Opening your own cafe is all you need. How to open a mini-cafe from scratch

How to open a restaurant from scratch and how much money do you need? Step-by-step instructions

Despite its vast territory, our country lags significantly behind the countries of Eastern and Western Europe in terms of the number of public catering outlets. For example, in Poland the number of such establishments is almost twice as large, and in Spain - almost six. According to experts, even despite the unstable economic situation, the Russian public catering market has a high rate of development and is one of the most promising for business. Thus, the average payback in this segment is considered to be 1–3 years, which is an excellent indicator.

In this regard, many of our fellow citizens are thinking about opening their own catering establishment. In this article we will try to answer questions about how to open your own restaurant, cafe or bar, where to start and what stages you need to go through to realize this goal.

I want to open a restaurant: where to start?

It’s worth deciding what type of establishment (at least approximately) you are going to open:

• By format. Bar, canteen, fast food, family cafe, fashionable restaurant, establishment “for your own” - the choice is wide. As practice shows, novice businessmen most often “succeed” in classic city cafes, without the difficulties and features inherent in all target establishments.
• By price level. This criterion is often, but not always, dependent on the previous one. Usually, one of the significant limitations here is the budget of a beginning restaurateur: the higher the level of the establishment, the higher the costs of opening it will be. Experts do not recommend that business beginners start with expensive restaurants - the public is very demanding, the investments and risks are too high. The optimal solution would be to open a democratic casual establishment.
• By type of cuisine. Usually, both the interior and the desired location of the establishment depend on the type of kitchen. Japanese, Russian, Italian, Georgian or maybe exotic Peruvian? Here experts recommend not to complicate your task and choose one that you understand: the concepts of Russian or simple European cuisine are good for beginners.
• According to the maximum number of guests. The cost of furnishing an establishment is directly proportional to the number of seats. No matter how great the temptation to open a large restaurant at once, it is better to limit yourself to a room for 30–80 guests.

The Russian public catering market, despite the crises, continues to develop. Thus, in 2014 its volume increased by 8.3%, and turnover reached 1.2 trillion rubles. Despite a slight decline in 2015, experts talk about the inevitable further growth of indicators and reaching a turnover of 2 trillion rubles by 2017.

So, at the moment, almost all experienced restaurateurs recommend that newcomers open establishments in the format of a “democratic” cafe or restaurant, serving local, European or mixed cuisine and alcohol. The hall should be designed for an average number of visitors.

It should be remembered that circumstances can make the most unexpected adjustments to plans: after calculations, the expected costs will exceed possibilities, the rented premises will not fit the original concept, but will be ideal in everything else. Therefore, it is optimal to think through several suitable concepts for the style of the establishment and the type of cuisine and be ready to make some changes to the planned menu and pricing policy.

How much does it cost to open a restaurant?

The answer to the question about the cost of opening a restaurant from scratch will directly depend on its features, defined in the previous section.

The total amount consists of several points:

• rent/purchase/construction of premises. If we consider an establishment with 50 seats, then renting a room (presumably 150–200 m?) will cost from 200,000 rubles per month. In this case, you will have to immediately pay at least two months plus a deposit, that is, from 600,000 thousand rubles. In the central areas of megacities and in large shopping centers, the amount can increase by 3–10 times. Construction or purchase of premises, of course, will cost significantly more, but do not forget that these will not be fixed costs;
• paperwork- from 300,000 rubles, depending on the specifics of the establishment, when constructing a building for a restaurant - several times higher;
• design and engineering on average they will cost about 2,000 rubles per square meter, that is, from 300,000 rubles for our premises;
• repair- costs will depend on the complexity of the design and the initial condition of the premises. On average, about 3,000 rubles per m2, which means from 450,000 rubles for the calculated area;
• furniture- the required minimum of chairs, tables, sofas, as well as a waiter station and a bar counter will cost from 300,000 rubles;
• kitchen equipment and supplies- in order to supply the establishment with the necessary number of high-quality professional tools, equipment and utensils for storing, preparing and serving dishes, as well as for washing the above, you will need an amount of 1,500,000 rubles;
• dishes and serving items designed to serve 50 guests will cost from 350,000 rubles;
• primary purchase of food and alcohol usually costs from 200,000 rubles;
• staff uniform- an optional, but desirable element, part of the corporate identity. When purchasing a minimum set of clothes for waiters and cooks, you should expect an amount of 50,000 rubles.

In total, the total amount of all payments will be about 4,000,000 rubles. If you add to this the cost of special software, installing terminals for waiters (R-Keeper), printing menus, creating a company website, conducting advertising campaigns, you can count on an amount of 4,500,000 or more.

