How to open a coffee shop from scratch: the secrets of a successful business. How to promote a restaurant

If you are just thinking about how to open a coffee shop from scratch, you need to know the specifics and advantages of the coffee business.

Coffee house features

1. When opening your cafeteria, you can limit yourself to a modest initial capital, because a large premises for this type of business is not needed, maintain a staff of twenty employees, too, and the purchase of food will be inexpensive.
2. The target audience of cafeterias is students, women's companies and business people, so you need to choose a place near institutes, business centers or clothing stores.
3. In accordance with where the coffee shop is located, you need to correctly form a pricing policy and interior. Because not every student can afford a cup of coffee for 300-500 rubles, and in shopping centers it is necessary to create an interesting and bright design so that people want to drink a cup of coffee at your place.
4. This type of activity pays off very quickly, which is not the case with pizzerias or restaurants.

What does it take to open a coffee shop from scratch?

First of all, the place. The main criterion for choosing is the pedestrian flow, because the payback rate directly depends on it.

Then you need to choose: buy a franchise or take out on your own. Next, you need to register as an LLC or IP. The first option is worth choosing if you are creating a business together. And the second option is only if you create alone.

As for taxation, the best choice is UTII (single tax on imputed income).

The next stage is renting or buying premises, refurbishing, hiring staff and choosing suppliers of baked goods and other products. Special attention should be paid to the barista, because he is the face of any coffee shop.

And during the repair you need to decide on the design.

Mini coffee shop design

Install panoramic windows that offer a view of the city. But do not forget to decorate the ground adjacent to the coffee shop with decor items. Large windows will not only allow you to watch passers-by, but also visually expand a small room.

Place dining groups at a remote distance from each other, and for free communication of visitors, you can put partitions.

Install lighting with the ability to adjust so that guests can choose a comfortable environment for themselves.

It is also important to choose furniture with a high degree of wear resistance, because this will save you money on repairing or replacing it if you have a high traffic.

Equipment

Add to list necessary equipment for the cafeteria includes:

1. Refrigerator
2. coffee machine
3. Mixer
4. coffee grinder
5. showcase
6. Microwave
7. Freezer
8. If you want to sell pastries of your own production, then you need to buy a baking cabinet.

To begin with, it is better not to buy, but to rent equipment, because this will reduce losses when a business burns out. It is best to choose a company that will service and install the equipment itself, because this will save you a lot of time and effort.

Menu

Usually the number of items on the menu should not exceed 20, because exceeding it contributes to the loss of cafeteria specificity. Coffee house owners claim that a good menu consists of:

• 7-11 varieties of coffee and drinks with it;
• 5-8 types of teas;
• Hot chocolate;
• 7-11 varieties of desserts;
• Pancakes with different filling;
• 3-6 salad options;
• 6-9 variations of simple and hot sandwiches.

How to promote a mini coffee shop

It all depends on the amount you can invest. If there is not much money, you can arrange contests in social networks. And only then create flyers, rent billboards advertising on TV. Create a small celebration on opening day to let passers-by know about the new establishment. But the most important thing in any business is its competitiveness. Something has to differentiate your cafeteria from hundreds of others so that people come to you.

How to Create a Competitive Edge in Your Cafeteria

Dozens of coffee houses operate in any city in Russia, which shows how strongly this business is currently developed.

The competition is very high in this segment, so building a competitive edge is essential.

It is important that in the cafeteria:

• There was an opportunity to both drink a glass of coffee on the spot and buy it to go.
• There was a pricing policy appropriate to the place.
• Remember that you can not unreasonably raise the cost of dishes.
• The guest received impeccable service in the coffee shop.
• There was a loyalty program for guests who often come to the institution.
• There was an opportunity in the summer to have a cup of coffee outside.
• There was an unusual design that could attract not only residents of the village, but also visitors.
• They made excellent coffee and food.

