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terranatior · 5 years

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Parts and Services; Repairing Bonnie the Bunny

Scott gets tasked to repair Bonnie when the rabbit’s guitar isn’t quite in tune for a performance.

Characters: Scott Calder (My Phone Guy); Bonnie the Bunny; Nameless Fazbear Manager

Notes: This takes place before Scott actually loses his arm to Foxy, thus he does have use of both hands. It’s kind of in an undefined point in time but it is in the location from the first FNAF game.

Audio prompts from the VR game have been tweaked to suit the setting.

This isn’t beta’d or anything so pwease be nice considering any grammatical errors or anything!!

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Brown eyes drifted between the closed door and his manager, a frown crinkling across Scott’s face as he contemplated the assignment that had been thrust upon him the moment he’d gotten back from his lunch break. Punch card had barely been placed back in the correct slot before the vulture had descended, metaphorical talons sinking in without a second thought.

“I’m not a m-m-mechanic though…I uh. W-We have someone who actually is.”

“Yeah and he’s on vacation! Listen Calder! I gotta get Bonnie fixed. You want these kids to NOT have a freakin’ guitar playing rabbit at their birthday? Huh? What kinda animal band doesn’t have a guitar-playing rabbit?”

“N-No sir–I-I just. I. W-What if I screw it up? I-I’ve never...”

“Then the damage is going to be docked outta your pay. But listen. It’s easy. There’s an instructional tape I’ve got. You just gotta find out what’s screwing up his guitar. Fix it. BAM! We’re back in business.”

“R-R-Right…” Throat was cleared and Scott glanced down at his hands, fingers twitching with nerves. Repairing an animatronic sounded anything but easy, and he was certain there were far more suitable candidates to tackle the task. Why hadn’t they been cornered and asked? Why was it always him?

“I-I-I’ll uh. I-I’ll try..?” What else could he say? There was no weaseling out of the job. No way he’d be able to smoothly talk himself out of it or volunteer another employee.

His supervisor grinned, clapping a heavy hand upon his shoulder. “Attaboy! He’s back in parts and services. Make sure you keep the door closed so no one ends up wandering in. The last thing we need is some kid spotting Bonnie with his face mask up.”

“R-Right…”

Dress shoes clicked lightly against the tiles of the Pizzeria as he made his way down the hall, easing open the proper door and peeking inside. A hand reached sideways, fumbling for the light switch before catching it and illuminating the room in an abysmally dim light.

Of course.

A deep inhale was given, steeling his nerves before he eased into the room and shut the door behind him. Tools were strewn out about the tables–various odds and ends for repairing the animatronics and performing general tasks around the Pizzeria. Wires and pieces of gears–things he wasn’t entirely sure how to handle. Half-formed endoskeletons and mascot heads sitting pretty on the shelves. Waiting for their time to shine. Attention finally shifted to the over-sized rabbit positioned on one of the stools, the metal-reinforced to handle such a heavy weight. His red guitar was firmly grasped in over-sized paws and two bowl-shaped devices were placed to his right and left, the smell of some sort of cleaning solution filling the air.

Uncertain steps were taken forward and Scott was reminded just how small he actually was compared to the machine. It was easy to forget just how large the animatronics were when they remained on stage during the day. It was amazing–how he’d never truly been intimidated by them as a child.

At least…not until after…

Head shook, waving away the thought and he took a mental stock of the items around himself should he need them. The animatronics weren’t supposed to be aggressive during the day shift–he knew that. Knew they wouldn’t try anything. But the door was shut and he was alone; who knew what the bunny could actually try to do?

“H-H-Hello Hello Bonnie…I uh. I-I-I’m uh. I.” Fuck. Breathe Calder. “I’m s-s-supposed to be uh…finding out w-w-what’s wrong with your guitar today! I uh. I-I-I know I’m not really trained for this but..just bare with me. Okay–? A-And we’ll uh. We’ll get through this a-a-and you can be back on stage with your friends. I-I mean...they aren’t much of a band without t-th-the guitarist. You know?”

A nervous smile was offered and Scott let out a shaky sigh, unsure what he’d actually hoped to gain from the spiel but it felt…necessary. It wasn’t as if he’d want someone just leering into his personal space without an explanation.