In addition to one-time expenses, the restaurateur faces ongoing expenses:

• rent (if the premises are rented);
• wage;
• communal payments;
• telephony, Internet;
• buying food, alcohol;
• advertising expenses.

What documents are needed to open a restaurant?

Organizing a catering enterprise is one of the most difficult types of business in terms of collecting documents. The list of papers required for the legal operation of a restaurant includes more than a hundred items, and the list of required permits may differ in different regions. Therefore, most entrepreneurs, in order to save time and money, prefer to contact companies that prepare the necessary turnkey documentation.

The first step when opening any type of establishment is to register a legal entity. The “LLC” form is rightfully considered the most popular and convenient for restaurants. Availability of complete package of constituent documents And lease agreement(or certificate of ownership of the premises) is mandatory at all stages of further approval.

To open an establishment you will also need:

• conclusion of the SES on the establishment’s compliance with sanitary standards;
• conclusion of the Ministry of Emergency Situations on compliance with fire safety standards;
• presence of a registered cash register;
• contracts for disinfestation, deratization and garbage removal;
• security agreement, security alarm connection(to obtain a license to sell alcohol).

And this is just the basic package of necessary documents. The owner of the establishment should remember about many nuances, without which the activity of the establishment may be unlawful.

Business plan development: stage 1

As you know, when opening a new business, including a restaurant, you need to draw up a business plan from scratch. This is a kind of “scheme” for creating a future enterprise with calculation of planned costs and income, analysis of profitability and other indicators.

Typically, there are two types of business planning: for external and internal use.

The first is required for those who are going to attract borrowed funds to their enterprise - a loan or investment. In this case, the best choice would be to turn to special organizations: it is quite difficult for a non-professional to convince investors or banking organizations of the return on investment. Those who are still planning to create a document on their own should take into account that it is better to do this after having already received data on the premises, the number of staff and the size of the salary fund, traffic, as well as having finally approved the concept of the establishment.

Another thing is an internal business plan, which is necessary for any entrepreneur to understand the prospects for creating a business. Typically the document contains the following chapters:

• name and general description of the project: planned concept, area of ​​premises, number of staff, type of kitchen and pricing policy;
• approximate product range;
• preliminary estimate of opening costs;
• estimated monthly expenses (rent including utilities and communications, salary fund, purchasing expenses);
• calculation of time costs for each stage before the opening of the establishment;
• planned financial indicators;
• calculation of return on investment.

It makes sense to draw up an initial business plan at the very early stage of opening a restaurant - by analyzing the market as a whole, competitors of a similar format, as well as statistical data. Then the indicators will need to be adjusted in accordance with realities.

Selection and renovation of premises: stage 2

Finding premises for a future restaurant often becomes a headache. Experts recommend approaching this issue with the utmost care, often citing a quote from the Italian restaurateur and chef Marziano Palli: “In first place is place, in second place is place, in third place is place, in fourth place is place, in fifth place - kitchen".

The general rule of profitability is this: the lower the average bill of a cafe, the higher its attendance should be. If the most expensive establishments in the world can afford to be located far from civilization, good gastronomic restaurants - in the courtyards of the central districts of the city, then middle-class cafes should choose busy streets, and fast food should look for places in large shopping centers and train stations.

However, not only traffic is important, but also the compliance of the potential audience with the level of the establishment. This applies to both pricing policy and cuisine features. For example, it would be appropriate to locate a vegetarian cafe near a large yoga center, and a budget restaurant serving Pan-Asian cuisine near a market. Because of all these subtleties, experienced entrepreneurs begin creating a restaurant concept after renting a premises: there are not many suitable sites in any city, and an establishment of any format can be successful, provided there is demand.

After renting, the question of repairs and often redevelopment inevitably arises. Here it is better to trust experienced designers and planners - this will help you avoid many mistakes common to beginners. There is no need to remind you that the style of a restaurant must correspond to its concept, and it is extremely rare to create an ideal interior without the help of a specialist.

Purchase of equipment, furniture and utensils: stage 3

As a rule, all equipment for the kitchen area is selected in agreement with the chef: it is he who orders the tools and equipment necessary for the work, taking into account the intended menu. Furniture and serving utensils are chosen according to the general concept of the style. The number of dishes usually corresponds to the maximum number of seats multiplied by 2 or even 3 - that is, for 50 guests there should be 100–150 plates, cutlery and glasses of each type.

It is better to buy equipment in specialized stores that supply equipment for restaurants: firstly, here all tools and utensils can be purchased at wholesale prices, secondly, such organizations provide installation and warranty repair services for equipment, and thirdly, in case of loss or damage to serving items, you can easily purchase similar ones.