Mini coffee shop business plan

Often, along with the goal of “I want to open a coffee shop”, there is a difficult question about the price of the enterprise. This budget was made for the opening of a cafeteria with a kitchen, the area of ​​​​which is 120 m2, the institution has about 45 seats, of which about 20 m2 is occupied by a bar.

If you want to open a cafe in Moscow, then you are a brave and determined person. Why? Because competition in the field Catering the capital is colossal. Find a place to hire best chef and creating an incredible menu is only part of the journey.

A real gladiatorial battle is the promotion of a cafe. Don't know how to promote a cafe? In this article, we have collected the latest effective ways. Stay with us, read and take notes.

Promotion of a cafe: the main rule is word of mouth

More than 50% of visitors learn about the new cafe from friends and colleagues. About 18-20% read about the institution on the Internet. That is, the most effective way to promote a business is word of mouth. Thinking about how to make people talk about you and advise friends? Ideas for the promotion of a cafe in this case are virtually inexhaustible.

What interesting chips for cafes are used most often? First of all, everything related to the menu:

• Unusual composition of dishes. Unusual should equal "delicious".
• Original appearance. If the taste of the dish is appreciated only by the guest who ordered it, the appearance will surprise everyone. Photo of a pumpkin in the form of a carriage with baked in it pork ribs with bone carving will quickly disperse into in social networks.
• Large portions. It still pleasantly surprises guests. Get your first customers on edge with the amount of servings. This will be remembered for a long time and told to friends.
• Prices. Dumping always works.

The service and design of the premises can also be an occasion for conversation:

• Unusual staff uniform
• designer tableware
• Author's door handles

Take a look from a new angle at everything that the visitor has long been familiar and familiar with. Promotion of a cafe from scratch in this case will be swift. But know the measure! When creating an unusual offer, be guided by the tastes of the audience. All of the above is designed to surprise guests. Nice to be surprised.

Promotion of a cafe or restaurant should begin even before the establishment itself opens. Start an advertising campaign a couple of weeks before X-Day. Announce the opening of the first cafe of its kind. Intrigue and throw cryptic hints. The audience should tremble in anticipation.

The main source of information about catering establishments is the Internet. New establishments often open in Moscow. How to ensure effective promotion of cafes on the Internet?

Simple rules on how to promote a cafe online:

• Create a site. The rules of a good site are a simple interface, mouth-watering photos, menus, prices, and up-to-date information about ongoing promotions and events. Entrust the creation and promotion of the site to professionals.
• Cafe promotion on social networks and Instagram. Entrepreneurs consider this method of promotion effective. In social networks, hold simple contests: a discount for reposting, coffee for all subscribers, and so on.
• Reviews. If there is a well-known blogger that suits your target audience, arrange a review.
• City reference systems. Promotion of cafes and restaurants through reference systems is another effective method. Often visitors simply look for an institution that is nearby. Be sure to post information in 2Gis, Yandex and Google maps, Local Hero and other large resources.
• Subject sites and forums. Now the forums are losing their relevance. But resources dedicated to reviews of the restaurant business are gaining momentum. The most famous and visited is Foursquare. Collaborate actively.

The main methods of cafe promotion on the Internet are discounts and gifts for subscribers and free invitations to events. Photos rule the internet. Make detailed photo reports of all events on social networks and on the website. Visitors will search for themselves and post photos. Also post attractive photos of your cafe dishes.

Chips for a cafe: what attracts guests

The atmosphere of the cafe and the interior is certainly important. But in order for everyone to know about them, it is necessary to lure guests to you. The most effective way is discounts, promotions and gifts. What promotion can you come up with for a cafe? There are a lot of options. See what competitors are offering. Come up with an unusual offer. That is, one that has not yet become pleasing to the guests.

