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Coffee Careers: How to Become a Café Owner
Dreaming of opening your own café? Here's how to get started.
Published September 23, 2021
Asharita D'Silva
Coffee experts@Era of We
Opening your own café is a dream for many. The cozy ambience, the right playlist, the smell of fresh coffee— who doesn’t love a good café? It takes a lot of hard work to operate one though, right from starting the business to making it successful.
Being a café owner can be an incredibly rewarding experience that lets you meet new people, provide unique experiences, and carve a niche for yourself in the hospitality industry. But of course, it’s not as simple as deciding to open a coffee shop. To maximise your chances of success, plan your venture carefully before investing your time, money, and effort. Here’s where you can start.
10 Things You Should Do If You Want to Open a Café
1. Research and strategize
Starting your own business is a massive step that will affect almost every aspect of your life. It’s best to not take this lightly: research the café industry, analyze the existing market where you are, and see how you can fit into it. At this stage, you need to get to know your potential customers and your competitors.
2. Find your niche
The café scene is highly competitive and in order to succeed, you need to differentiate yourself from the pack. What can you offer to customers that is unique? What is it that you do best? Answering these questions can help you figure out your niche and unique proposition.
3. Prepare a detailed business plan
A solid plan is the backbone of a good business. Your business plan needs to address your finances, your marketing strategy, your vision statement, and a growth strategy. Take the time to think through these aspects to get a clear picture of how you can make your café dreams a reality.
4. Location, location, location
Picking the right location can make or break your business. Consider practical applications like parking space, ease of access, seating space, and the neighbourhood before selecting a location. Pay special attention to your lease and the legal formalities associated with it. At the end of the day, pick a location that works for your niche and your business plan.
5. Find vendors
As a café owner, you’re only as good as the food and drinks you serve. Even simple dishes can be elevated by choosing quality ingredients, so take the time to get to know vendors in your area. Building relationships with good vendors will ensure your café menu is high-quality, sustainable, and profitable.
6. Invest in equipment
Commercial café equipment will be one of your biggest investments during your journey as a café owner. Avoid cutting corners here however, since good equipment saves you money in the long run. It also gives a professional quality to your offerings that will help you stay competitive. Renting equipment can be a good alternative at the start if your finances are tight.
7. Focus on your menu
Your menu should be cohesive, on-brand, and catered to your niche. As a café owner, you can create pairing menus for coffee, specialty coffee selections, and much more. Try to have signature items in some categories that can differentiate you from your competition.
8. Set up your café
In our highly visual world, aesthetics is very important. The design of your café should reflect your niche and your message within that niche. Commit to an aesthetic and keep it consistent in your design. Ambience is one of the things that stands out the most in a café, so it’s worth considering how you want to present your business.
9. Legal compliance and certifications
The reality is that there’s a pile of paperwork involved in opening a café, just like any business. Ensure that you check and meet restaurant regulations, food service laws, health codes, etc. in your area. It would be a good idea to consult with a lawyer to help you wade through the legal paperwork.
10. Opening your café
Finally, how can you open your café and make a statement? The launch of your café is your introduction to your customers so focus on marketing and publicity. Social media is a great tool that you can’t afford to ignore. Create a strong launch campaign, spread the word through every channel available to you, and prepare for your first customers.
Opening your own café is a dream for many coffee-lovers. It’s a chance to not only share your love for coffee with others but to also influence how coffee is viewed and consumed. The journey is long, but at least you’ll have coffee along the way!
About the author
Asharita D'Silva
Join me in discovering the wonderful world of coffee! As a writer, coffee is my fuel and newfound passion. I love writing about new coffees, sustainability, and coffee culture around the world. I'm always discovering new things about coffee and the industry, which I share with the great community here at Era Of We.
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