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Ristretto Time: Starting (and running) your own Coffee ShopAuthor: Gjergj Dollani
http://www.ristrettotime.com This is not a step-by-step guide (buy a book for that)! This is a journey and I walk you through the situations you will face and show you how I did it, where I succeeded or messed up. If you dream of owning your own coffee shop, this podcast is for you! I started my own coffee shop from scratch, without having any experience -- just the dream! First time I made an espresso with a commercial espresso machine, was when I installed one at the shop. Listen up and subscribe. NEW EPISODES every Monday. Hit me up dollani-at-gmail-com Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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29 - Interview with Mo Shalash of The Brew Crew in NY
Episode 29
Friday, 16 October, 2026
What happens when two former corporate leaders trade boardrooms for espresso machines? On this episode of Ristretto Time: Starting and Running Your Own Coffee Shop, Gjergj Dollani sits down with Mo (Mohab) Shalash, founder of Brew Crew in New York and New Jersey. Mo spent 15 years at a global consumer goods company managing budgets in the hundreds of millions. Then he discovered that running one small coffee shop was harder than any of it.They get candid about what the coffee shop books leave out:The ego problem. Why big-company experience can work against you behind the counter.Real coffee shop profit margins. Forget the 15–20% you read about. Mo explains why hitting double digits in your first three years means you’ve made it.Labor as the make-or-break cost. Rising minimum wage, why Mo pays well above it, and why your people matter more than your menu, location, or aesthetic.The hiring gauntlet. 120 interviews, 40 offers, and only 2 hires who lasted past two months in his first six months.Yelp, Google reviews, and liability. One-star reviews, a surprise visit about ADA accessibility, and the legal exposure new owners never see coming.Cash flow and growth. Why growing revenue can still drain you, and how a fast-scaling competitor nearly collapsed.Menu simplification. Why 80% of Mo’s revenue comes from 40 of 110 items, plus what Pop Up Bagels teaches about doing less.Food vs. beverage mix. Mo’s ideal 70/30 split and how food helps offset seasonal slumps.This episode is for anyone thinking about opening a coffee shop, buying a café, or leaving a corporate career for small business ownership. It’s an honest, practical conversation about what it actually takes.Connect with Mo Shalash: Find Mohab Shalash on LinkedIn.Go deeper: Gjergj’s book Grounds: What a Coffee Shop Taught Me That a Career Never Could https://www.amazon.com/Grounds-Coffee-Taught-Career-Never/dp/B0H3PBY1D9
