Cup O' Joe a mobile espresso coffee business

[Joe Sibal]

I am planning on starting up a mobile espresso coffee business, helping people start their day the right way, with a on the go cup of coffee. Providing great friendly service and affordable good quality coffee with a retro street cart experience in the outdoors.

Currently living in London but will be relocating my family to sunny Teignmouth Devon where I plan to turn these ideas to reality.

This is my first business venture with many years experience working within the catering and hospitality industry, I believe I have what it takes to make my dreams come true but will for sure need all the ideas, help, advice and feedback I could possibly get.

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

Best of luck. One day I hope to relocate to Cornwall, so I will have to stop by on my way through

 

[Nico Albrecht]

What makes you different from any other competitor you competing with. How long would it take for me to by a van and coffee machine and compete next to you. Dreams don't pay bills. Go back and do your homework.

 

[Joe Sibal]

Best of luck. One day I hope to relocate to Cornwall, so I will have to stop by on my way through

Amazing thank you and fingers crossed if this all works out you will be welcomed with a free cup o' Joe coffee.
I'm yet to visit Cornwall but once settled in Teignmouth, a trip to Cornwall is high up on the checklist. What's your purpose for relocating?
Joe.

 

[Joe Sibal]

What makes you different from any other competitor you competing with. How long would it take for me to by a van and coffee machine and compete next to you. Dreams don't pay bills. Go back and do your homework.

Many thanks Nico completely agree with you. For sure need to continue doing my homework and continue trying to cover every angle. So far very early stages for me and ideas are just motioning around my head but aiming to be and offer something different but off the same concept is key for me. Something eye catching that leaves a great taste in people's mouth is something I want to work off. Thank you Nico much appreciated

 

[Mr D]

Great, start the day with a hot drink.
Just a couple of hours work a day or providing multiple drinks throughout the day?

 

[Ian J]

Whether the idea is good or not is Teignmouth the right place to do it. I don't know the town but I did live and try and run a retail business in nearby Torquay for a number of years and it was absolutely dead outside of the tourist season

 

[Joe Sibal]

Great, start the day with a hot drink.
Just a couple of hours work a day or providing multiple drinks throughout the day?

Hi Mr D thank you for comment. Thinking of possibly between 6-8 hours a day from a 6 or 7 am start on a 5-6 day basis. Targeting early morning dog walkers and beach front morning strollers as well as the general customers in need of coffee/breakfast snack to start their day of be it commuting to work, school run, lunch breaks, cigarette breaks etc

 

[Joe Sibal]

Whether the idea is good or not is Teignmouth the right place to do it. I don't know the town but I did live and try and run a retail business in nearby Torquay for a number of years and it was absolutely dead outside of the tourist season

Hi Ian many thanks for your comment. Totally see where you are coming from in terms of business between seasons and Teignmouth is smaller than Torquay.

I think what's key for me at this stage is the right approach and planning. there is enough footfall in the town to make an honest and humble living through this industry.
I cant speak for definite but I'm sure the people within the community in torquay like teignmouth all appreciate and tend to support small local business. However I totally have the thought in the back of my head off what difficulties I may face during quieter seasons. What type of retail shop did you run?Torquay was the first place I visited in Devon. Amazing place busy but not too busy like London good options for food and drinks. Thank you Ian

 

[Mark T Jones]

As a rule, there are 2 things you buy with a franchise, process and marketing. When I googled Cup o’ Joe, the top result was this thread (second was Urban Dictionary) , which speaks well of UKBF, but not for their marketing - so what value is this franchise bringing to you?

I have no hands-on experience, but several years ago I financed a lot of franchised coffee carts on railway stations. Average spend back then Was £1.60 and success depended hugely on location, both which station and location on said station. People who fancied a lifestyle change shelled out £15k to get up at 5.00AM to sell 40 cups of coffee.

You really need to understand your market - just guessing that the locals will support you won’t help

 

[billmccallum1957]

see https://www.teignbridge.gov.uk/licensing/street-trading/street-trading-licence/

 

[menetworkjadaltd]

What's your purpose for relocating?

