Coffee Franchise Guide

Seattle is a “mature” coffee market crowded with drive-thru and walk-up espresso stands. That leads to some pretty creative marketing strategies, including what’s being called SexPresso: Scantily Clad Baristas using more than caffeine to get customer’s hearts started.

Cowgirls Espresso Stand seems to be leading the drive. The company was featured in a recent CBS Sunday Morning article titled Shedding Clothes And Selling Coffee. According to the article:

“We’re trying to find a niche in a market that’s flooded with espresso stands and this is what we came up with and it’s working,” Adrianne who works at a Cowgirls Espresso Stand told Sunday Morning correspondent Bill Geist.
Her boss, Lori Bowdin, started with bikini Wednesdays. She said when people first came to her stand and saw her servers they simply thought “wow.”
“They’re excited to come back the next time and see what the girls are going to wear,” she said.

The article also includes some information on team member’s income, Cowgirls Espresso growth plans, and the downside of gawkers in a business that depends on keeping the customers rolling through:

Sexpresso stands throughout the Seattle area say they’ve had few complaints from the public or their baristas. Most are paid minimum wage but their tip cups runneth over. Some pull in between $80 and $150 a day.
“They love it they have fun they smile all day long and they smile all the way to the bank,” Lori said.
In a city where coffee is a religion and latte an art, some consider sexpresso a bit of a sacrilege.
“We’re trying to elevate the industry” Robert Burgess of the Seattle Barista Academy, said. “People who go there go for entertainment. I think they’re ordering a tall risotto non fat milk one pump chocolate no whip drink that is going to take as long as possible for that barista to prepare.”
Cowgirls espresso has grown to six stands and Lori said she hopes to franchise all across the country.

A recent USA Today article (Seattle-area coffee shops show a little skin to compete for business) also provided details about the success of the controversial approach:

Lori Bowden, the owner of Cowgirls Espresso, opened her first stand, by the entrance to the Silver Dollar Casino, four years ago. Law and other employees suggested doing “Bikini Wednesdays.” Bowden approved, and her stand immediately doubled the amount of money it was taking in — from $200 to $400 — on Wednesdays.

“Fantasy Fridays,” “School Girl Thursdays,” “Cowgirl Tuesdays” and “Military Mondays” soon followed. The stand now rakes in about $800 a day, Bowden said. The girls make minimum wage, plus $80 to $150 a day in tips.

The Cowgirls Espresso website claims that they are in the process of putting together the necessary disclosure documents and registration to offer franchises. In the meantime, they’re milking the publicity and attention all they can.

Photo Credit: Cowgirls Espresso website

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