When arranging furniture, it is better to turn to professionals - designers or suppliers - they will offer a competent and beautiful solution.

Computerization: stage 4

It is difficult to imagine a modern restaurant without production and accounting programs and personnel monitoring. You can develop your own software, but there are a sufficient number of ready-made packages on the market.

The most popular of them: R-Keeper, 1C: Public catering, POS Sector. They completely coordinate the work in the establishment: the waiter sends the order through the terminal to the kitchen, the cook sees the list of dishes to be prepared on a special monitor, after calculation, all ingredients are written off from the warehouse according to the calculation card, income and expenses are recorded for the accounting department. And this is only a small part of the possible functions of such software: in addition, many programs are capable of accepting orders directly from customers’ smartphones, collecting and storing the purchase history of discount card holders, using special controllers to record the number of drinks poured in a bar... In short, the costs of programs for a restaurant completely justify themselves, and a novice businessman simply cannot do without special software.

Recruitment: stage 5

Of course, to hire the right people, it is better to turn to specialized agencies, but if you have a limited budget, you can do it yourself. When recruiting dishwashers and cleaners, an interview is usually enough, but when hiring buyers, waiters and administrators, it is worth studying their work experience and recommendations, but it is advisable to verify the skills of the chef, cooks and bartenders personally. Chef , as a rule, is selected at the stage of approval of the final concept of the establishment. A significant part of success will depend on this employee. Not only culinary talents are important, but also an understanding of the target audience and the key idea of ​​the restaurant. Candidates for the position cooks most often selected personally by the chef.

How many workers are needed for the normal functioning of the establishment? The answer will depend on the size and format of the establishment. Since we are focusing on a small restaurant of a democratic level, an approximate list of personnel will be as follows:

• Chef;
• cook (for 50 guests per shift, 2–5 cooks will be enough);
• bartender/barista (for small restaurants, one per shift is sufficient;
• dishwasher;
• buyer;
• administrator/hostess;
• waiters - as a rule, one waiter can serve up to 10–15 guests (accordingly, our establishment should have 3–5 such employees per shift);
• cleaning woman;
• accountant (you can limit yourself to “coming”).

A common mistake of novice entrepreneurs is to try to embody their own ideal picture of the enterprise in business: in the case of a restaurant - service, interior and cuisine. You shouldn’t be guided by your own tastes - after all, not only you and your friends will visit cafes and restaurants.

Menu creation and supplier selection: stage 6

The menu development stage coincides in time with the stage of final approval of the concept. Typically, one of the main participants in this process is the chef: he creates a list of planned dishes, and the owner or manager evaluates them in terms of attractiveness, taste and cost of ingredients.

The selection of suppliers is carried out by the restaurant manager or purchasing manager: they analyze the product market, choosing the best companies in each segment in terms of price-quality-reliability. Almost no establishment is limited to one supplier, usually there are 7–10 of them: firstly, the conditions for each group of products must be considered separately, and secondly, it is better to provide some kind of “backup” source, especially for rare ingredients.

Advertising: stage 7

To convey information about their establishment to customers, entrepreneurs usually use a set of measures:

• ordering a sign that reflects the type and concept of the establishment;
• placement of billboards and signs;
• website creation and promotion;
• registration on various specialized portals (Afisha, etc.) and opening accounts on social networks;
• advertising in the press;
• distribution of leaflets, booklets, etc.

The launch of an advertising campaign occurs shortly before the opening of the restaurant or immediately after. The set of activities is selected depending on the intended target audience: for casual establishments, distributing leaflets and PR on the Internet is well suited; for high-end restaurants, posting information in specialized publications.

Opening a catering establishment is an extremely difficult task. It is especially difficult for beginners: they have to take into account a lot of nuances and make many mistakes before they begin to understand the “kitchen” of the kitchen. Therefore, many beginning restaurateurs turn to specialists for help - companies that are ready to help in creating a successful establishment.

Entrepreneur's choice- open a restaurant yourself or use the service “ Full construction» from a third party. Specialized companies help organize business in the HoReCa sector. They take care of documentation, design, and equipment selection. The process of launching a catering enterprise requires experience and a professional approach. And any delay means additional costs.

How to open a restaurant from scratch - a set of activities

Concept development - is based on an analysis of a number of factors. The target audience is identified. The format is selected according to it, the location of the object is taken into account. A concept is created consisting of three blocks:

1. An idea is information for the guest that forms an idea of ​​the establishment. For themed restaurants, this is a legend - a real or fictional story. The marketing image defines the niche for the enterprise.
2. Format - choose your “place” both by price category and method of service.
3. Brand - name, marketing image, logo design.

