The secret of opening your own cafe.

Secret Book 1: study before opening a shop

Go to the coffee shop to collect information, first of all to understand what kind of place the coffee shop is, which needs to go to the physical store to collect information. Nowadays, there are many kinds of cafes. Is it drink-centered or food-centered, or is it the charm of the environment or the cultural atmosphere? Location is very important. Now we can not only learn coffee knowledge from relevant books, but also have a large number of coffee enthusiasts posting, exchange and discussion on the Internet, as well as access to relevant coffee knowledge.

I suggest that before opening a shop, we should examine different types of coffee shops at the initial stage, slowly relocate them in their own minds, narrow the scope, and focus on the types of coffee shops we want to do. Refer to all kinds of cafes, try to communicate with the owner, take notes and take pictures, and gradually let the idea take shape in your mind.

If you find an ideal coffee shop, be sure to communicate directly with the store manager or clerk. Of course, the time of communication should also be chosen, which should not affect the business hours of others.

Go to formal training schools to study, there are many good training schools, you can not only learn coffee knowledge, but also teach how to open a coffee shop, you can also attend some lectures such as coffee salons and so on.

Try to work in a coffee shop, in fact, the most effective and basic way is to go directly to work in a coffee shop. When you work in the store, you can fully understand the relevant business knowledge such as the use of funds, personnel arrangements and specific operations. It is also an important preparation to learn to get in touch with guests and gain service experience in advance. There are some things that cannot be obtained in books, and you can only experience them by feeling them.

It is suggested that the shop where you work should be close to your ideal store, see whether you choose to be in a busy downtown area or a quiet residential area, and so on, and have more exchanges with friends and seniors who share the same dream. the establishment of a network will bring a lot of help in the opening and operation of your own cafe.

Secret Book 2: the orientation of the Cafe

What is the motivation for opening a coffee shop? Although cafes have something in common, if you want to open your own shop, you must want your own cafe to have its own characteristics. If you do not consider the positioning of the cafe, just for some reason impulse to open a cafe, this is very risky, very likely to close down in the end. So, think about it, why are you so enthusiastic about opening a cafe? This is the first thing to figure out.

After thinking clearly, the next step is the most important position. What kind of cafe do you want to open? Is it mainly based on coffee drinks or meals? Is it a business cafe for successful people, or a leisure cafe dominated by petty bourgeoisie? Do you want the guests to come to taste the homemade sweet snacks, or to enjoy a cup of professional coffee and enjoy the leisure time?

So, the next thing to do is to think clearly about these issues. Why open a cafe? What kind of products do you want to provide to our guests? When are you going to open the shop? What kind of guests would you like to come to our coffee shop? Who runs the coffee shop? Where can I open a shop? What kind of style do you adopt? The most important thing is, how much money do we have to invest?

Secret Book 3: about the Development of Cafe menu

The most indispensable thing in a coffee shop is the signature dish, that is, the characteristics of the shop. There are a lot of guests who will directly ask you what are the characteristics of the coffee shop. So making a perfect menu is the last step towards opening a store.

Mainly consider the main contents of the menu. After the positioning of the cafe is clear, the main content on the menu can basically be determined. Objectively speaking, the main content of the menu is basically the goods pushed by the shopkeeper and received by the guests. Therefore, it is necessary to create the menu as a commodity, so that it can become a sign to attract guests, and then consider the cost, pricing, and make a delicate and perfect menu.

After determining the main products in the store, the auxiliary content on the menu must also continue to be improved. if the menu is rich in content and variety, it will attract more guests and will continue to increase the number of times they come to the store. Because the menu is rich in variety and the prepared ingredients are relatively rich, we need to pay attention to prevent the loss of ingredients. If there is too much food development, the concept of the main product will be blurred. Therefore, we should comprehensively consider the positioning of our own store and make a menu with a perfect combination of primary and secondary products.

Take the store location and building as the center of consideration. The corresponding menu should be developed according to the characteristics of the store site and building, which means that the store site and building are also the selling points of the store, and the menu should be adjusted accordingly according to these factors. It is necessary to comprehensively consider the regionality, the customer stratum, the characteristics of the store and the requirements of the nearby guests, and make the menu which is accepted by everyone and has its own characteristics after fully grasping the needs of the region.

