How coffee shops helped my startup
joel.isI'd like to read the other side to this. Something like "How penniless startup founders tanked my coffee shop turnover".
Disclaimer: I never ran a coffee shop.
Then again, most coffeeshops don't seem don't go under just because penniless startup founders. When you lower your prices and then put out a tip jar (after attracting the cheapskates) you are just asking to go bankrupt.
Look at small bookstores back in the late 90s: "And then one day Barnes and Nobles puts couches and cafes in the stores and practically begged people to read books in their store without buying them."
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000052.html
If people can rent out airbed space, why not rent out a booth for a day or on an hourly basis. You can even stop making coffee and just put in Red Bull vending machines.
I AM a former coffee shop owner. Our shop tanked for several reasons, but none of them were penniless startup founders or similar. In fact, business went up after we encouraged such frugal workers to come in and set up camp. I think this was partly because the fuller a coffee shop looks, the more appealing it is to those passing by (it must be the place to be!) and partly because of the related "others" that they drag in for meetings or just to say hi to, who all grab a quick coffee while they were there.
Did any of those new companies reach out to you for their corporate coffee service?
I'm based in the UK, and corporate coffee service (I assume you mean coffee delivery to their premises) isn't really popular here. People either make their own coffee at work or go out to a coffee shop to get out of the office. We did have a couple of those companies set up an account for their staff to use, for when they wanted to work out of the office, and we also sold bags of beans/ground coffee which a lot of the local businesses bought for in-house use.
In the US, a company/office will often contract a service to provide any or all of: coffee, tea, brewers/water heaters, pots/carafes, cream & sugar, water filtration, and vending machines.
It is often very bad coffee, usually pre-portioned and boxed by the gross. It tends to be purchased for cost and convenience rather than for flavor.
Some of us revolt form the corporate coffee overlords and form coffee clubs. We get wholesale deals from local roasters and buy in increments of 5# or more, and reap substantial discounts while enjoying better coffee.
If I built a business in your coffee shop, and you closed your space but remained in the trade, I'd give you first crack at my coffee needs. If I call it an obsession can I continue to deny that there might be an addiction?
Aren't there already business workspaces/shared offices around? I know a few guys in software dev working out of one.
Then there are manga cafes and LAN shops here in Asia, which people can use for their reading/studying/gaming needs.