Get Your Buzz On

Trials and Tribulations of Owning a Coffee Shop

2008-01-20T10:35:00.001-08:00

Well, I am 2 months into owning this coffee shop. I must tell you that taking over an existing business has its challenges, but it is definitely the way to go. As I looked into purchasing a new espresso machine, I was completely shocked on what these things cost new. That is why I stated earlier, it is better to buy an existing coffee shop, then trying to build out your own.

Anyway, employees are always fun, and we’ve gone through 4 employees in the time since I took this place over. It is amazing how difficult it is to find decent reliable help. Most employees that I’ve run into are pretty lazy; I know that this may be a shock to some, but I was paying more than the average salary/hourly wage and the result was still undesirable. But right now, I have a great mix of employees; a solid manager, a decent barista, and a decent cook. They are all on salary and right now I am trying to build some incentives to get them to perform a little better.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we’ve redone the menu and we are now more than your regular coffee shop. Our menu has expanded to serve fresh salads, sandwiches, wraps, and soups. We now have great coffee supplied by my good friend Seth Appell at Old Bisbee Roasters for the coffee. and our menu is solid. I am really trying to increase our business on the food side because the days of highly profitable coffee shops are in the past. Thanks to our friends at Starbucks, the local coffee shops are forced to expand into other areas to maintain their clients. It is hard to avoid the Starbucks of the world because they are literally on every corner and now they are expanding into grocery stores. Please support your local coffee shop.

Don't forget to visit my web site at Get Your Buzz On...

I just purchased a coffee shop

2008-01-01T10:57:00.001-08:00

I just picked up a coffee shop in Suffolk, VA. It is a great match for me being that I am from New Jersey. The actual name of the coffee shop is Jersey Java - Gourmet Coffee and Sandwiches. We have a web site out there at Jersey Java but I am in the middle of updating the site.

I partnered up with my good friend Seth Appell at Old Bisbee Roasters for the coffee. The response has been out of this world. I am profiling with his coffee from around the world. This keeps our clients on their toes when it comes to what coffee we will have that day. We are using his Espresso Blend for our machines and literally every customer rants and raves about the espresso. My hat is off to Seth and his ability to continually put together a great espresso blend.

We've completely reworked the food menu and items include Blackened Tuna Salad and Seared Salmon Wraps. The food is great and is an unreal value.

I will keep you posted as things change on that front...

Don't forget to visit my web site at Get Your Buzz On...

Chillin in Waikiki, Hawaii

2007-04-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

As my world tour continues, I spent a week in lovely Waikiki, Hawaii after my week in Seoul, Korea. There is a bizarre local culture in Hawaii that I struggle to understand. Admist all of this wealth with $175 a night hotel rooms and lush resturants, I was amazed at the number of locals looking for a hand out, specifically your change. I grew up in New Jersey just outside New York City and I saw my share of pan handlers, but the main drag in Waikiki really does take the cake. I don't know if I am now more sensitive to it being that I live in Norfolk, VA where pan handling is non-exsistent or it is just what I did not expect in a major tourist area like Waikiki.

Being that I am a social person at heart, I tried to talk to the locals to get the skinny on what is going on with the locals. I did not have to venture very far... Just outside my hotel (a Hilton, no less) on opposite corners of the street were ABC stores, which by the way are literally everywhere and you can get a great cup of Kona Coffee for around 69 cents along with every other possible beach need. I met this local wanna be surfer named Skipper. He was totally grungy (not in the hip, Seattle way), wearing a stained Budweiser T-shirt, board shorts, bare feet, and in dire need of a hair cut, teeth cleaning, dental floss, and a good old fashioned bath. I've been to some 3rd world countries in my life where the people did not smell as bad as this guy. Anyway, he was homeless, living in a local park, cleaning himself in the ocean, and begging for change outside the local ABC stores for food, smokes, and booze. He told me that the cops pay no real attention to them and sleeping on the beach or in the park is totally acceptable. He has lived there for 3 years and has never been arrested. I guess his situation is pretty typical (hey I watch Dog The Bounty Hunter every once in a while) on the island where unemployment is rampant, housing costs are unreal, but I guess people fall in love with the weather and find themselves not wanting to leave or they cannot afford the plane ticket out of there.

