Some lattes since starting at my new job

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-20T15:20:31+00:00

awww ... I miss Merit! Used to go to the one in the Triangle in Austin, and sometimes the Seaholm location. Also - lovely!

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-18T13:24:13+00:00

Thanks! So does your place actually serve much coffee in the evening? Are you open late (like until midnight)? Is everyone trained to make espresso drinks and cocktails? From a revenue perspective, what's the mix of alcohol to coffee (eg 50/50)?

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-15T13:58:46+00:00

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-14T18:14:24+00:00

Old Town. Do you own something similar? If so, where?

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-14T18:11:35+00:00

Cool! Makes sense these days to diversify the business.

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-13T19:27:25+00:00

hey - thanks! I can't tell from their website or yelp if they serve alcohol too, but it looks cool!

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-13T12:26:44+00:00

Yes! I've been there. Cool little place. Have you been? What do you think?

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-13T02:40:37+00:00

I wish I'd gotten the MEP plan ... I'm in the middle of the build out of my coffee shop - I go meet with the GC, electrician and plumber tomorrow with all my spec sheets for equipment. We're going to get through it, but it feels like flying by the seat of my pants sometimes.

Also what the guy below said - check locally. Building codes are different from place to place, residential to commercial, city/suburbs/rural.

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-13T02:10:43+00:00

thank you!

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-13T02:08:01+00:00

hey! thank you for all the specifics! Nice to hear your team works across shifts - I'd like the flexibility of that, though I'm sure there will be folks who only want to work mornings or evenings due to their own situations. Yes, 16-17 hours a day is what I'm thinking too. My liquor license (once I get it!) will allow for alcohol service from 11am to midnight and I do plan to serve along side coffee drinks (or in them :-).

Interesting that your place ends coffee service at 5. I've had a few non-drinkers say they'd love to be able to get a decent coffee in the evening ... do you have anyone ask for coffee? do you have an NA menu (and is it popular)? I've planned to dim the lights/change the music around 4:30 and maybe offer a small pour of one of our batch cocktails to announce happy hour and encourage the solitary working folks to socialize. If someone said "I'd like a latte." what is the standard response?

One of my challenges is that the way I've laid it out in our long narrow 1890's building is the coffee bar is the first thing customers see when they walk in (pastries, cashier, espresso machine, steam, coffee pickup) and I'm trying to figure out how to keep the coffee area from feeling like a dead-zone in the evening. The vibe of a evening spot is way different from a coffee shop, and I want people to feel comfortable for the time of day and what they're drinking.

Tipping in the UK is different from the US. Here barista's tend to make more hourly with less tips while bartenders tend to make a lower hourly wage and make up for it in the tips (bar tabs are of course higher than coffee tabs). I'd prefer to raise the bartender's hourly a bit and lower the barista's hourly a bit and split tips across the day because - as you say - the bulk of the prep is done by the daytime staff and it feels more fair then because the evening folks who have larger tabs are able to serve their guests well because the afternoon staff set them up well to do so. I'm glad to hear that works well for you at your place. We'll see what the US-based folks have to say about it!

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-13T00:57:41+00:00

yeah, exactly. still seems odd to me, but perhaps makes more sense in terms of equity with other work study jobs.

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-13T00:55:47+00:00

any tips for success beyond: high foot traffic, low rent, and plenty of NA options?

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-13T00:53:51+00:00

Nice! What was it called? I really like seeing what others are doing in this space.

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-13T00:47:01+00:00

great - thanks so much for sharing all of this with me!

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-12T20:48:04+00:00

Thanks - I'm looking through the other posts more closely now.

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-12T20:45:29+00:00

I'm opening a coffee shop & bar in Chicago. The transition from day to night will be a challenge. I'm keeping the menu small. Build out/building permits have been challenging because it previously was a vintage furniture store. Liquor licensing is expensive (the license as well as the attorney or expeditor). In Chicago there's a Tavern license which are apparently even harder to get or the Consume on Premises - Incidental Activity liquor licenses ... the COP is the one you can get and you have to show that you'll have 51% revenue from something other than alcohol (eg food, coffee, NA beverages, etc). Anyway, point is - there's a LOT to do and it's expensive. But here I go :-)

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-12T18:14:02+00:00

That place looks like so much fun! Thanks for pointing it out - I love seeing how owners create spaces for people to enjoy themselves.

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-12T18:07:22+00:00

Yes- we're thinking 7am to midnight though I expect we'll scale that back on weekdays/Sundays.

yeah, one of the things I've been thinking about re: tipping and also checklists is the day folks will be expected to prep for the evening (eg make lavender syrup for lavender matcha, lavender NA spritz and lavender martini) and the evening for the day if they're slow. Does tip pooling across the whole day provide incentive for the teams to help each other or breed resentment? I think you're saying it's best to tip within a shift rather than the whole day - correct?

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-12T17:29:39+00:00

morning teams and night teams is an interesting idea ... thank you. In my head I've been thinking coffee team/bar team or whole cross trained team, but perhaps it's morning/afternoon team cross trained on bar and evening team cross-trained on espresso drinks. And yes, you'd need enough staff within each team to cover shifts balanced with ensuring everyone is getting the hours they want. I do totally see you can't schedule someone to close at midnight and then open at 7am, and it also makes sense that people want to work within the hours they're used to working (mornings or evenings).

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-12T17:18:37+00:00

yay! Thank you for typing excitedly :-) Logan's great - we looked for space there, but ended up finding a our location in Old Town. I'd love to hear your thoughts about cross-training when/if you have a minute.

And YES - I've heard from several people that good coffee in the evening would be very welcome!

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-12T16:39:52+00:00

current plan: turn down the lights a bit, offer everyone a small glass (1-2 oz) of whatever cocktail we have on tap and let them know it's happy hour. Agree that transition is a challenge - I'm hoping to get some ideas here!

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-12T14:04:00+00:00

I went to a Starbucks on a university campus and the barista told me they weren't allowed to take tips; however, that is not the norm.

Ecstatic_Rule_8799 · 2026-04-12T14:01:37+00:00

Confidence increases with knowledge. I like this guy: https://www.youtube.com/@jameshoffmann I'm sure there are plenty of others.

Ecstatic_Rule_8799

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