Business planning - has three goals:

1. Evaluation of a business project - taking into account the number of seats and determining the rate of return for each of them, restaurant occupancy rates, markups, seasonal factors.
2. Action plan for opening an enterprise - updating cash flows, comparing sales figures, budget parameters and profitability indicators.
3. Search for financial resources - own investments, lending, investing.

Room - when choosing, they are guided by the following conditions:

1. Location - proximity to the center, office and shopping complexes, metro stations, passable streets and crowded places.
2. Type - residential/non-residential, free use/catering, shopping center/detached.
3. Number of floors - basement/basement, first/high-rise building.
4. Condition and area - repair/redevelopment required, availability of communication networks, number of entrances, ceiling height.
5. Power - increase if necessary.
6. Price/legal conditions - rental conditions and price per square meter per year, possibility of contract extension.

Engineering and design - includes a complete package of drawings: architectural design, utilities, electricity, room layout. 3D visualization makes it possible to see all the nuances and evaluate the created idea in the room, and not on paper. Develop zoning of the hall and kitchen taking into account the ergonomics of the space. A technological project is a plan for the arrangement of furniture and equipment. It indicates the sequence of production processes, the flow of lines, and the traffic flow of the hall.

Restaurant equipment - delivery of equipment, utensils, inventory and furniture takes several months. The bar counter is made to order, which requires additional time. Therefore, requests for packaging are placed at the stage of writing the project.

Obtaining documentation for putting the facility into operation - the list is adjusted by regional legislation.

1. Registration of a legal entity - certificate, charter of the enterprise, TIN, certificate from the statistics committee, certificate of registration with the Pension Fund and the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund, opening a current account.
2. Premises - legal document (rent/ownership), BTI approvals, permit for public catering.
3. Cash register - passport, registration card, cash book with the seal of the Internal Revenue Service.
4. Licenses for trade in food, alcohol and tobacco products.

Menu - unusual recipes will definitely interest customers. You can make a signature presentation of classic dishes, and they will be remembered by your guests. A smart move is to organize a master class for staff, where they will be trained in working with professional equipment. The assortment is developed in several stages.

1. Preliminary assortment
2. Tasting study, quality assessment
3. Statement
4. Technological development with photoset
5. Creation of technological maps, costing maps, pricing
6. Formation of PAR-list (purchase) and selection of suppliers
7. Menu design
8. Entering technological maps into the automation system to create dishes not included in the menu.

1. Outdoor advertising (in transport, pillars, signs, signs) - placed in places where potential customers gather. Represents a specific route that will lead the guest to the restaurant.
2. Internet advertising. The modern client is a network user. In the virtual space, the guest will read reviews and descriptions of the establishment. A well-designed website will also attract attention.
3. Media and PR - radio advertising helps inform about entertainment programs and promotions. News feeds in print media form the image of the cafe.
4. Printed (POS) materials - little things that inform and remind you of your restaurant: business cards, pens with a logo, flyers and booklets.
5. Event marketing - internal events and loyalty programs.

How much does it cost to open a restaurant?

Without exception, all novice entrepreneurs are wondering about the cost of organizing a business in the HoReCa sector. The restaurant is characterized by a wide range of dishes and drinks and a high level of service. It is important to correspond to the status, because the contingent of the establishment is determined.

In the metropolis, the amount of financial investments is approximately thirty million rubles. Each case is individual and has its own price. It is determined by rent, the need for repairs and redevelopment, the work of designers and designers, the production cycle of the enterprise, and equipment. On average, a square meter of usable area costs $1000-1500. Let's look at the list of expenses. As an example, let's take a restaurant with an area of ​​250 m² with 80 seats.

Expert business support (consulting)

• Restaurant concept - 25-35 thousand rubles.
• Business planning - 55-65 thousand rubles.
• Assortment of dishes - from 500 rubles. for one position
• Selection of premises
• Recruitment and training of personnel - 10-20 thousand rubles.

Room

• Rent per year - 2.5 to 25 million rubles.
• Complete design - RUB 162,500.
• Full design - RUB 262,500.
• Finishing - 375 thousand to 3 million 750 thousand rubles.

Restaurant equipment - RUB 3,407,234

• Equipment (heating, refrigeration, electromechanical, neutral) - RUB 1,563,540.
• Dishes (kitchen) - RUB 88,780.
• Crockery (dining room, including knives and glasses) - RUB 323,210.
• Inventory - RUB 42,263.
• Serving items - RUB 178,503.
• Chefs uniform - RUB 13,180.
• Furniture - RUB 1,001,740.
• Automation - depends on the selected program “1C: Restaurant”, R-Keeper, Iiko - 30 to 120 thousand rubles.

