How to open a summer cafe: step by step instructions. What do you need to open a cafe

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Any business starts with probing the soil, with a comprehensive study. If you need accurate data, you can contact special agencies and order a study on a specific request. But entrepreneurs are different in that they know how to identify free niches “by eye”.

How to open a summer cafe?

Seasonal business requires maximum effort and time. Unlike a year-round establishment, a summer cafe requires a longer time for promotion. But it was like that before. The development of information technology greatly simplifies business tasks. Simple technologies help you first build a customer base and only then start a business. We will consider in detail in the material.

Niche research

Summer cafes can be opened not only in the city, but also in small towns and even in villages. The ideal place is the tourist and beach areas, the circles of hotels and inns. In this scenario, you can throw 50% on the estimated number of visitors per day. The reason for this is a lot of research and practical experience in merchandising, which says that impulsivepurchases can account for up to 60% of revenue.

Another line of research is the study of competitors. Is there another summer cafe within a radius of 2-3 blocks? What's the menu? What chips are used? What attracts visitors? The ideal option is the absence of competitors in the foreseeable horizon.

Business plan

One of the secrets of accurate analysis is that it is done on paper. It is not enough to calculate the amount of expenses and income on the calculator. A detailed project for a summer cafe should answer the following questions:

• Why was this place chosen?
• Which room or area will the establishment be located in?
• Platform design - style, design, cost.
• Will there be additional areas: parking, children's area, dance floor, non-smoking area or summer cafe terrace?
• Menu: what will be served? The presence of a bar, pastry shop or bakery.
• Organization of entertainment: music, DJ, toastmaster or other method of entertainment.
• Types of kitchen utensils, appliances and utensils, their number.
• Number of employees: cooks, waiters and administrators.
• Ways to buy food, drinks and ingredients. Do you need a car and a driver?
• Additional free services for visitors.
• Additional paid services.
• Cafe furniture - where to buy or order? Amount of expenses.
• Clothes for staff in the same style: design, tailoring and cost.
• Marketing plan: how will visitors find out about a new establishment? Whatadvertising budget? What channels will be used?
• Additional ways to monetize equipment.
• Chips that competitors don't have.
• Budget for the first month.

The answer to these questions should indicate the amount that is needed to start the business.

Question of premises

After detailed calculations, you should look for a room. There are three options: buy, build or rent.

Rented premises carry the most risks. First, the monthly rent payment must be constantly included in the budget. Secondly, a reputation is being created, the place is being promoted, but at any moment you may be asked to vacate the premises.

If the plans are serious and the entrepreneur intends to work in the field of catering for a long time, then it is worth looking at the options where there is the prospect of full ownership of the premises. Moving to a new location after brand promotion is fraught with losses. The laurels of many years of work in the form of regular customers can be reaped by other people.

If there is no money for the purchase, then you can look for investors or partners who are ready to invest in the summer cafe project in exchange for a certain share of the profits in the future. A mortgage should be considered as a last option. It is relevant if open summer cafes as a business promise really great prospects.

Creating a menu

Kitchen is the backbone of the catering business. It is necessary to determine the direction: exquisite European dishes, French desserts, Italian cuisine with pizza,oriental with spices or mixed. But here, too, the skill of the cook remains the decisive factor.

Given the specifics of the business, the menu must necessarily include a large selection of desserts, drinks, ice cream, salads and other light dishes. Experienced restaurateurs note that meat dishes are in demand in the summer, especially barbecues with beer and other alcoholic beverages. They can be topped with a variety of fresh vegetable salads, cheese platters, stuffed pastries and flavored teas.

As an additional feature, you can include:

• Hookah.
• Karaoke.
• Selfie Corner.
• Tables for a summer cafe in an unusual design - ottomans or rocking chairs.
• Contests with prizes among visitors.
• In the parking lot - washing the car while the owners are resting.
• If the cafe is a family one, then a good playground should be organized.

One establishment is remembered for allowing patrons to write on the walls with a marker. Another was different in that it served disposable slippers to adults and sweets to children at the entrance.

In any case, the main requirements do not change - a summer cafe should be conducive to long conversations, be cozy and should feed deliciously.

Search for suppliers

The second important requirement is the quality of products. Standing meat can spoil the quality of all dishes. Those visitors who got food from this batch will decide to forget the way to thisinstitution. Men will not forgive if the beer is stale. It all comes down to finding reliable suppliers. You have to make an agreement with them. It gives the legal right to demand timely deliveries and proper product quality.

Register

There are two types of ownership in the Russian Federation: individual entrepreneurs and legal entities. The difference lies in the fact that an individual entrepreneur is liable in the amount of his own property registered in his name. And the risks of a legal entity do not go beyond the authorized capital formed before registration.

The list of documents required for registration can be obtained at the local offices of the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and EGRIP. Information is also available on the website. The registration process takes no more than 5 days for both forms of ownership.

Recruitment

Working in seasonal institutions is more attractive to students and schoolchildren who decide to earn extra money during the summer holidays. If the cafe is located in the city or not far from it, then there should be no problems with the labor force. If the establishment is located in tourist areas and away from the residential area, then you may have to take care of hiring with accommodation. The advantage of this option is that labor is always cheaper on the outskirts than in the city.

The second question is how to register employees. The Labor Code puts forward uniform requirements for the procedure for hiring. According to him, all employees must be formally registered, and the entrepreneur is obliged to charge insurance premiums on them.

In practice, entrepreneursfind the legal way troublesome. Given the short duration of the work, they prefer not to register the employee, but to issue the salary “in an envelope”. In total, more than 30% of Russians work in the shadow sector of the economy. The fight against such phenomena falls within the competence of the Labor Inspectorate and local tax authorities. They have the right to come with an inspection at any time and issue fines if they find violations.

Staff training

The quality of service is no less important than the quality of ingredients, the taste of dishes and cafe furniture in the interior. But the big opponent of good self-service is the human factor: absent-mindedness, fatigue, dishonesty and emotionality. It is important to keep the spirit of vivacity, goodwill and motivation in the staff.

The best motivation is money. Therefore, this issue should be considered at the stage of formation of wages. You should not spare effort and money for team building and motivation.

Experience of one entrepreneur: in the daytime, when there are few visitors, there was a general relaxation of the waiters. The leader proposed an original solution: every 30 minutes everyone goes into the hall and dances for 30 seconds. If at first the waiters were indifferent and laughed instead of dancing, later the spirit of adventurism appeared: they prepared group numbers and fully performed in the hall. The audience was delighted.

Launch of an advertising campaign

More than a hundred years ago, advertising appeared. Since then, it has developed at a measured pace, looking for more efficient and less budget implementation options. Social networksopened up great opportunities: they can promote any business. The scale is not limited: it can be within one country, it can be the whole planet. Investments are minimal. If you periodically invite local stars to a free lunch in exchange for a story on your page, then we can assume that the market is almost won.