Think and price. What kind of price is appropriate? If you want to judge from the price of raw materials, you should consider the original price rate. The so-called original price rate refers to the cost ratio of raw materials accounted for in the price (selling price) of the goods. Generally speaking, the original price rate should not exceed 30% of the selling price, and beverages should account for 10% to 20%. Generally speaking, it is calculated according to this law. However, depending on the situation of different stores, rent and labor costs need to be added.

In addition to referring to the original price rate, we should also refer to the prices of the surrounding shops. Do more market research before opening the store, understand the local demand, and then give full play to the characteristics of your store according to the characteristics of the store site and the surrounding facilities.

Original price rate (%) = raw material fee / selling price × 100%; raw material fee = material fee × (1 + loss rate)

The material cost refers to the sum of the prices of the food actually purchased; the loss rate refers to the proportion of the roots, stems and leaves of vegetables that cannot be used as commodities.

Secret Book 4: the necessary funds for opening a store

The necessary funds for opening a store include: ① initial planning fee; ② joining fee; ③ storefront cost; ④ internal and external design and decoration fee; ⑤ equipment, facilities, etc.; ⑥ advertising expenses; ⑦ purchase expenses; ⑧ operating funds; ⑨ working capital

The initial planning cost of ① mainly refers to the pre-market development expenses and related legal affairs expenses, including study fees, market research related expenses and so on.

② franchise fee, if you want to join a coffee shop of a well-known brand, then the franchise fee is often a large expense.

For the cost of ③ stores, there are three main sources of coffee shops, namely, renting buildings, buying buildings or building by themselves. Mainly leasing, the cost includes the funds that need to be paid for the initial contract, including deposit, intermediary fees, rent and so on.

④ internal and external design and decoration expenses, including the layout and style of the coffee shop and the materials used and the design costs of the coffee shop's effect drawings, floor plans and construction drawings, as well as construction costs (including exterior wall decoration, interior decoration, other decoration materials), equipment costs (including water, electricity, gas lamps)

⑤ equipment and facilities, including sofas, tables and chairs, shelves, televisions, computers and other office supplies; air conditioning system, sound system, safety fire protection system, ventilation facilities, etc.; cooking equipment, storage equipment, washing equipment, processing and heat preservation equipment used for bar; kitchen utensils, conditioning utensils, etc.; production of bar, coffee cups, tea makers, various butterflies and other utensils It even includes the cost of employees' uniforms.

The cost of ⑥ advertising, including the business card of the coffee shop, the design and production of the promotional page before opening, the publicity fee on the website such as group buying, mobile phone, etc.

The purchase cost of ⑦, including the cost of food and consumables, various coffee beans, sugar, dairy products, syrup and other initial raw materials at the bar.

⑧ operating capital, including the handling of various certificates before opening, the salary of employees, the cost of training and the cost of accommodation and meals, ⑨ working capital, at the beginning of business, the coffee shop needs to prepare a certain amount of liquidity, mainly to ensure the normal operation of the initial stage of business.

Secret Book 5: about the use of funds after opening

First of all, it is necessary to clarify the monthly fixed expenses. Not affected by the increase or decrease in the number of visitors, the expenses that must be paid each month are called fixed fees. For cafes, it is the monthly rent, labor costs and depreciation of fixed assets. In contrast, the cost that changes according to the increase or decrease in the number of passengers is called variable cost, such as the cost of raw materials, etc.

For the forecast of turnover, relative to expenditure, the monthly entry is called turnover. For the cafe, the turnover is equal to "the unit price of guest consumption x the number of guests". Before opening, forecast the turnover according to this formula.

First of all, the guest consumption unit price. The number of guests can be estimated according to the environment around the store, the contents of the menu and the price of each item. Of course, the unit price and the number of guests will change due to the time period and other factors, depending on the environment around the store.

Profit is calculated through turnover, at this time, the profit and loss point should be calculated. The profit and loss point is related to the ratio of the store's expenditure to turnover.

The calculation method of turnover: turnover = guest consumption unit price x number of passengers

The method of calculating the number of guests: number of guests = number of seats × number of revolutions × seat utilization rate (calculated at a trial rate of 80%); number of guests = flow in front of the store × attraction rate (attraction refers to the ratio of people passing through the door of the store to enter the coffee shop); number of guests = frequency of next year × number of guests per dial x number of calls (frequency of coming to the store refers to the number of times to come to the coffee shop in a month)

The profit and loss point is calculated as follows: profit and loss point = fixed fee / (1-change fee / turnover). For example, if the change fee is 300000, the turnover is 1 million, and the fixed fee is 700000, the profit and loss point is 1 million.