The surf

 

[Joe Sibal]

As a rule, there are 2 things you buy with a franchise, process and marketing. When I googled Cup o’ Joe, the top result was this thread (second was Urban Dictionary) , which speaks well of UKBF, but not for their marketing - so what value is this franchise bringing to you?
I have no hands-on experience, but several years ago I financed a lot of franchised coffee carts on railway stations. Average spend back then Was £1.60 and success depended hugely on location, both which station and location on said station. People who fancied a lifestyle change shelled out £15k to get up at 5.00AM to sell 40 cups of coffee.

You really need to understand your market - just guessing that the locals will support you won’t help

Many thanks Mark.
I fully agree, I need to completely understand the market and demands within my chosen location and not just guess or assume that the locals will support. I think a lot more visit to the town between now and when we move down is essential and getting in and amongst the locals.

I aim to keep within my initial capital investment and keep costs low. I am not actually buying into a franchise, just interested in investing some of my savings into a lifestyle change where I can be my own boss. Opening more time for my family to enjoy the lifestyle in teignmouth. I'm an early person so the 5am wake ups is absolutely fine, something I've been used to for many years.
Thank you Mark much appreciated

 

[Joe Sibal]

The surf

Perfect!that's awesome well I'm sure one day soon that will happen for you. All the best

 

[Joe Sibal]

Thank you so much Bill very helpful info. Looking through it now. Thank you

 

[Ian J]

I cant speak for definite but I'm sure the people within the community in torquay like teignmouth all appreciate and tend to support small local business. However I totally have the thought in the back of my head off what difficulties I may face during quieter seasons. What type of retail shop did you run?Torquay was the first place I visited in Devon. Amazing place busy but not too busy like London good options for food and drinks. Thank you Ian

Torquay was populated by retired pensioners in my day with not a great deal of cash to splash around but we left 20 years ago and things have changed a lot since then including the internet which was in it's infancy so there may well be far more business going on down there than there was when I lived there.

We had a small shop in The Pavilion selling heraldic items

 

[Socio South West]

Whether the idea is good or not is Teignmouth the right place to do it. I don't know the town but I did live and try and run a retail business in nearby Torquay for a number of years and it was absolutely dead outside of the tourist season

This. I live just across the Bay from Teignmouth, and know many businesses locally that run only from Easter until October half term. Unlike Torquay there is very little by way of serious hotels and theatres to attract out of season visitors to Teignmouth, so out of season is even worse than 'absolutely dead' !

You might do ok on winter weekends if the weather is good, but seaside resorts out of season are not great for cashflow. Conversely, when you want to be enjoying the location you have moved to in summer you have to work every waking hour to compensate for the very lean winter months.

As a guide, a friend of mine runs a pizza/kebab outlet in nearby Dawlish, and estimates the breakdown of turnover to be 80% April to October, 20% November to March.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Don't forget that town halls charge a massive pitch fee for mobile units and only allow selected pitches, talk to Ice Cream vans about pitch fees they can be very expensive

Small seaside towns are also often dead every morning until after 10 in the morning and companies like Gregs are doing fantastic selling breakfast and mid day food and drink along with McDonalds

Beach Bums spend nothing so that's not a good market area

 

[HomeWrking]

Even from now start building your brand virtually - conquer LinkedIn, Twitter, Insta etc. prior to your launch develop a message and the optimised channels of communication. The rest can follow... All the best

 

[bodgitt&scarperLTD]

Why on earth would you buy a franchaise for this? The very nature of this business is that you have to get out there and find your audience. Therefore, all you need is the coffee cart. What marketing could the franchaise possibly bring you?

 

[Joe Sibal]

This. I live just across the Bay from Teignmouth, and know many businesses locally that run only from Easter until October half term. Unlike Torquay there is very little by way of serious hotels and theatres to attract out of season visitors to Teignmouth, so out of season is even worse than 'absolutely dead' !

You might do ok on winter weekends if the weather is good, but seaside resorts out of season are not great for cashflow. Conversely, when you want to be enjoying the location you have moved to in summer you have to work every waking hour to compensate for the very lean winter months.

As a guide, a friend of mine runs a pizza/kebab outlet in nearby Dawlish, and estimates the breakdown of turnover to be 80% April to October, 20% November to March.

Thank you. For sure Teignmouth can be extremely quiet out of season, which could deter a lot from doing something like this but at the same time there is still something telling me this can still work. Still plenty of locals.

