There are many things that you should take into consideration if you are thinking of opening a cafe. It may sound easy and affordable, but it is a business like every other and you need to treat it as such. It’s great if you can picture yourself as a proud owner of a busy coffee shop. Unfortunately, about 80% of new coffee shops get closed within a year. Statistics may not be on your side, but if you have passion and knowledge, you could overcome the obstacles and get into the desired 20%.
Suitable market and good location
Location is essential. You could have the best coffee, good service, and beautiful interiors, but it’s all in vain if nobody is going to come in. Depending on your budget, you should try to find the best location option for your small business. Landlords and lawyers can be challenging to work with, especially if you have never dealt with legal regulations before. If you need help in those fields, do not hesitate to ask someone who already owns a similar business. The dreaded law of supply and demand dictates the terms in the market and it is merciless. You need paying customers so before you offer them your product, you need to research market demand for the particular location that you have in mind.
Check your funds and expect the unexpected
You should know how much capital you need for many things involved in launching a cafe. For example, do you have sufficient funds to pay yourself in the beginning? Or do you plan to employ help? In addition, you have to predict sudden losses, a decrease in the customer flow, or unexpected malfunction of a coffee machine. Those are all the things that are perfectly normal to happen. Therefore, always try to increase your costs by 20% so you can relax in case of an unforeseen event. Your business plans should be realistic and once you open, it would be wise to recheck them. If there are some adjustments needed, make them, because it is in your best interest.
Importance of aesthetics
Many things could affect your business, and one of them is aesthetics. Whatever your choice is, try to implement it in the right way. If you are not sure that you can do it yourself, seek professional help. A good interior designer can help you choose the furniture and decorations and set the overall tone. Try not to follow trends, but to create your own. For example, wood is making a comeback, so think about getting beautiful bentwood chairs, solid wood bar tables and wooden decorations. Customers want to feel comfortable, so investing in some quality and exciting pieces of furniture could be a good choice. Finally, it would be helpful to have your signature interior design style so that people would find it interesting and feel drawn back there.
What makes you different from the others?
Due to the fact that there are a lot of cafes out there, people can choose whichever they like the best. That is where your unique concept steps in. It would be helpful if you had something special to make your cafe stand out from the others. Take the extra mile if you need to because you want people to come back over and over again. It would be wise to define your target customer to know what you should be offering to them. Try not to copy anyone because you need customers to come precisely because of your uniqueness. Your concept is the foundation on which you will build an image and further develop your business. Try to offer something unique and exciting, but don’t give up on the original idea and try to stick to it as much as you can.
Whatever your choices are, you need to do your research and be ready for anything. Launching a café is risky business, so make sure to cover everything you need to know. Invest in good equipment, good coffee, good staff, and it is the best start position you can create for yourself.