Want to Get Rich? Here's a Clear Path for Coffee Lovers!

"Why did you decide to run a mobile coffee cart?"

- Because I thought it would be cool to drive around the streets, freely making coffee. When coffee becomes connected with various interesting things, it becomes part of life.

- Compared to a coffee shop, a coffee cart makes people feel less constrained. Without the fixed distance created by tables and chairs between people, they become less unfamiliar with each other. Whether it's between customers or between customers and the barista, there's more intimate communication.

- Everyone sitting together under the city's night sky, watching the vehicles shuttle by on the road, the coffee cart's lights warming a small area. People can feel a moment of warmth here and share each other's stories. Whether it's me or the customers, we all become friends because of coffee.

"Running a mobile coffee cart, does it make money?"

- It's possible if you have entrepreneurial experience, professional coffee knowledge, deep understanding of coffee, and business management experience, but it's not absolute, and you can't fully commit to running the coffee cart—it can only be treated as a side business. If you don't have entrepreneurial experience and don't know much about coffee, purely following others because you see them making money from street stalls, then don't consider running a coffee cart—keeping that money for other things might be better.

- Don't compete with others, don't compete with others, don't compete with others! Act within your means, set up your coffee cart according to your actual situation. Also, don't randomly park on the roadside just to save parking fees, or park in particularly conspicuous places just to get more people's attention, because once traffic police or city management officers notice you, all your effort will be wasted.

- No profit, but no loss either, because I only treat the coffee cart as a side business. I set up shop when I'm free after work + when the weather is good. I treat the mobile coffee cart as my own creation, choose cost-effective equipment for investment, and make sure milk and coffee beans are fresh. I seriously make every cup of coffee and seriously treat every customer who comes. I really can't make much money, but I can recover my costs and meet more people.

"What do you need to prepare for running a mobile coffee cart?"

For a simple setup, you can prepare a car with sufficient trunk space (if not, bicycles or pushcarts can also be considered, though only for making simple coffee), a coffee machine, a grinder, fresh coffee beans, bottled water, a mobile power source, various tools needed for making espresso, buckets for categorized cleaning, materials needed for takeout, a few decorative items, lighting equipment, a drink menu... and a zen-like but enthusiastic coffee stall owner.

For a more refined setup, you can prepare a car with sufficient trunk space, a coffee machine, a grinder, fresh coffee beans, a mobile power source, bottled water, various tools needed for making espresso, a hand grinder for pour-over coffee, tools needed for pour-over coffee, buckets for categorized cleaning, a milk insulation box, an ice insulation box for edible ice, buckets for categorized cleaning, materials needed for takeout, stickers for decorating drink packaging, 1-2 sets of outdoor tables and chairs, decorations for the interior, exterior, and customer seating areas, lighting equipment, a drink menu, banner signs, roof lights, speaker equipment... and a coffee stall owner with an interesting soul who is also enthusiastic.

"Do I need to get permits for running a mobile coffee cart?"

Definitely yes, if you want to fully commit to and run a coffee cart long-term, proper legal permits are essential. Policies vary by location, so you need to check local food vendor management regulations specifically. To legally operate a mobile coffee cart, you basically need a business license, health permit (these two require you to have a fixed food service establishment to apply), and a street occupation permit.

"I'm just doing it as a side business... then then then..."

I'm not encouraging everyone to do this, and I understand everyone's thinking. The foot traffic for street coffee is directly proportional to the level of city management control, so everyone can't just go to conspicuous places, nor should they think about making money from coffee carts.

"Where should I set up my mobile coffee cart?"

Try to choose places with decent foot traffic but fewer city management officers to operate (a gentle suggestion, not advocacy!), and park in legal parking spaces. If you want to cultivate regular customers and have stable foot traffic, you need to set up shop at a fixed time every day (unless the weather is very bad), and try to choose the same location. Once you have a stable customer base, even if you change locations later, customers will be willing to come.

"Is it really easy to get complaints when running a mobile coffee cart?"

Normally, if you're not ostentatious, don't block the way, don't disturb residents, and maintain environmental hygiene, very few people will actually report or complain. Of course, malicious complaints can't be ruled out. When I chatted with several friends who run coffee carts and asked about this issue, everyone said that as long as you don't affect others, very few people complain about coffee cart operations.

People who come to support coffee carts understand the difficulties of running them and the challenges of entrepreneurship. Some even if they don't make a purchase will come over to chat, praise the creativity of the coffee cart, and give positive feedback—these are the motivations that keep coffee carts going. If it were really easy to get complaints, not so many people would be doing this.

"Is running a mobile coffee cart difficult?"

Difficult! It's obviously very difficult to get rich relying on coffee and the sentiment of running a coffee cart.

But treating running a coffee cart as a side business or hobby is still a good choice. Persisting in what you love and are passionate about will always bring rewards—perhaps money, perhaps connections, or perhaps encountering more interesting things, making yourself more cheerful and making you treat life more seriously.

Image source: Internet (images are unrelated to the text)

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of FrontStreet Coffee, WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473