I agree

Why on earth would you buy a franchaise for this? The very nature of this business is that you have to get out there and find your audience. Therefore, all you need is the coffee cart. What marketing could the franchaise possibly bring you?

Hi thank you for your comment. I'm not in fact investing into a franchise but actually planning on doing it independently. I'm interested to know if maybe you have come across an organisation with the same name that offers this as a franchise investment, that I am not aware of? Thank you again much appreciated

 

[Socio South West]

Always great to see someone keen to have a go, even if there are caveats that have been tabled.

Just looked at Daltons, and there are a couple of reasonable sized cafés listed on there - Is something a bit more guarenteed out of season where you could build yourself a better local trade out of season as well as getting the seasonal trade a possibility?
https://www.daltonsbusiness.com/buy/business-for-sale-listing/all/location-devon-teignmouth

 

[Mark T Jones]

Thank you. For sure Teignmouth can be extremely quiet out of season, which could deter a lot from doing something like this but at the same time there is still something telling me this can still work. Still plenty of locals.

There is a thin and imprecise line between being positive & being realistic - at this point you really should be erring towards slightly negative (unless you can test start with minimal cost or risk to yourself)

Takes yourself down there, look at footfall and buying behaviour, don't rely on hunches or faith!

 

[Ian J]

I'm not in fact investing into a franchise but actually planning on doing it independently.

Thirty years ago we came across a franchise called Photopop selling instant photos in a keyring. They wanted £15,000 per franchise with a commitment to buy a second one within a year for a further £10,000 and you would operate in your own dedicated area.

We attended a presentation in which they discussed everything except the technology involved so when no-one was looking I had a look at the equipment that they were using to find that it was no more than a video camera feeding into a screen ( bear in mind this was 30 years ago)

Rather than fork out £25,000 we bought a camcorder, a video printer and rented a couple of TVs and set up right under their noses, making back our initial investment in a couple of weeks

 

[Chris Ashdown]

You sneaky old devil, Ian

 

[Joe Sibal]

Always great to see someone keen to have a go, even if there are caveats that have been tabled.

Just looked at Daltons, and there are a couple of reasonable sized cafés listed on there - Is something a bit more guarenteed out of season where you could build yourself a better local trade out of season as well as getting the seasonal trade a

Thanks you for the help. Have come across the dalton business site on business in Teignmouth and have actually visited a hand full of these place on person. I dont at this stage think opening a shop will be ideal as a low risk investment funded by savings and no loans, for my first venture is probably something I'm steering towards more. But thank you so so much, I appreciate it

 

[Joe Sibal]

There is a thin and imprecise line between being positive & being realistic - at this point you really should be erring towards slightly negative (unless you can test start with minimal cost or risk to yourself)

Takes yourself down there, look at footfall and buying behaviour, don't rely on hunches or faith!

Thank you Mark, but I guess if I don't believe or have faith in what I really can imagine myself persuing then It will be disastrous.

I think your right test start with a minimal low risk investment so incase it doesn't work out (without a good push/fight) then accept defeat and I will only be facing a small loss. But I can then say I tried rather than regret not having even attempted because I doubted the idea or was negative with it from the start (hence why I approach everything I do positively).

I appreciate the feedback whether its positive, helpful 'a bit of harsh criticism etc..if I can find a solution/answer for as much negatives as possible then I have a strong platform to work from.

So low cost investment is me being realistic and believing I can make something happen with that is me being positive...I dont understand why I should be erring towards negative.

Many thanks Mark

 

[Joe Sibal]

Thirty years ago we came across a franchise called Photopop selling instant photos in a keyring. They wanted £15,000 per franchise with a commitment to buy a second one within a year for a further £10,000 and you would operate in your own dedicated area.

We attended a presentation in which they discussed everything except the technology involved so when no-one was looking I had a look at the equipment that they were using to find that it was no more than a video camera feeding into a screen ( bear in mind this was 30 years ago)

Rather than fork out £25,000 we bought a camcorder, a video printer and rented a couple of TVs and set up right under their noses, making back our initial investment in a couple of weeks

Hi Ian Fair play you thought very quickly and saved yourself forking out a large amount of money. is that something you are still currently running?

