A New Business: A Cafe

For many people, a dream of owning your own company is just that, a dream. But there is no reason why 2022 shouldn’t be the year to make that dream come true. Opening your own cafe, coffee shop or tearoom is a popular choice of small business as we start to finally embrace the independents.  But any new business requires planning and research, and there are many factors to consider if you have a chance of making it a success.

A Small Business Plan

First you need a coherent business plan that takes into account premises, equipment,  costings and all aspects of finance. You need to know how much initial outlay you will need, whether you might be eligible for a small business loan from a company like Lendio, or whether you will need the help of a small business adviser to give you expert guidance and advice in keeping the business financially stable.

As well as a small business adviser, you need to sort your legal requirements, any permits and licenses you may need.

Premises

Finding the right premises is very important, but even if you find the perfect place, you may need to adapt, modernise and convert it from it’s original use. Safe cold .food storage is absolutely essential for a cafe or restaurant and you may need to consult a company  who specialise in cold rooms and cold room doors. This is even more important if your restaurant specialises in meat, fish or poultry and needs to be kept at a set temperature.

Once you have your ideal premises, then make sure it stands out for miles around with some eye catching business signage.  Choose your business name and look for a sign that looks both stylish and standout, you can also add signs inside your cafe highlighting permanent menu items, different kinds of coffee etc. Once you have the premises sorted, you can look at everything else you need, from furniture to a Cafe till system, from  food and drink supplies to those little added finishing touches.

Marketing

You need to get your business out there. Whether this be by networking and promoting, using ads in the local press or using social media, you can’t expect people just to come, you need good word of mouth and excellent opening offers to tempt them.

A good way of promoting your business is through both local and national events and trade fairs. It is worth investing in an exhibition stand from Plus Displays of some kind, either a stand up full advertisement, or some sort of tabletop display for you to attract customers and show off your promotional materials. You can even go with an interactive display that could show your cafe in the form of film, giving a real idea of being there. Exhibition stands are a good investment as they can be used over and over again to help you attract new customers. Then your food and service has to do the rest.

Think About Hygiene

At the very least you need to have food hygiene certification, whether you are opening a chip shop or hoping for some Michelin stars. Most local colleges offer this sort of training, and all your eventual staff need to make sure that certification is up to date.

Sharing is caring!