Wow, this week has been pretty hectic! We met with a coffee vendor in Austin who is turning into an amazing resource. He has over 30 years of experience roasting coffee as well as owning and managing restaurants and coffee shops all over the country from Montana to Austin. He definitely knows the ins and outs of the food service industry and not just what flavor of coffee people like! One of his smaller coffee shops is a 9' x 12' space on the UT campus that does about $3,000 a day in sales...that's a lot of coffee for a small space! And let me tell you, a coffee shop requires a lot of space. You can't just throw an espresso machine in a room and call it a coffee shop, you have to have grinders, blenders, air pots, brewers, pitchers, temperature gauges...the list goes on and on! Sip may be looking to expand before we've even opened...!
One of my favorite things so far may be all of the taste testing I get to do, in the name of "market research" of course! I need to know how other people's coffee tastes, how the different brands of syrup and flavoring stack up, and who has the yummiest cupcakes! I know I know...it's not just about the cake! I am also looking to see how their stores are laid out, what their work space looks like, how their prices compare and what's on their menu...but I'll probably stick to writing about the tasty stuff, like the vegan mint chocolate cupcake I had at Austin Java, or the chocolate peanut butter one...both very good! (Guess I better keep hitting the pavement as often as possible)
One of the main reasons I went into this venture was to do something that would challenge me and push me in a new direction and it definitely has. I mean who knew a little paint thinner wouldn't take paint off a concrete floor? Or you can add a plumbing line through the ceiling, that was news to me! I am glad I can say I have really loved it so far. There are and will definitely continue to be hurdles to overcome but it is a fun and rewarding process. I am reminded of the saying that I know enough to know that I don't know everything and the best thing I can do is surround myself with smart people! I feel very fortunate to have such people around me.
G'night all!
Michele
