Just how hard is it to open and maintain a coffee shop?
I think it should be easy as the first thing that opens in a new housing estate is a coffee shop. Great. It provides food for those who often opt to eat out rather than cook at home.
Many would prefer to eat at home, but due to several reasons, they do not have that luxury. Shortage of time, inability to cook, cooking is just troublesome (leave it to the experts), are some of the reasons.
It is true when you are still a student. And sometimes being a bachelor. I cannot discount some families as well, though.
But is the coffee shop the best that you have ever been to? Probably not. And you might just start to reminisce the good old neighbourhood shop in your home town. Yes, reflect to that. What actually made them to last and become a living historical proof as what you have imagined?
A kopitiam in my neighbourhood has undergone three major owner change. I have been there three times, each under different ownership.
Let me tell you my experiences in those three kopitiam under different ownership.
Initially it was a franchise from another famous kopitiam in Kuching. The menu seems interesting and varied. However, ordering has always been frustrating. Often, the menu that I ordered is not available. At one time, even the second choice menu is not available too.
The second owner opted for steam boat concept. It was quite cheap, charging only RM20 per sitting. Although it was cheap, the person preparing the raw food looks unkempt and hygienically questionable. So, it was a no no.
The third management took over and revert it to the usual kopi tiam concept. The usual Kuching menu like kolo mee, roti canai and sup tulang were added. Been there twice. And the food generally taste good. One sad thing was the person who prepares the drink is a smoker. I caught him smoking in the shop, openly, disregarding the children within the vicinity.
There were foreign particles in our drink.
As of this piece, the kopitiam still holds.
Another friend went there another time, and was not satisfied with the Nescafe peng (chilled) that was ordered. There was a strong hint of tea. The guy replied back in dissatisfaction telling my friend that the drink was Nescafe. See, the thing is, how often do we want to make a fuss out of a simple drink in a kopitiam? We just want to quench our thirst and leave. Rebuking does not help to lure back customers. He should be glad that there is a feedback mechanism that assesses his output.
In a mamak stall, the waiter would change the drinks and get you a new one, no questions asked. No wonder the mamak stalls are always full.
There is another kopitiam in the building opposite this.The kopitiam owner just focusses in making drinks. He rents out small stalls to tenants. Therefore, the variety of stalls contribute to many choices in the kopitiam, from a simple common kolo mee, bakso, nasi kuning (yellow rice) to roti canai. The man who makes the roti canai is a sulker. He cannot carve out a simple smile to his customers. He looks at you in the most unfriendly manner.
I thought it was only me who noticed this. Apparently a few more friends observed this too. One brave soul decided to advise him to start smiling and be friendly to customers. The good thing is the Roti Canai man can accept his friendly critic and started to change a little since.
Opening a food stall is not easy as it seems. Smiles, friendliness and willingness to act on feed backs are certainly the main ingredients to last longer in the business. Spiderman's tag line "your neighbourhood friendly Spiderman" is truly practical in this business. To survive, a food operator needs to be a neighbourhood friendly kopitiam. It’s the place where family goes to, and one of the many things people remember from their childhood.
I think it should be easy as the first thing that opens in a new housing estate is a coffee shop. Great. It provides food for those who often opt to eat out rather than cook at home.
Many would prefer to eat at home, but due to several reasons, they do not have that luxury. Shortage of time, inability to cook, cooking is just troublesome (leave it to the experts), are some of the reasons.
It is true when you are still a student. And sometimes being a bachelor. I cannot discount some families as well, though.
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| Courtesy: http://www.kopi-cafe.com/photos/Changi-Road-Kopitiam.jpg |
But is the coffee shop the best that you have ever been to? Probably not. And you might just start to reminisce the good old neighbourhood shop in your home town. Yes, reflect to that. What actually made them to last and become a living historical proof as what you have imagined?
A kopitiam in my neighbourhood has undergone three major owner change. I have been there three times, each under different ownership.
Let me tell you my experiences in those three kopitiam under different ownership.
Initially it was a franchise from another famous kopitiam in Kuching. The menu seems interesting and varied. However, ordering has always been frustrating. Often, the menu that I ordered is not available. At one time, even the second choice menu is not available too.
The second owner opted for steam boat concept. It was quite cheap, charging only RM20 per sitting. Although it was cheap, the person preparing the raw food looks unkempt and hygienically questionable. So, it was a no no.
The third management took over and revert it to the usual kopi tiam concept. The usual Kuching menu like kolo mee, roti canai and sup tulang were added. Been there twice. And the food generally taste good. One sad thing was the person who prepares the drink is a smoker. I caught him smoking in the shop, openly, disregarding the children within the vicinity.
There were foreign particles in our drink.
As of this piece, the kopitiam still holds.
Another friend went there another time, and was not satisfied with the Nescafe peng (chilled) that was ordered. There was a strong hint of tea. The guy replied back in dissatisfaction telling my friend that the drink was Nescafe. See, the thing is, how often do we want to make a fuss out of a simple drink in a kopitiam? We just want to quench our thirst and leave. Rebuking does not help to lure back customers. He should be glad that there is a feedback mechanism that assesses his output.
In a mamak stall, the waiter would change the drinks and get you a new one, no questions asked. No wonder the mamak stalls are always full.
There is another kopitiam in the building opposite this.The kopitiam owner just focusses in making drinks. He rents out small stalls to tenants. Therefore, the variety of stalls contribute to many choices in the kopitiam, from a simple common kolo mee, bakso, nasi kuning (yellow rice) to roti canai. The man who makes the roti canai is a sulker. He cannot carve out a simple smile to his customers. He looks at you in the most unfriendly manner.
I thought it was only me who noticed this. Apparently a few more friends observed this too. One brave soul decided to advise him to start smiling and be friendly to customers. The good thing is the Roti Canai man can accept his friendly critic and started to change a little since.
Opening a food stall is not easy as it seems. Smiles, friendliness and willingness to act on feed backs are certainly the main ingredients to last longer in the business. Spiderman's tag line "your neighbourhood friendly Spiderman" is truly practical in this business. To survive, a food operator needs to be a neighbourhood friendly kopitiam. It’s the place where family goes to, and one of the many things people remember from their childhood.