Personal space…of an animatronic. Ugh. What was he saying?

Head swiveled, locating the cassette tape and player with the instructions on it and he took a moment to pop it into the device before hitting play. The same voice that did the majority of the Fazbear training filled the small space and he pulled up his own stool, plopping down in front of Bonnie’s looming form to wait out the beginning portion of the tape.

“…To re-calibrate Bonnie’s guitar in the case of any note being out of tune…” Scott perked up, leaning back and making sure he was paying closer attention. “First you’ll have to access his harmonization module located inside the secondary throat pipe. Please remember–these animatronics are sensitive equipment and should only be tampered with, tinkered with, or repaired by trained Fazbear personnel.”

“W-Well..that’s not happening t-t-today…”

“To access the secondary throat pipe both eyes must first be removed. You must be as precise as possible when removing the eyes from their respective sockets. First. Firmly grip Bonnie’s left eye and CAREFULLY remove it from its socket.“

Scott reached forward, pressing pause on the tape before swallowing hard and looking upwards at Bonnie’s face.

“R-Right…okay.” Hands flexed and he stood, taking a cautious step forward. Bonnie’s left eye–so the opposite of his own when facing the rabbit. “I’m uh. I-I-I’m going to be as careful as possible okay p-p-pal–? P-Please don’t uh. Don’t panic. D-Don’t panic.”

Despite his assurance, to both himself and Bonnie, his hand still shook furiously as he inched it closer to the animatronics face. Fingers curled around the ping pong-esque orb, obscuring pink and he moved to pull it out. Careful. Careful. Not allowing anything to touch the sides of the head–like a delicate game of operation. Only when it was a few inches from the Rabbit’s face did he back up and take a moment to glance down at it in curiosity, turning it over carefully in his hand. It was lighter than he’d expected…but he found he much preferred it inside the rabbit’s face when he spotted the red glowing dot staring out at him from its previous location.

His free hand reached to the side to resume the instructional tape.

“Great job!” The words were filled with falsified emotion and he shook his head, hoping he never sounded like that in his own training instructions. “Deposit the left eye in the cleaning receptacle on your left. You should only use the approved cleaning solutions as detailed in the Company Policy.”

Head tilted towards the bowls from earlier and he carefully sat the eye into the device, watching as it was swirled around and the smell of the cleaning agent grew stronger. Once it was done it rolled down the small ramp, waiting to be replaced.

“Well done. Now. Firmly grip Bonnie’s right eye and carefully remove it from its proper socket as previously detailed. If you feel the need to repeat the instructions, please rewind the tape.”

Again, Scott paused the tape before leaning closer to the large animatronic. Fingers grasped the right eye–a mumbled apology seeming too loud in the otherwise quiet room. The right eye was fished out and placed in the other bowl, swirling around as its opposite had.

Tape was resumed and a line of sweat broke out upon the man’s brow, deeply uncomfortable at the glowing red dots that greeted him from Bonnie’s sockets. The sooner he finished this up, the better.

“To open Bonnie’s faceplate, carefully press the two buttons located on either side of Bonnie’s lower jaw. Please be cautious of your finger locations, as we are not responsible for any resulting injury that may occur due to improper conduct. When done correctly, you should hear two small clicks.”

Odd.

He had never known the animatronics to have buttons along their lower jaw…it seemed far too obvious. What was there to stop a child from pressing them? Beyond height? Nevertheless, he moved forward once more, flexing his hands before carefully feeling along the surface and locating the buttons in question. Did he press them at the same time? One right after the other? The tape hadn’t been specific enough. It hadn’t clarified.

His pulse was pounding in his ears as he pressed one of the buttons, followed immediately by the other, two small clicks given before Bonnie’s faceplate abruptly flipped up with a hiss of machinery. The entire animatronic shifted with the force and Scott let out a terrified yelp, scrambling back–arms coming upward to shield his face. He was so certain that he’d done something wrong–that he’d triggered the animatronic and it was going to attack. Leaving him to die in the back room, saving Bonnie the trip! How kind of him! There was no shortage of places to hide the body–no shortage of suits. His chest heaved with panic but nothing further ever came, even as the moments ticked into minutes. Long enough for something to have happened. When he peered out, Bonnie was still just sitting there. Guitar in his paws as the two glowing eyes stared out at him amongst the silver machinery of the rabbit’s endoskeleton face.

