The restaurant business is becoming increasingly popular in Russia. Now you can open a cafe or bar of the kind that you have always dreamed of. It can be a mini-cafe or a fast food diner. You might want to open a candy store or make the first children's cafe in the area.
There are a lot of options, but what are the first steps to take to open a cafe? Where to start a business plan and what to look for when this is the first project?
Choosing a room for a successful institution
The first key moment in creating an institution where you can eat is the choice of premises. The success or failure of the project will depend on it. You can make a chic repair, create a unique atmosphere and hire a brilliant cook. But if an unsuitable area is chosen, then there will be no visitors: the cafe and the box office will be empty day after day. Unfortunately, there are a lot of such examples among those who think how to open a cafe.
A business plan begins with a search for an area. When choosing a bridgehead, pay attention to the state of the main communication systems. Pay attention to the presence of sewage, water supply and heating. A good option would be to buy out the old dining room, which already has a kitchen. It is harder and more expensive to build a new cafe from non-adapted for cooking, but cheaper premises: hangars and warehouses.
Most eateries and bars open in residential areas.
If this place already had a dining room, pub or restaurant - then everything is in order, you can open a cafe in a residential building. But if you decide to open a cafe for the first time, where to start the process to avoid the mass of pitfalls? If the sounds of music and the aromas of the kitchen become uninvited guests of the apartments of tenants, then problems can begin very quickly. Therefore, it is worth taking care of the good zoning of the room, sound insulation and exhaust hood in advance. If residents find the neighborhood uncomfortable, cafes can simply close.
To rent or buy?
Renting is not the best option. Especially when it comes to a large cafe. Rents tend to grow, and not from the good economic situation in the country. If you suddenly decide to move, the repair and clientele will remain the owner. Most venerable, held restaurateurs opened their business with the purchase of premises in the property. After that, the institution can be advertised on a large scale, understanding that the cost of PR is a contribution to the future. In addition, if the project does not take place for some reason, you can always lease your area, and subleasing is more difficult.
Before opening it is worth contacting specialists in order to find out whether it is profitable to open a cafe, to take into account all the laws and guest requirements. Based on these recommendations, a project plan is drawn up. After the business plan of the cafe is received, an example of it must be submitted to Rospotrebnadzor. After coordinating the project with government agencies, you can proceed with the repair and redevelopment.
Good-tasting meal
It is very important to choose a single concept and style of a restaurant or cafe. Which audience do you want to work for? Who do you want to see among the guests? Answers to these questions will help to understand the values of your potential visitors and develop a suitable image. Do not forget to consider your ideas, because now your personal dream is being realized.
No matter what level of restaurant you plan to open, it is important to find your own “zest” around which the concept will be built. Think about this criterion that will distinguish your shop from all others? This question will help to successfully open a cafe.
How to implement a business plan?
The first step will be segmentation and risk assessment. Enthusiasts often skip these stages, underestimating the weaknesses of the enterprise and the strengths of competitors. In addition, at this stage it is worth calculating the cash costs, find out the payback period.
A working cafe business plan is an example of good preparation. It is impossible to do it without an accurate portrait of a potential client, his social income, tastes, lifestyle.
Right now, the question is being decided where the cafe will get its main profit: due to large turnover or high markup? If, suppose your typical guest is a young student who likes to spend time with friends, consuming chips and light beer, then it is unlikely that he will appreciate expensive gourmet dishes. He will not understand the fabulous prices for a cream of 30 ingredients and goose liver, prepared according to a special recipe. This option of business planning is likely to end in disrepair, despite the fact that you will be able to open a cafe.
Where to start: documentation and registration
To do this, you need a package of documents.
First, only an entrepreneur can do business in our country. You must first open an LLC or IP.
Secondly, collect the following documentation package:
- permission to place an institution issued by Rospotrebnadzor;
- permission obtained from fire safety authorities;
- confirmation of the compliance of the premises with sanitary standards (lease agreement, medical books for personnel, state registration certificate, permission for raw materials and commercial products);
- licenses for the sale of retail trade, alcohol and tobacco;
- patent for trading activities in this territory (issued by local authorities);
- notification of the start of activity.
Federal Law No. 294- dated December 26, 2008 “On the Protection of the Rights of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs in the Implementation of State Control (Supervision) and Municipal Control” regulates this activity.
The legal entity (entrepreneur) provides the necessary documentation to Rospotrebnadzor at the actual location. The completed notice is supplemented by a copy of the extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (Entrepreneurs), as well as a copy of the certificate of registration with the tax authorities. These documents are enough to open a cafe.
Getting started
The work of even the smallest food service is unthinkable without equipment. In order to brew a cup of coffee or make ice cream, a technical base is needed. It is necessary to consider all the details at the design stage of the room.
All equipment should be as functional and practical as possible, durable, meet the requirements for bars, restaurants and cafes. Otherwise, the equipment simply does not pay off.
Modern appliances allow you to quickly cook quality dishes. But high productivity is not only the result of the institution’s powerful technical base, but also the staff’s ability to work on it. It is very important to hold a workshop for employees after buying a new car.
The right equipment will increase the profitability of the business, while improper machines will lead to losses.
Furnishing and furnishings
This is another important issue that you should devote your attention to before opening a cafe. Where to start building the atmosphere? A profitable solution would be to order a set of furniture, designed in a single design. However, this is an exclusive option - it is always more expensive. You can buy ready-made furniture. If a cafe is the first such enterprise, then cheap furniture will serve as a model, so that by its example it is better to see the needs of the establishment. Next time, ordering suitable furniture will be easier.
The human factor: we select talented staff
The number of employees will depend on the sales volume of the establishment. All roads in the "edalny" boil down to the cook. He is like a captain on a ship. The chef should not only prepare dishes deliciously, but also design them beautifully. It is very good if you know your future cook in advance, even at the stage when you are developing a cafe business plan.
