Brief instructions for opening a cafe
The restaurant business has always remained a lucrative business, including the first eateries or taverns, if everything is properly organized. Creating a restaurant is a large-scale and grandiose project, a cafe is less expensive in all respects.
Before answering the question: How to open a cafe, you need to determine the budget, draw up a business plan, find out what documents are needed. This will help with a brief instruction on opening a cafe.
Where to begin?
Many people think that opening a cafe is worth starting with finding a room or developing a business plan. It’s best to start with the budget and plan further actions from it. Decide how much money you are willing to spend, and from this amount, develop a business plan, having previously studied the market.
Cafe concept
To start preparing a business plan, decide on the target visitors, menu, location and unique differences from competitors. The pricing policy should correspond to the selected cafe format. If you decide to open a youth cafe, definitely expensive dishes and drinks are inappropriate.
Business Registration
Who opens a cafe, usually register IP or LLC. IP is much easier and more profitable to open, but you can’t sell alcohol. Only a legal entity can obtain a license to sell. The benefit of IP is that you can build work on a patent tax system.
If you decide to open a cafe in the form of LLC, the optimal form of taxation is UTII (single imputed income tax); go "imputed". In this case, the premises of the cafe should not exceed 150 sq.m. Individual entrepreneurs sometimes choose a simplified tax system (simplified tax system) or a simplified tax system, but they advise a more profitable form - PSN (patent). In this situation, the room should not exceed 50 sq.m. (only the service room is considered). The approximate annual cost of the patent is 180,000 rubles. If you open several cafes, the hall area of which does not exceed 50 sq.m., and they are all located in one subject, you need one patent.
Accounting documentation and tax accounting can be maintained independently or resort to the help of online services.
Documents and Permissions
To open a cafe you will need a lot of all kinds of permissions and approvals. If a redevelopment is required in the selected room, a technical design, conclusion, reconstruction plan and documentation related to the communication of the room and power supply will be required. Such work can be done by a special design organization that has a license for this type of activity.
The documentation must be agreed with the SES (where else you need to get a notice of the start of activity), the fire department, architect, city or district administration. You will need a license to sell alcohol. In order not to make a mistake when processing documents, it is better to use the services of a lawyer.
How to choose a room
The room is almost the main factor in the success of the undertaking. The most dependent on the location of the economy class institution, when you have to operate at the lower point of the price category.
- The institution should be located as close as possible to the intended consumer (recreation areas, place of work, study or residence).
- Expensive restaurants open more often in the center, in expensive and prestigious buildings or premises. Cafe economy class - in residential areas.
- You should not risk and rent a room where a loss-making cafe was previously located.
- The room must meet the requirements of SanPiN (water supply, electricity, sewage) and the planned loads.
- Find out if the selected room is in the reconstruction or demolition area. If the room is repaired and remodeled, look at the registration documents of its legality.
- Find out whether it is possible to place a cafe sign on the facade, specify what restrictions exist on advertising in this place. Consider the convenience of the entrance and the possibility of parking.
Room requirements
Detailed requirements for public catering facilities are contained in SanPiN 2.3.6.1079-01. Consider the most important. Premises should be planned taking into account fire safety and comply with standards. For example, the entrance to the trading floor should be from the side of the street, and to the warehouse - from the side of the yard.
The composition of the premises
- Warehouses. Products are stored. Must be equipped with refrigerators. Dry food and vegetables are stored in uncooled pantries.
- Washing. Sink baths with compartments for washing and rinsing dishes. Nearby is a dryer.
- Vegetable shop. Vegetables are sorted, washed and processed. If there is no room for the workshop, a separate table for processing vegetables is suitable.
- Meat processing table and fish processing table. If it is not possible to create a separate workshop.
- Cold shop. Cold snacks (salads, sandwiches, desserts) are produced.
- Hot shop. A separate room where cooktops, ovens, a refrigerator are installed, prepare hot dishes and snacks. If the area allows, you can create confectionary shop and handout.
AT commercial premises There must be a showcase with the products offered to customers, a wardrobe, a bathroom for visitors.
Recruiting and hiring staff
The most difficult stage in starting a business. If you have not had to deal with such a procedure before, use the services of recruitment professionals. Try not to attract friends to the business, there is a good expression "friendship is friendship, but money apart," you can just ruin your relationship with some of them forever. The number of staff depends on the size of the cafe.
The first priority is to find a cook. Ideally, hire chefs, cooks and kitchen workers. This staff works in shifts. In a small cafe, kitchen work, with the exception of washing dishes and cleaning the room, is performed by one chef.
The cafe will need an administrator, a bartender and a waiter. Look not only at the appearance, but also at the ability to deal with people. Resourcefulness, restraint and sociability are the main qualities of the administrator and the waiter.
Food purchase
An application for products and calculation is usually made by a chef, but it is better for you to take part in the first purchases. Chefs purchase products with some margin, but if the cafe has just opened, it is better to take a little of everything. It will take time to promote the cafe.
Be careful when choosing suppliers. Sometimes, instead of one order, others bring or do not bring at all. Part with such suppliers right away and don’t listen to a lot of excuses. Look for reliable partners.
Once you open, get ready for the influx of sales representatives from a wide variety of supplier companies. Do not rush to the first advantageous offer, carefully study the price lists and choose the most advantageous offer. If you have decided on suppliers, strictly monitor the expiration date of the products brought in, sometimes expired goods may slip on.
Carefully work with suppliers for implementation. It is tempting: there is a product, it remains to sell and pay for products, but the realities are completely different. You may not have time to sell everything, but you will have to pay suppliers anyway.