Ristretto Time: Starting (and running) your own Coffee Shop

Over 10.0K Total Downloads!
"Top 5% Worldwide Rank" - Listennotes. com

This is not a step-by-step guide (buy a book for that)! This is a journey and I walk you through the situations you will face and show you how I did it. Where I succeeded or messed up. If you dream of owning your own coffee shop, this podcast is for you!

I started my own coffee shop from scratch, without having any experience -- just the dream! First time I made an espresso with a commercial espresso machine, was when I installed one at the shop.

Listen, subscribe and don't forget to review.

Play Episode

Recent Episodes

April 14, 2023

Ristretto Shots: Inspiring email from a listener

In this episode of Ristretto Shots I read Phil’s email to me about a coffee gig he did, describing how it went and how much fun he had going out on his own and making it happen! This is what …

Episode page
Sept. 19, 2022

26 - Interview with Jamie and Ryan Getchell of The Nest Family Cafe

I have been thinking about doing this interview for months! Ryan and Jamie are the founders of The Nest Family Cafe in Londonderry, NH. They -- just like me -- started without having any coffee or business experience. Af...

Episode page
July 28, 2022

25 - Books that helped me through the process

I have gotten a few emails with listeners asking what books I recommend. I email each person individually, but decided it would be more beneficial if I just record a Bonus episode. I broke the list in 4 categories: Coffee, …

Episode page
June 20, 2022

22 - Cash, POSes and Scammers

In this episode, I talk a bit about POSes, but spend a good amount of time talking about various aspects of working with cash and how to protect your business or coffee shop from scammers. I share some issues I …

Episode page
Feb. 8, 2022

24 - The last days of Cafe Chocolat

I spent 1.5 years over 23 podcast episodes talking about what we did at Cafe Chocolat and how we did it. Meanwhile the 800 pound gorilla was sitting right next to me staring at me — Cafe Chocolat had been …

Episode page
Aug. 11, 2021

23 - FINAL Episode and Parting Thoughts

We have come to the end if the “Starting Your Coffee Shop” journey. In this episode I share a personal story of a childhood book/character that I always think of when I run into something that looks hard and scary, …

Episode page
July 16, 2021

21 - Should you offer FREE Wifi?

Yes, FREE Wifi is nice, it’s convenient, it’s fun, but it’s not a right. Should you offer it at your coffee shop? Should you not? Let’s discuss! Ristretto Time: Starting and Running Your Coffee Shop by Gjergj Dollani http://r...

Episode page
July 2, 2021

9 - Where to find money to finance your business

In this episode I talk about some different ways to find money to support your new business. I share how I did it at Cafe Chocolat. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ristrettotime/message Support this podcast...

Episode page
June 19, 2021

20 - How many cups do I need? (Questions from listeners)

In this episode I answer some of the questions that although may seem trivial are important and will keep you up at night. How many cups do you need? Should you offer different cappuccino sizes? Should you carry different esp...

Episode page
May 30, 2021

19 - Your Customers are not your Friends

In this Episode I talk about the importance of treating customers like patrons first, and friends second. Just because they’ve been coming to your shop for years, it doesn’t mean you can take liberties with them as you would ...

Episode page
May 8, 2021

14 - 3 attributes of a great barista

In this episode I talk about the 3 attributes that make for an outstanding barista. At Cafe Chocolat, I only spent about 5 min interviewing each candidate. I didn’t need more time, because I was not interested in playing scen...

Episode page
April 27, 2021

11 - Hiring staff, employee types and how to develop them

In this episode I talk about how to hire the right employees. What to be aware of. I share the hiring process we had at Cafe Chocolat. Also, things you can do to develop your staff. http://www.ristrettotime.com --- Send in...

Episode page