Hands scrubbed down his face as he straightened back up. How in the world did the actual mechanics manage to do this? It felt like a constant gamble and Scott was not a gambling man.

The tape had drone onward and he splayed a hand over his chest, willing his heart to calm its erratic beating before fumbling to rewind backward to receive the rest of his instructions. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he could close Bonnie’s face back up and return to the main section of the Pizzeria, no longer locked in with the same animatronic who saw fit to torment him during the Night Shift.

“Well done. You now have access to Bonnie’s harmonization module. Press the blinking button located inside Bonnie’s secondary throat pipe to enter calibration mode.”

“T-T-That’s it..?” Scott questioned, frowning and leaning forward to press the button in question. It indented with a click before the animatronics paw moved, strumming in pre-counted motions. One of the chords gave an uncomfortable twang and his frown grew as Bonnie stilled once more. Attention flickered towards the instruction tape--waiting to see what he was supposed to do in such a situation.

“If you encounter an anomaly in Bonnie’s pre-recorded audio, please direct your attention to the tuning keys and carefully twist the colored peg that is producing the incorrect sound. To confirm the recalibration press the blinking button located inside Bonnie’s secondary throat pipe again.”

Panic dawned on the male’s face as he paused the tape once more, the implication that he not only had to actually tune an instrument he knew nothing about but confirm the selection and deem it correct. Deem it correct for the animatronic to return to the stage and perform with the settings he chose. That’s it? Oh, he could punch himself for speaking such things out loud as if he just jinxed himself!

Fingers twitched, looking between the strings of the guitar, the tuning pegs, and Bonnie’s faceless head, the glowing button taunting him. The red pinpoints of Bonnie’s endoskeleton staring up at him. Waiting. Waiting for him to screw something up...waiting to surge forward and grab hold of his shoulders before shoving him to one of the empty suits.

Hands flexed and Scott let out a breath, reaching out and hesitantly giving the guitar an experimental strum, listening to the resulting sound each produced. Somewhere within the last few, the same uneven twinge sounded and fingers splayed across the guitar carefully, silencing it and following the length to see which pegs they were connected to before twisting it just slightly.

The actions were repeated several times, each done with an increasingly shaky hand. He was stalling...that much was obvious. He knew it was. But--it was a lot of pressure, knowing that whatever selection he input would be what Bonnie played now. If he screwed it up, what was to say he wouldn’t be here again? What was to say his luck would continue onward?

Worse yet, what was to say he wouldn’t be fired for messing up?

A prolonged inhale was given before he let it out immediately after, reaching forward and pressing the button. Bonnie’s paws moved, in the same pre-counted motions and the guitar played through the cords. No twang came this time and, once the last played, Bonnie’s form stilled once more. Waiting. Watching. Waiting. Watching.

Scott’s expression brightened and he raised a hand to his hat, removing the pink and white accessory. He used the brim to wipe the sweat that had accumulated on his brow during the whole operation away.

“T-Thanks for letting me help you, Bonnie. Let's uh. Let’s get you back in order…” The cap was replaced and he turned to resume the training tape. More instructions concerning the various things that could be wrong with the guitar were voiced and Scott gave a soft noise of discontent, hand moving in an ‘on with it’ motion. He could fast forward, obviously, but there was a chance he might miss what he was waiting to hear. Then he’d waste more time trying to rewind it back.

Never mind the fact that it was rude...to ignore someone’s work like that. He knew his own instructions weren’t always listened to. That some of the employees who...were no longer with the company had a tendency to mute his stuttering advice.

“Great Job! Bonnie should now be in tune and ready to return to the stage soon. Let’s close him back up.”

“Thank you!” He leaned forward, nodding in satisfaction. He was ready to get this over with.

“Simply replace Bonnie’s eyes in the order you removed them to prevent crossing his wires. Then close up the faceplate by pressing the buttons on the sides of the lower jaw once more.”