Brand promotion

• Corporate identity - logo, business cards, menus and other printed materials - RUB 30,000.
• Sign production - the price depends on the chosen design - roof installation, light box, LED sign, pylons, steles, etc.
• Advertising - outdoor, interior, print, media, BTL

Staff - must initially work on the project. The chef himself forms the team. The choice of equipment also often falls on his shoulders. The costs associated with the formation of wages grow in proportion to the profitability of the establishment and depend on the staffing table.

• Chef - 50,000 rubles, with a name - from 10 thousand dollars.
• Director - 100,000 rubles.
• Manager - 50,000 rubles.
• Sous chef - 25,000 rub.
• Cook - 18,000 rub.
• Kitchen workers - 10,000 rubles.
• Waiters, bartenders - 12,000 rubles.

There is no specific template to open a restaurant. Each individual case requires an individual approach. Organizing a business from scratch implies the presence of additional costs associated with obtaining permits and preparing the premises. However, this labor-intensive process in all respects can be eliminated. Use the service of a third party to launch a turnkey restaurant.

How to make money from a restaurant, bar, cafe

Seasonal factor

The peak period for establishments in the tourist center is April-September. Restaurants serving European cuisine, sushi bars and pizzerias win. You can earn income during the season if you follow the basic rules.

• Menu - replace the standard map with offers with a small number of items within the concept. Entrust the function of promoting the “necessary” dishes to the waiters. The main thing is that the recommendations are not intrusive. Focus on low-cost food that is easy to prepare and quick to serve. As a result, kitchen work is simplified and customer service is accelerated. In addition, a compact menu helps manage inventory levels, minimize costs, and eliminate the appearance of a stop list.

• Bar list - the growth of turnover determines the speed of sales, so it is better to replace complex cocktails, leaving a couple of bestsellers for regular customers.

It is necessary to serve tourists in 5-7 minutes. Otherwise, you risk losing clients, since the traveler does not have free time during the day.

Marketing to local residents

According to statistics, the lion's share of the establishment's regular customers live in close proximity to it. Therefore, the work strategy is focused on a specific area. There is no point in telling people about your cafe who, even if they come to you, will do so only out of curiosity. As a result, they will give preference to a bar close to home. Profit is generated from regular customers. Therefore, your task is to create an incentive to return. Loyalty cards still work. A good move is to organize themed evenings: literary, musical, gaming, corresponding to the idea of ​​the establishment. As a rule, owners of coffee shops and restaurants serving Italian or Mediterranean cuisine resort to such marketing tricks.

Storming costs

Any restaurant can fail. There are many reasons for this. We won't dwell on them. Let's see how to stay afloat and get out of a difficult situation.

Owners of beer bars, steakhouses, and fish restaurants, where the average bill is not affordable for everyone, sometimes face a drop in demand. The main thing is not to panic, to work systematically. First, fixed costs are analyzed. You can ask the landlord to reconsider the contract temporarily. If you resort to this practice once a year, unstable financial situations are eliminated.

Reduce product costs by splitting up suppliers. This will minimize the shortage of goods in the kitchen and will allow you to formulate a pricing policy. World practice shows the effectiveness of a small, manageable menu with the inclusion of seasonal products to control costs.

For example, if you are the owner of a FISH house, update the menu taking into account the catch of a particular fish. While maintaining top positions. This also applies to bakeries where fruit and berry pastries are present. In summer and autumn, products for filling are much cheaper, which helps to save money and create a material reserve in case of the low season.

A satisfied and regular customer is the result of the proper work of the restaurateur and his team. Follow the established rules, seek the help of professionals, and your business will become successful, sustainable and prosperous.

Now you know how to open a restaurant. If you have questions, write in the comments!

The material covers the issues of choosing a concept, registration, taxation, obtaining permits and the necessary documents and necessary equipment, and also contains an approximate calculation of how much it costs to open a cafe.

 

Catering business(cafes, restaurants, snack bars, bars, etc.), provided it is properly organized, has always been and remains profitable. However, if creating a restaurant is a large-scale, extremely costly and complex project (and sometimes unprofitable), then opening a small cafe will require much less investment, time and effort, and is also characterized by lower risks.

How to open a cafe, where to start

What is a cafe, how does it differ from other catering establishments? The answer to this question is given by GOST R 50762-2007.

This is an enterprise that organizes food and recreation for visitors and provides them with a limited range of products, as well as selling specialties, soft and alcoholic drinks.

Thus, the purchase of basic equipment for a small cafe will cost about 200 thousand rubles. In addition, you will need air conditioning, kitchen equipment, dishes, textiles, furniture, office equipment, the cost of purchasing which will be ~ 100 thousand rubles.