Secret Book 6: document processing

The smooth opening of the cafe also requires a variety of qualifications. After applying to the relevant local parts, it will take a long time to approve. In order to match the opening date, it is recommended to apply in advance and set aside time for yourself.

The documents required for coffee shop opening include construction permit, fire control certificate, legal representative certificate, environmental protection certificate, health license, business license, tax registration certificate, signboard advertising permit, occupation permit, labor permit and so on.

Secret Book 7: how to choose a location

Location is particularly important. It has been said that the location of a coffee shop can almost determine the success or failure of a business. Although a bit exaggerated, but the location is indeed the most important factor in opening a shop.

First of all, we should consider the region. When selecting a site, we should first collect a large number of information about the storefront, and the most important consideration at this time is the region. Consider the region, but also mainly in order to combine the location of the store to make a choice. Consider where the main customer base is, and gradually filter the information as the center.

Secondly, do more on-the-spot visits, after screening out a relatively satisfactory storefront, it is recommended to visit the place in person. Only by seeing the building and the street, feeling the crowd and speculating about the potential customers, can we have a comprehensive grasp of the location and environment of the store.

After finding a favorite store, it is recommended to continue to do a street survey in front of the store-the flow of people, the age, sex, male-to-female ratio of the people coming and going, and the differences between the morning, middle and late periods of time, and turn this into a detailed data table as a reference for selection.

The key point of storefront selection is whether it is suitable for catering. Are water, electricity, gas and other municipal facilities normal? What is the economic trend in this region? Is the traffic in good condition? What is the type of street? Are there any restrictions on internal and external decoration? Is the rent and deposit of the store reasonable?

Secret Book 8: purchase of equipment and utensils

Among the expenses related to the opening of the coffee shop, utensils. The cost of equipment accounts for a relatively large proportion. There are more items that occupy more space, such as sinks, desks, tables and chairs, etc. It is recommended to prepare and make plans as soon as possible when drawing a plan before installation, so as to set aside time to search for items with high performance and price.

The necessary equipment and items of a cafe include: sink, stove, console, oven and microwave oven, ice maker, coffee machine, cutlery rack and kitchen vault, tables and chairs, cashiers, computers, coffee cups and other necessary equipment.

Secret Book 9: about Design and Construction

Define and solidify the style of the coffee shop. Before inviting the decoration company, you will generally have a coffee shop-style intention in your mind. The intention of buying shares is not clear, be sure to refer to a variety of books, impurities and related cafe images on the website, or go directly to your favorite cafe for reference. Prepare visual images as much as possible, fix the intention of the cafe you want, and then convey it to the decoration company will be much smoother.

Entrust the designer and the construction team to decorate, while the specific decoration of the store asks the designer to draw the design drawing, and then entrust the construction team to complete it. When choosing a design and decoration company, you can refer to the professional introduction of the store and the information found on the Internet. In the choice of decoration companies, we need to pay attention to what we are good at, and to determine their own budget, choose a few more.

If you are particularly clear about the style of the store you want, you can also completely design and decorate yourself. You can also decorate part of the construction by yourself, so as to save some money.

When designing the floor plan of the store, you should not only make sure that there is enough space in the kitchen, but also set aside as many seats as possible. If the seats are too close apart, it will make it difficult for the guests to relax. It is recommended to set aside 1 square meter of space between the two seats.

In the store design, we also need to pay attention to the design of the mobile route, that is, to design the shortest route from the kitchen to the seat in the passageway, in order to achieve the purpose of efficient operation, which involves the placement of the bar, operating desk, sink and so on. The seating section should take into account the distance between the clerk and the guest when they move at the same time. Guests on the way to the bathroom or standing at the cashier seem to consider whether the distance between the guest and the waiter of the product is appropriate when drawing a floor plan. Set aside the aisle between seats as much as possible to avoid "narrow paths".

Secret Book 10: selection of purchase location and matters needing attention

The purchase of ingredients. For cafes, the purchase volume is different, the purchase channels are also different. It is recommended that the raw materials be used in large cafes to sign a contract with the distributor directly, and the other party will deliver the goods regularly. Cafes with large use of raw materials can save time and cost relatively less by choosing this stable way of restocking.

