finish the story and it's time to leave. i have approximately 1200 hard back books at home. i truly enjoy sipping coffee and reading

Answer 3

Make it convenient for business people to conduct meetings (2-4 people at a time). Free wireless Internet, availability of whiteboards, convenient places to plug in computers and phone chargers, etc.