Total investment in equipment ~ 300,000 rubles.

Staff

Selecting staff is a very important task for opening a successful cafe. Taking into account shift work, a small establishment will need a chef, 2 cooks, 4 waiters, an administrator, a dishwasher, and a cleaner. The number of employees depends on the concept and size of the cafe, but at first, too much staff can be detrimental to the business. All personnel must have medical records.

About the franchise

A cafe franchise is an option for opening a catering establishment owned by well-known chain brands. Such a business has both its pros and cons. Today you can purchase a franchise from companies such as Subway, Chocolate Girl, 33 Penguin, Baskin Robbins etc.

On the one hand, a franchise allows you to purchase a perfectly calculated model of a ready-made cafe; in this case, the business will be guaranteed to be successful. On the other hand, there are additional cash costs in the form of one-time contributions, regular royalties, contributions to funds, etc., as well as the lack of opportunities to make changes to the business according to your taste and discretion. Therefore, before opening your own cafe as a franchise, you should carefully evaluate all possible consequences.

Update from December 2015:

Moneymakers Factory invites you to familiarize yourself with the terms of the Pizza Time franchise, an interesting option for opening a catering enterprise in 2016.

A cafe is the most popular format of a catering establishment. It doesn't take millions to start this business. costs. If the cafe works well, it is easy to acquire a permanent, loyal clientele. You can work in one place for decades and even pass this business on by inheritance.

But in order for a cafe to bring in a constant, stable income, before opening it, you need to study the key points of this business. Of course, nothing can replace your real experience, but still, it’s worth knowing where to start if you decide to open your own cafe from scratch.

For our users, we wrote a book about opening a small cafe, where we collected only practical recommendations, examples and calculations. This is little more than just step-by-step instructions, so we highly recommend you read it.

What will you learn by reading our book? Before opening your own cafe, you need to answer a number of questions:

• Where will you open the cafe? Will it be a shopping center, a busy street, a residential area or a closed area such as an office center, university, or enterprise?
• Are there enough of your potential clients there? How to estimate the expected attendance of your cafe?
• How are your competitors doing? What niche in the catering market can you occupy?
• Where to buy equipment, furniture and dishes for your cafe?
• How to legally resolve the issue with musical accompaniment?
• What is needed to obtain permission to open a cafe?

Our instruction book will tell you where to start to open your own cafe. But we did not limit ourselves to just describing the procedure for opening a cafe. You will also learn how to evaluate a restaurant’s menu for profitability, what efficiency indicators exist for an operating cafe, what your chef should do, and what area of ​​responsibility you should control.

How much does it cost to open a cafe from scratch?

To understand how much money you need to open a cafe, you need to decide on the format of your establishment. At the preliminary stage of assessing the location, the activities of competitors, possible attendance, and the average bill, you can already guess how much daily income your cafe will generate. A good payback period for a café would be one year of its operation at full capacity, and this is what you should proceed from when calculating how much money you will need to open your café.

All costs of opening a cafe from scratch can be divided into one-time costs and those that will have to be borne throughout the entire period of the cafe’s activity. Let's collect this data in a table:

We did not indicate in the table the most important item of expense - premises, since the situation here may be different:

• you already have your own cafe premises;
• you are planning to buy a premises;
• The cafe space will be rented.

Most often, cafe premises are rented. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, areas where there is good traffic are often located in shopping centers, where the premises can only be rented. Secondly, renting, rather than purchasing, premises reduces the cost of opening a cafe. Thirdly, despite all the preliminary calculations, the location of the cafe may turn out to be unsuccessful.

You need to rent space for a cafe wisely. We talked about what you need to pay attention to when concluding a lease agreement with the owner in our book. Well, if the premises are yours, congratulations, your risks when opening a cafe from scratch will be much less.

In each specific case, the amount of expenses when opening a cafe from scratch will be different. In our book, we calculated in detail and down to the smallest detail the cost of opening a summer cafe for 20 people. One-time costs amounted to 500 thousand rubles, plus 330 thousand rubles were fixed costs for the first month of the cafe’s operation, taking into account the rent of the premises. Total, 830 thousand rubles.

For business starters, we advise you to consider the option of a franchise in the catering industry. In some cases, opening a cafe as a franchise will be cheaper due to the fact that the franchisor is interested in promoting its brand. For example, he can offer you equipment in installments, for rent, or even for free use. Of course, he will later reimburse his expenses when he receives monthly payments from you, but at the first stage, operating a cafe as a franchise will help you quickly start making a profit.

