STEEMFOOD CONTEST -20- | WHAT WOULD A STEEM COFFEE SHOP LOOK LIKE IN YOUR CITY?

COFFEE POWERED BY STEEM

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THE STEEM COFFEE SHOP

A fully realized Steem Coffee Shop will offer steem users, expats, and locals of all ages a place to enjoy exceptional coffee in a steem-themed café. It is going to be an exciting ecosystem composed of steem users and non-steem users interacting with each other in a safe environment. Steem users will now have an official meet up place to discuss steem related ideas while non-steem users will be given the opportunity to learn about the steem blockchain and the entire steemit community.

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THE LOCATION

The proposed location is in Mactan Newtown, Cebu, Philippines, a 28-hectare township with multiple residential condominiums, hotels, shops, call center buildings, and a beach in walking distance.

There are three reasons why I chose this place. Number one is location, the location is in close proximity to the largest resorts and tourist spots in the City. Aside from that, there are existing establishments in the township and it has its own bus station that helps increase foot traffic in the area.

Second reason is the demographics, many expatriates who has higher spending power reside in the condominiums even during Covid. Employees of the BPO companies that operate inside the area are also our target market because a good percentage of them consume coffee regularly. Pre-Covid, Mactan Newtown was a booming focal point for local and international tourists. In addition, locals also frequent the area because it has all the ATM machines of all major banks in the Philippines and it has the closest grocery store in the vicinity.

The third and most important reason is the concentration of the majority of steemit community that reside in the surrounding areas of Mactan Newtown. Majority of steemit users live in Soong, a town less than 2 kilometers away from Mactan Newtown. And this is just from people I have encountered in the steemfoods community, there could be more steem users in the area. The red dots in the image below represents where steemit users live in the area where I live. If we can get their support, this is a good business opportunity for Steem coffee shop. Combine that with a prime location and a promising demographic, the Steem Coffee Shop is well positioned to succeed.

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THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR

We will be utilizing a black and white minimalist design on both the interior and exterior of the Coffee Shop. The exterior is going to have a clean and simple glass façade with white walls and an al fresco seating area. The inside is going to have a minimalistic design with white walls that has black accents, whitewash wooden furniture, and some nice indoor plants. The space is going to be clean and neat but inviting.

The minimalistic approach will allow the branding to be easily recognized by the customers. There will be Instagram-worthy steem designs on the walls, the menu, the counter, and on other parts of the shop to help promote steem. Since this is a Steem-themed Café, I plan to put QR codes that contains information about steem that customers can easily scan with their phones. Also, it will be a great idea to have a designated area in the shop with a TV screen constantly playing promotional videos about steem, steemit, and other related information for the consumption of non-steem users.

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MOCK UP INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR

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MY THOUGHTS ON PURCHASING COFFEE WITH STEEM

The world is rapidly adapting to many forms of cash-free payments for hygienic purposes and as well as convenience. There are many alternative modes of payment that are gaining popularity right now like Lyka Gems, Bitpay, Wechat Pay, Google Pay, Gcash, and many other Cryptocurrency digital wallets.

Many huge financial instituitions are adapting to new forms of payment and has finally recognized cryptocurrency as a legitimate alternative to fiat money. If they are adapting to the changes then we should too. Purchasing coffee with steem is a huge step to the future of Cryptocrurrency. I find it extremely exciting to go to a coffee shop and pay with steem. Now is the best time to come together and bring the future closer. We are witnessing a Blockchain revolution right before our eyes and we have the opportunity to be pioneers of something big.

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PROPOSED MENU

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PROMOTION OF STEEM THROUGH STEEM COFFEE SHOP

This is a Steem-themed coffee shop and there are only two things that we promote, steem and great coffee. Like any other themed cafe, there are dominant themes and concepts that will be heavily visible. The branding will be seen on key areas of the shop and as well as on the labels of our products. Consumers in the age of social media are quick to take a snap and post it online, and that is why branding plays an integral part when it comes to promoting a new concept. Our social-media focused initiatives will drive consumers curiosity up on what steem is, the technology behind it, and its tight connection with the steemit community.

On the other hand, the Steem Coffee Shop can be the first and only venue to have promotional activities for Steem. We will host activities that will help promote Steem in the area and build a solid consumer base. I have also mentioned about the use of QR codes with steem information inside and the idea of putting up a designated area where videos about the steem blockchain is being played constantly. This could be a learning space for non-steem users to learn about steem. Basically, the shop will also serve as an information center to promote steem while preserving the charm of a coffee shop because we still want people to have a nice enjoyable time with their coffee.

Another initiative is to incorporate Steem knowledge in the training of the Staff. We want the staff to be fully equipped with knowledge about the Steem blockchain so they can answer questions from the customers with ease and confidence.
This will strengthen our identity as a Steem-themed Coffee Shop. Ultimately, there are numerous promotional ideas we can implement but the realisation of Steem Coffee Shop will be a huge promotion on its own.

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ARE STEEMIT USERS IN THE AREA INTERESTED?

Absolutely! I can only talk about the steemit users that I have interaction with but they are excited about the idea of having a steem-themed coffee shop. Oftentimes, the usual interaction we have is saying Hi and Hello to each other without even knowing our actual names, we use our steemit usernames to greet each other. If we have a space where we can actual talk about steem related ideas it will allow us to know each other personally and eventually build collaborations around those ideas.

The steemit users in my area are definitely interested and one proof of that is that they want a place where they can meet and ask fellow steemit users for guidance. I am still fairly new to steemit, I still need to ask guidance of other steemit users to teach me how to cash out. Usually, we would organize to meet in a mall and then they would help me with whatever trouble I have, but we don't really have an official place for that. A place where newcomers can ask for help and for existing users to share important news and information. The realisation of the Steem Coffee Shop would solve that problem and I am sure that there are many other steem users to be met once the shop is put into place.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

This is a good initiative by @arie.steem and I hope that the first Steem Coffee Shop will be put into realization in the near future. This concludes my entry for the Steemfoods contest and I hope to see more awesome entries to help @arie.steem collate important information for the project.

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