Non-essential? Are you not aware of the tens of millions of caffeine addicts out there? He should have made a few bucks from those desperate to ward off the blinding headache if the god of the bean is not appeased.

actually you'll see many coffee shops, cafes and so on do better than other shops that open because the public see coffee, tea and food as a must. to someone who might go out of their way to get a coffee in the morning ops might be closer, they stop there one day in a rush and change their minds. my word of advice to op would be to make sure he's got a menu on a big board outside, make sure any deals are clearly displayed and just get flyers and post them in some letter boxes! even of other shops, employees may come to you on their breaks!

Unfortunately, that's the problem with opening a business where franchises rule. Most small coffee shops can't compete with starbucks or dunkin donuts because everyone already knows about them. Even though so many people buy coffee, they're more likely to go to a big brand name store with the fancy foamy crap than support a small business.

Actually, when the economy is crappy, people tend to spend money on small luxuries because they can't afford the big ones. Movie theaters, for example, made money hand-over-fist during the Great Depression. Going to the movies was a small luxury that people could afford back then, and it helped them forget how shitty their and their friends' lives were for a couple of hours.

*There is Have a nice day.. My people need me.. UP UP...AND AWAY!!

No such thing as too many coffee shops.