When choosing a franchise, keep in mind that the examples of expenses and income in the franchisor’s proposal may not be entirely reliable. The franchisor is interested in selling you a franchise, so recalculate all the given figures yourself and add those expenses that are not taken into account in his rosy picture.

Are you planning to open your own business? Don’t forget about the current account - it will simplify doing business, paying taxes and insurance premiums. Moreover, now many banks offer favorable conditions for opening and maintaining a current account. You can view the offers here.

How to open a cafe from scratch: business plan

Do you need a business plan to open a cafe? If we talk about a professionally compiled document with formulas, graphs and market research, then it will not be cheap. Unfortunately, even an expensive document prepared by specialists will not guarantee you the stated income figures. A business plan is just a plan; only the cost figures will be more or less accurate.

However, before you open your own cafe, you must also calculate its income. Yes, it will only be estimated, but you should imagine what you can count on if the cafe is well organized.

We propose to replace a professional business plan for opening a cafe with an example with calculations of expenses and revenues. You can also find such an example in our book. In this example, we calculated not only the amount of expenses, but also how many visitors should come to the cafe, what the average bill should be, and what the payback period for your cafe might be.

What documents are needed to open a cafe?

What permits are needed to open a cafe? A cafe is a public catering establishment, and such establishments are under increased attention from supervisory authorities. Answering the question: “What does it take to open a cafe?”, we must draw your attention to the presence of certain bureaucratic barriers.

Unfortunately, the process of obtaining permits to open a cafe can take you a lot of time. The procedure itself is not explicitly stated in any regulatory act, because approvals must be obtained from different services.

The package of documents for opening a cafe in 2019 will include:

• coordination with the fire inspectorate;
• sanitary and epidemiological conclusion from Rospotrebnadzor on the compliance of the cafe with the requirements;
• permission to open a cafe from the local administration;
• permission to place outdoor advertising;
• a license to sell alcohol if you sell it;
• agreement with the police on the placement of a panic button.

The most difficult thing will be to obtain permission from Rospotrebnadzor to open a cafe, because To do this, you must comply with the requirements of several special documents (SNiP). During the issuance of the conclusion, Rospotrebnadzor will request contracts for disinfection, garbage removal, laundry services, a technological project for connecting equipment to electricity, water, sewerage and other documents. Next, a sanitary production control program will be approved, according to the plan of which further activities will be checked. We advise you not to enter into a lease until you know the sanitary requirements for your type of cafe. It is possible that the room you have chosen cannot meet them at all.

It is easier to open a cafe in a room where there was already a catering outlet, or in a shopping center in the food court format, where the administration of the shopping center will provide some assistance in obtaining permits.

You can find out what documents you need to open a cafe in Russia from specialized law firms that help in obtaining various types of licenses, approvals, and permits. It is no secret that connections, knowledge of the procedure, and regional characteristics are of great importance in this matter, therefore, if you have the opportunity to order such services, it is worth taking advantage of it.

In any case, do not despair, you can obtain permits to open a cafe yourself, especially since you only need to do this once. Look at how many catering outlets there are, all of which were able to overcome these bureaucratic obstacles. So can you.

Beginning businessmen often pay attention to catering, considering it one of the most profitable industries. This area can really pay off quite quickly, despite the high initial investment. How to open your own cafe from scratch so that it becomes a profitable investment of your own money? Drawing up an action plan and strictly following it will be the key to future success.

Advantages of opening a cafe in a small town

Opening a cafe in a small town is a great way to provide yourself with a stable profit. This business segment has its advantages:

• the entrepreneur will not have to spend a lot of money on advertising, since the opening of a cafe in a small town will be an important event for local residents, which will certainly attract customers;
• low rental costs (compared to large cities);
• relatively low costs.

Possible risks include a low markup on the dishes sold and the low purchasing power of city residents, because their salary level is significantly lower than that of capital clients.

Where to start: step-by-step instructions

Having decided on the desire to acquire his own catering establishment, the businessman wonders where to start opening a cafe? The success of such an enterprise depends on several factors:

1. premises;
2. interior and equipment;
3. qualified employees;
4. correct menu.

It is necessary to work on these issues based on the concept of the institution itself. Fast food is becoming an increasingly popular type of catering. Opening a cafe of this format requires a small amount of money compared to full-fledged restaurants whose menu includes gourmet dishes.

Fast food is nothing new, but it brings a stable income to its owner. Many aspiring businessmen open cafes of just this format. It becomes a safety net. People buy fast food even during a crisis due to low cost. At first, you need to work by focusing on the following components:

1. simplicity;
2. cheapness;
3. safety;
4. good taste.

When the businessman has decided on the choice of concept, he can move on to searching for the most suitable premises.

