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We opened today!
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/long-shot-how-much-to-open-a-coffee-shop
It's been absolutely manic all day - non stop from 9am.
Completely cleaned out of bacon sandwiches by midday and cake stock has been very popular!
Minor issue with the till which stopped working and one customer who doesn't like the decor. But I think all in it's gone as well as we could hope!
Website should be up soon but it's in Cholsey Oxfordshire ox10 and is called the four teas!
But most importantly we've got bike mags to read and do lots of cake!
Any bikers nearby feel free to drop in - we have secure storage round the back for bikes too!
Thanks to all for all your comments and help on the original post and to mrs rob who project managed the whole thing!
If anyone is doing rides nearby let us know and we can open early or late _ normal hours 9 to 5.30 mon to sat and 9 to midday Sunday
Hope this doesn't class as free advertising 🙂
Well done and good luck 🙂
It's good to see people having the confidence to do stuff like this.
Good for you - I was one of the sceptics but I wish you well.
Cholsey eh, posh bugger 😉 Congrats on opening, will pop in when next in the area.
Well done, hope it stays busy for you 🙂
Nice one - hope it stays busy.
rob2 - I presume you have a coffee machine but I have a Rancilio classe8 3group in my garage if you get busier?.
I was one of the sceptics
how unexpected.
Good luck to you rob, and bravo for the balls to do it!
Congrats - hope it continues to work well for you both! 😀
Congratulations and fair play for having the balls to do it. Upload some photos 🙂 I wish you all the best
I really wish you the best. Starting a business is not easy and can be very rewarding / frustrating and takes a bit of balls to do it.
Hope it goes very well.
May even push on from our usual Henley / Marlow coffee stop if we are ever on an epic road ride.
Ooooh.. I could visit you on a lunchtime ride and do a secret shopper 🙂
Oh, and most importantly - which bike mags?
Congratulations hope it works well for you.
I could also visit on a lunchtime.
...would have to set of just after breakfast though.
Good luck with the venture OP.
Edit: According to Google Maps, I can make it in time if I leave after brunch.
Post pictures!
Good luck, how far are you from Woodstock?
Didn't know TJ was a business expert! 😛
Not too far away from me. I'll pop in sometime. Good luck!
Al - WTF are you doing in Woodstock? (20-30 miles btw)
Well done to the both of you - cake photos please 😀
Al -WTF are you doing in Woodstock?
Still trying to stop. 😆
cynic-al - MemberDidn't know TJ was a business expert!
Posted 7 minutes ago # Report-Post
He is just an expert, at being an expert. 😯
So much did it cost to open the coffee shop? 😀
Good luck!
bravo for the balls to do it!
+1
Nice work - let us know in a few months if you still recommend it to others, it's sort of a dream of mine...
Amazing 🙂 I really do wish you the best 🙂
I really should do the same in my village. It also needs a fish and chip shop.
Go on, post a few piccies
So much did it cost to open the coffee shop?
+1 and good on you and "May God bless [s]her[/s] it and all who [s]sail[/s] drink and eat in [s]her[/s] it."
Congratulations and good luck!
How useful was the advice in the old thread?
umm photos please
Assuming I can find somewhere to abandon the car we'll be in tomorrow!
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Well done, if i'm ever passing i'll drop by 😉
You'll never work for anyone else again!
Another reason for which I regret leaving civilisation for Ireland 🙁
One day I'll pop in, good luck and all the best!
Excellent, good job 🙂
Just one thing tho, I always get a little annoyed when coffee shops shut at 5.30, cos I often want something after the shops have closed.. but I'm sure you've done your research.
Plus, I don't live nearby so my opinion is not important 🙂
Well done.
So which coffee machine did you get? Two or three group?
ahhhhhh ... bbaacccoooonnnnn ... I like. (just ate a bag of pork crackling the food for gods).
There is no recession in your area so things will only get even better.
Just make sure you post a cup of your Americano to me for "expert" tasting.
😆
p/s: show us your deco and some pics of your shop please. The coffee machine and grinder too.
Wow! Excellent!
Some pics would be cool.
Well Done.
9 to midday Sunday
Missing out the Sunday afternoon punters me thinks
Pics - check. Will get posted up!
