QUANTICO, Va. — Want to run your own coffee shop and sell train tickets? There may be an opportunity for you at the Quantico Virginia Railway Express station. The commuter railroad wants to talk to interested people about setting up shop at the train station that sits just outside the “crossroads of the Marine Corps.”
VRE is looking for a company to run a full-service coffee shop, offer food, sell train tickets, and maintain the restrooms, between 5 and 9:30 a.m., and between 3 and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on holidays when the trains don’t run.
The contract for the current vendor at the station, the Coffee Club Cafe has been there since 2008, and their contract later extended.
“The 2010 extension is set to expire this year and that is why we are taking it back on the street again to solicit interest in this operation,” said VRE spokesman Mark Roeber.
Vendor service at the station dates back to 2005 when the Whistle Stop Cafe opened at the Quantico Station. Similar vendor service is also offered at the Woodbridge station, and it too is operated by the same people who operate the Coffee Club Cafe in Quantico, said Roeber.
Whether or not the business is profitable, the rent is affordable.
“As to profitability, I can’t really speak to that because I don’t know the actually amount of business going through the doors on a daily basis. I will say that the rent we charge is so minimal, and we then provide revenue commission to the vendor based on their tickets sales at the station so there clearly is the opportunity to make money,” said Roeber.
Applications for potential vendors at Quantico are due to VRE no later than 1 p.m. July 24.