“T-That doesn’t really make sense…but uh. I-I guess...you’re the boss.” He turned to the containers with the eyes and fished the first up, standing before Bonnie and the unwavering crimson gaze that greeted him. Left eye to Bonnie’s left.

Inserted it back in was easier than he’d expected, pieces matching together like a puzzle. Right eye next. Somehow the eyes staring out at him along with the endoskeleton was worse. He shuddered before shaking his head. Fingers found the buttons he’d depressed earlier and he jolted back as the rabbit’s face came swinging back down with a heavy and dangerous click, hiding away the inner workings and revealing the familiar face of Bonnie.

“Well done. Bonnie is spic and span and ready to return to the stage. Thus concludes this audio-tape.”

Click.

He’d done it. He’d actually done it correctly. Hands were silently raised in a victorious fist pump and he righted the work space, placing things back where they’d been. He held down the button to rewind the training tape to the very beginning, for the next time or the next employee who might need it. Scott turned, ready to get himself out of the backroom. To tell his Boss the good news and return to the floor...keeping the animatronics a safe distance away. As he reached the door, a metallic clink sounded behind him and he froze, mind immediately rushing to the worst possible option.

He’d done something wrong; the animatronic would be in pieces. Bonnie must not have been pleased with his treatment. Strong grip would wrap around his throat--he wouldn’t leave this room. Slowly, like a child not wanting to face a nightmare, he turned his head and looked back...but the rabbit hadn’t moved. None of the tools were out of place. His head was still on his shoulders and his faceplate was still where it was meant to be.

So what--? What had made the noise? He paused, catching something glinting in the dim light that hadn’t been there previously. Cautious steps were taken forward and he stopped directly before it.

A token...for one of the arcade machines. Freddy’s face greeted him from the metallic surface and he arched an eyebrow, wondering just where it’d come from. He knelt to pick it up, keeping an eye on Bonnie all the while, before straightening back up and running a thumb over the imprinted surface as he turned it between his fingers.

It definitely hadn’t been there before. He would have noticed. Would have stepped on it beneath his feet while he worked. Brown eyes stared down at it before he blinked up at Bonnie, wondering, for just a moment if it was possible that it had come from the rabbit as a reward.

No...no that was just silly. How could he?

He pocketed the currency and turned from the work space, making it to the door and out this time. The sound of children’s laughter and brighter light spilled into the room as he retreated to the main hall of the Pizzeria, flipping the light switch to parts and services as he went.

He didn’t see how pink eyes seemed to follow his movement out nor did he see the twitch of a paw from the guitar playing rabbit as he was left to the darkness once more.

#Mywriting #Five Nights at Freddy's #FNAF #Parts and Service #Scott Calder #Bonnie the Bunny #My Guards #Pwease......be nice I don't write like this often sfjdlksdfj #and it is taking every ounce of myself to not delete this immediately bc I'm a weenie

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swordswoman97 · 5 years

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Rising Tides Rising Tensions Chapter 7: Making Plans

“Well,” Octavio asked, concluding his explanation of his plan. “What do you think?”

“It sounds risky, your majesty,” Mister Snow said with a frown.

“But effective!” General Kaminari slapped the table. “And if we play our cards right, his majesty will be in no danger at all, he wouldn’t even have to be anywhere on site!”

“We wouldn’t even need to do this if Captain Umi had managed to take any of the rebels prisoner at the ball. Instead, she just let them all get away.” Lady Doi spoke up, crossing her arms.

“She did her best,” Octavio said in an attempt to calm her irritation, and stop Kaminari from snapping at her, “No one expected the rebels to show up, and she was more concerned with me and Craig.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” Kaminari nodded at him. “But, back to the topic at hand, where would we spring this trap of his majesty’s?”

“What about the mountain retreat? People would be expecting it; royal couples do frequently hold get togethers there in the early days of their engagement.” Octavio stood from his chair and began to pace at the head of the table. “We make it look like we’re badly guarded and away from everything. A prize the rebels wouldn’t be able to resister.” Octavio paused and looked at the council members. “Are we in agreement?”

“Good.”

