At Home Café
The idea of opening your home as a coffee shop on a weekend has been circling the internet lately and, as a lover of coffee and hosting, this is an idea I can get behind.
Last semester I had a friend who opened his apartment once every two weeks to friends and made coffee for them. It was such a great time and brought people together who might not have gathered otherwise. I always thought it was such a sweet idea and I have wanted to open a little at home coffee shop for my friends!
My roommates and I have been talking about hosting one recently, and then I thought I would bring the idea to the blog and share a guide on a Saturday café at home!
Menu
Creating a menu can be a fun little craft for you and can also make it a more fun experience for your guests, feeling like they really are at a coffee shop. You can offer all the classic coffee drinks like latte, cappuccino, americano, cortado, and then include a drink that is signature to you and your household. For us it would probably be a honey or maple cinnamon latte.
Let me know your go to coffee shop order in the comments below!
If you want to offer pastries like some cafés then that is something you can include on your menu as well.
Once you have finalized your menu you can get to creating! You can choose to do small, individual menus or order a large paper scroll for the wall so all can see.
Here are some examples I found on Pinterest:
Mugs
My friend that I mentioned at the beginning of the blog made his coffee shop BYOM: Bring Your Own Mug. It was always fun to see the different mugs that were brought, so this could be a fun option for mugs especially if you do not have enough.
If you enjoyed making the menus you could also design some to-go cups. If you make the at home café a regular thing, then you could have a little café symbol that could go on your cups. Or you could write a sweet note to each friend! Here are some ideas I found on Pinterest:
Pastries
I think pastries are a must if you are going to host an at home café. This will give guests something to enjoy while they are visiting and waiting for their coffee. And who doesn’t like a sweet treat? You can have a little pastry table setup with note cards labeling what each item is. Here are some of my favorite baked goods:
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ambience
Think about some of your favorite coffee shops and why you like them. Good coffee plays a part in it, but for me most times the feel of the space plays a big role in my love for a café. Ambience is very important, so how you will go about creating a cozy coffee shop atmosphere is something to consider.
Finding a fun YouTube ambience video is always a good place to start and really adds to a space. Or you can have a comfort show or movie playing with subtitles and no sound. You can light some candles for warmth and coziness. If you want to create a welcoming space, having a station set up with milk, sugar, and other coffee additions is a good way to make guests feel seen.
Another great way to set the ambience is background music. All coffee shops I have been to have music playing in the background. Music can really set a mood, so creating a playlist tailored to a certain event or group of people is an intentional way to make guests feel at ease. Also, making playlists can be a lot of fun! If you don’t find it fun then I would be happy to create one for you, just let me know here.
Enjoy!
Once you have finished all the planning and setting up, enjoy the space you have created with those you love! Welcome your guests and play barista for the morning or afternoon. Have good conversation and share laughs between friends over the sound of coffee beans grinding or milk being steamed.
Writing this post has only made me want to host a café more! If this has sparked an interest in you, then let me know in the comments below. Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas if you have any. Also, if you haven’t already, let me know your go to coffee shop order in the comments. Mine is a honey cinnamon cappuccino!
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Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope to see you in the next post! Now, go enjoy a coffee at your favorite coffee shop!
Cheers,
Lilly!
