I note that this is why a lot of the places that do coffee drinks also
do sodas, ice creams, and the like. I'll also note (and the Europeans
have figured this one out) that drinking coffee when it's hot helps
equalize internal temperature with external temperature, and thus cool
a person off.

Still, though, I know that if I was opening up a business, I wouldn't
want the times when the store was emptiest to be when I was spending the
most money to keep the place open, and with heating costs about to reach
a new high, it just doesn't make much sense to open a place during the
winter, when people are more likely to be huddling at home rather than
looking about for new places to go.

--J

Rob wrote:
> M Squared has a point. If the store opens at the wrong time, it could be
costly. I have to
> believe that there will be seasonal cycles involved here. I am sure that our
friends from the
> heard as well as BigBux know this all too well. They also know that when their
heating
> costs are highest, they sell more hot beverages. Locations at Universities are
quite
> sensitive to the school calander. Places in downtown business districts are
not too busy on
> the weekends or in the evening. We must not, however, lost sight of the fact
that this
> business must be able to operate with a profit all year, or all we have is
another Brown
> Note. Don't misunderstand, I am not saying this coffee house/bookstore can or
should be
> profitable the first day/week/month/etc. It will take a while for the customer
base to
> discover the place. What I am saying is that once the corner is turned, it
really needs to
> stay that way. It can and must be done.
>
> I could go on, maybe take this in a few directions, IE: location, marketing,
financing, but I
> am really more interested in reading what others have to say - I am sick of
listening to
> myself type.