How to open a successful café: The ultimate guide to consider

Opening a coffee shop can be extremely profitable if you do it the right way. Pass by any busy coffee shop and it will likely be full of customers enjoying coffee, espresso, lattes, teas, and a variety of delicacies. With almost 68% of coffee consumers, considering a coffee-centric startup, especially a café, isn’t a bad idea that is expected to fetch excellent returns, if initiated properly.

If you love coffee and are looking for a business opportunity, this is your guide to starting a coffee shop and making it a success.

Step 1: Start with a potent business plan

Every business, including a café, needs a proper business plan to thrive. However, when it comes to a coffee shop, it is necessary to calculate the profitability quotient, prospective customer base, growth plans, and spread of competitors before moving ahead with the setup. The best thing about a business plan is that having one in place allows cafes to troubleshoot strategies and work towards perfecting the same for achieving goals in the long run.

Creating an effective business plan also signifies taking a lean planning path to start the proceedings i.e. the route that has minimum chances of incurring losses. Moreover, it is always in the best interest of the cafe or a restaurant to compare sample plans before going ahead with the project.

Step 2: Start looking for the right shop, kiosk, or building

When it comes to starting a local business, the location plays a significant role. Needless to say, the positioning of the shop or the building can make or break the business and therefore, it is necessary to be very selective regarding the building where the shop is being setup. A café needs to be started in an area which is frequented by youngsters and therefore it is necessary to look for a place that’s engulfed within the hustle-and-bustle of city life.

Step 3: Create a productive floor plan

Once the location is fixed, it is necessary to make most of the available space by strategizing the interior architecture, especially the floor plan. A café needs to be an interactive space and should have elements of casual dining space. Therefore, it is important to manage the space in the best possible manner. While making coffee, it is necessary to keep certain items in proximity and therefore the floor plan must include the structural, logistical, and even architectural aspects of the shop.

Step 4: Make room for an accountant

When it comes to starting a café, it is necessary to prepare for keeping a track of the expenses and earnings. Moreover, any business that concerns food and beverage must initially make way for an accountant who can keep a track of the finances, right from the beginning. That said, having a person to handle the account means that the business owner can concentrate on other aspects of the business besides chalking out plans for its growth and success.

Step 5: Invest in a good coffee machine

There is a lot to consider when purchasing a coffee maker, but most decisions have to deal with preference, cost, and convenience. Consider the special features of the coffee machine. Think about how easy it is to access and clean.

Step 6: Look for investment or local funding

There are times when you might envision a plan and stop midway due to fund shortage. This is where local investment or local funding comes into the scheme of things. While in most cases family members are contacted, friends and other interested parties can also pitch in at times, provided the business plan looks lucrative.

Step 7: Be accountable 

Starting a café means that you would be in need of food items, high-quality coffee beans, relevant coffee machines, and a host of other necessary items. Therefore, it is important to be calculative and connect with suppliers who can provide the same at the lowest possible costs. When it comes to purchasing food, furniture, and other items for the café, it is necessary to compare prices and make the final call based on affordability, provided quality checks have already been conducted. Lastly, while there are many coffee machines retailing across the globe, it is always advisable to purchase from the most potent ones including Kaapi Machines and other relevant coffee-shop inclusions.

Step 8: Hire the right talent

A great cup of coffee is the result of the precision and sophistication of the machine as well as the skills. Hire people who are well trained, punctual, sincere and smart at their work, as the entire business also depends upon the aura, hygiene and behavior of the waiters, as well as the food and beverages, served. Kaapi Machines, one of the leading coffee machines distributors also offer extensive training for new café owners, café staff, coffee aficionados, baristas and anyone who wants to learn the art of making a good cup of coffee.

Step 9: Market your brand with innovative strategies

In order to make the café a grand success, it is necessary to start marketing initiatives way before you open it for the public. While this might include social media marketing, free advertising, offering free coffee samples, sending out direct mail campaigns, or calling out the listed database names, it is always important to opt for innovative marketing strategies at the very beginning.

Step 10: Opening your Cafe

Opening your café is an incredible achievement and will mark the beginning of an exciting new adventure. After months or years of planning, preparation, and hiring the best staff possible, your ‘grand opening’ is a chance to show off your hard work. It’s also a great opportunity to start building long-lasting relationships with your customers. Consider having a ‘soft opening’ which allows you to learn the basics before you open fully to the public. This is a great way to test staff, workflow, and the atmosphere of your coffee shop.

All these steps, if followed in the given sequence, can help a person start a cafe with much ease. However, the success of the venture would eventually depend on the quality of coffee which is being served at the outlet. This aspect, therefore, takes us to the concept of coffee-machines and it is no secret that most of the successful cafes in the market have already resorted to buying from Kaapi Machines for getting the job done.