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Start up Coffee Shop

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  • 17-05-2020 10:38pm
    #1
    ScottKD
    Registered Users Posts: 12 ✭


    ,

    Looking for a bit of help as im starting to pull my hair out.
    1.) Im looking for a location for a drive through coffee container either private land like a pub car park, shopping center car park or land owned by council like a car park or bottle bank, which leads me on to point 2.
    2.) If I were to find a location that is run by the council how would i go about getting permission to use that space.

    Thanks in advance.


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    #2
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    If you search the forum here, there are 100s of threads regarding coffee shops and there is great advice in them.

    Another factor is you mention drive through, do you mean someone getting a coffee whilst still in their car? If you do, I'd take a look around and notice that Ireland doesn't have a fraction of the drive-through culture that America etc has. You will also need a significant volume of cars and planning (Because they'll cause traffic) to generate revenues.

    Put another way, if Starbucks is not operating drive thoughts in Ireland and Costa has not put one into their retail park locations, there is a reason for it.


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    #3
    mickdw
    Registered Users Posts: 23,360 ✭✭✭✭mickdw


    ironclaw wrote: »
    If you search the forum here, there are 100s of threads regarding coffee shops and there is great advice in them.

    Another factor is you mention drive through, do you mean someone getting a coffee whilst still in their car? If you do, I'd take a look around and notice that Ireland doesn't have a fraction of the drive-through culture that America etc has. You will also need a significant volume of cars and planning (Because they'll cause traffic) to generate revenues.

    Put another way, if Starbucks is not operating drive thoughts in Ireland and Costa has not put one into their retail park locations, there is a reason for it.

    But in this new world, there may very well be a strong argument for drive through coffee.


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    #4
    duploelabs
    Registered Users Posts: 11,389 ✭✭✭✭duploelabs


    mickdw wrote: »
    But in this new world, there may very well be a strong argument for drive through coffee.

    Except it was working in the 'old world' PC (pre covid)

    https://www.thruthegreencoffeeco.com/


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    #5
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    mickdw wrote: »
    But in this new world, there may very well be a strong argument for drive through coffee.

    True but I've been to a few here in Canada over the past few weeks and it's mixed. People don't like how close you have to be in a drive-thru window. Most orders are with Uber Eats or similar, to the point where some Starbucks had to stop accepting them due to volume.
    duploelabs wrote: »
    Except it was working in the 'old world' PC (pre covid)

    https://www.thruthegreencoffeeco.com/

    Cool concept but it's smack beside a river and park, with golf courses all around. The location is marvellous, the drive-thru aspect is just a novelty.


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    #6
    fankity flank
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭fankity flank


    Check out the Fat Fox, who have a drive through in Delgany/Greystones. It does a roaring trade with mums/dads post school drop off, and with commuters driving out of Delgany on their way to work.

    It's in a small old style petrol pump station, which hasn't been used in years.

    The coffee is really good here, and they do a great range of healthy homemade muffins, flapjacks...etc, so that helps too.

    Plus in Greystones they have a captive audience, can't get enough of the coffee shops!


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    #7
    Bandara
    Registered Users Posts: 3,282 ✭✭✭Bandara


    fankity flank wrote: »
    Check out the Fat Fox, who have a drive through in Delgany/Greystones. It does a roaring trade with mums/dads post school drop off, and with commuters driving out of Delgany on their way to work.

    It's in a small old style petrol pump station, which hasn't been used in years.

    The coffee is really good here, and they do a great range of healthy homemade muffins, flapjacks...etc, so that helps too.

    Plus in Greystones they have a captive audience, can't get enough of the coffee shops!

    The numbers on an operation like you’ve described (I know the place you mean incidentally) don’t add up to make it a good earner. I’m not being flippant, but just because a place is busy doesn’t mean it makes money.

    A lot of companies remain in business because they can’t afford to close. Especially in the food industry.


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    #8
    fankity flank
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭fankity flank


    Bandara wrote: »
    The numbers on an operation like you’ve described (I know the place you mean incidentally) don’t add up to make it a good earner. I’m not being flippant, but just because a place is busy doesn’t mean it makes money.

    A lot of companies remain in business because they can’t afford to close. Especially in the food industry.

    I agree that there is very much a limit to the kind of trade these places do, but the mark-up on coffee is huge, and the overheads and set-up costs for these small spaces would be minimal.

    When talking about profitability, it's all subjective really, but there's most likely enough profit in that one Fat Fox unit for at least one person to make a reasonable living from, even after deducting staff costs.

    It's not enough for everyone that's for sure, and it would need to be a lifestyle choice/passion.

    Then there are other ancillary benefits such as building a brand and momentum - Fat Fox have taken up another location at the opposite end of Greystones, beside the sea. It's a sit down cafe that does takeaway, in a prime seaside location, and they were in the middle of renovations when lock down was enforced.

    So it's not as simple as just looking at the one unit in isolation...


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    #9
    makeandcreate
    Registered Users Posts: 451 ✭✭makeandcreate


    ScottKD wrote: »
    ,

    Looking for a bit of help as im starting to pull my hair out.
    1.) Im looking for a location for a drive through coffee container either private land like a pub car park, shopping center car park or land owned by council like a car park or bottle bank, which leads me on to point 2.
    2.) If I were to find a location that is run by the council how would i go about getting permission to use that space.

    Thanks in advance.
    Out door farmers markets are starting to open again - these are often council run or try the Country Markets website. Or approach any closed hotel about doing a deal with them - there's guys running food trucks across venues each day in little towns.


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    #10
    georgina...c
    Closed Accounts Posts: 83 ✭✭georgina...c


    Start it up. Well done


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    #11
    duploelabs
    Registered Users Posts: 11,389 ✭✭✭✭duploelabs


    makeandcreate wrote: »
    Out door farmers markets are starting to open again - these are often council run or try the Country Markets website. Or approach any closed hotel about doing a deal with them - there's guys running food trucks across venues each day in little towns.

    A. Best of luck getting the insurance for that closed hotel
    B. Those 'guys running food trucks' have licenses to operate in assigned public spaces, as well as HSE licenses for food operation, the both processes are extremely difficult to get and maintain without a lot of work and experience


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