No good local roasters in the area? Look into doing it yourself. Go online to shop for deep-fryers. Being known for something that you make yourself is just one more way to gain rapport and in time, you might be the supplier that other shops are buying from! What are some unique, non-traditional drinks that I can serve to attract more customers?
There are lots of trendy new drinks coming to the coffee shop scene that customers will love. One of these is kombucha, a tasty fermented tea that comes in tons of delicious flavors. Another cafe drink that is currently popular is nitro cold brew, an on-tap iced coffee that is infused with nitrogen giving it a smooth and creamy flavor.
Also consider alcoholic beverages and signature cocktails, fun non-coffee items like Italian sodas, matcha, or chai, or make up lattes with unique flavors and ingredients. You should have a large wall menu with large enough type for customers to read as well as a paper menu. Organize by categories, grouping like items together. Read more about how to design a menu here. Having some lunch combos like a soup and sandwich meal is great for encouraging lunch business.
You could also consider snack baskets like hummus and veggies or meat and cheese trays that can be shared among groups. Limited time offers can generate interest in your food that will make them come back long after the special is over. Ready to dive in to the wonderful world of coffee shop ownership?
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Your Email Address. Your Company Name. Ultimate guide to running a cafe In many ways, a cafe is the perfect start up. How to boost business at your cafe. Useful advice from cafe owners.
Ultimate guide to running a cafe by Les Roberts on August 24th Does your business insurance cover you for takeaway and delivery? Does your alcohol licence cover you for takeaway alcoholic drinks? Running a cafe in the UK Running a successful cafe doesn't need to be difficult, but with so many things seemingly stacked against you from the start — busy and bustling workdays, long hours, and steep competition from other coffee shops, to name a few — it can seem almost impossible to get a new cafe business up and running.
How well do you know the cafe industry? Have you considered different cafe concepts? The key is in its concept.
Anything from a dedicated cat emporium to African-American soul music inspired cafe can be successful — as long as your theme is unique. At this stage, you will also need to consider the logistics of actually running your cafe, for example: Will your cafe serve food or be primarily beverage-led? Will you offer table service, or will customers order at the counter?
Will your service be takeaway style, table service, or both? Have you worked out who your customers are going to be? For many cafes, determining who your target audience is will require looking beyond traditional traits such as age and gender, and instead considering customer characteristics such as: Intention — a worker on their lunch break will want to grab a coffee and go, whereas someone meeting friends is likely to want to sit and stay a while.
Your cafe can cater to both of these customer intentions, or choose one over the other. Preferences — if your cafe has a strong theme or concept, then this will likely define your core customers based on their preferences towards that theme. For instance, a dog-friendly cafe will be looking to attract dog lovers almost exclusively.
Lifestyle — the type of lifestyle that consumers lead can be a good indicator of the type of cafe they may be attracted to. Location can be a good indicator of lifestyle, for example: Rural areas could indicate active, outdoor lifestyles An artsy district of a city centre may suggest a young, possible student population An up-market residential village could mean consumers are likely to be retired, or middle-aged with children.
Where is your cafe going to be based? There are a number of different elements to consider when it comes to location, such as: Building — the actual building that your cafe is located in is important.
Its size will dictate the volume of customers and the number of covers that your cafe can handle, and its shape will influence the layout, flow and functionality of your day-to-day operations. Immediate location — the location of your business building will have an impact on the number of people that see your business, and the volume of customers that you receive.
For example, in a town centre, are you located on the main high street, or down a quiet side street? For instance, think of the differences between a busy city centre cafe, and a coffee shop in a village square.
Have you got a robust cafe business plan? Remember to include the following key topics in your cafe business plan: Introduction — a general overview of your business proposition. Objectives — targets that your business will aim to hit, and how you plan to measure them.
Finance — this should be detailed, and include everything from initial investment to the cost of decorating, buying equipment and hiring staff. Location and premises — where your coffee shop will be located, and the implications of this location.
Industry and competition — your research of the marketplace and how your cafe will fit into it. Remember to relate this back to your objectives. Target market — a description of your core customers, why you are targeting them and how you intend on appealing to them. What's the cost of starting a cafe? Premises — this includes your initial deposit as well as rent. Make sure you remember kitchen equipment, too, if you plan on serving food. You may want to consider purchasing second-hand equipment in a bid to keep costs down.
Wares — this includes cups, jugs, mugs, plates, bowls, cutlery and just about anything else necessary to actually serve your products to customers. With all this in hand, it's time to think about opening up. What cafe products and services will you offer? Just some of the products that may want to consider are: Drinks Food Hot drinks - teas, coffees, hot chocolates, etc. Sandwiches, baguettes and paninis Refrigerated drinks - bottled water, juices, etc. Pasties and pies Iced teas and coffees Cakes and biscuits Milkshakes and smoothies Soups and stews Alcohol - spirits, liquors or just bottled beers?
