tread". Early career MacDougall's coffee business operations began in 1907 under the name A.F. MacDougall. She used a false name, since many prospective customers in the early 1900s in New York held negative views about women in business. In the commercial center of the city, MacDougall rented a small room on Front Street for her coffee-roasting operations. MacDougall performed this almost exclusively without outside help, excluding $1,000 in initial financial assistant from a friend of her father’s. MacDougall's business was eventually incorporated under the name Alice Foote MacDougall and Sons with its executive offices at 139 Front Street. Advertising At the start of her business venture, MacDougall determined potential customers in her vicinity and marketed to them through direct-by-mail advertising. The advertisements included positive statements promoting the high-quality, unique, and convenient nature of her roasted coffee products. She also was willing to travel outside New York City to reach customers by selling to customers throughout the broader New England area. This included hospitals, hotels, colleges, and various clubs. Restaurant Ownership and Operation The Little Coffee Shop MacDougall's first establishment, the Little Coffee Shop in Grand Central Station, opened in 1919. The establishment was originally opened with the purpose of promoting her roasted coffee products. However, the shop was initially unsuccessful. Based on request from prospective customers to taste her coffee products before considering making a purchase, MacDougall set up chairs and tables for this purpose. This change transformed shop into a coffee house to operate as both a cafe and a retail outlet for MacDougall's products. Waffles and hot coffee were the house specialty. These menu items become the inspiration for her first publication, Coffee and Waffles. Her small coffee business was only the beginning of her successes, and within ten years MacDougall had opened four other coffee houses in New York state. The Cortile The proceeding expansion of her empire oversaw the opening a coffee house on 37 West 43rd Street in Manhattan. The establishment was not initially named The Cortile, but in 1923 MacDougall changed the decor of the classic southern-style coffeehouse it into an indoor replica of a Mediterranean-style courtyard and the name along with it to better suit the new style. The Piazzetta Following the establishment of The Cortile, an eatery named The Piazzetta was opened. This was located at 20 West 47th Street in Manhattan. Firenze The following addition to MacDougall's restaurant empire was the