The plan quickly came together, and it was time for the “royal couple” to head on up. Those in the palace knew that they were leaving that day, those outside had been told they weren’t leaving for another week. What even most inside the palace didn’t know yet, was that Craig and Octavio weren’t in the car preparing for their trip, but instead in disguise in the crowd. Octavio among his own troops and Craig among a small group of inklings visiting to discuss strategy for dealing with the Salmonids. Another small thing to try to calm nerves.

Craig looked around, hat pulled low over his eyes. He was nervous, which was a bit ridiculous, all was going well. He supposed it was just how much was riding on this going right. He looked up slightly as they prepared to open the gates, looking around, wondering where Octavio was, who all in the crowd knew the truth, and many other questions he really should have asked earlier. Too late now he supposed, as a grinding noise alerted him that the gates were in motion. Until they stopped.

Everything was deafeningly silent until shouting began. Craig stumbled back, realizing that the rebels were attacking. ‘Well, I guess that’s almost what we wanted,’ Craig thought, looking around, for a weapon or anything to defend himself with. Instead he found Commander Yuko, forcing his way through the crowd and dragging him toward the palace. On their way, Yuko pulling another Octoling, probably Octavio, from Captain Umi, before speeding up. Captain Umi grabbed after him, a flash of irritation across her normally cheerful face before she was swallowed up in the chaos.

Commander Yuko dragged them through the palace, Octavio’s hat falling off in the rush, and Craig getting completely lost. Eventually he stopped at a section of wall, letting go of Octavio’s arm to hit it, causing a panel to swing open. Pushing them both inside, he ordered them to “stay here and stay quiet,” before closing the panel and rushing off.

“What the? Where are we?” Craig asked, looking around.

“Hidden safe room. Ones like it are scattered across the palace. Very few know all their locations.” Octavio slid down the wall and Craig turned to find him shaking, silent tears streaming down his face.

“Tavi?”

“How could this have gone so wrong? I was trying to protect people and now?” Octavio trailed off, burying his face in his hands.

“Tavi, look at me. Please?” Craig gently shook Octavio until he looked up at him. “It’s not your fault. You said it yourself, those rebels want a war, they aren’t going to be stopped without conflict. And the soldiers knew what they were getting into. They were trained for this.”

“I’m, I guess you’re right,” Octavio wiped his face of tears, “thank you.”

“No problem. So, how long do you think we’re gonna be in here?”

“A while. They have to beat the rebels, deal with any prisoners they might take, get medical staff dealing with any injuries, sweep the palace to make sure they’ve got everyone, and if anything happens to Yuko, actually find us.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Well, might as well look around.”

The room was small, shelves lining the wall, containing nonperishable food, some basic medical supplies, cups and bowls, two empty pitchers, some dusty boxes, and some cushions. They debated opening the boxes but ended up moving one without a decision.

“Well, even if we are in here a while, we should be fine.”

“Yeah. Though, I’m not sure how long this one has been stocked,” Octavio’s voice shook slightly, and Craig turned to see his eyes watering. “Sorry. I don’t even know why I’m…”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.” Craig grabbed a pair of cushions off the shelves, getting Octavio to sit down on one and sitting down on the other. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, he leaned back with Octavio against him, singing quietly.

“Hey, I think I remember you singing that before. What is it?”

“Calamari Inkantation. Folk song from back home.”

“It’s… magical.”

“You should hear it sung by actual musician.”

“Maybe someday,” Octavio laughed, standing up, and going over to the shelves again. “I’m gonna open one of the boxes. See what’s in it.”

“If you want to. I ain’t risking some critter biting me.”

Octavio only snickered, pulling at the tape to get it open. “Let’s see. Few more medical things, bottle of ink, ohh wasabi sauce.”

“What is with your obsession with wasabi?”

“What’s with your obsession with crabby cakes?”

“Crabby cakes are delicious.”

“If you say so. Wasabi is a cultural staple, few Octarians don’t like the stuff. Hey cards. Wanna play?”

“Sure, what game?”

“Go fish? Don’t wanna think too hard.”

The pair played off and on, Octavio losing most games, spending the rest of the time in silence, growing tired. Eventually the pair put the cards away, just waiting, sitting side by side. Craig leaned against the wall, humming to himself and Octavio lay curled up on a pair of cushions, the only thing revealing him to be awake was his eyes, constantly flashing up to look at him. Both shook out of their stupor as hurried footsteps made themselves known, the entrance to their room swinging open to Commander Yuko’s concerned face.