An example, when a case is opened under a famous master, it certainly will not go unnoticed in the city.
The ideal composition of the kitchen is a chef, the required number of cooks and dishwashers. There should be two such compositions - for a shift work schedule. The right hand of the owner - the chef - must cook quickly, while not reducing the quality of the dishes, because in such places quite often there are influxes of visitors.
If the chef is the soul of the establishment, then the next group of employees is his face. Bartenders, waiters, administrators personally contact the client. The impression that the manager of the hall will make when meeting the guests can be a turning point in further relations.
If you do not have experience in hiring workers, then try the following advice. Remember your favorite place and try to talk with its owner on the topic of staff selection. Ask him for details on how to open a cafe. The business plan of his idea already lives within the walls of the institution, and perhaps his advice will save you from financial and emotional disasters. The successful experience of a colleague is always invaluable for someone who knows how to learn.
Any owner will tell you that you should not choose workers based on just a pleasant appearance. Sometimes administrators, as well as waiters, have to find themselves in very delicate situations, where it is necessary to defend the honor of the establishment and not lose the client. Here, of course, one needs quick wit, resourcefulness, and the ability to communicate. Such a person can make mistakes, but should not let the owner down. The ability to resolve conflicts peacefully is a precious talent, so pay your employees for it when calculating salaries.
A good waiter is also a great seller who will be able to offer exactly what the client wants or does not yet know what he wants.
In order for the cafe to cost inexpensively, you can invite the already established team there, or at least the backbone of the team that has worked together for quite some time. This will help to make the work process fast and harmonious. This is an important nuance that unfavorably distinguishes new institutions from venerable networks.
"Tasty" day
So, when the basic procedures are completed and guests can be invited, the stage of purchasing food products begins. Of course, if you did not invest in advertising and did not wait on the first day of the influx of visitors, then you can gradually improve the menu, modifying the kitchen. And yet you have come this way for the sake of success, and the success of the institution is its full house. Products are perishable goods, but it is better to stock up on them in excess than to stay with a full room and empty refrigerators, explaining that you just managed to open a cafe.
Where to start purchasing? This question is pretty well worked out in network coffee houses. They have debugged supplies with the best suppliers for the network, and when opening a new point, the franchise owner will already have an approximate estimate, phones for coordinating purchases. You can take advantage of this experience yourself, especially if you intend to open a cafe in Moscow, where there is room for experience.
Edible Budget
A good advantage of large cities like Moscow is the ability to borrow or borrow part of the equipment for free use.
Suppliers can provide windows, refrigerators free of charge . In addition, venerable companies with deep pockets offer free souvenir accessories to attract customers. Mugs for a bar, ashtrays and even furniture with logos. All this will be an invaluable contribution to those who crave to open a cafe inexpensively. A piece of equipment, such as a microwave or kettle, can be brought from home.
If you open a cafe in an average Russian city, then there will be other advantages. There is no need to invest in interior design and diversify the menu every week. No need for fabulous advertising and a glamorous image of the institution. This can even scare away visitors who understand the word "comfort" differently than "metropolitan things."
The first major expenses will be utility bills, advertising, payroll and food expenses. The first months are usually unprofitable, but do not despair if you have already managed to open a cafe. Where to start in this situation is by gutting a “financial pillow”. This is the amount that is initially budgeted for a similar period. Once the company is on an even course, the costs will relate mainly to repair and equipment upgrades.
In a quick spoon: how to open a fast food cafe?
If you decide on the type of cafe, then it is worth noting that the demand for fast food is very high.
The fact is that this type of food is suitable for low-income groups due to the low cost of lunch and office workers who have a snack on the go. This creates a certain blur in the portrait of the client, but brings to the forefront other project criteria.
A fast cafe should be in a place with high traffic. Need to stand apart from the competitor. To do this, it is enough to open a mini-cafe at least around the corner from the shopping center where the rival is located: the main thing is that the flows of people do not intersect.
From a legal point of view, in order to open a posh restaurant, it will take as much labor as opening a fast food cafe. But investments in the second will be ten times less. The owner of such a business for the most part invests in primitive kitchen equipment and rental premises.
The smallest gourmets
Kids are also connoisseurs of exquisite cooking. But they appreciate, rather, somewhat different. How to open a children's cafe in your city and not lose money? It is worth noting that this is still an unfilled niche in Russia, while in the West there is a children's cafe in every crowded place, and a children's menu in every restaurant that respects itself.
Here, of course, special attention needs to be paid to the design of the room so that the kids feel comfortable. It is better to invite a designer and consult with animators, because they will arrange holidays and events here. Perhaps it is worth choosing any one stylistic line, fairy tale, era. Entourage should cause a feeling of comfort and recognition in children, and fairy tale in their parents.
A good place for a children's restaurant will be where a kindergarten, a clinic for kids or a playground is located nearby. It is enough to make a hall with 60 seats and fill the menu with fancy pasta, soups and tasty cereals - with such a base you can already open a cafe.
Confectionery business
This is the most fertile ground for investment. To open a diner with one oven, 100 thousand dollars is enough. Therefore, opening a cafe-confectionery is quite simple.
This establishment will delight guests with fresh pastries and a hot drink. By the way, why come to the confectionery - these are delicious bakery products, and they are good only fresh. Therefore, for this type of cafe you need not a cook, but a baker.
Profitability of a business reaches 30% with an investment of 400 thousand dollars.
Confectioneries are very different. It can be art trams at metro stations where you can buy muffin and tea from a bag. But it can also be a pastry house with a centuries-old history, where they make real works of art. And people are willing to pay for tasty and beautiful carbohydrates.