Crisps nuts and other snacks You should also consider other food offerings, such as burgers, pizzas and takeaway food, as well as breakfast foods such as fry ups and porridge.
What coffee will you go for? What cafe menu ideas should you consider? They can also be used to draw attention to certain areas of the menu, for example, any specials or products that you particularly want to promote. For example, if your cafe is an up-market bistro, then you might want to keep your tone of voice simple and minimalist.
Layout — customers are likely to start reading your menu from the upper left corner — as they would a book — and finish towards the bottom right. Photos — You should use photographs of your products sparingly, and only if they have been professionally taken. Bad photographs can easily discourage customers from ordering.
Attention to detail — menus with typos, incorrect prices or formatting errors look unprofessional — and the mistakes can even be enough to put a potential customer off. What's on your cafe equipment checklist? Remember that you will also have to budget for other tools and equipment, such as: Storage and display units Kitchen pans and pots Food preparation utensils, such as knives and spatulas Serving utensils, cutlery and other tableware Wares such as plates and bowls Bar items such as stirrers, mixing glasses, bottle pourers and tongs.
Premises size and layout The size and shape of the premises you have chosen will ultimately influence the way that you lay out your cafe — for example where the entrance is, and where the main counter should go. Things to bear in mind include: The location of the door in relation to the main counter — the counter should be close enough to the door to allow customers to easily order coffee to go, but far away enough that a queue at the counter would not restrict access for customers who want to sit in.
Food service — furniture should not block access to the kitchen or counter, and walkways should be open and easily navigable for waiting staff. Wheelchair access — your cafe layout should leave enough space to allow easy access for wheelchair users. You may also need to purchase ramps if your premises has steps, to make it more easily accessible.
Using visual sites such as Pinterest can help to give you inspiration. Lighting — consider not only the fixtures but the actual levels of light in the room. You may want your cafe to be bright and sunny, or you may want to create an ambience with dimmed lighting. Sound — the music that you play in your cafe adds to the atmosphere. Think carefully about the style of music that you play, as well as the volume at which you play it. Temperature — you should keep your cafe at a comfortable temperature so that customers are neither too hot nor too cold.
Keep an eye out for signs that the temperature may be wrong — for example, customers wearing coats indoors. Cleanliness — ensuring your cafe is always clean — particularly in restrooms — is an important part of ensuring a positive customer experience. Cafe regulations and licenses to consider As well as all the creative considerations that need to be made in preparation for opening your cafe, there are a number of technical and legal aspects to starting a business that you will need to make sure you address.
Some of these licences could include: Food business registration — if you plan to cook for or sell food to the public, then you will need to obtain a food licence. Alcohol licence — you will only need this if you intend on selling alcohol on your business premises. Entertainment licence — this will allow you to play music in your cafe.
Health and safety — the Food Standards Agency may need to carry out a health and safety inspection on your cafe premises and give you a food hygiene rating certificate. Check out the Food Standards Agency website for more information. Environmental Health Service — you will likely be required to register your business with the Environmental Health Service before opening your doors to the public.
Read more about coffee shop insurance here. Running a cafe Once your business has opened its doors to the public and started trading, a key aspect to focus on is efficiency - cutting costs and growing your customer base will help to improve the overall success of your business.
Below are some of the areas that you'll need to consider. Opening times Is your business opening at the right times of the day?
Stock and products Reconsidering your products and stock management techniques could help to you to save money by reducing waste, as well as increase sales. Service style Cafes and coffee shops can adopt different serving styles based on their unique propositions. Flexibility Quite often, there is the need to have formal processes in place - especially if you employ staff - to help ensure your cafe always operates at a certain standard.
Cafe customer service tips. Just a few ways that you can add a more personal touch to your service are: Greet customers as they enter. Engage in small talk and chit chat. Be honest — if their coffee is going to take ten minutes, tell them. Anticipate their needs — for example, napkins for a spilled drink.
Know your regulars Most cafes have their own regular customers, and the same is likely to be true for you. Deal with complaints gracefully Dealing with unhappy customers is never easy, but there are certain things you can do to handle complaints smoothly. Some common scenarios that your business may experience could include: Late or incorrect delivery may mean you do not have the correct stock or products to sell. Staff AWOL — service standards can fall easily when understaffed.
Equipment failure — the machine your cafe depends on could break at any time. Personal injury — yourself, a member of staff or a member of the public could sustain injury on your business premises. Hiring cafe staff You may get to the stage where you decide to take on staff to help you run your business. Here are some things to think about as of the recruitment and management process: Do you need staff?