“Are you two alright?” He asked, looking down at them.

“Yeah. Tired, but fine. Situation?”

“No causalities, at least on our side. We managed to take several rebels prisoner for interrogation. Few soldiers are now parents, but overall, considering how things started, everything went quite well.”

“Good, good. I’m guessing the council will want to meet before I can go to sleep?”

“With both of you.”

“Very well, let’s go.” Octavio stood up, pulling Craig to his feet. The pair followed behind Commander Yuko, looking around. A few ink stains here and there, and a tapestry had been cut in half, but things didn’t look bad.

Inside the council room, things weren’t too bad either. Mister Snow and Lady Doi were both covered in dust, and a woman Craig didn’t know looked to be asleep. General Kaminari seemed to be in the worst shape, kneeling on the floor with bandages around her head, kneeling in front of a tub of ink, something wiggling inside. Guess she was one of the new parents.

“Good, your majesty, your highness. Well now that we’re all here we can begin.” Taru, Craig thought his name was, said. He wondered who the second person they were addressing was before realizing it was him. They were addressing him.

“Now, first things first, Azura will need to go on parental leave. We need a substitute. Who?”

“Commander Yuko is the most obvious choice, he is her right hand.” Lady Doi waved her hand in his direction.

“Very well, all in favor?”

Mumbled agreement rang out and Yuko bowed his head, before sitting down on Octavio’s other side. Taru gestured for him to speak and he cleared his throat.

“I’m afraid it seems the rebels have a spy. Not only did they know they were leaving today, they knew the King in the car was a fake. Didn’t even bother going for him.” People snapped awake at his words, even Kaminari who had seemed to be entirely oblivious to everything going on outside that tub of ink. “We are investigating the situation, however it will take time. In the meanwhile, I recommend we up security in the palace. We cannot risk them harming the King or his fiancé.”

“How? We barely have enough soldiers as it is?” Mister Snow demanded.

“We do what we should have done months ago. The Great Octoweapon project.” The silent woman suddenly opened her eyes, looking around.

“What, Sapphire you can’t be serious.”

“Why ever not? It would be effective, and you said it yourself, we barely have enough soldiers, it would fix the problem.”

“Enough.” Octavio stood, adopting his ‘council voice’ and Craig sat up, a jolt going down his spine. “We’re all exhausted, and no offense you two, but Snow, Doi, you both need showers. We will discuss this in the morning. Dismissed.”

Octavio stood up and walked out, Craig quickly following behind him. “Hey, before you go to sleep, can we talk?”

“Sure.”

The pair headed towards Craig’s room. Once there, Octavio looked around, before asking “What did you want to talk about?”

“I just.. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Craig sat down at his desk chair, watching as Octavio sat on the edge of his bed.

“I’m fine. Really. You?”

“Confused I guess.”

“About what?”

Craig bit his lip slightly before speaking up. “What are the ‘Great Octoweapon plans’ that that lady mentioned?”

“The Great Octoweapons plan was the idea to create giant machines, controlled by tentacle cutting, they would be fully autonomous, able to take down foes it would take multiple squadrons of Octarians to take out. Problem is, the plan is more than slightly controversial. It would take a hefty amount of resources, and people worry what might happen if they went rouge.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I mean, I guess it makes sense to me. Before you go, do you want those clothes I borrowed back?”

“I guess?”

“They should be in the bathroom, I’ll go get them.” Craig stood, and walked into the attached bathroom. Looking around, it took him a while to find them, during which time he got ready to go to sleep.

Coming out, Craig found Octavio had fallen asleep where he had been sitting on his bed. He walked over, reaching down to gently trace his jaw with a finger, small smile on his face. He looked so peaceful, he couldn’t bring himself to wake him. The bed was big enough to share, he guessed. With that thought, he gently maneuvered Octavio farther onto the bed so he wouldn’t fall off, before crawling in next to him. He lay down and let the quiet sound of Octavio breathing lull him to sleep.

