El Condor: Coffee roaster and cafe + lifestyle brand | Wefunder

Our labor models do not reinvent the wheel, yet they allow for true HR policies in favor of our teams: fair compensation for all, no discrepancies between back and front of the house, revenue share vs tips, insurance, advancement opportunities, on-going learning and training, empowerment and more. In other words: what you would expect from basically any other industry

Below a couple of recent pieces that illustrates very well the current challenges our industry faces from a compensation standpoint

https://stories.zagat.com/posts/claire-sprouse-on-making-hunky-dory-a-no-tip-zone?utm_medium=email&u

https://dc.eater.com/2020/9/10/21423018/d-c-restaurants-eliminate-tipping-add-service-charges-corona

Yes, the current pandemic requires everybody to enforce new rules in terms of cleanliness and safety. Good news is that has always been part of how we run things, as basic as it sounds: no coffee stains on tables, no crumbs on the floor, no trash cans in sight, spotless uniforms, thorough cleaning schedules in place... you get the point

And cheers to a cleaner world as a silver lining to this unprecedented crisis

Because of Covid-19, again, the hospitality industry has aged 5 years in the past 9 months! Brutal and throwing everything off balance right now, but no real surprise as to where we were headed

We are no special visionaries, yet El Condor has embraced many necessary evolutions since the very beginning, as a business plan: delivery and takeout (including a nice window on the street), digital strategy from POS to social SEO/SEM, maximization of hours of operation, multi-use venues (co-working, exhibitions, etc.), retail, "ghost" products/brands from our cafe kitchens

Not to mention the wide range of locations and layouts the concept offers, as demonstrated by the immediate real estate options at stake as well as the surprise right below

We are in negotiations with Selina to take over F&B operations at their new property in Chelsea, NYC (formerly Hotel Americano)

Excellent opportunity for another El Condor as an all-day dining outlet on the ground floor of the hotel, under a management contract (hence limited to no investment cost to us)

Regardless of that opportunity, we can expand fast within many different environments and position ourselves as an amenity/enhancement to our various real estate partners

Just think the opposite of cookie-cutter... The concept of course has its own DNA (like that mid-century modern interior design approach that brings comfort and openness) but it first and foremost celebrates the immediate surroundings of its locations: history, art and culture of a city or a neighborhood within, primary purpose, specific partnerships

That translates into interior design changes from one place to another, evolution of the branding identity, different F&B menu options, grass-roots initiatives, and more

By now you know that we not only think "full-spectrum" when it comes to coffee, but also want to expand the brand beyond its core business: fashion collaborations, music production, furniture design, coffee equipment design, the opportunities are pretty much endless as long as they remain qualitatively relevant

Many fun projects to work on in the future and very promising revenue streams!

Here are the next 5 key milestones as soon as the raise is completed (this is not guaranteed):

April 1st, 2021: lease executed at the first stand-alone location

May 1st, 2021: the first wholesale accounts are being supplied

June 1st, 2021: a first, still undisclosed location is open for business

August 1st, 2021: opening of 95 Greenwich, aka El Condor's first coffee shop

September 1st , 2021: our retail business scores its first major distribution deal (supermarket chain for instance)

And right now, while the fundraise is under way, we are just getting ready as much as possible to execute on the plan as soon as the investment is finalized (conversations with key people, companies and suppliers to be involved, pre-selection of equipment, etc.). All funds will go towards opening the 3 locations as described above and in the deck

El Condor Pasa by Simon & Garfunkel, courtesy of Youtube... This is the song that originally inspired the whole concept and its ties to the wilderness, sense of freedom and quest. Enjoy!

Cheers!

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