Opening a cafe can be a stressful, yet exciting time. People love a nice cup of coffee in the morning, afternoon, or late at night. No matter what time of day, there is always someone who is yearning for a cup of coffee. If you are setting up your own cafe in your neighborhood, this article will be helpful as we will point out 10 mistakes that you will want to avoid.
1. Cheap espresso machine.
Avoid buying a cheap espresso machine as your coffee will not taste as good and the machine will likely need to be replaced in a short period of time. Be sure to invest in an espresso machine that can withstand the test of time and is durable enough to be used frequently throughout the day. For a great selection, shop espresso machines from ekuep.com.
2. Do not count on making money right away.
One of the biggest mistakes new business owners make is that they think they will begin to make a profit on the first day that they open. This is not the case as it takes time to build customers and sales. Give yourself a few months before you expect to turn a profit.
3. Proper training of employees is important. Be sure to properly train your employees and have manuals and documents for the employee to sign off on stating that they understand the job expectations and the vision and mission of the establishment. It is also important to pay attention to their productivity. While proper training helps workers to improve their productivity, using workforce utilization and productivity software will enable you to measure productivity more accurately, so as to effectively manage workloads and work allocation, and help each individual do their best. In case you do not have an idea about improving and measuring workplace productivity, it is wise to get the help of a consultant.
4. Try to focus on what the target customer will like.
It is quite hard to not make your cafe full of only your favorite things. Be sure to think broadly and be inclusive of the different tastes and cultures represented in the neighborhood surrounding the cafe. If you do not appeal to the target market, your business will not be successful.
5. Have a clear mission.
Having a mission and vision will direct how you run your business. For example, if you just want to serve coffee and have a coffee machine, this is not going to excite many potential consumers. However, if you sell coffee and value reading books and want to have a comfortable place for patrons, be sure to express this in the look, feel, and even furniture that is inside your cafe. This will be more appealing to customers than a drab room with a coffee machine in it.
6. Cleanliness.
Make sure your cafe is clean at all times, especially the bathrooms, tables, and seating areas.
7. Reasonable prices.
While it may be tempting to charge 100% more for an item so that you make a great profit, be sure to charge for items appropriately so that customers will patronize your establishment. If something is priced too high, they won’t come back. However, if something is priced too low, the customer may not believe in the value of the product.
8. Try not to appeal to everyone.
This can be a challenge as you want everyone to like your cafe so that they will give you their business. This is not possible so do not waste your time. Focus on those that you can reach and give more attention to that population.
9. Act like an owner.
Often times owners will bus tables, make coffee, or run the cash register when they should be working on owner-type things such as budget projections, marketing, and strategic planning. In addition, do not give everything away. It may be tempting to want to treat family and friends to free items but you are really paying for them out of your own pocket which is costing you.
10. Do not give up.
Many new owners will give the business a few months and then give up. Instead of giving up, focus your efforts on marketing and exploring why you are not getting the traffic you expected.
