Post #321858 by Mateotiki on Sun, Jul 29, 2007 8:59 PM

Not to be a parade rainer-onner, but are there a lot of derelict types in the area? Bus stops that I've seen usually attract these types and I'm not sure you'd want them hitting up your patrons for money. The bus stop in Houston is the worst.

Our little Hawaiian music combo plays regularly for a Hawaiian-themed coffee shop (Maui Wowi) and I always hear about the problems. Granted, it's a slightly different venue without the liquor license, but there are problems.

First, there are employees. You have to be willing to pay them well if you want ones of decent quality and be loyal. Otherwise, most of them don't do what you tell them to, are sometimes unreliable, and in the end they leave. The food and beverage industry has one of the highest turnover rates.

Next, there are the hours. The owner of the coffee house gets an average of about 3-4 hours of sleep a day, hardly ever gets/takes a day off, and has a multitude of daily tasks such as cleaning, stocking/inventory, accounting, payroll, etc. When things go wrong like a computerized register or dispenser malfunctioning, then the list of tasks multiplies.

She tells me that if you have a family or personal life, count on your activities being severely curtailed at least for the first couple of years. You likely won't see your children much until you can afford to hire a manager.

In any case, the best advice was given above: do your research. Talk to people who own bars and see if it's a lifestyle change that's acceptable.

[ Edited by: Mateotiki 2007-07-29 21:15 ]