Coffee shop franchise opportunities have long offered entrepreneurs a chance to join a thriving industry and minimize the risks of opening their own business. The latter is usually due to a coffee franchise’s existing training and marketing methods, which help new locations start off on a good foot with a good reputation, something that can take years to build otherwise. Unfortunately, some coffee shop franchise opportunities don’t have a public image that will appeal to every area, making them controversial from the start. Take a recent case in Jamestown, PA, for example: when it was announced that a coffee chain famous for its scantily-clad staff was coming to the area, the community and local media immediately voiced their concerns.
Baristas is a popular coffee shop headquartered in Seattle, WA. However, it has since spread across the West Coast due to its combination of a few successful business ideas: coffee, attractive women and lingerie. The company specifically hires beautiful baristas, who dress in alluring and entertaining costumes as they prepare coffee, teas, deli items and baked goods. However, when Baristas announced that would be opening new locations in two towns in Central Pennsylvania, DuBois and Jamestown, many members of the community immediately made it clear that this type of business model didn’t fit with their local culture.
Information about the two new locations has been closely guarded, with the Jamestown mall even barring members of the local media from bringing cameras inside. However, a few weeks before their May 1 opening, the president of Baristas announced that bikini coffee shop opportunities weren’t something they would dream of bringing to Central Pennsylvania, especially since the new locations are planned to open in malls. Instead, he stated that the new coffee franchises will be more family-friendly and likely feature a 40s or 50s theme similar to a classic soda shop. The employees will wear costumes, but they will be in keeping with the theme and avoid risque or revealing garb.
This development will likely put many residents’ minds at rest, but the controversy as a whole remains a great lesson about choosing the best coffee franchise. While many people believe there is no such thing as bad publicity, and scantily-clad baristas likely would have drawn crowds, discord usually doesn’t help create a solid, sustainable foundation for a business. Instead, if you are looking for coffee shop franchise opportunities, search out companies that feature excellent franchise training, support and more.