Pourover Bar: discussion No. 2 - Barista Exchange2024-03-28T16:40:27Zhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/pourover-bar-discussion-no-2?id=1688216%3ATopic%3A599194&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThis may be a little off topi…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-27:1688216:Comment:6042132009-08-27T17:19:40.431Zzack burnetthttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/zackburnett
This may be a little off topic but...I have never understood why someone interested in opening or running a quality driven coffee shop or restaurant chooses their roaster based on free equipment. This strikes a nerve with me as a small roaster trying to compete with the bigger guys. We do not provide equipment but we do provide a superior product and customer service and can pass on good prices for equipment. We have had some shop owners go with other roasters only because they give away free…
This may be a little off topic but...I have never understood why someone interested in opening or running a quality driven coffee shop or restaurant chooses their roaster based on free equipment. This strikes a nerve with me as a small roaster trying to compete with the bigger guys. We do not provide equipment but we do provide a superior product and customer service and can pass on good prices for equipment. We have had some shop owners go with other roasters only because they give away free equipment. These same people have admitted to drinking our coffee at home and loving it but they just can't serve it in the shop because equpiment is not in their budget.<br />
Don't let yourself be forced into using coffee you don't like just to get some free junk. I don't see how it is in someones budget to serve poorly roasted coffee made on junk equipment. You can not gain or retain customers seeking quality with a bad product. I have seen this first hand but unfortunately some people only see the immediate future.<br />
Also you wouldn't expect your milk supplier to give away a free refrigerator or your baker to give you a free pastry case. Why do people expect free equipment from roasters? If you really want your shop to be quality driven I think you know what needs to be done. Make your decision based on quality and not freebies or you will be doing a disservice to yourself, your customers and the speciality coffee industry as a whole. Sorry if I am coming off as preachy, I do not mean to be. I am simply airing my greivances. I have not yet opened a shop so my input may mean nothing to you but I felt compelled to post. Good luck with the opening.<br />
<br />
<cite>Barbara Adams said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/pourover-bar-discussion-no-2?id=1688216%3ATopic%3A599194&page=2#1688216Comment599900"><div>My partner is suggesting to stick with the current roaster and the Curtis grinder brewer that's in place for now. The roaster is, well, pretty low quality.<br/>We are buying an existing business and the closing is 31st. Can't push it back. So our choice now is to serve sub-par coffee until pour over is in place, or start with new and hope that the learning curve will be fast.<br/><br/><cite>Jay Caragay said:</cite></div>
</blockquote> The BUNN hot water towers are…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-25:1688216:Comment:6013472009-08-25T00:22:53.946ZJason Dominyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/jdominy
The BUNN hot water towers are perfect for this.
The BUNN hot water towers are perfect for this. Barbara-
I understand that y…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-24:1688216:Comment:6012502009-08-24T22:46:52.379ZJay Caragayhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JayCaragay
Barbara-<br />
<br />
I understand that you will be taking over the business on August 31st. However, that doesn't mean you have to open September 1st.<br />
<br />
If you're going to make major changes, it's better to close for a week and get things in order, then re-open with new name, new environment and new product. Yes, you might lose some customers during the down time but you should also expect to lose customers when you make the major changes - it's just the nature of the game. You lose some old-timers, keep a…
Barbara-<br />
<br />
I understand that you will be taking over the business on August 31st. However, that doesn't mean you have to open September 1st.<br />
<br />
If you're going to make major changes, it's better to close for a week and get things in order, then re-open with new name, new environment and new product. Yes, you might lose some customers during the down time but you should also expect to lose customers when you make the major changes - it's just the nature of the game. You lose some old-timers, keep a few but earn many new followers if your product is up to scratch.<br />
<br />
Brady's options are good suggestions, but the other option is to do what major companies, banks and airlines do when they take over other companies. They spend an incredible amount of money for the changeover, get everything into position, then make all the changes (literally) overnight - so that what was AmericaWest counters and gates yesterday is USAirways today. The Curtis Aeration boiler is…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-24:1688216:Comment:6009062009-08-24T15:49:50.824ZTrevorhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Trevor
The Curtis Aeration boiler is a thing of beauty.
