My husband bakes lovely cakes.  I think sometimes he dreams about owning his own business and getting away from practice management.  It would be amazing having a family business that the children could be involved in too.  My eldest enjoys cooking at school so he could help prep the meals.  My youngest who is chatty and bubbly could be front of house.  Welcoming customers and taking orders.  I could set up our social media pages and promote the new business.  Although I get setting up our own café would involve more than having a few key staff members.

There would be long exhausting hours involved.  We would need to invest in equipment and find suitable premises.  But if you do your research you will be better prepared for any obstacles that pop up in your way.  Pubs seem to be decreasing in popularity and more people prefer visiting coffee shops and cafés.

Storing Food

It might be worth seeing how a commercial refrigeration service would benefit us.  Part of keeping costs down is making sure you store food well, so you don’t have any spoilage.

It’s not just splashing out on the equipment it’s making sure they stay reliable and operational.  You need to make sure you have adequate insurance if food was ruined when your refrigerator breaks down.  Then make sure you have a company that will come out quickly specialising in commercial fridge repair so you don’t have too much downtime.

Some equipment you might be able to buy second hand to keep costs down.

Premises

Location is everything.  When setting up our own café we would need to make sure we picked a good location.  Somewhere with enough room to have a decent amount of covers and positioned where people notice it.  It’s okay being tucked out of the way if you have built a solid reputation, people will know all about you and come regardless.  But when you are starting out, it helps that your business has good footfall just outside it.

Menu

It’s recommended you don’t start off too ambitious.  Keep the menu simple so customers don’t have to wait too long.  As you get the hang of the equipment and your staff develop their skills look at expanding the menu.

Health and Safety

There are lots of regulations the business will need to comply with.  The Food Standards Agency and Environmental Health Service will need to be notified of your plans.  You will also need to get a food license.

Connect with your regulars

When you start to see a few familiar customers make sure you take time to connect with them.  Make them feel welcome.  In quieter periods your regular customers will keep the business going.  You can start a loyalty card, so they get a free hot drink after so many visits or try and think of other ways to reward them. Aim to buy some furniture with personality so you get seen on instagram, you want the customers to talk about your cafe in a positive way!

Niche

What will make you stand out over the competition? Think about your niche how you can make your business that bit different from the competition.  If I had a café, I would love evening socials, getting people together to play board games, drink tea and eat cake!