Nicaragua: Born to be a fiddler

"Why do most coffee shops write their menus on chalkboards?" was one of the many questions my host mother asked me as we sat down to make plans for her new business.

She first brought up the idea of opening a coffee shop/bakery to me about four months ago. While (sub-par) coffee and baked goods are available in various locations throughout town, there is not a nice cafe where one can sit and enjoy a quality cup of cappuccino with coconut bread. Other cities in Nicaragua have decent coffee shops, so why shouldn't ours? If our plans go accordingly, Cafe Caribe should be open for business at the end of May.

Other questions she had for me included:
-Can I make her a logo? (See below)
-Can we create a Facebook page and website for her business? (Absolutely)
-What is Trip Advisor and how can it be used to bring business to the coffee shop? (I'm ecstatic that she has even heard of Trip Advisor.)
-Are there any other restaurants in town that offer free Wi-fi? (No, there are not.)
-How does "Starbucks" translate into Spanish? (It doesn't. Starbucks is forever Starbucks.)

We have the location. The current plans are to purchase an espresso machine, learn how to make a variety of coffee drinks, get a couple sets of tables and chairs, find ceramic mugs and disposable cups, create a menu, and establish prices. I like where this is headed.

We are working on getting that chalkboard as well. The general consensus says having a chalkboard menu is a trendy thing. Supposedly it will draw in the hipsters/younger crowd as well as give artistic coffee-drinking bums a way to pass the time. More to come on this subject.