Owning / Running a cafe

Status
Not open for further replies.
Anyone on here do this, or have done it?

We are looking at buying a local cafe which is up for sale due to the current owners illness. Its in a massive growth corridor and is currently not being run well due to very poor business accumen and a terrible chef. I think with a little bit of tweaking and some good management it can double its takings easily. e.g. it located right next to a swimming pool which is private use for the estate it is on, howerver they dont have it opened up to the pool so if your at the pool, you have to dry off, go inside walk a couple of hundred meters enter the cafe buy the stuff, walk back etc. Simply adding a sliding door facing the pool area would open that whole area up and allow pool side service.

Anyone know of anything i should be looking out for / pit falls?
 


Anyone on here do this, or have done it?

We are looking at buying a local cafe which is up for sale due to the current owners illness. Its in a massive growth corridor and is currently not being run well due to very poor business accumen and a terrible chef. I think with a little bit of tweaking and some good management it can double its takings easily. e.g. it located right next to a swimming pool which is private use for the estate it is on, howerver they dont have it opened up to the pool so if your at the pool, you have to dry off, go inside walk a couple of hundred meters enter the cafe buy the stuff, walk back etc. Simply adding a sliding door facing the pool area would open that whole area up and allow pool side service.

Anyone know of anything i should be looking out for / pit falls?

Buying it then someone on here claiming it's closed and/or shite.

Also people hanging round waiting for potential Sunderland signings having a bacon butty on your premises.
 
Anyone on here do this, or have done it?

We are looking at buying a local cafe which is up for sale due to the current owners illness. Its in a massive growth corridor and is currently not being run well due to very poor business accumen and a terrible chef. I think with a little bit of tweaking and some good management it can double its takings easily. e.g. it located right next to a swimming pool which is private use for the estate it is on, howerver they dont have it opened up to the pool so if your at the pool, you have to dry off, go inside walk a couple of hundred meters enter the cafe buy the stuff, walk back etc. Simply adding a sliding door facing the pool area would open that whole area up and allow pool side service.

Anyone know of anything i should be looking out for / pit falls?

Do proper chips,none of that frozen shite!
 
you need the swimming pool owners onside mate thats obvious id say, when you approach them they mite have plans of their own.
 
Anyone on here do this, or have done it?

We are looking at buying a local cafe which is up for sale due to the current owners illness. Its in a massive growth corridor and is currently not being run well due to very poor business accumen and a terrible chef. I think with a little bit of tweaking and some good management it can double its takings easily. e.g. it located right next to a swimming pool which is private use for the estate it is on, howerver they dont have it opened up to the pool so if your at the pool, you have to dry off, go inside walk a couple of hundred meters enter the cafe buy the stuff, walk back etc. Simply adding a sliding door facing the pool area would open that whole area up and allow pool side service.

Anyone know of anything i should be looking out for / pit falls?

Serious question(s).
Can you cook?
Can you/ your mrs wait on?
Do you understand the hours and commitment needed to run a catering business?
 
Looking at getting the certs BF! It has a current manager who essentiually runs it at present, who we'd look to keep on to assess their ability.

Mrs has waited before, we'd hire a pro Chef as the existing one as I say is not very good.

yes we'd sell pies, no they wouldn't be the pie face ones.

I understand the hours / commitment, but we've always said we wanted to work for ourselves and looked into building / runnning a pub in our little town, but the land was too expensive to buy. This is an established business that just needs the extra little ush to get it going well.....I think / hope
 
Looking at getting the certs BF! It has a current manager who essentiually runs it at present, who we'd look to keep on to assess their ability.

Mrs has waited before, we'd hire a pro Chef as the existing one as I say is not very good.

yes we'd sell pies, no they wouldn't be the pie face ones.

I understand the hours / commitment, but we've always said we wanted to work for ourselves and looked into building / runnning a pub in our little town, but the land was too expensive to buy. This is an established business that just needs the extra little ush to get it going well.....I think / hope

If you're happy then go for it.
Personally i know the 2 biggest commitments and essential staff are a chef and a head waiter/ress
That way if things went quiet or if you just didn't want to have to pay out for the dearest and most important overheads then you's could do the jobs yourselves.
Without a chef you have no business, that's why i was asking.
 
There is a one on the next estate along which makes a fortune, always busy, got a good area for kids to play in, and the food is excellent. There are a lot of Ladies who lunch around our area, so they would be a big daytime target market!! hire a couple of young strapping blokes to flirt a little with them, and keep them coming back.
 
Is this "sliding door" already in place? If not does it need the building owners permission? The pool owners permission? The Councils permission? All three? Will they give it?
 
Is this "sliding door" already in place? If not does it need the building owners permission? The pool owners permission? The Councils permission? All three? Will they give it?

Could be a H&S nightmare actually thinking about it. Wet feet, hot coffee etc
 
Anyone on here do this, or have done it?

We are looking at buying a local cafe which is up for sale due to the current owners illness. Its in a massive growth corridor and is currently not being run well due to very poor business accumen and a terrible chef. I think with a little bit of tweaking and some good management it can double its takings easily. e.g. it located right next to a swimming pool which is private use for the estate it is on, howerver they dont have it opened up to the pool so if your at the pool, you have to dry off, go inside walk a couple of hundred meters enter the cafe buy the stuff, walk back etc. Simply adding a sliding door facing the pool area would open that whole area up and allow pool side service.

Anyone know of anything i should be looking out for / pit falls?

Growth corridor
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top