The main thing is the benefit for visitors. First of all, they focus on price. For example, two drinks for the price of one, discounts on large orders, special menu of the day, business lunches. Constantly update discount promotions so that guests do not become bored with them. Another reason is that you want your customers to try as many items on the menu as possible. Promotions will change, and guests will order their favorite food, regardless of the discount.

Other cafe promotion ideas are gifts from the chef and club cards. The point is to show how important the guest is to you, to distinguish him from all.

On social networks, you can conduct a survey to find out what promotions visitors want to see. So you will know which offer will definitely be a success, and the guests will feel omnipotent.

If you don’t know how to quickly promote a cafe, lower prices and ask social media subscribers what they would like to see in your establishment.

How else can you promote a cafe: cooperation

There is safety in numbers. In order for as many people as possible to know about your cafe, cooperate with other businesses. A simple example. If you have opened a cafe designed for moviegoers, on a mutual basis, agree with film clubs to hold film screenings on your territory. Offer discounts or free coffee to all club members.

The more partners you have, the easier it is to promote the cafe. The logic is simple: the guests came because they promised a discount. In the cafe, they met the same inveterate moviegoers, saw huge portions of unusual food and door handles in the form of a movie projector. They were delighted, posted photos on Instagram. These photos were seen by friends and friends of friends.

Cooperation with themed clubs is very beneficial if you do not know how to promote a small cafe. People with common interests will gather in a small square. Your task is to maintain a friendly atmosphere. The atmosphere of a cozy club is suitable if you do not know how to promote a cafe in an impassable place. Create a unique offer, surprise guests and promise gifts. Then you will be found even on platform 9¾.

How to promote a cafe: a course for a young fighter

We have listed universal ways of promotion. Remember that all your efforts should ultimately be aimed at launching word of mouth. The rest is nuance.

• Thinking how to unwind cafe in a small town? It's very simple. Analyze competitors, draw up a portrait of your guest and make a loud statement about yourself before opening. Since there are fewer competitors in smaller cities, you will be recognized very quickly. And then proceed according to the algorithm described above.
• All of the above rules apply to how to promote fast food cafe. In this case, the main thing is the correct location of the business. Locate the business either on a busy street or in a busy mall. Before opening, place an offer in the windows: discounts on the opening day and an unprecedented menu. There should also be links to the site and groups in social networks.
• If five years ago, entrepreneurs puzzled over how to promote cafe without alcohol, now it can become that very unique feature. The main thing is to correctly apply this advantage. It can be a cafe for the whole family or for adherents of a healthy lifestyle. According to the audience, come up with a menu and promotions. Remember that your task is to sell a unique format.

Do you want to develop a working business, and not create an interior from scratch and make a menu? There is a solution. Pay attention to ready-made cafe business. This is a business that is already working and familiar to visitors. You will work with a real audience, which will simplify the promotion of the cafe.

Create something new, surprise your guests and develop all the time. We wish success to your cafe!

Advertising a coffee shop is a mandatory expense item when opening an establishment. It remains to understand which advertising channels are effective and which are useless. We will tell you what you need to pay attention to in order for your coffee shop to quickly become popular and start generating income.

Coffee house decoration

The most important thing is permeability. It is best if your establishment is located on a busy street or a place that is perfectly visible from the traffic. Do not forget that the convenience and safety of visitors is also part of your right image. Steps, if any, should not be slippery. Be sure to provide a railing and, if necessary, additional lighting for the entrance.

Signboard

showcase

The facade of the coffee house should be attractive and attract attention. For example, it can be large panoramic windows through which you can see the cozy atmosphere of a coffee shop. If instead of showcases you got the wall of the house, you can place a bright banner with photo printing on it. This is another effective advertising channel through which you can inform your guests about, for example, seasonal changes in the menu or new products.

outdoor advertising

pillars

Do not neglect floor pillars on the street, where you can place witty calls to visit your particular establishment or just the menu. This design is simply necessary if your coffee shop is located away from a busy street or close to a public transport stop. On the pillar, be sure to indicate the opening hours of the institution and a concise description of how to get to you.