The Curtis Aeration boiler is a thing of beauty. I have a Curtis water tower i…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-24:1688216:Comment:6005942009-08-24T06:33:55.397ZMatt Swensonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/MattSwenson
I have a Curtis water tower in my office that I have been using as a demo for the last couple months. If you are interested, I can get it to you for a solid discount. Email me if interested. matt@evansandkingcoffee.com
I have a Curtis water tower in my office that I have been using as a demo for the last couple months. If you are interested, I can get it to you for a solid discount. Email me if interested. matt@evansandkingcoffee.com Jay's comments are right on.…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-23:1688216:Comment:6001352009-08-23T20:08:40.884ZBradyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Brady
Jay's comments are right on.<br />
<br />
The carryover customer will certainly notice the higher price - if you are charging more for a higher quality product, you need to deliver.<br />
<br />
Let me propose two other alternatives. Both involve closing the deal as scheduled...<br />
<br />
Option 3 - close the shop for a week while you iron out the kinks, then reopen with great fanfare, as many cosmetic changes as you can muster, and massively better made-to-order coffee.<br />
<br />
Option 4 - switch roasters immediately and buy the…
Jay's comments are right on.<br />
<br />
The carryover customer will certainly notice the higher price - if you are charging more for a higher quality product, you need to deliver.<br />
<br />
Let me propose two other alternatives. Both involve closing the deal as scheduled...<br />
<br />
Option 3 - close the shop for a week while you iron out the kinks, then reopen with great fanfare, as many cosmetic changes as you can muster, and massively better made-to-order coffee.<br />
<br />
Option 4 - switch roasters immediately and buy the equipment for a minimal conventional drip-service setup, migrating to brew-to-order down the road.<br />
<br />
Honestly, I think some sort of hybrid approach may be better than a pure made-to-order setup. A larger-batch pourover or press into airpot to handle the morning rush, with made-to-order available as well, switching to made-to-order only for the rest of the day.<br />
<br />
I don't know which route I would go if I were in your shoes. Good luck. My partner is suggesting to s…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-23:1688216:Comment:5999002009-08-23T15:20:22.353ZBarbara Adamshttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/BarbaraAdams
My partner is suggesting to stick with the current roaster and the Curtis grinder brewer that's in place for now. The roaster is, well, pretty low quality.<br />
We are buying an existing business and the closing is 31st. Can't push it back. So our choice now is to serve sub-par coffee until pour over is in place, or start with new and hope that the learning curve will be fast.<br />
<br />
<cite>Jay Caragay said:…</cite>
My partner is suggesting to stick with the current roaster and the Curtis grinder brewer that's in place for now. The roaster is, well, pretty low quality.<br />
We are buying an existing business and the closing is 31st. Can't push it back. So our choice now is to serve sub-par coffee until pour over is in place, or start with new and hope that the learning curve will be fast.<br />
<br />
<cite>Jay Caragay said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/pourover-bar-discussion-no-2?page=2&commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A599895&x=1#1688216Comment599895"><div>8 days? Can you push the opening back another week?<br/> <br/>
The reason I ask this is because you really need a bit of time to work out systems and processes - especially if you're attempting to implement a completely new brewing method that you haven't worked with before. Give yourself some time to learn and work out the kinks so that when you do open, you're technique will be spot on and you'll be serving the best quality coffee possible to your guests. It'll go a long way for your reputation and following.<br/>
<br/>
I've got a new shop that's tentatively scheduled to open on October 1st. Still hiring new baristas and training them, but I'm not sure if they'll be up to speed by October 1st. So, even though it's burning a hole in my pocket with continued expenses, it's not worth it to open unless we're ready to make a positive statement on our community.</div>
</blockquote> 8 days? Can you push the open…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-23:1688216:Comment:5998952009-08-23T15:13:15.601ZJay Caragayhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JayCaragay
8 days? Can you push the opening back another week?<br />
<br />
The reason I ask this is because you really need a bit of time to work out systems and processes - especially if you're attempting to implement a completely new brewing method that you haven't worked with before. Give yourself some time to learn and work out the kinks so that when you do open, you're technique will be spot on and you'll be serving the best quality coffee possible to your guests. It'll go a long way for your reputation and…
