Assignment 4A- The unmet need

I believe there is an unmet need for a 24 hour coffee shop in Cleveland,TN. I moved here from Dunedin/Clearwater, FL area where everything is open late or all the Dunkin Donuts are 24 hours. Here in Cleveland we have 3 college campuses and many retail shops with workers going in at all hours of the day. Most of the gas stations around here are not open 24 hours either. The pumps are open but the store fronts are not. There are few places to grab coffee and a bite to eat early in the morning or past 10 o'clock at night. Currently the Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts open at 5:30 in the morning. Someone like myself, who has to be to work at 5 am has no where to grab something. College students have no where to get out of the house and study late at night or early before class. Police officers, first responders, hospital employees have no where to go either.

Interview # 1

Fellow coworker for Publix. Cake decoartor. 21 year old female.

Monica has to be to work at 5 am to open the decorating side of the bakery. She drives from Chattanooga to Cleveland every day, which is a good 25 minute commute.

Question 1: Are you an avid coffee drinker?
Yes!

Question 2: Do you stop for coffee/breakfast on your way to work, or make it at home?
I'm not a huge breakfast person, I usually have a bowl of cereal in the morning. There's NOTHING FREAKING OPEN at 4 o'clock in the morning! At home (Florida) I stopped at Dunkin every morning on my way to work. Right now I make coffee to bring with me, but I suck at trying to make iced coffee, and at 4 in the morning lets be real, who wants to make anything. I would rather someone else do it and I just pay for it.

Question 3: When did you become aware of this need for a 24 hour coffee shop?
My first day in Tennessee!

Question 4: Do you only have coffee on your way to work?
No. I'll have it on lunch as well. There's also times when I have it late at night. For example when we work the holidays, the week of a major holiday we keep the bakery running 24 hours. Usually the 3 days prior to Christmas or Thanksgiving I go in at 10 pm and work all night with the bakers. That puts my lunch break somewhere around 3 in the morning. If I don't bring lunch with me I'm screwed because I can't purchase anything at work, the registers are closed. Usually at that point I just want coffee anyway.

Question 5: How satisfied are you with your current solution for no 24 hour coffee shops?
Eh, it could be worse. Making coffee at home isn't the end of the world, it saves me money. But if Dunkin does ever decide to open 24 hours up here (Cleveland,TN) my coffee pot would probably go back into hibernation in the cabinet.

Interview # 2

Line operator for Flowers Bakery of Cleveland. 27 year old male.

Brad works the night shift at Flowers and oversees the production and packaging of breads such as Sunbeam and Natures Own. Flowers operates 24 hours a day with the exception of holidays and Sundays. Brad is local of Cleveland,TN

Question 1: Are you an avid coffee drinker?
I didn't used to be, but working the night shift has made me a fan of coffee.

Question 2: Do you stop for coffee/breakfast on your way to work, or make it at home?
I don't usually stop for breakfast because I work nights but I can usually make it to the Dunkin on 25th St before it closes on my way in. I hate making coffee at home. I'm too lazy.

Question 3: When did you become aware of this need for a 24 hour coffee shop?
When I started school at Cleveland State University (3 years ago). Pulling all-nighters became a regular thing for me before exams and major due dates for papers. Terrible I know but working and school at the same time didn't give me much choice in the matter.

Question 4 : Do you only have coffee on your way to work?
Depends. On my off day's I might drink soda or grab an iced tea.

Question 5: How satisfied are you with your current solution for no 24 hour coffee shops?
What solution? *hahaha*

Interview # 3

Operator for Mars Candy Co. Cleveland,Tn. 33 year old male.
Matt oversees the production of peanut M&M's. He has rotating shifts every 2 weeks which can put him into work as early as 4am or as late as midnight.

Question 1: Are you an avid coffee drinker?
Yes. I prefer it black.

Question 2: Do you stop for coffee/breakfast on your way to work, or make it at home?
Depends on what shift I'm working. If I happen to be on a mid morning shift I'll grab coffee at Starbucks on my way since it's right across the street from my house. If I'm working a midnight shift there's nothing open but 1 tiny gas station. Sometimes I'm desperate enough for the sh*ty gas station coffee, but I'd prefer to not drink burnt oil *haha*

Question 3: When did you become aware of this need for a 24 hour coffee shop?
When I first moved to Cleveland 3 years ago I was a manger for another company and worked a lot of overnights. I came here from Port St Lucie, FL and we had a 24 hour Dunkin. Tried to drive through Dunkin my first week here only to find they weren't 24 hours. Bummer too because I really want some Munchkins for a sweet pick me up on those midnight shifts.

Question 4: Do you only have coffee on your way to work?
No I'm one of those people that drinks coffee all day year round. Could be 98 degrees outside and I want a steaming cup of black coffee.

Question 5: How satisfied are you with your current solution for no 24 hour coffee shops?
I don't really have a solution. Both my girlfriend and I work non traditional jobs and we sleep in as late as we can before work. If nothing is open then we just grab a RedBull or suffer through *hahaa*

Reflection
All 3 of my interviewees work non traditional jobs, and 1 of them is a college student. They all seem to have the same needs as myself. Nothing is open 24 hours. I only conducted 3 full interviews but I did ask quite a few more people (upwards of 10) how they felt about a 24 hour coffee shop in the area. Specifically a Dunkin Donuts. Only one person said no, and it wad an older woman in her 70's who didn't feel it was right to have someone working that late for coffee. What I did learn that was surprising is just how many major industries are running around my area. Amazon, FedEx, VW, Mar's, Flowers. The list continues. All of these places run 24 hours.

Summary
All of my original opportunity is still here. My opportunity is still very accurate especially after talking with people around the area. Many people commute from here into Chattanooga. Lee University and Cleveland State are large campuses with thousands of students. The major companies like those listed above have thousands of employees. Then there's the employees of my Publix who start their shifts at 4 and 5 in the morning. There's so much opportunity for a 24 hour coffee shop, specifically Dunkin Donuts, up here. I chose Dunkin because it's well known and already established up here. There's one on campus of Lee University and one on 25th St which is literally right off the interstate at exit 25. If anything I believe this assignment solidified my belief.