As a developer and coffee lover, I’ve always been frustrated with the lack of precision regarding coffee shop ratings. In August 2021, while on holiday in Cyprus, an idea struck me. What if there was a website that could show rates for the coffee quality of a place? Not the service, not the food, not a general rating, but a precise rating based on that specific coffee-based drink.
For example, in my personal experience, I found that many coffee shops on Google Maps have 5-star ratings, yet are completely incapable of making a good cappuccino, or a good espresso. And man, how many places out there have “coffee” in their business name, yet they are terrible baristas? 🙂
Like I mentioned in the very first blog post here, this idea isn’t new. But I’ve decided to create my own version anyway.
I’ve lost count of how many times I discovered great cafés at the last minute in a new location, just because I couldn’t immediately find them on Google Maps or other websites.
And then there’s the day-to-day work motivation. Either when I’m living the digital nomad life, or when I live in a city for the longer term, some coffee shops (when that’s allowed) become my office of choice for some brief focus sprints. Some cafés that allow remote work became like a sanctuary of productivity for me.
When you’re on the hunt for the perfect café, it can be difficult to find one that meets all your needs. With current solutions, it’s tough to gather critical information like whether they have good wifi, electrical plugs, or if they’re skilled at making your favorite coffee drink to perfection.
So these are the main reasons why I decided to create Coffee Radar. It’s not only a matter of avoiding places that are a bad fit for you, it’s also about allowing you to discover easily new hidden gems, even if you’ve never been to that city before.
And then, I also have other personal reasons, that made me invest hundreds of hours in this project. Firstly, as a developer, I’m always striving to learn new things and improve my skills. Building an app from scratch is a great opportunity to do just that.
Secondly, I’ve always wanted to create my own product that I could start as an MVP and then slowly improve it day by day. With this project, I can finally play the product manager role, something I always wanted to do.
By working on it consistently and adding new features over time, I aim to develop a user-friendly website for coffee enthusiasts and remote workers to easily find ideal workspaces and/or enjoy quality coffee, no matter where they are.
Feedback
If you have any suggestions, feedback, or ideas on how to improve Coffee Radar, leave a comment down below or use the feedback form. If you use the form, you will need to enter an email address. I will use your email address only to reply to you, if necessary. It will not be added to any sort of mailing list or notification system, and it will never be used for any kind of marketing communication.