One compelling reason why location is critical in this business is that while people love coffee, research indicates they will rarely go more than a block and a half for it. You have to put your business "where the action is," so to speak.

Finding a good location generally requires effort, persistence and patience. Your location considerations will, of course, depend upon your concept. You will need a different type of location for an upscale, sit-down coffee bar than for a cart or drive-thru operation. One factor common to all desirable locations, however, is the proximity of a large population of potential coffee drinkers. Finding such locations can often prove difficult, but the net result will be profit.

High Visibility
Because coffee is primarily a convenience product and an impulse buy, your customers are not likely to go far out of their way to find you. You have to count on high visibility and high numbers of people passing by your location on a daily basis.

High visibility is more important in some businesses than others. If you are going into business for yourself as an accountant, it's probably not important to have an extremely visible location. A dry-cleaning establishment is another type of business known as a destination business, where location is not a critical factor. People will drive four or five blocks out of their way because you are the only dry cleaner in the area and they like your work.

Gourmet coffee businesses, on the other hand, are convenience businesses. Most of your customers come to your espresso cart or kiosk because it is convenient for them. Do not expect your customers to drive in circles on one-way streets and go three blocks out of their way to find you. Your business needs to be in a convenient location for customers-on their way to work in the morning, around the corner from their place of work or in the mall where they shop.

Exercise Patience
Probably one of the hardest things for people to realize is that the right location is worth waiting for.

Generally people get excited about starting a business -preparing a business plan, tasting the coffee, visualizing the store-and they just want to swing the doors open and get going. They might grow impatient and frustrated during the process, compromising their values on the type of location they want. This is a decision you don't want to regret. Take time to find the right location, even if it takes six months to a year.

Two Types of Locations
There are basically two types of locations appropriate for coffee retail: high-migratory locations and captive-audience locations.

Here are the main types of coffee retail operations and a few pieces of advice on the ideal location for each:

Carts
Look for:

• High visibility
• High traffic counts
• A space close to your commissary, so you can access it easily.
• A safe location. (Security is always a factor. You want a location where you can lock up your cart, stabilize it in place, or push it to a safe place, nearby location each evening.)

Make sure you talk to folks passing by and neighboring shopkeepers. Find out what they think about a location. If you are planning an outside operation, survey potential locations on a typical working day during the eight- or 10-hour period when you would be open. Check on:

• How the sun will hit you at various times of day.
• What type of protection one location might offer over another, given a driving rain, prevailing winds, etc.
• How much it will cost to run electricity and utilities to the location.

Kiosks
Remember that a kiosk location is often considered a larger cart location. Kiosks look more permanent than carts, however, and they are usually situated in a secure permanent location. Their parts are typically made from modular components and can be taken apart and easily reassembled in a different location. Once electricity is in place a kiosk can be brought in and assembled usually in a day or two.

The functional advantage of a kiosk over a cart is the extra room it provides, allowing you to offer a wide array of products. With a cart you may have to choose between a granita machine and pastry case. A kiosk usually provides enough space to do much more.

The same factors that dictate the location of a cart should apply also to a kiosk operation.

Drive-Thrus
Heavy automobile traffic for a drive-thru location is an absolute must.

To discover streets that may qualify as good drive-thru locations, go to your city or county planning departments and ask for traffic flow maps. Those black rubber cords people drive over on the street count the numbers of cars traveling a specific stretch of road at various times of day. These numbers typically appear on annually produced maps. The maps are public information and you should certainly request one. Pay attention to the following:

Find a location on the morning inbound commute side of the street (you are going to do most of your coffee business in the morning).

Visibility from the street is essential. If you are located on a parking lot adjacent to a street, it's much better if you're right on the curb where you can be seen from a block-and-half away than if you are 75 yards from the street and no one can see you until they're immediately in front of you.

Utilities will enter into your decision. Check on the types of utilities, how you will hook your drive-thru to them, and obtain estimates on the cost.

Also be sure to talk to your city or county planner to learn about:

• The feasibility of putting a drive-thru business at a specific location.
• What the city wants in terms of curb cuts.
• Accessibility of traffic to the location.
• The length of the lane leading up to and away from the drive-thru. If you need 150 feet of driveway for your approach and exit and the site does not have this, you need to rule it out immediately.

In-Line Coffee Bars
In-line coffee bars (also known as coffee cafés) generally require a much larger investment than a cart, kiosk or must drive-thrus. For this reason, choosing the right location is much more critical because of the greater potential capital loss should you make a bad choice. You will not have the advantage of relocating to a better spot, because your business will not be mobile. You will not recover the money you invested in flooring, electricity, plumbing, lighting, built-in counters, and so forth.

So what should you look for in such a location?

• High traffic numbers and high visibility.
• An area that is demographically rich in the types of customers you wish to attract.
• Close proximity to other businesses that sell upscale products and draw a similar clientele to yours.
• A maximum amount of store front. A space 80 feet deep and 10 feet wide requires more ingenuity to be visible, and will be harder for you to make an impact.

Call a Pro
Finally, a good piece of advice for new businesses is to consult a professional when looking at locations. There's a natural tendency to think the differences between a good location and a bad location are very obvious, but that is always not the case.

The factors that add up to a great location may not be visible to people who don't have retail in their blood. Newcomers often don't see what the professional sees; they do not understand the subtle nature of the business. At the very least, talk to other people who are successful in retail and ask for their opinions.

Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup carries a full line of business manuals and video tapes on how to get into the specialty coffee business. Visit espresso101.com to order.