Small Business Spotlight – April 2019: Classic Rock Coffee Co. and Kitchen
Company name: Classic Rock Coffee Co. and Kitchen
Person in charge: Kent Morrison, president and founder
Year founded: 2011
Describe what your organization provides for its customers:
Classic Rock Coffee provides a variety of products in addition to our signature coffee drinks. We serve smoothies, protein shakes, teas, pastries, sandwiches and salads. Additionally, we have several different sizes of meeting rooms that can be utilized. We host corporate meetings, wedding showers, graduation parties, baby showers, fund raisers, etc.
Give us a brief history of your business and what makes it unique:
We opened in 2011 with a focus on serving great coffees in a non-typical coffee environment. Most coffee shops are quiet and laid back; our shop is infused with Rock 'n Roll - framed albums, hanging guitars, memorabilia, and of course the greatest music ever! Most people drink coffee to wake up, not to go to sleep … so we wanted our shop to have energy. Our Rock 'n Roll theme is what makes us unique: whole bean coffees named Barracuda, Back in Black and Breakfast in America, flavored drinks called The Dirty White Boy, Sweet Emotion, Great White Buffalo, etc., help complete the theme.
What’s the most exciting recent highlight for your business?
Classic Rock started in Springfield but has been franchising for the past five years. We have a great franchisee in Republic that opened last year. It’s great to have them all around the U.S., but the overseas appeal has been surprising - most recently Iraq, which will be opening in approximately 30 days.
Where do you hope to see your business in 12 months?
We want to continue to develop our franchise business and hope to continue to grow at a manageable pace.
What advice would you offer to someone starting their own small business?
Work in every aspect of the business you are wanting to open/own prior to actually opening, and make sure you are passionate about the business. A lot of businesses seem cool, until you learn how many plates are spinning to make it work. I think a lot of people don’t realize how much work, information and training are needed to run a business. Hiring, training, scheduling, producing a product, cleaning your facility, managing inventory, margins, waste, evaluating marketing, maintenance, etc … It’s a lot to keep tabs on in the beginning.
