New Coffee House in DFW (Dallas, Plano: condos, townhomes, purchasing)

[smurphy528]

I'm opening a new coffee house in DFW. Where would everyone want to see a new place.

It will have free wi-fi.

Thanks,

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by smurphy528

I'm opening a new coffee house in DFW. Where would everyone want to see a new place.

It will have free wi-fi.

Thanks,

Firewheel Mall in Garland or downtown Garland on the square (fyi - the DCCCD is breaking ground on a new campus next to downtown).

[ExCali]

In Frisco at the new SuperTarget at the corner of Eldorado and DNT.

[lh_newbie]

I have one in my wet bar at home.

Seriously though, it seems the coffee culture in Dallas is ramping up. It's nice to see. The reason I bought an espresso machine (La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II for the coffee geeks on the forum) is because I wasn't satisfied with the quality or quantity of coffee shops in DFW. Plus, I like having my coffee with my wife before we leave for work (sure is nice having the machine when we host dinner parties also).

smurphy528 -

What type of machines are you looking to run? Are you doing the semi/auto route, or the super-auto setup? While I'm a semi/auto fan - IMO, we have two shops in the area that make really good coffee - Drip Coffee on Lovers Lane near DNT (they use a really high end super auto) and Gachet (they have an auto). I know Drip has their own roaster. To my knowledge, Lovers does not. Good, fresh beans will definitely be your key.

I wish you the best of luck!

[smurphy528]

Cool, thanks for the info and the suggesstions. I'll be adding them to my list and doing some homework out there.

Keep the ideas coming!

Thanks,

[Pintea]

Parker and Parkwood in Plano. They are building a mixed shopping/residential area, similar to the one on Legacy. It will open in 2009.

[smurphy528]

Newbie,
I hope to add another quality coffee location to the metroplex (something with a local flavor that is not just another Starbucks). I appreciate your input and welcome everyone's ideas and opinions on locations as well as store operating ideas. Keep 'em coming!

What does Dallas want to see in a new coffee shop??

We will be roasting our own beans and keeping them fresh daily! I'll probaly end up going the semi/auto route. I'm still purchasing the equipment, so any additional advise is welcome.

Thanks again!
SM

[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by smurphy528

Newbie,
I hope to add another quality coffee location to the metroplex (something with a local flavor that is not just another Starbucks). I appreciate your input and welcome everyone's ideas and opinions on locations as well as store operating ideas. Keep 'em coming!

What does Dallas want to see in a new coffee shop??

We will be roasting our own beans and keeping them fresh daily! I'll probaly end up going the semi/auto route. I'm still purchasing the equipment, so any additional advise is welcome.

Thanks again!
SM

LOCAL ROASTER! YEAH!!!!

I currently order Black Cat from Intelligentsia. If you can roast something with a similar taste profile (or turn me on to something else I really like), you'll get a 5-pound order every month... and lots of word-of-mouth advertising.

I believe most commercial equipment went the route of heat exchangers, which kindof sucks from a Barista training perspective. HX systems require "temp surfing" skills to ensure the water is pulled at the correct temp. My home machine is a dual boiler. I simply pull a "blank shot", meaning no coffee in the portafilter, before I dry it and load it with coffee to make sure everything is up to temp. Much more consistent, which minimizes training requirements. Sorry that I'm not up-to-speed on commercial equipment.

My only other suggestion is to get a really good tamper - probably a dynometric lever drawn one... much better than the whole "bathroom scale" technique. Costs a little more up front by a couple hundred bucks, but will improve shot consistency... as you probably already know, the variables are:

- Bean - you'll be roasting your own, so you have control over this
- Grind - quality grinders are critical, totally controllable with equipment
- Dose - make sure to train your folks, too much coffee and the puck gets compromised when locking in... and is a waste of coffee (as an owner, that means extra $$$ for lower quality shots)
- Distribution - a training issue - focus your time here with employees
- Tamp - if you're good up to this point, the lever action tamper will ensure consistency

From there, it's a good machine with consistent temps - HX is a little more training intensive - dual boilers are consistent as can be. Then you get to work with your people on proper steaming technique... not the Starbucks "set the pitcher on the machine and turn the steam on" technique - ugh... such a nasty technique used there. There should actually be a difference in your milk when pouring a latte -vs- a cap. They don't teach that at *$ (star bucks).

Geesh, I sound like a coffee snob, eh? Being an engineer, I break everything down into it's technical components. Hehe.

Brian

PS: One last thing... if you're using a volumetric doser on your espresso machine... make sure to not dial it up too much. It's better to pull a shot a little short than too long. When I first got my machine, it was pulling a little too much water through the puck and whew... talk about bitter and nasty!

[Willys]

Near the Crossroads - Cedar Springs @ Throckmorton. The area is being re-developed with new condos and high dollar townhomes. A good time to get established. Setup something with an east front for sidewalk sipping, or an upstairs balcony. The boys have needs.

Or nearby UpTown.

[DallasDreamer]

I would be happy to see an independent coffee shop somewhere around the campus of UTD, the sort of place where one can feel comfortable drinking the beverage of choice, sitting around on couches, reading, or sitting at large tables talking or playing games with friends. I'd like a coffee shop that doesn't have a sanitized feeling to it, that instead feels like a giant living room with class. I'm not actually that picky about the coffee, but a good selection of organic teas would be good.

I moved here from Florida, where we had such a coffee shop. It appealed to people of all ages at various times of the day.