The big sellers are:
#1 - Espresso Drinks (which is good, since we are a coffee shop!)
#2 - Lunch items (sandwiches, salads, etc)
#3 - Smoothies!
#4 - Brewed Coffee
#5 - Pastries
#6 - Bottled Beverages (only need to sell 3150 more for the cooler to pay for itself)
We went over 2300 total customers and over $10,000 in sales today!! We posted our third day in a row with sales over $400, which is a new record. We sold out of breakfast burritos, sandwiches, and salads again today. I track our growth from week to week. We are currently at 50% of last weeks entire sales, after just Monday and Tuesday! I expect this week's sales to set a new record if this keeps up.
Our growth is out-pacing our supplies! We almost ran out of coffee last week, and we ordered more, in even larger quantities. Unbelievably, we are dangerously low on coffee again, and it is only Tuesday! We made another, even larger order and it will be here Thursday. I honestly don't believe we have enough espresso to last until then. We may have to contact a local roaster to get some espresso. Our favorite is Crowfoot Valley in Castle Rock, about a 45 minute drive towards Denver. Paul and Heather use Crowfoot in their shop (the Raven's Nest on Boulder and Institute). Our second choice would be CCM (Colorado Coffee Merchants on Fillmore). Eric is a firefighter who operates a coffee roasting business and small shop in his spare time. He is an amazingly nice guy!
I considered installing a projector and screen in the studio so that business meetings will be able to do Powerpoint presentations, etc. Well, the County Health Department used the room for a five hour meeting yesterday and they brought their own projector. It is a good thing the walls are painted flat white in there!
We have had several other groups use the room, and we have about five more events scheduled.
The local leader of a Republican political group and his wife, who is a state legislator, came by the other day and checked out our meeting room. They are planning some recurring events and intend to reserve the room for those events!
The Colorado Springs photography meetup group is having their first meeting here at the shop tomorrow night! I'm looking forward to that one, although I will be in and out, since I will be working the shop as well. Ryan asked me to put together a class on Photoshop. He would like to attend, along with his Dad and several friends. His Dad (who Tracy and I have known longer than Ryan) is an amazing photographer. His work has been done on large format film cameras, and he is fairly new to digital.
I also got the art rails installed and Paul Kulik has displayed his amazing work throughout the coffee shop! I'll post some photos soon...
It is fun to see continuing sales growth, both in $ amounts and in # of customers per day. We are also seeing a constant rise in our per person ticket average. It started out in the low $3 range, and is now tracking at $4.43 for all time. Our ticket average for the last week is $4.60 per ticket. The increased ticket averages are due to larger parties coming in for lunch, as well as Tracy adding some amazing salads to the menu that sell for $7.95.
I can't count the number of times new customers have actually called us on the phone after returning to work or home to tell us we have the best coffee they have ever had. We hear numerous times a day how much better we are than Starbucks (not a difficult achievement these days, I'm sorry to say).
We really didn't like the La Marzocco Swift grinder (that tamps the espresso grounds in the portafilter automatically). We didn't like having that level of control taken away from the barista. We ordered a new Mazzer grinder and it arrived today. We brought our Mazzer from home to use for decaf. It is very satisfying to make a drink using manual techniques, then have customers walk back inside from the parking lot to tell us how good it is (after they had already left the store). So many coffee shops are going with push button super-automatic espresso machines, and they are giving up the art of being a barista. They are also having problems with their employees asking "if you want fries with that".
Gotta run... it is 10:00 pm, I still have some dishes to wash and have to get up at 6:00 tomorrow.
Everybody have a great night...
JD
I decided I should go ahead and publish my prayer list here. So many people come in, order a drink, and proceed to tell us the biggest problems in their lives. That is normal for a bar tender or barista, but I have been telling people that I will pray for them. Christians just smile and say thanks, with that knowing look of gratitude. Non-Cristians get this amazed look on their face. I figure they are reaching out for some kind of help if they are willing to tell their biggest problems to someone they have known for all of 30 seconds. The good part comes when they come back into the store a few days later. When I ask them how their "fill in the blank" problem is and tell them I've been praying for them, they get this 'dumb-founded' look on their face. I think they are surprised that I remember who they are, what their problem was, and are amazed that I actually have been praying for them. I've seen some of the biggest smiles ever after that kind of a conversation. Sometimes their problems are better, sometimes not, but they leave knowing that a total stranger actually cares about them. Here are the people I am praying for now... feel free to join in:
Larry's sister in Chicago - she had a blood infection, fell into a coma, and was not expected to live. Larry flew out to Chicago to say his last goodbyes. After he returned to Colorado, she came out of her coma, got up, and is doing fine now. He expected to be going back for a funeral soon instead!
Stacey and Tierny - Tierny is Stacey's toddler who has some medical problems, and a deficient immune system. Stacey often goes without sleep because she is up all night with Tierny, who does not sleep well. She has good days and bad...
The lady with narcolepsy - I don't remember her name, but she can't work due to her narcolepsy and severe sleep apnea. Go ahead and pray, God will know who you mean.
Roni - one of our regular customers from the very start, currently has pneumonia.
Donald, suffered a brain injury and is now disabled. He goes around telling everybody that his problems are his own fault, not somebody elses (was drunk and walked out into the street and got hit by a car). He says God saved his life and gave him another chance. He isn't quite right upstairs, but he knows God loves him and tells everyone that he can...
Nichole - her husband returned from another tour in Iraq and is suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome and is getting a medical discharge from the Army because of it. His difficulties with his Iraq experiences are making things tough for him and their family. Please pray for them, and all of our troops, for their safety and well being, and especially for my brother Aubrey and my neighbor George. They are both currently in their third tour of duty in Iraq.
Julie - husband left her with a toddler and a newborn baby... Her house is in foreclosure because her husband is not helping with any financial issues, nor paying any support for the kids...
There are more, but I really have to finish my work and get home. Just pray for us, our employees, and our customers and God will sort it all out!
Don't forget to do something nice for someone, every day... It will bless your life far more than the recipients of your good deeds! If you don't believe me, just go ahead and try it.
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