Zhengzhou Bus Group has teamed up with Mixue Bingcheng to open a store inside a bus rapid transit station, with the first pilot located on the west side of the intersection of Huayuan Road and Nongye Road. This attempt is seen as an extension of bus services, allowing passengers to buy drinks while waiting for their bus and even enjoy discounts with their ride records. However, the store's construction is alleged to have proceeded without a construction land planning permit. The Jinshui District Urban Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau posted a notice to deliver enforcement documents, but no one signed for them, leaving the procedure at an impasse. Meanwhile, netizens have questioned whether the store occupies the sidewalk and tactile paving, potentially affecting passage. Zhengzhou Bus responded that the station passage is wide enough and promised to make dynamic adjustments. The incident has sparked discussion about the boundaries of commercial development in public spaces and provides a new case of cross-industry collaboration for the coffee and tea beverage industry. [more…]

Wanting to open a coffee shop—having the funds in place is only the first step. What really gives many entrepreneurs a headache is the complicated and cumbersome licensing procedures. From business registration and food business permits, to health, tax, and fire safety, and then to the special approvals for alcohol and roasted coffee, every single item determines whether the shop can operate legally. This article will systematically sort out the various certificates and application processes required to open a coffee shop, helping you clarify your thinking and avoid detours. At the same time, we will also discuss practical points such as site selection strategy, startup capital estimation, and equipment procurement. At the end of the article, Front Street Coffee's contact information is attached; you are welcome to exchange ideas on specialty coffee bean selection and shop-opening experience. [more…]

Mobile coffee truck Wheelys Café has entered the Chinese market, making "selling coffee from a vehicle" a hot topic of discussion once again. Is a mobile coffee truck actually legal? Does it need a business license and a health permit? What should be considered when choosing a location? Can it really make money? Drawing on the real experiences of coffee truck operators, this article breaks down the realities of running a mobile coffee truck one by one—from business motivation, profit expectations, equipment preparation, and permit applications to location strategies and complaint risks. It also retains Front Street Coffee's specialty bean recommendations and communication channels, offering a calm and practical reference for those considering giving it a try. [more…]

Recently, a public toilet in Zhengning County, Qingyang, Gansu, which had been in operation for 30 years, was converted into a Lucky Cup freshly ground coffee shop, sparking heated discussion among local residents and netizens. The second floor of the building is a bathhouse, which is quite well-known locally. After a month of renovation, the coffee brand sign was put up, but then a seal was suddenly affixed. The housing and construction department responded that the project was an illegal conversion because it had not obtained planning and construction permits and had arbitrarily changed the use nature, and it had been sealed according to law. The brand side also stated that the store in question did not meet franchise conditions due to property rights issues and would not pass headquarters review later. The incident reflects the approval and property rights difficulties in converting public facilities for commercial use. [more…]

Recently, a coffee shop under renovation in Taipei City, Taiwan Province, China, has attracted widespread attention, with multiple clues pointing to the possibility that the chain brand Luckin may open its first store in Taiwan there. The talent recruitment notices, renovation permits, and opening preview posters posted on the construction hoarding all reveal a design style highly similar to that of Luckin. The website of the agent Shunyu Holdings even directly announced that "the first store is expected to open in December 2025." Although Luckin applied for a trademark as early as 2019, this move is interpreted by outsiders as imitating Starbucks' layout in Taiwan through an agent model. Facing fierce competition in the local coffee market, consumer attitudes are divided, and when a reporter called the contact number on the recruitment notice, no one answered, leaving the store opening plan still uncertain. [more…]

In recent years, themed cafes that use cute animals as a selling point have sprung up all over the world. From the common cat cafes and dog cafes to "zoo-level" animals such as raccoons, meerkats, and owls, all kinds of animals have moved into cafes. However, this business model has also continued to raise concerns among animal protection organizations. South Korea recently passed an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act, explicitly banning cafes featuring wild animals such as raccoons from continuing to operate, and setting a transition period until 2027. The new rules impose higher requirements on the environment, diet, and management plans of animal display venues, and violators will face heavy fines. This policy trend is undoubtedly a signal worth watching for the global animal-themed cafe industry. [more…]