Pointers

Pointers are also a fairly competent advertising tool. However, choose only those signs that are located at stops, entrances or exits from the subway. Or signs should be located in places that are perfectly visible from supermarkets, markets and other crowded places. If your coffee shop operates in the Take Away format, be sure to write about it on the sign.

Internal advertising

Stickers, wobblers, floor advertising

By sticking a sticker or poster indoors, you can draw the guest's attention to a particular promotion. It is important to understand that well-known manufacturers, for example, carbonated or energy drinks, are happy to distribute their branded products to “decorate” public spaces. But it is in this case that you are advertising someone else's product, and not promoting your own institution. Therefore, follow the principle: less is more, and do not overload your guests with useless advertising.

Printable advertisement

Leaflets

Leaflets are best distributed on the occasion of the opening of the institution, and then to attract new visitors. It is important that such products be in a convenient pocket format and contain a so-called “magnet”, that is, a kind of bonus offer for the guest: information about a discount, a gift, a prize draw.

Posters

Please note that posters can only be placed in strictly designated areas. Otherwise, you risk paying a hefty fine. The content of the poster should be short and quite specific, and the design should be juicy and attractive.

Booklets

Due to the high cost of production, booklets are best used for reprinting the menu, for example, if you have delivery. Or you can print a booklet in the form of a coupon card for individual menu items. This will be an additional incentive for the visitor to return to your coffee shop more than once.

Internet advertising

Social networks

Social networks have long turned into an independent advertising channel that can directly affect the attraction of guests and revenue growth. Starting a Vkontakte page and an Instagram account is a must-have for any place that needs additional human traffic. The costs are minimal, and the return on correct presentation will pleasantly surprise you.

Site

A site for a coffee shop is needed only if it somehow stands out from other coffee shops in your city and can provide a large or unusual assortment for its visitors. In this case, you can place information on the site about what kind of atmosphere your establishment offers, as well as the range of dishes.

If you decide to create a website on your own, be sure to read our articles:

Here we have laid out our experience and opinions on the use of various tools that you will simply need in your work. This will allow you to reduce the time to select the necessary resources to create it and get profit from the site as quickly as possible.

Other

Loyalty programs and discounts

A coffee shop is absolutely not the place where seasonal discounts or avalanche-like discount promotions are appropriate. The most correct strategy is to form the loyalty of your visitors. And everything is important here: service, quality of food and drinks, cozy atmosphere, the opportunity to receive additional free services (for example, the opportunity to play board games). And also, having correctly calculated the economic component of a discount or bonus card, you can return your guests again and again.

Ineffective advertising channels

These include publications in newspapers and magazines. If you are not the owner of the largest network that has just entered the market, this is simply a waste of money. Similarly, you can respond to advertising on radio and television. Ask yourself the question: how many people, after seeing a video on a TV channel, will rush to a small coffee shop in another area? A dubious prospect at a huge cost.

Hello dear readers! Today I again interviewed Alexey Kornelyuk, who owns his own chain of Coffee Space and Coffee Woods coffee houses in Novosibirsk. Aleksey also sells franchises of his coffee houses to other cities, and at the moment more than 24 franchise coffee houses have already been opened. In today's article, Alexey will tell you how to open a coffee shop from scratch, list the main stages of opening your own coffee shop, and also tell you how he opens coffee shops.

— Alexey, hello! How long ago did you open your first coffee shop and how many do you have now?

Hello Nikolay. The very idea of ​​opening a coffee shop visited me in 2013, after studying this niche for a long time and working out the concept of my future business, on January 1, 2014 I managed to open. At the moment, I have 4 coffee shops and 27 outlets operating on a franchising model.

— Why did you choose this format of a coffee house (in shopping centers)?

To be honest, I have never stayed only in shopping centers, our coffee shops can be found in business centers and street pavilions. I have always posed the question “Where is our target audience?”

