How to Open a Coffee Bar Consider these essentials to help make your caffeinated dreams come true. Plus, a list of the leading coffee franchises.

Hard to believe, but achieving gold status at Starbucks does not an independent café owner make. A lot goes into a great cup of coffee, and it's the same for a great coffee shop, says Matt Milletto, vice president of Portland, Ore.'s Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, a company that's trained thousands on the art of opening and running a successful retail coffee business.

"The coffee bar is often that third place outside of work and home to relax, and creating the right ambiance is critical to success," Milletto says.