#rising tides rising tensions #cuttletavio #cuttletavio arranged marriage au #cap'n cuttlefish #dj octavio #I can't believe I forgot to post chapter seven

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cliftonsteen · 4 years

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Planning Your New Roastery Site: A Checklist

There’s a lot to consider when you start or expand a coffee roastery: which coffees to stock, how to attract customers, pricing, marketing, hiring employees… and then there’s building the roastery.

A well planned roastery can help you maximize your resources, ensuring efficient use of your space, time, and energy. A poorly planned one, on the other hand, can slow down your workflow, cause health and safety issues, and leave you with insufficient space for all the things you need. It can end up costing you time and money.

The last thing you want is to be so focused on fixing site planning issues that you are unable to dedicate time and attention to improving your sales, sampling coffees, and refining roast profiles.

To find out more about site planning for the roastery, I spoke to Ryan Karatimus, President of Usonian Systems, which provides expert advice and specialized equipment to coffee roasters and cafés across North America, as well as several roasters that he works with. Ryan’s company often supports roasters in planning and setting up their roasteries, meaning that he has plenty of experience in this area. Here’s what I learned.

You might also like Practical Tips For Quality Control in The Coffee Roastery

Freshly roasted beans. Credit: Meklit Mersha

Understand Your Goals

Your site layout should reflect your business goals, whether that’s quality, volume, expansion, or any other objective. Knowing your company’s objectives, mission, and financials over the short and long term will make it easier to select and build the right site.

Candice Madison is Director of Roasting at The Crown: Royal Cupping Lab & Tasting Room. “If you don’t know and can’t convey what your project vision is clearly and definitively, how can you expect those who you need to lead or investors/collaborators whom you need to answer to, to understand the end goal and why they should even jump aboard your ship?” she asks.

“The easiest place to start with vision planning is going back to the ‘W’ questions – who, what, and why,” she continues. “The where and the how should be answered after you can answer those.”

Here’s what she suggests you begin with:

Why are you starting a roastery? What is your objective: quality, volume, enabling your existing retail business to save money by cutting down on costs?

Who are your customers?

What is your end product? Start by working out its use – retail, wholesale, private label, offices, etc. – and from there, work out what you need to be selling.

It’s only once your vision is outlined that you can start planning the more practical aspects.

A new roaster is ready for installation as part of outfitting a coffee roastery. Credit: Usonian Systems

Create a Site-Planning Checklist

Now it’s time to look at the finer details. Create a checklist that you can use to direct your site planning. Make sure you can tick off the following points.

Roasting Volume

Ryan tells me, “A necessary starting point [for site planning] is knowing your anticipated roast volume, as well as your projections. Most growing roasting companies will have a pretty good idea of this number. For a start-up, this can be tricky, but it is good to be realistically optimistic.”

This will determine all other factors: equipment, space, workflow, and more. While it can be challenging to predict this, it will also be important for your business plan and any funding bids. Market research should feature in your calculations, and you should be realistic about your capabilities and examine how much risk you are willing to take on.

Coffee beans cool after roasting. Credit: Neil Soque

Location

Your site location will depend on a multitude of things, including your budget, business projections, branding, and legal requirements. Ryan recommends beginning by looking into the zoning, local codes, and restrictions. You may need to apply for a change of use of the building.

Don’t see local government as just red tape enforcers, however. Ryan adds, “Usually, your local chamber of commerce, business improvement committee, or local leaders will have some great ideas and can sometimes help with tax credits or other subsidies.”

Depending on the country and state you’re operating in, you’ll have to adhere to different regulations. Make sure you know everything you need to do. Candice says, “Who are the specific agencies (and their contact details) you will need to coordinate with to get [building permits]? Consider health inspections and EPA and FDA requirements. Will your site meet the air-quality standards of your municipality (will you need to budget for an afterburner, or will you need to change your site location entirely?).

“If you’re considering roasting organic coffee and labeling it as such, your facility will need to be up to code in order to do so. Throw into the mix food-safety standards required of your plant by FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act). Do you have a food safety plan? What about a hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) plan?”

Organizing this requires time and perhaps also an investment in equipment or processes. Build this into your plan and budget accordingly.