And already on the basis of this, we studied the numbers (cross-country ability - cost per 1 sq. M).

— How much did you invest in opening the first coffee shop and what did they spend on?

I bought the first coffee point from my colleague, who later became my supplier of confectionery.

I bought it from him for 250 thousand rubles +/-. Why did you buy it?

Because a contract for a luxurious place had already been signed there and everything was ready, my task was to remake the point so that it would radically change and bring in more money.

Of course, now I understand that I overpaid. If I would have done it myself, then the amount was less, but not the fact that I would have avoided mistakes.

— Where did the idea to call coffee houses Coffee Space come from?

enumeration method. The perfect name never pops into my head by accident, I just sorted through combinations of words that sounded concise and interesting. And already starting from the name, I made a space theme, and no one has ever done that.

- How quickly did the first coffee house and subsequent ones pay off? How much money is the business making now?

I opened the second coffee house already 3 months later, that is, the funds that were supposed to pay off the first coffee house, I simply invested in the creation of the second coffee house. If we talk about Novosibirsk, then this is from 45 thousand in a bad month and 130 thousand in a good one. The average figure is 70-80 thousand, of course, net profit.

The situation in the capital cities is different, the guys from St. Petersburg do one and a half times more.

But of course, do not forget that everything depends on the businessman. If he works on a business, he gets the amount he deserves.

For example, we made a net profit of 28 thousand in one day (of course, these were holidays).

What is the area occupied by one coffee shop? Did you calculate the efficiency of reducing / increasing the area? No one wants to pay for squares that only eat up money from rent.

The fact is that the rental department imposes its own conditions, it can be payment for 1 sq.m, or it can be payment for the whole place. In the second case, we can occupy 2 sq.m or 8 sq.m, but we will still be obliged to pay the N-th amount of money under the contract for the whole place.

If we are talking about payment per square meter, then of course you should think about reducing the total area in favor of functionality, the whole space should work and bring money. For example, the situation with my first point was not the best. There, the price for 1 sq.m was 8 thousand rubles, for 6 squares I paid 48 thousand. This point could easily be reduced to 3-4 sq.m, which means saving 16-24 thousand rubles a month.

— How do you choose places for new coffee shops and choose for existing ones? What are you paying attention to? What are the indicators of an attractive place for you?

It is not always correct to judge by the general passability, and in particular to believe the statistics provided by the rental department. Yes, they have counters that count the number of people who came in, but let's not forget that there are employees (who are not your clients) and these employees go to smoke 5 times, which means that 1 person in statistics can apply for 5-7 Human.

It is important to understand who else is our target audience, since these are young people, then you should pay attention to the educational institutions that are located nearby.

There are other traps that can ruin a business.

First, you should never take general traffic statistics for granted, since you care about local traffic, that is, the number of people who pass exclusively near a potential place.

Secondly, you probably saw in your city when tenants constantly move out from one seemingly advantageous place?

The thing is that there is a gulf between “pass by” and “buy”. For example, if the window in the pavilion is turned the other way and the buyer has to go around to make a purchase, then you deliberately reduce revenue or there is a flower bed in front of the pavilion, this is also an obstacle between your customers and the money at the checkout.

— Now every shopping center has a mini-coffee shop. How do you deal with competitors? Or are you just looking for a shopping center without competitors?

No, you can only find a place without competitors in a bad shopping center.

As a rule, even if there are no coffee outlets, there are stationary coffee shops where you can not only sit down and drink coffee, but also eat.

Promises about delicious coffee surprise no one, everyone says so. Therefore, you need to prove it not in words, but in deeds, only the problem is switching customers from a competitor to you. Since the habit is already working there, which means buying in a proven place is still safer than in a new, yet unknown place.

Marketing is being used to provide tangible benefits, people love to buy, but no one likes to pay.

