Some of the most popular episodes of this podcast were about opening a cafe with Gwilym Davies. I decided to go deeper into this topic with my virtual barista mentor, Devorah Freudiger, who helps open cafes for the rapidly growing San Francisco Bay Area brand Equator Coffees and Teas. Devorah will tell us what the main criteria should be for selecting a cafe location, what kind of businesses do you want as your neighbors, and answers the question whether it's good to have a big coffee chain in your neighborhood. Once you set up your location, you will need to hire baristas. What is more important, personality or skills? We will also discuss your favorite topic: what kind of espresso makers, grinders and technology to use in your cafe, and what Devorah considers the most important features when selecting these beasts. We will talk about the menu: are sweet drinks a good idea? How about drink sizes? What about non-coffee items, how do they improve your check average?