Bike mags - mix if everything, singletrackworld, what mtb, mbuk, and, I'm sorry, but some mbr too, but not many 😉
Opening hours - oddly we have no planning restrictions so we have loads of flexibility. It's a fairly big village so we plan to adapt to what people are looking for. I favour longer hours but mrs rob is not so keen!
What did it cost..??? Well need to close out the books but close to 17k all in. That includes all shop fitting, electrics, alarm, decorating, furniture, catering equipment - most of which we got second hand and got some really good deals - sign writing etc. If anyone is thinking of doing the same happy to ping the full details and the suppliers. It could easily top 25k but we did lots and I mean lots of negotiating and work ourselves.
Coffee machine is a three group. For the life of me remember the make. It's on lease purchase which is not the cheapest way to do it but limits our capital risk. The filter coffee is a bunn if that helps!
It's a but surreal to think we've actually done it!
Sunday afternoon - agreed but want to see what demand we have as we need to employ the Sunday staff so need to make sure the numbers add up. The weekend is quite hard to judge at the moment as the village is really quiet on a Sunday. Lots to think about though!
hmm I reckon I could get a cafe stop in Cholsey into my regular 100km Chilterns loop. See you soon then 😀
Nice one 🙂
Great stuff - well done you! Awaits photos 🙂
LOL @ Drac
The Southern Yeti - Member
Al - WTF are you doing in Woodstock? (20-30 miles btw)
My bro lives there and I visit occasionally.
Nice one!
I like the name.
Is it worth opening on a Monday? Maybe change that to all day opening on the Sunday.
Well done.
Good work! Hope it continues well
(ps, really lovely to see certain axe grinders in this thread, can we not just have a positive one for once?)
Let's hear the important stuff, what cake you stocking?
Who's being negative?
Nice one!
Will try to get over on way from Chilterns to Woodstock (another one with family in there).
Actually, you're near RAF Benson aren't you?
I hear that a newly opened coffee shop might be appearing in the local Oxford newspapers soon. Wondering if that's you. Did you have a photographer who I can only liken to an excitable labrador puppy come by for photos?
Well done. Sounds ace. Really hoping it does well, by the sounds of it you will. Pencilled in for a visit if we ever get down that way.
Mac - lol it was us, spooky, it's going to be in the Oxford mail hopefully! The photographer came over yesterday, do you know him?!
Importantly cakes.... All home made by a local business. No preservatives, all fresh. Double chocolate cakes, carrot cake, Victoria sponge, the best brownies you can imagine, cookies, and guest cakes and more including toffee banana flapjacks.
All the bacon and sausage is local sourced too from the butcher in the village too. Not the cheapest but proper meat and very tasty.
Haven't had time to download pics yet but will do soon!
Right, you met Ed Nix then. He's a really nice bloke and one of the wifes photographers at the Mail.
Got home last night and I thought I'd do my little bit for the singletrackworld community and mentioned that there was a possible local news story, mountain biker, new coffee shop, Cholsey blah blah, only to to be told that she'd already sent Ed out to shoot you!
If I hear when it's going to run I'll shout so you can go out an buy all the copies from the local newsagents 😉
Hope it goes well. We'll have to make it a scheduled stop on a ride one day.
Hey Rob!
We headed in for elevenses on our way home from swimming - no wonder you're so pleased with the place! Cutting straight to the keenly anticipated cake news, my lemon drizzle cake (and hot chocolate) were delicious and Miss Makrie's scone (that I wasn't allowed to touch) looked great! My one regret is that I didn't notice the brownies earlier, they'll be my next time choice for sure. I'll also keep my fingers crossed for MTB mag back issues to appear in the future - I'm not sure your wife actually believed any bikers would turn up!
STW dad's club notice, my toddler learned two new words whilst we were there - 'salt' and 'pepper' - thus proving that even though the 60's are gone, cafés remain intellectual hothouses. An unconnected aside for Rob, the salt and pepper pots on the table in front of the sofa may need refilling 😉
I was surprised at the number of people in - not over-full, but certainly a nice low buzz, long may it continue. We'll certainly return next Tuesday and could well pop back sooner if I get us caught at a loose end... cheers!
