Hello Everybody,

Until recently i beleive it was very difficult to manage and maintain a coffee shop. I was under the impression that there was a lot of equipment required in doing so and was very costly.

However i recently noticed that coffee shops really do not require a lot of equipment to make the drinks they offer.

Infact i have seen coffee shops operate with just 2 machines and they can manage to come up with a decent line of products ranging from hot coffess to ice teas, to slush, to smoothies.

Now i am actually considering putting up a coffee house and becoming a part of this industry.

What i need help with is Knowledge. Id like to know what kind of equipments are used, how much they cost and what sort of maintenance do they require.

Anyone here run a coffee house with a limted range of drinks and snacks??

any ideas would be appreciated.

If you have any website links i could go thru or so pls share them with me.

Looking forward to ALL your thoughts and opinions. If you think the idea is risky or has its cons, pls share them with me as i need a realistic picture. not invest a handsome chunk and come out a bankrupt entrepreneur.

Thanks a lot for taking time to read this, i really do appreciate it

I wish you the best of luck independents are still flourishing according to National Public Radio you can listen to the broadcast here:

NPR : Independent Coffee Houses Thrive in Starbucks' Shadow

I would be careful, the well known brands can charge a big premium for their coffee you may not be able to. On of the things you may want to consider is getting a copy of the UFOC from one of the big franchises it outlines some of their operating model

I think you are right that the equipment is only a small outlay, i also think you will find that a lot of coffee houses make good profits. One thing that you havent mentioned though is location. For a coffee shop location is eveything. remember with a limited range and a product that does not have a huge margin means you have to sell a lot of it. If you locate your business in an area that is not an absolute certainty of walk ins and i mean a lot of walk ins the business will fail.

You most certainly will be able to find a location that will provide you with enough customers but i think you will find that the property owner will also know that the shop is in a good position and you will be looking at a lot of rent.
good luck.

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well ive got the location covered. dats the least of my concerns.

jiust wanted to know what equipment people buy and wht ALL can they do with it.

decided to learn it the practical way. gna work for a coffee house for the next couple of weeks.

find out all i need to

There are various publications you can get to learn about starting a coffee house like the one below that should be helpful:

How to start a coffee shop or coffee house.

thanx a lot victory. appreciate it.