When the usage is not too large, you can go to the local vegetable market, nearby supermarket and so on to buy the necessary materials. It must be noted that it is best to purchase from the local market or supplier.

For the purchase of all kinds of drinks, almost all of the main products of the cafe are beverages, so most of the merchants buy directly from professional agents.

Secret Book 11: about Services

Whether to hire a clerk, whether to greet a guest alone or to hire a clerk to help, is a common annoyance to the owners of relatively small cafes. A shortage of staff will cause confusion, but there will be a labor cost to hire a shop assistant. It is suggested that according to the size of the store and the composition of the menu, after the estimated turnover, finally make a comprehensive judgment.

The most basic principle of serving customers is to be warm and generous. Ask for the content of the order first, and then provide water. These are just the basic ways to carry a shell. You know, it is not to attract customers to the store at any time, but should pay attention to it everywhere. Appropriately integrate the concept of coffee shop into the basic hospitality model, provide characteristic services, and make the signboard of your own coffee shop.

Basic hospitality process: ① customers arrive at the store, greet them with a smile and say "Welcome" loudly. When there are more regular customers, you can also directly use cordial greetings such as "Hello"; ② guides customers to take seats, confirm the number of guests, whether smoking and other information, lead the guests to guide the corresponding vacant seats; ③ order, guests are seated, immediately send the menu and provide water and wet towels. After that, respond at any time according to the request of the guest. After the guest has ordered, in order to ensure the accuracy, it is recommended to repeat it. If some dishes or drinks take a long time to prepare, you need to inform the guest in time; ④ will deliver the food and drink to the seat in time. If you need more time to prepare the food, you need to explain it to the guest in advance. When delivering the food, it is suggested that you finish saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting, this is …" After that, don't make too much noise, and gently put the plate on the table. Don't forget to take the knife, fork and spoon, and pay attention to the layout. After the plate is complete, if the guest needs an additional order, he should respond in time; ⑤ cleans the table and drinks, pays attention to the guest's condition, and takes away the used plate in time. Be careful not to embarrass the guest; ⑥ check out, operate at the cashier, tell the guest whether to accept the voucher, pay attention to whether the change is ready, and say "thank you very much" graciously. Welcome to come next time, "smiley face farewell customers."

Secret Book 12: on the eve of opening

OK, now that we are close to opening, aren't we really ready?

First of all, check the menu and simulated pick-up, in the ready store, according to the real business to operate, familiar with the kitchen and bar operation process as soon as possible, keep practicing. Do as many simulation exercises as possible to avoid being in a hurry when there are many guests.

Before opening the shop, put up posters in the more conspicuous places near the street, indicating the opening date. To make a propaganda fold, you can also consider doing publicity in the local newspaper, as well as using the Internet, Weibo, Wechat and other means for publicity and marketing.

Check whether the kitchen and bar equipment are working properly before opening the shop. Is the air conditioner normal? Is there nothing wrong with the appliances and light bulbs in the store? Are the required raw materials ready? Are the signs and menus ready? Especially on the day of opening, we should pay attention to whether all the materials needed for production have been delivered? Are the cleaning utensils ready? Are the receipts and invoices ready? Are the writing tools and the required seals ready? Is there enough change in the cash register? Are the shopkeepers and service staff ready?

Secret Book 13: what happens after opening a store

Get into the habit of writing a daily newspaper. Although your daily work is very busy, you should still get into the habit of writing a daily newspaper, recording things ranging from the weather to the number of guests, the type of guests, the change of menus and turnover, and so on. Generally, after opening a store for about a year, we can initially calculate the customer flow and customer base of the store, so as to determine some information in the future, and we can also make more preparations and adjustments in the later operation.

After opening, we should pay attention to still adhere to effective publicity, usually after opening a store, in order to get the favor of new customers, we need to take some effective publicity means. When actively striving for new customers, we should also pay attention to maintaining a relationship with old customers.

In order to operate the coffee shop continuously and effectively, it is necessary to check the soundness of the business area at the right time. According to the usual statistics, on the basis of fully grasping the figures, try to improve and modify the profit model. However, be careful not to deviate from the position of your own cafe and not to make guests feel that the business is not like you. On the basis of sticking to your own position, don't forget to keep pace with the times. Continue to develop their own business.