Today, many think about their business, but do not know which niche to choose. Fast food cafes are very popular among beginners and experienced businessmen. The term "fast food" appeared in the post-Soviet countries for quite some time, and today such establishments can be found in any city. Despite much competition, this niche is well suited for those who decide to try their hand at business. Today we will consider an example of a business plan for a fast food cafe and find out what key points a similar document should consist of.
Why fast food?
Before considering the business plan of a fast food cafe, we will get acquainted with the issue. The main reason encouraging businessmen to open establishments for fast food is a very impressive profit at a relatively low cost. The number of people who quickly snack on fast food every day is quite large. They are attracted, first of all, by the speed of service and a pleasant price. The main difference between fast food and restaurants is the fact that here a client can get his food in 3-4 minutes. At the same time, as a rule, visitors to such establishments stay in them for a maximum of 30-40 minutes, and only if they come with an interlocutor. The latter fact is an important advantage for the owner of fast food, because thanks to the quick change of visitors, the institution serves a greater number of them, which positively affects profits.
In order for the institution to be truly successful and able to withstand the constantly growing competition, it is worth approaching the preparation of the project with all seriousness. The business plan of a fast food cafe should include the following items.
Market Review
Today, catering is a very urgent problem. Existing catering enterprises are conditionally divided into large and small. The first include restaurants and cafes, distinguished by high service, quality service and a fairly high price of dishes. Thus, they are targeted at middle-income people.
The second category includes small bars and snack bars, which are divided into two categories:
- Dear establishments, distinguished by specialties, high quality service and relevant prices.
- Inexpensive and small establishments that offer their customers simple, but tasty and quality food.
The most significant distinguishing feature is the range of products, which, as a rule, is due to the size of the kitchen.
In most cities, the fast-food establishments currently operating do not fully satisfy customer demand. Therefore, the market really needs a fast-food cafe with high-quality service, tasty and high-quality food and low prices.
There are no seasonal fluctuations in demand in this sector of catering, since people and workers in the nearest buildings visit fast foods at any time of the year. The only exceptions are fast-food cafes located in places where there are no large organizations other than educational institutions - in summer, demand drops significantly. The business plan for a fast food cafe in a small town should especially consider location issues.
Choosing a cafe development strategy
So, a development strategy is the first thing you need to decide when drawing up a business plan for a fast food cafe. There are few ways to run such a business.For those who decide to open an institution for fast food, there are two options for business development:
- Take advantage of the franchise.
- Come up with your own idea.
Franchise
Today in any city there are fast food establishments that have long earned the trust and love of customers. Many of them grow into large networks and provide everyone with a franchise. In this case, the franchise is the right to open and develop a cafe of an already existing advertised network. The most famous example of this approach is the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. Network establishments work all over the world and, naturally, each of them has its own owner. The franchise involves the use of branded packaging, menus, and compliance with business rules applicable to a particular network.
Of course, a franchise is an expensive option, but it's worth it. The buyer of a successful franchise can only decide the technical aspects of the business, the rest is done by the network managers for it. This approach has a number of undeniable advantages, the main of which is the trust of customers. Having opened a fast food cafe on an advertised network, you can start making money literally from the first day.
Own idea
If the starting capital is not enough to acquire a franchise, then you need to promote your own concept of the institution. The main advantage of this option is complete freedom of action and cost savings. Those who have taken the path of creating a completely new fast food establishment have a chance to do something unique and as a result even go around popular chains. If everything goes well, the owner of the new cafe will be able to open his network of establishments and increase his income. The disadvantage of this approach is the fact that the advertising and development of the cafe completely fall on the shoulders of its owner.
Room and interior
When the issue with the concept of the cafe and the strategy for its development is resolved, you can proceed to the choice of location and its arrangement. The room for the cafe should be located in a crowded and visible place, otherwise there will be no dense flow of customers.
The potential of the cafe depends on the interior and the atmosphere that it creates. The room should be comfortable and cozy. But the most important thing is that it should attract a client and arouse in him the desire to taste dishes from the menu. If the development of the cafe is planned on a franchise basis, then the interior design can (and probably even need) be borrowed from popular establishments of the network.
Employees
The business plan of a fast food cafe always includes a count of employees. Fast food involves independent customer service, which means that you can save a lot of money on the maintenance of waiters. However, due to the lack of waiters, requirements for other employees are increasing. Cashiers, administrators, and other workers should be polite, courteous, sociable, and prepared to deal with non-standard situations that occur quite often in fast foods. All staff should be guided in the menu items and be able to help indecisive customers if they ask.
