Coffee Science
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The National Coffee Association's Coffee Science Source is a convenient, one-stop compendium of breaking news, facts and figures about the world's favorite beverage. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans drink coffee, and new, coffee-related information emerges from wide-ranging sources every day. On CSS, consumers, researchers, coffee aficionados, journalists, Web crawlers and others can find the most up-to-date information on coffee, caffeine and health - from history and brewing techniques to chemical properties and breaking scientific research. (source: CoffeeScience.org) |
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Construction/Startup Costs
A new tenant improvement space at 1800 square feet with a drive up will be much more expensive than a kiosk or a drive-thru only style building. Example: 2007 Boise Idaho 1700 square foot new T.I. build out walk-in cafe with a full service drive up window, hard construction costs added up to $245,000.00. Add to that $65,000 in food and coffee equipment, $8,000 in sewage and municipal fees, $3,000 in permits, $19,500 for a refrigerated display case. To help forsee construction costs we can help you with full construction estimating before construction drawings and contracts go to bid.
Hiring a Designer or Architect
Differences between Interior Design & Interior Decorating
Many people use the terms "interior design" and "interior decorating" interchangeably, but these professions differ in critical ways.
Interior design is the art and science of understanding people's behavior to create functional spaces within a building. Decoration is the furnishing or adorning of a space with fashionable or beautiful things. In short, interior designers may decorate, but decorators do not design.
Interior designers apply creative and technical solutions within a structure that are functional, attractive and beneficial to the occupants' quality of life and culture. Designs respond to and coordinate with the building shell and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project. Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability.
The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology—including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process—to satisfy the needs and resources of the client.
Many U.S. states and Canadian provinces have passed laws requiring interior designers to be licensed or registered—documenting their formal education and training—and many of them specifically require that all practicing interior designers earn the NCIDQ Certificate to demonstrate their experience and qualifications. By contrast, interior decorators require no formal training or licensure.
There are plenty of things to know about hiring an architectural designer. These sites will answer most of your questions:
www.iida.org
www.aia.org
www.ncidq.org
Food Safety & State Food Code
Each state has their own food safety programs and/or food code. Click here to find out more about your state's food code.
Hiring a Consultant
Hiring coffee and retail cafe consultants is a necessity. Cafe Design & Architecture recommends that if you have never operated a retail coffee establishment it is very important that you consider an on-site consultant prior to opening. The consultants we suggest are the best in the industry. They have complete knowledge and understanding of the retail specialty coffee business, and do what they do because they love what they do!
Integrating Sustainability
The design phase of opening a retail cafe is the perfect time to integrate sustainability practices into your business. Implementing measures such as energy efficient lighting and appliances, water conservation devices and green product purchasing can not only save money, but can also give your cafe a marketing edge and keep you ahead of state and local legislation. Cafe Design & Architecture has decades of experience in sustainable design practices and LEED certification (see below), and our colleagues at Green Cafe Network are a great resource with expertise in green cafe operations, product purchasing and employee education.
USGBC - LEED Certification
LEED for Commercial Interiors is the green benchmark for the tenant improvement market. It is the recognized system for certifying high-performance green interiors that are healthy, productive places to work; are less costly to operate and maintain; and have a reduced environmental footprint. LEED for Commercial Interiors gives the power to make sustainable choices to tenants and designers, who do not always have control over whole building operations.
Getting Involved with Specialty Coffee Organizations
A coffee trade show such as Coffee Fest or SCAA will be invaluable for your beginning and continuing education on the products and services offered in the coffee industry.
www.coffeefest.com
www.ncausa.org
www.scaa.org
Barista Training and Coffee Schools
There are several very good Barista and Coffee Education schools that new cafe owners can go to learn about everything about espresso equipment daily maintenance to properly marketing your retail cafe business. We recommend that you speak to the school directors and get a feel for what type of experience you want to have.
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