Therefore, the task is to make an exclusive offer so that a potential client can pay the minimum, but at the same time get a product that is head and shoulders above the competition.

For this, a comprehensive loyalty program is used (social networks, flyers, discount cards, bonuses, etc.)

When the client decides to try it, it is important not to screw up and make amazing coffee.

And this is a question for the product and the skill of the barista.

— What legal requirements are required to comply with this kind of coffee shop?

According to SANPIN, there must be running water at the point, if you only make coffee, no freshly squeezed juices, then a sink is optional, the staff needs a medical book, all tax deductions, to the pension fund, the social insurance fund must also be paid.

If you have a UTII taxation system, you may not have a cash register and punch checks for yourself.

You must have certification for all confectionery products, since in case of poisoning they will be asked first of all from you.

- List all the stages of opening a coffee shop from choosing a place to starting sales, step by step, which you went through when opening your coffee shops.

1. Search for a place (I advise you to choose up to 10 options so that the choice is constructive)
2. Development of a design project for an island, if it is a shopping center or a business center.

A computer model is needed for two things:

First of all, for furniture makers who will make an island based on drawings.

Secondly, visualization is needed for presentation to the shopping center.

1. Search for furniture companies and distribution of commercial offers, choose contractors based on price and terms. As a rule, people always draw different prices, therefore, the more offers you have, the better, there will be plenty to choose from.
2. Search for coffee companies that rent a coffee machine + coffee grinder. In my opinion, you should not buy equipment at the initial stage, as this waste will greatly burden your budget.
3. Selecting the coffee blend you will be working on is worth experimenting with and exploring all the options available to you.

Since, in addition to the coffee bean itself, it is important to understand where it grew, what variety and how this bean was roasted.

1. Search for confectionery companies that can provide you with their sweets.
2. Personnel search, ideally you need to have 3 candidates for 1 point.

1. Search and purchase of consumables (cups, caps, plates, bags, etc.).
2. Search and purchase of equipment for work (check printer, cash drawer, refrigerator, showcase, lightbox, LEDs, etc.).
3. Creating promotions for the month ahead, as it is very important to have a plan ahead.
4. Preparing for the technical opening.

What equipment do you use to make coffee? They say that a lot depends on the quality of the coffee machine. It's true? How not to miscalculate with the equipment?

Not quite true. Basically, it all depends on the professionalism of the barista, even the most expensive coffee machine can make tasteless coffee.

Do not under any circumstances use automatic coffee machines, especially the push-button version, where you press a button and a liquid flows out, vaguely similar to coffee.

Coffee equipment must be professional, it is advisable to take two group coffee machines. It looks solid and you can make any drink on it. Of course coffee machine coffee machine strife. There are a lot of models. good coffee the car costs from 200 thousand to 2.5 million.

And our task is to save money and at the initial stage, you can rent equipment.

How many cups of coffee per day are sold in one coffee shop on average? And what does the increase / decrease in the quantity sold depend on?

47 to 150 glasses per day. It all depends on properly built marketing, as I said earlier, this is a whole series of works both to attract a new audience and to retain the old one.

It is important to understand that regular guests will bring you the main revenue, which means you need to do everything so that new guests want to become regular customers.

I would almost never use promotion on the Internet (social networks) at the initial stages. Because it makes no sense to advertise something if the subscriber of the group lives on the opposite side of the city and, as you understand, he is unlikely to go for a glass of coffee, standing in traffic jams for 2 hours.

Buying coffee is an emotional choice, which means that the desire to drink coffee arises when a potential buyer passes by and his visual background is filled only with you. Hence another task: to design a coffee island so that it is very different from all competitors.

Therefore, we pay attention to end-to-end traffic, who is passing through, what kind of people are they and how can they be stopped to buy our coffee?

A well-designed point will help you in all this. For example, pillars on the way, animators, etc.

You have to be a visual stimulus for a passing person to even see you.

— How to properly design a coffee shop, signs, menus, etc.?