 

[Joe Sibal]

Even from now start building your brand virtually - conquer LinkedIn, Twitter, Insta etc. prior to your launch develop a message and the optimised channels of communication. The rest can follow... All the best

Hi thank you so much! Yes I definitely need to get on LinkedIn which I'm not so familiar with. I'm familiar more with Instagram and Facebook (which will be my main focus source platform), Twitter also. Many thanks again

 

[Ian J]

Hi Ian Fair play you thought very quickly and saved yourself forking out a large amount of money. is that something you are still currently running?

No. It only lasted about three years as we were appealing to the tourist trade and one of the problems with Torquay is that it's the same people coming on holiday there every year and by the third year everyone had either got what we sold or didn't want one so we packed it in

 

[HomeWrking]

Hi thank you so much! Yes I definitely need to get on LinkedIn which I'm not so familiar with. I'm familiar more with Instagram and Facebook (which will be my main focus source platform), Twitter also. Many thanks again

If you want a headstart with LinkedIn join https://www.linkedin.com/in/homeworkers-inc/ 2000+members in restaurant and hospitality sector - friendly and will get you going I'm sure

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Hard to believe that anyone takes Linkedin seriously these days, biggest waste of your time using it

 

[bodgitt&scarperLTD]

Hard to believe that anyone takes Linkedin seriously these days, biggest waste of your time using it

Is it approaching the level of some ghastly 'local networking event'?

 

[Mark T Jones]

Hard to believe that anyone takes Linkedin seriously these days, biggest waste of your time using it

I use LinkedIn extensively & to great effect (struggling to see the value in that link though)

TBH I can't see it being the best medium for the OP's business

 

[The Byre]

From what I remember of Teignmouth, I would have thought that luke-warm tea from a drive-through for mobility scooters would be a better bet!

 

[TheWebDesignCompany]

Would it be possible to hire the equipment on a very short term basis to just test the waters with?
That should give you an idea if it would be viable or not...

 

[Mark T Jones]

From what I remember of Teignmouth, I would have thought that luke-warm tea from a drive-through for mobility scooters would be a better bet!

If it’s anything like Eastbourne, disabled access will be a must

 

[Michael Haber]

Clean the equipment properly if you want repeat custom. In my experience, around 90% of UK baristas don’t, leading to bitter , foul coffee...

 

[MBE2017]

Thank you Mark, but I guess if I don't believe or have faith in what I really can imagine myself persuing then It will be disastrous.

I think your right test start with a minimal low risk investment so incase it doesn't work out (without a good push/fight) then accept defeat and I will only be facing a small loss.

So low cost investment is me being realistic and believing I can make something happen with that is me being positive...I dont understand why I should be erring towards negative.

Many thanks Mark

I used to stand next to a mobile Barista, fully kitted out three wheeled piaggio van, very professional. Unfortunately, they blindly believed it would work in a relatively quiet poor town, where they paid over £7k pa rent to be on the high street.

They never quite understood locals who could buy coffee for £0.50 a cup never quite bought into their £1.50 cups of coffee. Their other vans did very well, but they were at F1 events and hired by the F1 teams on practice days, just send the bill, no checks or balances in place, they made a fortune.

The high streets are tougher trading places, your suggested location would make the quiet town I worked in look like New York by comparison.

Be positive by all means, but be professional and do your research.

 

[saythisinstead.co.uk]

Some great advice for you from members here.

I've been working in some offices for a client recently where there is a regular mobile coffee and sandwiches operator.

A competitor started up and followed the regular guy around arriving between a half and one hour after the incumbent each time.

I spent some time asking questions of the new person. They had catering experience and had spent an eye watering amount to get this franchise.

They had all the dreams, aspirations and even experience but sadly they disappeared within 3 weeks. It's a small area and they have simply vanished.

They were convinced that what they were doing [following the other guy] was the route to success. In fact the franchiser had advised them that this was the way to do it and would result in success.

They may be having great success in some other location for all I know, the lesson I think, is to do your own research before you make a decision.

Most business owners will have been in your position at some time. I reckon most of them have had past successes AND failures and that is not a reason to be put off of course.

You've taken the first step by asking on here for advice. That's a million times better than going all out without researching......why not go out the the location....find people doing what you intend to do....and talk to them.

I'd start by asking.....'If someone was thinking of doing this for a living.....what would they need to be aware of?'

Good Luck