Cafe food?

Question

I'm interested in starting my own cafe and I would like to know what kind of food I should have. It will be like a Starbucks with food, but of course I'll just have one local store. Any ideas? Thanks to any answers that come my way!

Answer 1

Soups, sandwiches, coffees, caffeine-free alternatives, baked goods like muffins, bagels, croissants (chocolate filled, yum!), fruit, etc.

Also, focus on healthy foods, like smoothies, and such. People will want to stop on their way to work if they could get a smoothie full of protein and vitamins in just a couple minutes.

Answer 2

My thoughts. You have to have some kind of hot and savory food for breakfast. Not everyone likes or can eat sweets. If it's open at noon, then things like burgers (can be dressed up!) and wraps and soups and gourmet salads. Do you have a theme yet? There's 50's cafe, California cafe, truck stop cafe, etc... If you're thinking Starbucks and have gourmet coffees, then the food needs to be innovative with a mix of the oldies. Like wraps with sprouts and avocado and turkey, and also meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Keep a good balance of healthy and traditional (which we all know wasn't healthy, but people still love it!). Switch things up with daily specials. Like Taco Tuesday, or Fish Fry Friday. Or lasagna some noons. So you'll have one headlining special when they see your board, then the usual stuff you offer that's on special. My most popular lunch dish was a Hot Beef. Email me if you want the recipe, it's really easy. Good luck, it's hard work, but is really rewarding.

Answer 3

Unfortunately,it's not all that simple. You need to conduct a demographic study on the area that you will be opening in, unless you are VERY familiar with the area. You could open a cafe with the best burgers in the world, but if your neighborhood has a lot of vegetarians, you won't do too much business.
That said, if you're shooting for the coffee shop atmosphere, good quality muffins, breads,pastries, etc. are always a nice touch.
If you have the space, one thing that worked very well for me was to have some soup warmers filled with "hot breakfast cereals" oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits,etc. and then some bowls of toppings...granola, raisins, brown sugar,. coconut flakes,etc.. Then you're offering something most other places don't have, making it a "destination" rather than a pit stop.
I was very successful, good luck. If you need any help, I'm always around. with mine for years

Answer 4

Healthy cookies, like oatmeal with blueberries and cranberries, sweetened with honey instead of sugar. Make them with whole wheat flour too, and make sure to have some home made energy bars, like oats, nuts and seeds, some can have choc.chips in them, some with raisins, some with chopped up dried apricots.....in other words, have lots of healthy, but sweetened, foods so people can indulge without feeling guilty.
Not a bad idea to look into offering diabetic choices, vegetarian choices, and gluten free, so people with allergies can enjoy your cafe too!

Answer 5

Keep it simple at first: Sandwiches with fresh veges. It is difficult to find a decent sandwich place, because they generally use preservative on their veges, which makes them tasteless. "Always" use real mayo vs salad dressing. Buy green leaf lettuce vs iceburg; it looks better. Unsweetened tea; many people don't like sugar in tea. Fruit salads. Maybe a couple of soups: clam chowder and tomato. Sprinkle herbs on them for looks. If you open early, serve donuts and pastries. Have canned sodas available. Check out other coffee shops and see what sells. Have newspapers handy for your customers if you include seating.

Answer 6

Definitely croissants for one! I would also offer fresh fruit cups. Good luck!