Neighborhood tea room

Locals, friends meeting up, remote workers, tourists, and people booking birthdays, showers or small group gatherings.

Selling tea by the pot or cup, food, and set afternoon tea menus, plus tea and gifts to take home and bookings for private parties.

• Hospitality and customer service
• Basic food prep and food safety
• Budgeting and stock control
• Knowing teas and how to brew them

• Health department permit and inspections, plus food handler or food manager certification (rules vary by state and county)
• Zoning, certificate of occupancy and any build-out work needed for a customer seating area, check with your city or county
• General liability insurance, and workers' compensation once you hire staff
• Sales tax registration with your state, since prepared food is usually taxable but rules differ
• Lease costs and slow early months, so plan enough cash to cover rent before sales build up
• Alcohol, if you want to serve it, needs a separate license in most places

Estimated startup costs are typically around $30,000 to $150,000, depending on your premises, any build-out needed for customer seating, equipment, and lease costs. Plan enough cash to cover rent through the slow early months.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $8,000 to $40,000, depending on location, size, menu and how many guests you attract. The estimate assumes from about 40 hours a week, and early months are often slow.

Check health department permits and inspections, food handler or manager certification, zoning and certificate of occupancy, liability insurance, workers' compensation once you hire, state sales tax registration, and a separate license if you want to serve alcohol.