A partly outfitted roastery. Credit: Usonian Systems

Size & Space

You don’t want to put all this effort into building a roastery only to outgrow it within a couple of years. Ryan recommends considering your growth projection when selecting a site. Will you need to move locations if you double or triple your production volume – or do you have space for more roasters instead? Also, do you ever plan to have a retail storefront, and if so, do you want it to be at the same location?

Candice says, “Will your green coffee storage be on-site? If so, how much storage will you need (think future planning!)? Will you need to separate this storage from other goods?

“Think about whether or not you will be manipulating bags manually or automatically, i.e. silos or shelving. If using machinery, such as forklifts or automated green coffee or roasted coffee handling systems (pretty much guaranteed), have you considered ceiling height, floor (and wall and ceiling) strength (after all, this is heavy machinery we’re talking about)?”

You also need space for quality control. Candice says, “If you’re roasting, you should probably be cupping and possibly checking the green coffee metrics of received shipments, and you’ll need space and equipment to do just that.”

Where will your cupping table and assorted equipment go? What about your green bean sampling and testing kits?

Utilities (more on that to come) will determine where your roaster sits, but you should also pay attention to workflow within the roastery. Plot the route that your coffee will take. Think about where your employees need to go and where from. Is the space going to facilitate their work, or force them to dodge each other in cramped spaces while there’s a bit empty corner not really being used?

“You will also need to think about distribution channels, ease of access, and safety of the site location for employees and customers alike,” says Candice. “What about traffic flow; will it be easy to navigate inbound and outbound shipments? Parking and vehicle bays should also be considered for customers and employees alike.”

Read more in How to Design Your Coffee Roaster For Maximum Efficiency

Utilities

Utilities are often not considered early enough in the planning process. However, poor utility planning will affect the costs of installation and the day-to-day running of your business. “Running hundreds of feet of gas line is costly, and can have an effect on your roasters performance,” says Ryan.

“Where will your roaster exhaust?” he asks. “Not all roasters can exhaust out a wall, or may not be able to go straight up due to obstacles. Any time you increase the length of venting, you increase cost, and decrease the efficiency of your roaster.”

Make sure to include installation in your budget. Ryan warns, “Keep in mind, you may need an architect, engineer (roasting equipment is heavy, and some buildings are old and may need to be retrofitted), an interior designer, and tradespeople to install utilities. One thing we often see forgotten in planning is planning for the installation and related costs of equipment, including freight.”

A SOVDA precision fill machine installed in a partly outfitted roastery. Credit: Usonian Systems

Equipment

Patrick Maloney, Owner and President of Blue Fire Coffee Roasters, Inc., says, “The single most important thing a prospective owner will do in setting up a roaster is the choice of a coffee roaster.”

He says that it can be tempting to make the decision based on price, but “in his experience, [this] always proves short-sighted”. Instead, he recommends asking “1. Who are my customers/to whom will I sell my brand? and 2. what is the best roaster and setup that will bring this to fruition?”

Ryan suggests thinking about the future. “Do you get a small roaster to outgrow, or a large roaster to grow into?” he asks.

However, the roaster isn’t the only piece of equipment you’ll need to consider. Will you need an afterburner? What about the destoner or loading equipment? And have you thought about packaging equipment? Will you need blending tables, grinders, fractional packaging machines, and a weigh-and-fill machine?

Candice adds that you might also need to invest in equipment based on health and safety requirements, both in terms of air quality and noise.

A coffee roaster ready for installation. Credit: Usonian Systems

Use All The Help Available to You

Starting a roastery isn’t easy. You’ll likely need to involve an array of experts, from interior designers to architects. Missing just one step in the process could lead to incurred costs and time wasted. Whether you are going it on your own or using a company such as Usonian Systems to help you build your roastery, take the time to speak to experts. From coffee consultants to local government advisors and experienced roasters who can advise on business growth, their help will guide you in the right direction.

“Remember that coffee is a great industry and most people want to be helpful,” says Patrick. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help… Things work out when you surround yourself with good people.”

Enjoyed this? Read Creating a Safe & Healthy Coffee Roastery

Written by Sunghee Tark. Feature photo credit: Usonian Systems

Please note: This article has been sponsored by Usonian Systems.

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