8 days? Can you push the opening back another week?<br />
<br />
The reason I ask this is because you really need a bit of time to work out systems and processes - especially if you're attempting to implement a completely new brewing method that you haven't worked with before. Give yourself some time to learn and work out the kinks so that when you do open, you're technique will be spot on and you'll be serving the best quality coffee possible to your guests. It'll go a long way for your reputation and following.<br />
<br />
I've got a new shop that's tentatively scheduled to open on October 1st. Still hiring new baristas and training them, but I'm not sure if they'll be up to speed by October 1st. So, even though it's burning a hole in my pocket with continued expenses, it's not worth it to open unless we're ready to make a positive statement on our community. Everyones comments so far are…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-23:1688216:Comment:5998752009-08-23T14:28:37.793ZJosephhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Joseph57
Everyones comments so far are spot on. Ask your new roaster if they can get you a water tower at their price or a nice discount. Since they are not shelling out money for loaned equipment and you are willing to take responsibility for a quality coffee program perhaps they can make a deal. You mentioned waste. We switced from a Curtis double brewer to a bunn HWT 5 a few months ago. We brew French presses in the busy morning along side the pourover brew bar. We don't brew any decaf except pour…
Everyones comments so far are spot on. Ask your new roaster if they can get you a water tower at their price or a nice discount. Since they are not shelling out money for loaned equipment and you are willing to take responsibility for a quality coffee program perhaps they can make a deal. You mentioned waste. We switced from a Curtis double brewer to a bunn HWT 5 a few months ago. We brew French presses in the busy morning along side the pourover brew bar. We don't brew any decaf except pour over. When things slow down around midday we no longer brew the presses. Our customers are getting more educated about the coffees THEY choose and are doing more drip than ever. I know that we are using about 20 lbs less coffee per week since we aren't having to not dump airpots. That saving not only feels good- but it has already paid for the water tower. Jay,
Thanks for the advise.…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-08-23:1688216:Comment:5998472009-08-23T12:15:45.818ZBarbara Adamshttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/BarbaraAdams
Jay,<br />
<br />
Thanks for the advise. The Master is I (and my partner in crime), and the initial investment, well, we open in 8 days. The original shop had a Curtis grinder and airpots from their roaster. Since we are not going forward with the same roaster, we need to acquire pronto whatever we need to do cup service. I figured it will cost me almost the same if I go whichever way and I want to go the pourover bar way. For the reason of quality and the waste.<br />
<br />
<cite>Jay Caragay said:…</cite>
Jay,<br />
<br />
Thanks for the advise. The Master is I (and my partner in crime), and the initial investment, well, we open in 8 days. The original shop had a Curtis grinder and airpots from their roaster. Since we are not going forward with the same roaster, we need to acquire pronto whatever we need to do cup service. I figured it will cost me almost the same if I go whichever way and I want to go the pourover bar way. For the reason of quality and the waste.<br />
<br />
<cite>Jay Caragay said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/pourover-bar-discussion-no-2?page=1&commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A599842&x=1#1688216Comment599842"><div>I don't think I would really recommend the zojirushi pots unless you were operating under severe capital restrictions. If you're really going to do cup service then you really want the power and convenience of a tower.<br/> <br/>
A 5 gallon tower should cost you less than $1,000 to purchase. A four cup Tru Bru station is about $400. The Hario gooseneck pots to pour the water cost roughly $75. From there, you'll need counter space, a digital scale and whatever the cost of running a 240v line to the station (if one isn't there already). Total expense to get running should be about $2,000.<br/>
<br/>
The question you need to answer before you go to your masters for the money and approval is: how do you make this addition a money-making proposition? Do you have the space? How many cups to make back the investment? When will the investment turn a profit? Do your homework. Know your business. It's cool that you want to explore by the cup brewing, now it's time to know your craft and demonstrate that it can make money and how. And for that, only you know the answers because they will be specific to your business.</div>
</blockquote>