Globales

You’ve spent time researching the marketplace; you’ve visited a multitude of sandwich bars in your geographical area and you are well versed on what is currently on offer. You’ve read as much as you can on the topic of consumer trends, and have a good understanding of what today’s food buyers are look- ing for from their local sandwich and coffee bar. You know roughly where you’d like your business to be based, and have an excellent understanding of what the competition will be on your chosen high street. You’ve established

In our experience there are four major areas that you need to research and understand before you can be sure that your sandwich bar idea has potential. We suggest you stick to these areas, or you could become bogged down and muddled.

• The market – There are two important areas: the industry, and your local area. First, you need to understand the industry you’ll be entering, and how your business will fit into it. How big is the sandwich and coffee bar market? What are the past, present and future trends in food and drink sales? What issues are affecting other sandwich and coffee bar owners? Second, what is the size of your local market? If you’re planning on locating in a shopping centre, what is the footfall of customers per day? How many other sandwich bars and cafés are there? What percentage of the footfall could you realistically expect to serve through your café?

• Customers – Who are your customers? Are they health conscious or money conscious? Are they city workers in a hurry, or young mums with time to chat? You should work out the average customer’s buying habits, likes and dislikes. What price would they be willing to pay, what kind of experience will they want? Using this picture of your average customer, also consider whether there is something new, and unique, that your café can offer them, something that is missing from other cafés in the area.

• Competition – You simply must understand your

opponents. Which cafés will you be competing against, and what are their strengths and weaknesses? How long have they been established – are they successful? How does your business differ from theirs? What food and drink do they specialize in? What price do they sell it at?

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So, based on all this knowledge, what business do you want to create? To help hone your burgeoning idea you need to undertake a three-step exercise.

STEP 1 – PICTURE YOUR CAFÉ

Take a look at your scrapbook and mood board. Create a picture of exactly the café you want to own. This is all about you and what makes you excited.

When you close your eyes, do you imagine yourself owning a small, bustling sandwich bar, designed for workers on the go? Perhaps you can see a lounge-style tearoom for university students or young mums to visit during the day? Or even a delicatessen brimming with cold meats and cheeses, and offering sandwiches as well.

What kind of food are you passionate about? Is it home-cooked food? Do you harbour ambitions to make and sell your own chutneys, soups, pies? Or are you a lover of traditional fare, breakfast baps and foot-long subs?

Perhaps you’re knowledgeable about low GI foods, and have an interest in food intolerance, and health?

Of all the cafés and sandwich bars you’ve visited, which are the ones that

you most liked? Did you like the traditional, made-to-order sandwich

counter approach, or were you impressed by sandwich bars that chose to make up the sandwiches in the morning, to be sold at lunchtime? Write down a ‘brain dump’ of all the words that spring to mind when you think about your ‘perfect’ café – e.g. small, friendly, local, fresh, home- made, canteen, large, low budget . . .

STEP 2 – PICTURE THE LOCATION

Think about the geographic area you intend to open your business in, and decide what is required from a new sandwich bar. Ask yourself questions such as:

• Suppliers – You need to have a good basic understanding of how much produce and equipment will cost. How much is a coffee machine, and can you lease rather than buy? How much will bread cost, and the fillings? Can you charge your target customer enough in order to cover the costs and make money?

What kind of people live and work in this area? Are they highly paid office workers and affluent families, or are they a mix of more price- conscious consumers?

What competitor sandwich bars already exist in this area? Do the local high streets have a Gregg’s? An M&S? Do any other independent sandwich bars already exist? Have you come across Costa and Starbucks? What about Subway?

What have you identified as ‘missing’? Is there a lack of traditional sandwich bars offering simple made-to-order sandwiches? Have you spotted a need for a higher-quality café serving innovative new fillings and breads? Do you believe that potential customers in this area would welcome a café specialising in wraps and smoothies?

Write down a ‘brain dump’ of the words that spring to mind when you think about the geographic area you intend to open your business in – e.g. well off, on a budget, students, highly paid, young, OAP, busy workers . . .

STEP 3 – PUT THE TWO TOGETHER

Meld the two pictures. The key to owning a successful sandwich bar is to be passionate and have a personal interest in your business, while at the same time offering the area’s consumers what they want. There’s absolutely no point in opening a sandwich bar that you and your friends like if it is offering the exact opposite of what the majority of people in the area like to eat.

The good news is that your idea does not have to be earth-shattering or ground-breaking, or even totally unique or original. The world of sandwich bars is full of successes that are simply a modification on the basic theme.

We love healthy food, and like a simple functional environment. However, we also know that a large percentage of people living and working in the area where our café is based have simpler tastes, and like a cosy spot to enjoy a mug of tea. For this reason we curbed our desire to make Taste a showcase for extreme healthy modern living. We knew this kind of café would alienate too many people. Instead we created a hybrid, taking the best of the health food café, and adding back in some home comforts and traditional sandwich bar foods.

Café Culture