Wanting to own a café of your own—passion alone is far from enough. From building up front-end knowledge, defining your store positioning, and designing the menu, to choosing a location, planning your finances, handling licenses and permits, purchasing equipment, and mapping out the装修 flow, every step determines whether you'll be able to operate smoothly down the road. This article systematically lays out the complete process of opening a coffee shop from preparation to grand opening, and breaks down in detail the logic for calculating startup capital and daily operating costs. Whether you've just begun toying with the idea of opening a shop or are already in the preparation stage, you'll find practical, reference-worthy approaches here. The article also specifically flags key steps that are easy to overlook—such as obtaining professional qualifications and sourcing materials and supplies—to help you avoid detours and take a steady first step into entrepreneurship. [more…]

According to Ethiopian media reports on September 14, 2025, exporters in Ethiopia recently stated that their businesses are facing severe disruptions due to outdated systems and poor communication between financial institutions and the National Bank [more…]

Shanghai recently issued the "Implementation Measures for the Administration of Food Business Licensing and Filing in Shanghai," effective from May 10, 2024. The new regulations abolish secondary-category licensing items and support mixed multi-format operations, allowing coffee shops, bars, and others to coexist in the same storefront, while non-catering stores such as bookshops and clothing stores can also apply for a business permit to make beverages on-site. At the same time, "made and sold on-site" has been adjusted to "made and sold on the premises," the 19 business catalog items have been simplified into 4 categories—hot food, cold food, raw food, and self-made beverages—and the 6-square-meter production site restriction has been removed. In response to the long-disputed "smashed cucumber" issue, the new regulations allow a dedicated area only. Whether the policy benefits can activate the market and ensure food safety still needs time to be tested. [more…]

Starbucks has once again teamed up with Mayday to launch a co-branded campaign, rolling out a Bergamot Grapefruit Sparkling Americano and themed limited-edition cups printed with classic Mayday lyrics. It should have been a grand occasion for fans to celebrate. However, after the campaign kicked off, many consumers took to social media to air their complaints: the drink labels happened to be stuck right over the lyric designs, and the residue was hard to remove after peeling them off; those who bought multiple cups in one go received the same design, dashing their collection plans. The brand and store staff have responded with explanations, saying the labels should be placed in the notes section, while the identical cups were due to stores needing to use up inventory in sequence. Is this collaboration full of sincerity or a failure in the details? Front Street Coffee walks you through the whole story. [more…]

Luckin Coffee recently announced through its official WeChat account the launch of a "bring-your-own-store franchise" model, opening joint-operation partnerships to investors who are currently operating stores or own commercial properties. The policy has not yet disclosed specific franchise conditions or revenue-sharing plans, but it has clearly defined construction requirements such as store location, area, and storefront signage, and will initially cover 241 cities nationwide, with a focus on avoiding saturated tier-one and tier-two markets. This move is seen as helping Luckin seize more prime locations and attract investors who had originally planned to franchise with other brands such as Cotti to "switch banners" and join. Against the backdrop of ongoing cutthroat competition in the coffee market, Luckin has officially entered the era of 10,000 stores, accelerating expansion through a combined strategy of self-operation, joint operation, and bring-your-own-store franchising. [more…]

Costa Rica's Tarrazu region is renowned for its exceptional natural conditions and is widely recognized as a top-tier coffee-producing area. The San Roman processing plant, located in this region, primarily uses the washed process, and its coffees display intense, rich flavor profiles with a full body. Front Street Coffee's Costa Rica San Roman Royal Coffee comes from here, and after medium-dark roasting it presents a complex aroma of berries, caramel, cream, and delicate spices. This article will outline the terroir background of the Tarrazu region, the graded fermentation process at the San Roman processing plant, and the development trajectory of Costa Rica's coffee industry, along with the specific parameters for Front Street's pour-over brewing of this bean for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [more…]

Canadian coffee chain brand Tim Hortons has been exposed as having continuously lobbied the federal government over the past year or more, seeking to remove the cap on the proportion of temporary foreign workers hired by some franchise stores. Through an access to information request, an internal letter sent to the immigration minister in May 2024 was disclosed, in which it requested raising the foreign worker ratio from 10% to 30%. Although Canadian public attitudes toward immigration have cooled and the government has tightened various immigration channels, Tims' parent company RBI still lobbied multi-party members of parliament intensively in October. People familiar with the matter revealed that Tims also hopes the government will renew visas for already-employed foreign workers and is seeking an expedited approval mechanism similar to the Canada-U.S. fast-track border clearance. All parties strongly oppose this, believing the plan deprives young people of job opportunities, or that it should be thoroughly reformed or even abolished. [more…]