Only you can decide whether your cafe truly needs staff or not — but some considerations that may help you come to this decision are: What your competitors are doing — are there any cafes of a similar size and stature nearby? If so, how many additional staff members do they have? Are there other areas of the business that you wish you had the time to focus on? Would you need permanent staff or just temporary ones — perhaps on a seasonal basis?
What to look for in cafe staff If you have decided that your cafe could benefit from taking on staff, the next step is to advertise. For baristas and waiting staff — the employee should be a people person.
Those with happy and bubbly personalities are ideal, as they are most likely to deliver a friendly, personable service to customers. Experience is preferable, but not essential as it is the personality that matters most. For kitchen staff — you will probably want to consider hiring kitchen staff that are experienced, to begin with. This means looking for someone who has already worked in a kitchen and is able to cope with high-pressure situations.
Staff management Once you have hired the perfect employees for your coffee shop, some training may be required. An example, short-term training plan for baristas and waiting staff is below: Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Learn to use coffee machines Learn about customer-centric focus Familiarise yourself with drink menu Learn customer complaints procedure Cash handling and till work Begin familiarising yourself with the menu Learn food service process Learn about up-selling opportunities Learn safety procedures Cleaning and other end of day processes You may also consider whether you want staff to start on quieter days, or throw them in at the deep end during your busiest periods.
If this unfortunate scenario does arise, there are some considerations that you should make first: Have you already given the employee a fair warning about the issue? Are there any legal implications of dismissing this employee? Does the employee have rights that may be called into play? Do you need to give the employee notice? Will you need to replace them immediately, and if so, how difficult will that be?
How to boost business at your cafe Even the most established of businesses can make improvements - there is always something that you can do to boost your sales, increase revenue and grow your business. To give you an idea of how much you could make by upselling, consider the following: In the UK, we drink approximately 95 million cups of coffee per day.
A relatively busy coffee shop can expect to sell around hot drinks every day. Not much can go wrong while choosing donuts as one of your prime snack items. With a variety of donuts to choose from and a very low cost to make them, you can ensure that you strike that balance you need between variety and budget. The equipment you will need here is not going to be that expensive and might also come in handy while making some other food items.
Just make sure to price your donuts properly while offering a mix of classic and experimental flavors, and you will be able to make the most out of this offering. Think about some of the most popular snacks that people like having with their coffee, and a croissant will pop up in your mind right away.
There are a few reasons why this particular, buttery pastry is so popular. It offers a signature texture and flavor that you cannot find within several other snacks. It is affordable and accessible. And it also packs a certain kick of energy that most people need with their breakfast coffee.
Once again, making croissants will need some skills from your staff. If you are baking your products in house, then you will need to invest in the right equipment for it. But given that croissants are one of the most popular items on a coffee shop menu, the investment is totally worth it. You can also use your plain croissants to turn them into a variety of sandwiches, which is yet another way to increase revenue without investing too much into different coffee shop menu suggestions.
Speaking of sandwiches, one of the classic choices that you can put on your cafe menu ideas is a breakfast sandwich. The possibilities are endless. You can use a variety of ingredients to make this breakfast sandwich a reality on your menu.
But regardless of the variation, it is going to cater to your customer base in a way that has a significant impact on your sales. Apart from the obvious choices in ingredients such as eggs, bacon, and toast, you can put your own spin on things and use a base such as a croissant or even a donut, with ingredients ranging from grilled chicken to eggplant for a vegetarian-friendly option. Having a breakfast sandwich on the menu will keep your revenues on an upward trend, while also establishing your reputation as more than a simple coffee shop.
Make sure that you have an experienced staff to handle this offering since it all comes down to taste on this one item. When you are talking about the best selling snacks, you cannot ignore the presence of pizza.
Yes, pizza on a coffee shop menu can sell like hotcakes when it is made and presented the right way. To turn pizza into a warm and comforting offering that is a mix between breakfast and lunch. Made out of very common toppings such as eggs, bacon, sausages, and cheese, this particular offering can appease your customers the most if your coffee shop has a seating arrangement.
If you are selling your coffee and snacks through a pop-up or a food truck, then you can go the mini pizza route to hand the pizza to go, and still enjoy the benefits of including this popular dish to your coffee shop menu suggestions. Apart from the breakfast sandwich above, this breakfast pizza is yet another way to branch out to more exciting food items through your cafe. Once ranked as one of the most popular foods in the U.
With different varieties and toppings to choose from, they remain quite a staple for coffee shops especially during busy lunch hours as well as closing time. If you want to serve best-selling sugary snacks to a variety of customers through your cafe, then cupcakes are the way to go.
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