Before answering these questions, it's helpful to take the side of the consumer and ask yourself the question in a slightly different way: "Walking by, what would make me stop and buy coffee?"

The point should be attractive and at the same time be different from the rest. No frivolous details, everything should be stylish and intuitive.

The menu should be readable and preferably written in large print. People love to buy, but they don't like to pay, remember!

The name of the assortment is in large print, the price is slightly smaller.

And don't forget to put 9.99 at the end. Even though it's cheesy, it still works.

Psychologically, 69 rubles for coffee is better perceived than 70.

— How did you search for coffee suppliers? And how do you find suppliers with quality raw materials? What are your requirements for suppliers?

To set requirements for suppliers, you must first understand this issue. Just so you understand, there are a great many companies that sell their coffee blends and, like everyone else, claim that they are the best.

If we talk about the BASICS, then there is an unspoken rule by which you can determine how high-quality the coffee mixture is. Composition of coffee beans. The most common are Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica is considered a more expensive grain (it has a bitter taste).

Robusta, a cheaper analogue (creates a sour taste).

So, if you do not want to feel the taste of sourness and get better raw materials, pay attention to the composition of the coffee blend, the more Arabica, the more expensive the blend.

You should look for suppliers on the Internet, as a rule, there are plenty of them in every city.

— What processes did you do on your own, and what did you delegate? What would you advise to delegate last, and what, on the contrary, as early as possible?

But the question remained how to control them, check them, calculate them, reward them, etc.

Since 3 people worked for me at the outlet, I conditionally singled out a more responsible favorite, who, after 2 months, was appointed as a barista-administrator. And it turned out that I delegated almost 90% of the work. I was left with the purchase of consumables, payment of rent and control of revenue from the point.

- How many employees work at one coffee shop and what is their salary?

As I wrote earlier, it is advisable to take 3 people.

2 will work on a permanent basis, and the third person will insure if someone gets sick.

Salary depends solely on the turnover point. The higher the turnover at the point, the higher the payment for 1 hour.

We have a table in which all possible payment options are literally written.

But this is a trade secret.

— Are employees trained or do you hire people with experience? Who is doing the training?

My practice has shown that most often you have to train staff. At first, I did it myself, then the senior barista-administrator began to train, and I only certified and made a decision to take or not to take a job.

What are your requirements for employees?

Like all employers, I welcome such qualities as attentiveness, responsibility, punctuality and sociability.

When choosing candidates, you should pay attention to 2 things.

1. Intuition. She rarely fails and if you feel calm, then this person should be hired.
2. Time. It acts in a magical way, reveals a person, showing all his shortcomings and virtues.

Is there any theft from employees? How do you deal with it?

Of course there is, or rather it was. Ignorance of all the subtleties leads to the fact that you miss a large amount. In this regard, I can give the following advice:

1. Initially, build a trusting relationship with the staff, you are not only an evil boss, but also a partner.
2. If the coffee shop works smart, then it has a CRM system (cloud software) that displays what was sold per day, exactly by position.
3. Of course, the barista may not break through the checks, then the universal plate saves. “If you didn't get a check, purchase at the staff's expense”
4. The coffee grinder has portion counters that clearly show how much coffee has been made.
5. Cameras.

— Did you learn how to brew coffee yourself and come up with recipes, or did one of the hired specialists debug these processes?

I took courses, read relevant literature, went to master classes to improve my coffee-making skills.

In our brand book, there is a checklist for staff assessment, using which you can accurately assess the skills of your staff.

— Did you come up with any specific drink recipes or do you have a standard assortment? Maybe there are branded ways of making coffee or branded drinks?

We have developed our own recipe for cold drinks, which are fundamentally different from (strawberry paradise, chocolate delight and similar names).

I attracted professionals in this niche and together we came up with absolutely unimaginable things.

- Prices for coffee in your coffee shops are average, higher, lower? And why?