Thus, the staff of fast food can be limited to 5-6 people (2-3 cooks, 1 employee of the hall, 1-2 cashiers). This is an advantage of fast food for at least two reasons. Firstly, the fewer people, the less profit will go to pay for their labor. And secondly - the fewer people, the easier it is to cope with them.
Cost calculation
Considering the business plan of a fast food cafe, one cannot ignore the specific figures of expenses. The main articles in this business are the rental of premises and its arrangement. On average, these procedures can cost 25-27 thousand dollars. All other costs will depend on the business strategy. We will consider several defining principles.
Range
Not even the most detailed business plan of a fast food cafe should take into account the features of dishes.Fast food means having tasty, inexpensive food that would appeal to a wide audience of people at the same time. The assortment of dishes should be varied with a focus on the usual European and local cuisine. It can be any sandwiches, salads, main dishes, pastries and, of course, drinks. At the same time, it is desirable that the institution had some kind of signature dish or type of branded "prefabricated" options, such as sandwiches. If you want to focus on a particular dish or cuisine of a certain country, it is worth including several universal dishes in the menu that will appeal to the most conservative visitors.
As for alcohol, it is usually not sold in fast-food establishments. The reason for this is simple - people come here in between work and school. Many go to fast food to buy food for work or on the road. Therefore, it is necessary to stock up on branded paper bags or plastic containers (depending on the type of kitchen).
Equipment
Without special equipment it is impossible to open a fast food cafe. A business plan should consider the costs of this. The minimum set of equipment needed to run an average fast-food cafe consists of several refrigerated display cases, stoves and racks for distribution. If you plan to bake anything in a cafe, you will also need to buy a powerful oven. To store food you need a spacious refrigerator. Otherwise, the choice of equipment depends on the type of institution and the dishes that will be served in it.
Most often in fast food establishments they work with pre-prepared semi-finished products. Before submitting an order to a client, you only need to conduct heating and final preparation of the dish. The process of preparing semi-finished products is carried out by the supplier. For subsequent operations, one small room will be enough. There is another option - to open a fast food cafe, in which semi-finished products will also be manufactured. In this case, it will be necessary to rent an additional room for cutting meat and fish and processing vegetables. Thus, the amount of equipment needed will depend on the model of the institution. All this must be taken into account when drawing up a business plan for a fast food cafe with calculations.
Fast food cafes are of the following types:
- Western model, such as the McDonald's.
- An institution dedicated to a certain type of cuisine, for example, oriental.
- Cafe dedicated to a particular dish, for example, a pizzeria, pancake and so on.
A set of specific equipment will depend on the choice of one of the types of fast food establishments. For example, you may need: a deep fryer, a coffee machine, a rice cooker, and more. One of the benefits of fast food is the use of disposable tableware. This allows you to save not only on the purchase of dishes, but also on their washing. On average, kitchen equipment for a fast food cafe will cost about 2-3 thousand dollars.
Location
As noted above, the business plan of a fast food cafe, a sample of which we are considering, must necessarily take into account the location of the institution. As a rule, fast foods are placed in such places:
- Near major business centers.
- Near campuses or institutes.
- Downtown.
- Near metro stations, railway and automobile stations, clinics and other places of concentration of potential customers.
It is important that the cafe is located on the ground floor and has a separate entrance. The area of the hall for accommodating visitors can be quite modest - up to 30 square meters. Before renting a room, you should make sure that there is good ventilation. In fast food establishments there is very high traffic, so fresh air is simply necessary. In the kitchen, you can’t do without it either. You should not forget about communications, such as water supply, sewage and electricity.If all this is not, then you will have to spend extra. Thus, when compiling a business plan for a fast food cafe with calculations, it is worth starting from a chosen place.
Payback and profitability
Indicators such as payback and profitability of fast food will depend on food prices and compliance with all of the above points. If everything is organized properly, the cafe will pay off in a half to two years. The calculation is made subject to an average level of attendance and does not take into account the increase in attendance on days of public holidays. So we got acquainted with the main points that should be considered when drawing up a business plan for a fast food cafe.
Summary
Many people think that in their city there are so many fast foods and it’s completely pointless to open another one. There are really many fast food establishments today, but how many of them deserve the highest marks from visitors? The trends of modern business show that you need not to search for new ideas, but just do your job well. Therefore, if you make really high-quality fast food, sooner or later it will start to bring good profit. And the approximate business plan of a fast food cafe, which we examined, can help in this.