starting a new cafe

[moorbarr]

hi all,

i am recently new to this forum and decided to join it as i am in the current planning stages of opening up a cafe in my area and would apprecite any information anybody has , tips etc in running and opening a cafe in an area. what should i look out for, and areas that i should pay particular attention to. any info good or bad would be greatly appreciated!! so lemme have it. cheers everyone

 

[davidsbiscotti]

What area?

Do you plan to offer baked goods in your shop?

 

[moorbarr]

hi,
sorry was away from comp for awhile. i live in dublin, Ireland. im sure the coffee scene is alot diff over here than in the U.S and Canada.

i plan to sell baked goods yes, but over in ireland there are so many rules and regulations you have to stick by in order to sell different food products.

my current dilemma is wheter or not to start up without a kitchen only very basic equipment and serve cold food and sandwiches etc and soups as premises in dublin with fully fitted kitchens dont come cheap in dublin, especially with the price of RATES.

 

[davidsbiscotti]

Yes, I thought the U.S. had tough food service regs., but I've heard it's even tougher in Europe and Great Britain to start up a commercial kitchen.

 

[burtonridr]

I actually work full time as a hvac and plumbing systems designer. I cant say what the requirements are over there, but I know over here in the US the requirements become much more complicated when you begin adding things like ovens, range tops, 3 compartment sinks, and other commercial fixtures. When you add those things over here you end up needing things like Grease Interceptors, Fire rated structures around the equipment, Fire supression system(s), Hoods, Reduced Pressure backflow preventors, etc... All of it is very costly. They make us put these things in any building that has those types of equipment. Churches in particular get very upset about it because they just figured it would be as easy as putting a nice kitchen in their home.

 

[crema123]

I suppose I'll throw in a tip - if you're doing a pure coffee shop, that's where you will make your money. I would recommend bringing in baked goods, etc from someone that specializes in them ... and you focus on coffee. If you've got a full menu, of course you'll have to make the investment on kitchen equipment. I can speak of the US because I have many coffee shop friends there, you can put a panini grill into your shop without a hood - so it's a great way to prepare food for people without the major investment. In Cook Islands, we do not have very many regulations to deal with - my ventillation system is a window.

 

[davidsbiscotti]

A panini grill is an excellent recommendation. In addition to baked goods, soups could also be brought in. A crock pot would make things easier than having to comply with regs for stovetop cooking in your cafe.