Opening a roadside cafe can be considered a fairly cost-effective business. Such establishments have long been not considered any second-rate, they are in good demand among motorists and other travelers.
Moreover, it is not necessary to choose large buildings, the main thing is that your institution is located close to high-traffic routes. At the same time, as in the conduct of any other business, there are a number of features. You can learn more about how to open a roadside cafe, what documents to collect, what equipment to buy, etc.
Location
According to experts, the catering industry outside the city is not sufficiently developed, so it makes sense to think about a roadside cafe. In European countries, both a coffee shop and a fast food restaurant can coexist peacefully on the roads. But judging by Russian experience, fast food is the most acceptable option, since visitors to such establishments are usually in a hurry.
In addition, it is worth considering not only how to open a roadside cafe, but also where exactly to establish it. The best options are gas stations, places near settlements, as well as shopping centers. Cafe can also be opened near the recreation area (on the banks of the river or lake). Many advise you to choose the southern direction (that is, south of the city, village), so you won’t be bored even in winter.
Choose a room
Very often, the premises that are rented to organize establishments on the road are in poor condition. To bring them into proper form, you will have to do expensive repairs. It is most advantageous to open a cafe on the basis of ready-made complexes, which are located at the junction of large roads. Several nearby points of sale will surely attract the attention of travelers.
Some features
In addition, having decided how to open a roadside cafe, it is advisable to comply with several unwritten requirements:
- the institution should be designed for at least 70 seats and have a territory of at least 100 square meters. m;
- the room should not be too spacious, a cozy atmosphere should reign here;
- the cafe is equipped with parking, not only for passenger cars, but also for trailers and trucks, in addition, you need to create convenient driveways;
- the interior is desirable to design restrained and simple, but the interior decoration should not resemble the Soviet dining room, which completely discourages the appetite.
Required Documentation
To establish a business, you need to register an IP. However, if the cafe plans to sell alcoholic beverages, then you need to create only a limited liability company. After the premises are selected, permits should be obtained from the fire department and sanitary and epidemiological station.
In order for your roadside cafe to meet sanitary requirements, you need to take care of the availability of water and electricity, as well as connecting to other communications. An entrepreneur also needs a license to sell alcohol. Without fulfilling all these requirements, a businessman can have big problems.
Equipment purchase
You will also need equipment:
- trade (showcases, cash register);
- kitchen (stoves, furniture, dishes, plumbing, household appliances);
- Warehouse
- ventilation.
The cost of equipment can be different, on average, it ranges from 100 thousand to 1 million rubles.It all depends on how seriously you intend to equip the hall and kitchen.
Roadside Cafe Menu
The kitchen should be satisfying, but rather simple. Lobsters, marbled beef and lobsters are clearly not needed. But it is very important to focus on the quality and freshness of products. If possible, the menu should be varied, but quickly prepared.
Your guests need to offer hot first and second courses, sandwiches, barbecue. It is also desirable to add several salads to the menu, but you need to cook them just before serving, because it is never known in advance what the guests will order. In a word, you need to provide as many kinds of dishes as you can store, so that you can easily warm them up or cook them later.
Interesting offers
You can diversify the roadside business a bit: offer visitors takeaway dishes in closed containers. You can also sell related products: water, cigarettes, juices, coffee, tea. You can also allow drivers to fill the thermos with boiling water for free (which is especially true in winter). Roadside cafe service should be of high quality and fast. Each visitor should have the impression that he has become a long-awaited guest, and even better - that he was at home.
When thinking about how to open a roadside cafe, do not forget about the competition. There may be several food service points in your area. Something needs to attract a client, right? You can come up with some kind of "trick". For example, selling unusual, original snacks that your rivals do not have.
Then you need to go through cafes of this kind and find out their menu. A good option is to open an institution specializing in cooking dishes of any one national cuisine. Well and, of course, do not forget that all people love gifts, albeit small but pleasant.
Say, mini souvenirs or some other trifle - inexpensive, but necessary in the household (packing napkins, a small towel, but you never know what else). Do not worry that you will have to incur additional costs. The fact is that you can make a small margin on the cost of dishes (exactly as much as the gift itself costs), most likely, the visitor will not even notice that he is buying something except lunch.
The financial component of the business
Of course, the income of the institution will depend on the number of visitors. Regular customers are unlikely to be in such a road catering (due to the specifics of the business). In this regard, the main success factor is capacity.
Preliminary calculations will look like this:
- Building and land. The approximate cost of this item of expenditure is 1.2-1.5 million rubles. If you plan to rent a building, it will naturally be cheaper. Such establishments are usually located in rural areas, with owners of land by the road almost always able to find a compromise.
- When preparing a business plan for a roadside cafe, it will also be necessary to include the costs of repairing the premises, the kitchen, and the purchase of the necessary equipment. This will cost, on average, 400 thousand rubles. In no case can one save on all this, because the quality of the prepared dishes, respectively, the prestige and attendance of the institution will depend on the quality of the equipment.
- The business plan of the roadside cafe involves, of course, the cost of food - about 12,000 rubles. You can save on this article by making direct purchases from the villagers. As a rule, they always have fresh and high-quality ones, which will certainly attract visitors. Also consider the fact that the farther the complex is from the city, the more difficult it will be to regularly deliver food and raw materials.
- About 150-190 thousand rubles will be spent on staff salaries, but this is only if you accept workers from the same locality where the cafe is in your roadside complex. With part-time employment, savings can be around 35%. However, it is very important that employees are professionals.In particular, to work in a cafe it is necessary to hire a cook, waiter, administrator, seller and technical staff. Typically, such establishments work around the clock or, at least, from 7.00 to 23.00.
- Costs for running a cafe. About 250-300 thousand rubles will still have to be spent on advertising and other primary expenses. In principle, you can save on advertising, as it does not play a significant role in this segment. It is enough to hang a bright sign, place leaflets and signs at gas stations located next to the institution.
In general, the roadside business requires investments in the amount of 2 to 2.5 million rubles. This capital pays off in 1.5-2 years. The profitability of this type of activity can reach 60%.