Location selection

What does it take to open a cafe from scratch? The first step is to find a premises that would increase the likelihood of making a high profit. A person can choose one of the following strategies:

1. premises in the city center with high traffic;
2. a point on the periphery with sufficient traffic.

In the second case, you will be able to save on rent, but the monthly profit will be lower than when choosing a location in the city center. In a small town it is better to choose the first option.

When looking for the most suitable premises, you need to pay attention to the following features:

• the presence of an entrance from the street (it is better to choose the first line of houses, it is not recommended to open a cafe in the back, traffic there is very low);
• high traffic (not only pedestrian, but also automobile);
• being at a street intersection (if a cafe is placed on a corner, the level of traffic will increase significantly);
• proximity to stops;
• windows facing the street (the more beautiful the view from the windows, the more time customers will want to spend in the cafe);
• location on the first floor.

Choosing a suitable room

The room itself should be spacious, with high ceilings, so as not to cause discomfort to visitors. A cafe is a place for citizens to eat. Wanting to ensure the safety of their visitors, the business owner must follow the requirements of the SES and fire inspection. The legal functioning of the cafe is possible only after obtaining the appropriate permits from these authorities. The full list of requirements should be clarified with the institutions themselves, The most important operating conditions look like this:

• the presence of sound insulation when located in a residential building;
• mandatory treatment of utility rooms with special fire-resistant compounds;
• the presence of a high-quality ventilation system.

Compliance with all requirements will avoid the need to pay fines and comply with regulations.

Room size

Since the cafe is opening in a small town, a large premises is not required. 40-50 seats will be enough. To serve such a number of visitors, 100m2 of space is enough as a hall. Additionally, you will need about 20m2 for the bar and 30m2 for the kitchen and utility rooms. It turns out that the total area will be 150m2.

It will be necessary to carry out repairs to the premises in accordance with the requirements of the SES. The appearance should correspond to the concept of the establishment, be cozy and attractive to potential clients.

Favorable terms of the lease agreement

In the food service industry today, many landlords provide rental holidays to their clients. This term refers to an agreement concluded for a certain period during which the tenant is exempt from having to make rental payments. This is usually associated with repairs.

It is necessary to look for premises under these conditions, as this will significantly reduce the amount of initial costs.

Equipment purchase

Fast food is fast and easy to prepare food. You don't need a lot of equipment. The list of required tools includes:

1. cooling chamber;
2. showcase;
3. freezer;
4. baking cabinet;
5. oven;
6. microwave;
7. coffee machine;
8. mixer.

This is just basic kitchen equipment. In general, it will take about 500-600 thousand rubles to purchase it, including the necessary equipment. You should not save on equipment, since the quality of the prepared food will largely depend on it. When choosing suitable options, you need to study specialized sites and visit exhibitions.

A businessman planning to start working in a new direction should definitely ask: how much does it cost to open a cafe? The initial costs include cosmetic repairs, purchase of equipment, furniture, dishes, and window dressing.

From 10 thousand rubles are spent on one seat. It turns out that a cafe with 50 seats will require 500 thousand rubles for complete arrangement. If you add up these costs with the purchase of equipment (500 - 600 thousand rubles) and the cost of the display case (about 100 thousand rubles), you get about 1.1 million rubles. To this should be added 25-50 thousand for the purchase of cash register equipment and the necessary software. This is exactly how much it costs to open your own cafe in a small town without taking into account current costs.

Number of staff units

An equally important question is How many employees does it take to work in a cafe? If we are talking about a small establishment, then you can get by with 6 people:

• 2 cooks;
• 2 waiters;
• 2 bartenders.

There is no need to hire famous chefs, because fast food is a simple and quick kitchen. The average salary for a small town is 15-20 thousand rubles per person. You can develop a bonus system that would encourage employees to perform their duties at a high level.

Business registration

When opening a cafe, you can register as an individual entrepreneur or LLC. The first option is more preferable, since paperwork will be simpler and faster. As a taxation system, you can choose UTII and simplified tax system. The safest of them is the simplified tax system “income minus expenses,” since a cafe always means a high level of costs.

If an entrepreneur plans to sell cigarettes and alcoholic beverages in a cafe, he will have to obtain the appropriate license. The only type of alcohol that can be sold without a license is beer.

Calculation of financial indicators

When drawing up a business plan for a cafe in a small town, you need to focus on the expected level of income. With 50 visitors per day and an average bill of 300 rubles per month, you can earn 450 thousand rubles.

The profitability of such a business in a small town is approximately 30%. The main cost items include:

Net profit for the month will be equal to 135 thousand rubles. The initial costs are 1.15 million rubles. It turns out that The cafe will pay for itself in 9 months and the business will begin to generate returns.