Later in the week, I was sitting outside another ABC store, but this time I was waiting for some friends of mine to pick up some souvenirs. As I sat there, I was approached by at least 3 "woman of the evening." Prostitution is rampant in downtown Waikiki. Put it this way, on our way to dinner and back to the hotel, we would keep count on how many times we were propositioned by prostitutes and on average it was 4 times. It is unreal. These girls hang out right outside of the ATM machines, and to top it off, there are cops sitting not even 20 feet away. Anyway, back to my sitting outside the ABC store, after about 15 minutes and 3 propositions, a beautiful young girl pushing a baby carriage sat down next to me. This girl was quite attactive and only wearing a tank top T-shirt (no bra), shorts, and flip flops. After about 2 minutes, she asked me for a cigarette, but I do not smoke and she started telling me her whole life story; she was a stripper, she had the night off, her boyfriend (the childs father) dumped her, and that she needed some money. She then propositioned me with her daughter sitting in a carriage right in front of her. What is this world coming to? Completely dumbfounded, I declined and luckily my friends were done buying Hawaii T-shirts, hats, and other stuff.

So, remember a few things when you go to Hawaii. First, you can get a great cup of Kona Gourmet Coffee at the local ABC store for 69 cents (no need to spend the $4 a cup at the hotel). Second, there is a Starbucks every 150 feet along with a prostitute of your choosing (I dont patronize Starbucks or prostitutes). Third, the locals are broke. Your tourist money is not supporting them, but the corporations that own the establishments on the island. Not that I am a big fan in support of pan handling, but prices are out of control in Hawaii, these folks need your loose change to buy a meal and some tooth brushes, please help.

Don't forget to visit my web site at Get Your Buzz On...

World Wide Tour - First Stop Seoul, South Korea

2007-03-30T03:03:00.001-07:00

I just spent the last 5 days tooling around Seoul, South Korea. Let me tell you, the idea of a non-stop flight from Atlanta to Seoul sounds good on paper, but 15 hours on an airplane really is a rough experience. While in the military, I've been on airplanes for long periods, but this flight really took the prize.

So, what did I see with the coffee scene in Korea. I was amazed to see the numbers of coffee shops littering the streets and alleys of the hustle and bustle of Seoul. In downtown Iteawon, a major shopping hub for Seoul, you can't walk 100 feet without seeing a coffee shop. They already have a Starbucks on this strip and a new larger 2 story one is in the making. While in the military, I was stationed in Korea on 2 separate occasions and I have seen a lot of changes when it comes to Gourmet Coffee in South Korea over the last 10 years. What remains constant is their love for a instant coffee mix called Maxim. You can buy it in coffee machines on almost every corner and you will be hard pressed to find a shop or business without these little yellow coffee packets. Using the local water cooler (the red side - hot side), you get about 3 oz of a sweet, creamy strong shot of coffee. I really like that stuff.

I ended up having coffee from numerous places while tooling around this week, but by far the worst coffee was at the Hyatt Hotel where I was staying. It was bland, scalding hot, and lacking any type of body. Quite disappointing. Even today, we visited a local coffee shop and ordered a cappuccino. The lovely Korean girl took our order smiling and then proceeded to make a miserable drink. I wanted to jump behind the counter and give her a lesson on shooting espresso. The caps had too much milk (which ended up being burned) and the coffee was weak. So, I went back to the old faithful Maxim instant coffee. I could not bring myself to buying a drip coffee at Starbucks, which by the way cost $5.00. And you think the prices are high in the U.S.

Well, I am off to Hawaii today and I hope to find so good things to write about while there.

Dont forget to check out my website at www.geturbuzzon.com for more information on gourmet coffee and tea.

Caffeine Awareness Month...

2007-03-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well, it is not a national holiday, but this is the first step. Hey we have Native American History month and they ended up producing a coin with Pocahontas on it. Maybe they will make a coin with a coffee bean on it? Any thoughts on that?

I think it is great that our society has finally dedicated an entire month to the biggest contributor to our day. From coffee, tea, or espresso, millions of people around the world get their morning shot of caffeine to get their days going.

As a child, my parents drank coffee and tea religiously. I came from a family that had soup, salad, main meal, and a dessert literally every day. My mornings were always welcomed by the sweet smell of brewing coffee (this may be the reason I drink so much coffee now)... When I came home from school, my Mom had a pot brewing to welcome my Dad home from work, and when dinner was finished, the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. These were the days before local roasters and gourmet coffee, but we all appreciated the great smell and taste of coffee.

I appreciate all the efforts of the local roasters around the country producing this great stuff. The beauty of small batch roasting under pristine conditions ensures we have great coffee. Keep up the great work and continue to pump out that great stuff that we've all grown to love and make an integral part of our daily lives.

Check out my web site which is dedicated to Gourmet Coffee & Tea

Here is the article that I pulled off of Yahoo.com today covering this topic.