A comprehensive store featuring a women's membership system has sparked heated discussion on social media after posting notices stating "Men dining alone are not admitted" and prohibiting the use of computers for work. Some customers made special trips only to be turned away for bringing laptops, while others who called 12315 were told the merchant had not violated any regulations. The store responded that limiting long stays was to avoid disturbing customers trying on clothes on the second floor, but some consumers felt it was inappropriate not to clearly inform them before charging. This debate over gender, consumption scenarios, and business autonomy reflects the real dilemmas composite-format coffee shops face regarding customer positioning and service boundaries. [more…]

Colombia, as the world's third-largest coffee producer, holds a special position in the international coffee market thanks to government regulations restricting the country to growing only Arabica varieties and the support of NFC institutions. Recently, Luckin Coffee launched its Little Black Cup series, featuring a Finca El Paraiso SOE, bringing this estate in the Cauca region into the spotlight. Finca El Paraiso was founded by Diego Samuel in 2008, starting as a small 2.5-hectare family estate, and rose to fame in a regional competition in 2015 through technological innovation. Front Street Coffee's bean list happens to include a Finca El Paraiso Sakura coffee bean, produced using a double anaerobic washed process, of the Castillo variety. This article will provide a detailed interpretation of this bean, covering its regional background, the principles of its processing method, variety characteristics, roasting approach, and pour-over brewing plan. [more…]

Mocha coffee is a classic Italian milk coffee infused with chocolate flavor, but many people often run into the problem of a weak chocolate taste or excessive sweetness when making it at home. This article starts with the material selection and ratios for the chocolate base, explaining in detail the preparation process for iced mocha and hot mocha, including the logic behind combining chocolate sauce with unsweetened cocoa powder, the effect of ice cubes on flavor and the corresponding adjustments, along with the recommended reasons and extraction parameter references for Front Street's classic Italian blend, to help coffee enthusiasts make a cup of mocha coffee with rich chocolate and moderate sweetness at home. [more…]

Since the broadcast of Wang Yibo's documentary "Exploring the Secret Realm," rock climbing in Gushi Village, Lianjiang, Fuzhou, has quickly gained popularity. Nowadays, while experiencing cliff climbing, visitors can also check in at a café built on the cliff, where they can savor aromatic coffee while gazing at the sea view of the Matsu Islands in the distance. This cliff café, jointly created by teams from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, officially opened on October 1 and has quickly become a trendy new landmark in the Matsu Bay coastal tourism area. This article will introduce this innovative project that blends outdoor adventure with coffee culture, as well as the story and features behind it. [more…]

Luckin Coffee has been making frequent moves in the Hong Kong market recently. According to netizens' compilation, seven stores are currently in the preparatory stage, located in Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Tseung Kwan O, Kowloon Tong, Sha Tin, Ho Man Tin, and Sheung Wan. Among them, the Tsim Sha Tsui branch is situated right next to Starbucks, seen as a signal of direct confrontation between the brands. These stores are all currently shown as under renovation, with hoardings marked "Opening Soon." The Tsim Sha Tsui store is expected to open first early next month, and the Tseung Kwan O store is also expected to welcome customers in December. As Hong Kong people increasingly travel north to consume, mainland catering brands are heading south to test the waters. Luckin's entry has local consumers eagerly anticipating whether "9.9 yuan coffee" can land in Hong Kong. [more…]

Recently, some netizens noticed that the number of US stores displayed on Heytea's official mini-program had decreased noticeably compared to a month ago, with nearly 20 stores disappearing from the list. At the end of September, there were reports that Heytea would open 42 branches across 13 US cities, but now only 15 stores in three cities—Los Angeles, New York, and Bellevue—can be found on the mini-program. In response, some believe the company hid upcoming stores that were not yet fully renovated to avoid confusing consumers, while others speculate that there may have been changes in the partnership between the brand and its franchisees. What is the truth? This article walks you through the ins and outs of the incident. [more…]

On a scorching summer day, iced drinks become the top sellers at beverage shops everywhere, yet the debate over "can you order it without ice" never dies down. A customer ordered an iced drink at Manner, noting that they only wanted two ice cubes, but after receiving it still found the temperature too low and asked the staff to remove the ice, only to be refused. The staff member helplessly explained that iced drinks must be made according to the standard ratio, and that removing ice without authorization would result in a pay deduction if caught on camera. Similar situations have occurred at Starbucks. Why are chain brands so "particular" about the amount of ice? And how should baristas choose between customer needs and company rules? This article will guide you through the industry logic behind the controversy over removing ice from iced drinks. [more…]