Before pricing, we analyze our competitors.

At the initial stage, it is better to set prices below market prices so that people try.

And then gradually raise the price, arguing that you have changed the coffee mixture, thereby raising the quality.

- Do you have the opportunity to pay in a coffee shop with bank cards? And what is the percentage of card payments in relation to cash? I noticed that people are less likely to use cash if they can pay by card.

Of course, you can also pay with credit cards. The issue is resolved with the help of acquiring. It is enough to contact the bank in which you have and they will give full information on payments using the card. Since 100r lies in the wallet of almost any person. It is convenient to pay with a card in a store, and cash works better in a cafe.

— How much have you been affected by the sanctions and the crisis? Are you buying less coffee? Did you have to raise prices a lot because of high raw material prices?

Little was said about this, each supplier, whether it is milk or cups, said that he was raising prices. For example, in 2014, the cost of a glass of cappuccino was 12-16 rubles. now 24-28 p. I can't say that the crisis had a strong impact on revenues, since the issue is easily solved by raising prices. Especially if competitors also raise prices.

— How promising is it now to open new coffee shops and promote a new brand? Or is it easier to buy a ready-made brand in the form of a franchise? I think the market is already saturated. Or I'm wrong?

They talked about glut in 2014, then 2015 and now in 2016, it’s better not to philosophize on this topic, but to open a business, for example, by franchising. Time is playing against you. Saturation depends on purchasing power, if coffee shops open and make money, why waste time and it is better to open as early as possible.

A franchise is what will help an entrepreneur save money. Of course, out of ignorance, you can make a great many mistakes and lose large sums (as was the case with me at the very beginning).

You just need to remember about the cost and markup. When there is a cheat, it is very profitable to work in the field of coffee houses and it is stupid to lose this opportunity.

— How difficult or easy is it for a newcomer to enter this business now? Does the financial threshold for entering the business increase every year?

Even if an entrepreneur already had experience in business, this does not mean that he will open a coffee shop easily and without mistakes.

Catering is a separate industry. She is fundamentally different from everyone else. Here you need to act and think in a completely different way.

The most difficult thing for a beginner is to get favorable prices.

For example, we brought down the cost of rent for our partner in St. Petersburg to 970 thousand rubles (per year). That is, if he tried to do it himself, he would hardly succeed. It was easier for me to negotiate with the landlord, since I already have experience in opening a caffeine and I have an idea about the rental value in various retail places in St. Petersburg.

The same story with coffee equipment. A Russian person is cunning and if there is an opportunity to pile on an inexperienced person, he will not miss it.

And of course, due to inflation, the threshold for entering this business has increased; for the regions, this is about 120,000-180,000 investments. For St. Petersburg and Moscow 250-320 thousand rubles.

- Will such a coffee shop be profitable in small towns or should we consider only cities with a population of over a million?

A good coffee shop will be profitable everywhere, unless, of course, we consider very small settlements with a population of less than 30 thousand people. It all depends not on the total population, but on local cross-country ability. In addition, in the regions, rent is cheap, wages are low and there is less competition. This must be used.

And yet, I advise you to try yourself, but it’s better to open a franchise, the threshold entry is not so big, but if you do everything according to our instructions, you will earn from 50 to 120 thousand.

— Are you expanding the network of coffee shops in your city or have you settled on franchising, selling the franchise to other cities?

I have 4 coffee houses in the city and this is enough for now, but I have 3 more businesses, and I simply have no time to expand.

— What are the plans for the development of Coffee Space?

So that in every city there is our partner who will proudly answer that he owns the Coffee Space coffee house.

Well, go beyond the borders of Russia, for example, to the CIS countries.

Have a financial cushion. Analysis is one thing, but reality is quite another. Be prepared for financial holes. If you start from scratch, during the first 3 months you will definitely work to zero.

Personally, we will come to you and guide you by the hand at all stages of our work.