Today kicks off Caffeine Awareness Month and we're buzzing with excitement at the thought of 31 days dedicated to our favorite addiction. In the spirit of the event, we wonder, are you aware of caffeine? Statistics suggest you are, since 90% of Americans consume caffeine daily, and it's the most widely-used drug in the world. Great! Our job is done: We're all aware of caffeine. But after another delicious cup of joe and some high-speed research, we discovered that we're supposed to be aware that caffeine is bad -- or at least that it has negative effects. While there are conflicting reports about its long-term effects on health, there's no denying that trimethylxanthine has immediate effects on the body. It releases dopamine in the brain, triggering feelings of pleasure and reward, just like food, sex, and many other drugs. Caffeine is a psychoactive drug, after all -- a stimulant, like cocaine and methamphetamines -- and it can be addictive and even fatal in large doses. But is it really that bad? Humans have consumed caffeine since the Stone Age, and just look how far we've come since then. Can that really be a coincidence?

Coffee in a War Zone...

2007-02-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

This is my first blog post for me on Get Your Buzz On. I was out looking around on a Coffee Forum that I recently joined (coffeegeek.com) and I came across this article list below.

Just for your information, I am an Operation Iraqi Freedom Vet and I spent a little under a year with 3rd Infantry Division in Camp Liberty Iraq. For those that do not know, we have a lot of the pleasures from home to include a no kidding coffee shop. A company called Green Bean Coffee has a contract with the Army Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) in this war zone. This place was open 24 hours a day and let me tell you... It was always packed. I've been going through photos to see if I could find one of this place... It was great coming off of a mission and getting a little taste of home. I must also say that there was a Cinnabun located on Camp Liberty, Iraq as well. They served Seattle's Best Coffee and we enjoyed those sticky gut bombs at least once every two weeks.

Remember to think about our troops overseas and say a little prayer for them. I salute ALL the organizations that continue to support the soldiers out there defending our liberty and freedom In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world and the U.S..

I really do not care where you stand on this war... Remember that every day Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are in harms way making the decision on whether or not to squeeze the trigger and take a life. Just hope that you are NEVER in that position. It changes your life FOREVER.

Please visit my web site at: www.geturbuzzon.com

Read on....

The National Coffee For Our Troops Program needs your help. CFT has an immediate need for 10,000+ sponsors to help supply coffee to our Troops.

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) January 12, 2007 -- Cornerstone Coffee Company President and Founder of the National Coffee for Our Troops program, asks for help in sending more coffee to the troops.

Since December of 2004, Coffee For Our Troops, a national troop support program founded by Burke Hodge, the President of Cornerstone Coffee Company along with their partners, has shipped more than 36,000 bags of coffee to our troops. Today, their popular program has recieved rave reviews from the troops and now they need more.

"Through our CFT program we along with our sponsors and partners have supported our troops with fresh roasted specialty grade coffee. Until now we have been able to keep up with the volume of requests coming from our troops, but now we need more help," pleaded Hodge.

CFT has an immediate need to ship just over 10,000 more bags to men and women serving in our armed forces. "We have been able to keep up with the demand to this point, but now we need more people to step up, sponsor a bag or two and help us supply our troops with their cafiene fix," said Hodge.

Coffee - is still one of the most requested comfort items from home. CFT's goal is to continue supporting our troops as long as there is a need. CFT gained the trust of the nation after President Bush made mention of the program during an address to the nation. CFT will be featured in an upcoming national television segment on the popular "Today's Family" program. In addition CFT has been recognized by numerous TV news agency's, newspapers and radio interviews on several radio networks.

Talk show host Eric Hogue commented, "I personally support CFT. It is a wonderful program designed to uplift our troops with second-to-none coffee along with a personal message of support." Hugh Hewitt also endorses the CFT program as well as EMF Broadcasting and Salem Communications.

You can become a sponsor by loging on to www.CoffeeForOurTroops.com. You will also find current weather conditions in both Iraq and Afghanistan as well as helpful links to give you an inside look at current operations and branches of our mighty Military. "Do not forget to watch the "Freedom isn't Free" video while your there," urged Hodge.

"Supporting our troops is an act of patriotism and not a political statement. Our troops deserve our respect and support regardless of how we view our Nation's involvement in the Middle East. Coffee for Our Troops makes it easy to get involved with minimal effort and resources. Your sponsorship will make a huge difference in the morale of our troops. We hear regularly what a difference the CFT program is making directly from troops who have already received coffee,"

Please visit my web site at www.geturbuzzon.com