Congratulations!
Was that the one I suggested topless waitresses for?
If so did you do it????
If you did pics are definitely needed for this thread - if you didn't I'll find some pics on my own you selfish git! (PS please don't post pics of that nature as I work in an open plan office where that kind of web browsing if a no-no!)
Markie - that's great feedback. Will get onto the salt and pepper refills! Don't know what my wife has done with the mags so will investigate! Would be good to meet you in person!
Topless - not done yet but I'll suggest it 😉
Where about a are you in cholsey. I'm out on a ride tomorrow and a mid ride Bacon sarnie is quite appealing.
Pete - that would be great. We are just by the little tesco bt the forty (the green in the middle if the village). Bacon will be waiting!
Hopefully this works.....
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The reflection in the windows is the village green it looks over.
Note to self - get better pics and smarten up the website!
Fantastic news and really good on you for having the balls. I hope it goes well for you both.
well done good luck
ooh i'm Blewbury, i'll pop over for a cuppa!
What a nice thread. I don't know you Rob2 but congratuations and good luck. If we are ever over that way I'll be in to try the brownies!!
Kev - that would be cool. If you or markie ever fancy a loop one day ending with coffee and cake action let us know. couple of us into mtbs in Cholsey. 🙂
Tell you what I've just had an ace (even though I do say myself!) idea.
We cycle to cafe every Sat (usually Ascot / Henley / Marlow)
Wouldn't it be great if you could cycle to a Cafe and had somewhere to lean you bike against and they loaned you a nice big D-Lock while you have a coffee.
We don't carry locks on the road bike, so we either sit in the cold with the bikes or watch them like hawks while we have a coffee. 😀
Cafe supplying locks is a great idea, no chance of people pedalling off without paying either :p
Just had a group email from an NCT friend asking if anyone else had been to the nice new café in Cholsey!
Does the café have a Facebook page?
Tiger - according to the OP, there's secure bike storage at the back of the caff.
Sounds like a great place - maybe get some chinstroking bike mags in - Rouleur, The Ride, Privateer, maybe even Bike, if it's not disappeared up its own fundament. Proper sit-down-four-coffee-and-cake reads. Get the numbers up. 🙂
Seriously, I may have to move house. Can you open one in Bristol?
Re storage - we've got a lockable garage at the back of the cafe so can keep bikes in there plus if peeps are interested I'll keep a **** off big chain and lock behind the counter.
Website and Facebook here - http://www.fourteas.co.uk/ (I know the website is a but rubbish we're on it but doing it ourselves! Menu is on there though!)
Nct - cool!
Ps - we're only about 12 miles from Henley 😉
2 Million likes! on Facebook, well done!
hmmmmm Maybe get that fixed 🙂
Ace work, Rob. I'm now long gone from Oxon, but wish you the best. 😀
But be choosy about which cyclists you let in - wrinkly old audaxers will sit there all day in their wool shorts and buy one cup of tea between them...!
You need to rpovide secure Audi parking and a suitable carpark for Moutain Biker Faffing(tm).
Good luck with the cafe, used to work in Wallingford so know the area.
Yeah the Facebook likes doesn't look right!
It's not giving your likes, it's giving the likes of what it links to, The Facebook Platform.
I think you need to change a link destination from this:
to this:
Hey this is great news! You should do STW discount ... 😉 only joking got to make some money! I used to be a uniform bobby in Cholsey shame it wasn't there then! I'll forward this onto the teams, they may pop in more central point to deploy from!!
RAF Benson isn't far at all! I shall spread the word, oh and Pedalhead if you can factor a stop in there to our Chiltern rides that would be ace ... actually can't be far from Grims Ditch maybe 15 mins on the road.
As a fellow local mtb-er, I can confirm less than 10 mins from Grims Ditch! I also have a piece of Lemon Drizzle sat in the kitchen for pudding tonight which was purchased at said Cafe earlier by Mrs Sheck
OOO 10 mins from Grims Ditch it's getting better by the minute! oH man my MTBing may take a back burner...
It's in todays Oxford Mail no less.
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/headlines/9035013.New_Cholsey_cafe_thanks_to_grandpa/