What no one tells you about opening a coffee shop
Brewing Gadgets September 2025
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Opening a coffee shop is harder than it looks. Social media makes it seem like the perfect lifestyle business. You find a cozy space, buy a beautiful machine, post a few latte shots, and wait for the crowds to come in.
But behind every café that lasts is a founder who asked the hard questions before signing a lease.
This guide is for entrepreneurs who want to do it right from the start. We’ll cover the key decisions every coffee shop owner has to make—and where Brewing Gadgets can help you avoid expensive mistakes. We’ve worked with café owners across the UAE and India. We know what works, what doesn’t, and what people wish they knew earlier.
This is not a checklist. It’s a practical guide for people who are serious about succeeding.
Start with the business model, not the equipment
Too many entrepreneurs start by shopping for machines. But
until you define your business model, you’re not ready to choose equipment.
Will you operate a high-volume grab-and-go café? A neighborhood sit-down spot? A roastery café? A hotel lobby kiosk? Each model has different requirements. The machine
you need for 50 cups a day is not the same as one built for 500.
Your grinder, back bar setup, fridge configuration, and even your
sink placement will be different depending on your flow.
At Brewing Gadgets, we begin with your concept and projected volume before recommending anything. Because what works for one café can ruin another.
Choose your site based on footfall, not just rent
Low rent is not always a win. Your location needs to match your concept. If you’re planning a high-volume coffee bar, you need consistent footfall throughout the day. That usually means office areas, transit corridors, or commercial zones. If your concept is more experience-driven, you need a site with space, light, and the ability to control ambience.
We’ve seen great cafés fail because they were hidden in basements or stuck in underdeveloped retail spaces with no anchor tenants. Before you sign a lease, we can help you evaluate your site’s suitability - not just for equipment fit, but for long-term viability.
Understand your workflow before you build your bar
A coffee bar is not just a counter. It’s a production line. Every inch of space affects speed, cleanliness, and comfort. A poorly designed bar slows down service, frustrates baristas, and hurts customer experience.
We’ve designed bar layouts for some of the region’s busiest cafés. At Brewing Gadgets, we map workflow from grinder to POS.
We consider milk fridges, waste drawers, cup positioning, tamping space, grinder height, sink proximity, and barista movement.
We also ensure proper ventilation and service access. Most new cafés leave too little space behind the counter. We help you avoid that.
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Don’t ignore water, power and drainage
Before you install anything, get your utilities checked. Can your site handle the load of a 3-group espresso machine? Is there enough power for a batch brewer and grinder on the same line? Do you have a direct water connection and drain access where your machine will sit?
This is where many fit-outs go wrong. A beautiful bar means nothing if your circuit trips during a morning rush. We do site inspections to help you avoid this. We also advise on water filtration - critical in the UAE, where water hardness varies by area. Poor filtration damages your equipment and voids warranties.
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Choose equipment based on your staff, not your wishlist
Some machines are made for baristas who want control. Others are designed for consistency across shifts. If your café relies on experienced baristas, it might make sense to invest in pressure profiling and flow control. If your team will rotate or if you want to franchise later, consistency matters more than customisation.
We stock a full range of espresso machines - from manual to fully automatic. But we only recommend what fits your context. If your café needs speed, we’ll show you options with fast steam recovery. If you need barista-led storytelling, we’ll show you machines with independent boilers and precise temperature control.
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Plan for staff training and maintenance, not just launch day
Your team needs more than an onboarding session. They need ongoing training to keep up quality as the café grows. Machines need regular calibration and servicing. Water filters need replacing. Drip brewers need tuning. The cafés that thrive are the ones that invest in consistency - not just at launch, but every week.
Brewing Gadgets offers barista training tailored to your setup. We also provide service contracts, preventive maintenance, and access to expert technicians. We employ national champions, certified roasters, and experienced installers. We’re not here to sell and disappear. We’re here for the long run.
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Know what compliance looks like before construction begins
Dubai and other municipalities in the UAE have specific regulations around water drainage, ventilation, fire safety, pest control, and grease traps. You need to think about these before you start building.
We work with contractors and consultants to help you stay compliant. We’ve seen too many entrepreneurs forced to redesign their back-of-house because of overlooked regulations. We help you get it right the first time.
Budget for the full setup, not just the espresso machine
Opening a café involves more than buying a coffee machine. You’ll need a grinder (or two), a water filtration system, milk jugs, tampers, knock boxes, fridges, blenders, a POS system, a batch brewer (if you offer drip), takeaway cups, cleaning tools, and more.
We help you create a complete setup list, based on your space and menu. We supply everything from scales and kettles to high-end grinders and shop roasters. We even support your home retail corner, if you plan to sell brewing gear.
Opening a coffee shop is not just about good coffee. It’s about good planning.
It’s about thinking through the flow of people, power, water, and decisions. It’s about building something that works on day one—and still works a year later.
At Brewing Gadgets, we help you plan for success. Not just with equipment, but with advice that’s earned through experience. We know how hard it is to open a café. We’ve helped launch hundreds. And we’re ready to help you launch yours.
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