90% of people are sure that opening coffee to go is easy. On the one hand, they are right. The only clarification is that you can simply and easily open coffee to go only if you know how to do it correctly. Despite the fact that at first glance the format of coffee to go seems simple, like any other business, ignorance of the subtleties and nuances can turn a profitable and promising business idea into an unprofitable enterprise that operates at zero and sucks out the last pennies.

To avoid such a situation, you need to know where to start and which stages of the business you should pay utmost attention to.

For example, you need to start by identifying the target audience for coffee to go. By asking yourself who will buy your coffee, you can adjust the design, strategy, and concept of your small enterprise to the needs and requests, interests and desires of specific people - your future customers.

The target audience for coffee to go is mainly young people aged 18 to 24 years. In 70% of cases these are girls.

Students, young professionals, low-level managers - these are your potential clients. They value low prices, friendly service, efficiency and social activity. Of course, older people shouldn’t be discounted either; there are also fans of takeaway coffee among people over 50. But if you face the truth, answer yourself the question: how many of these fans will pass by your takeaway coffee outlet every day and how many of them will think about purchasing?

But it is the number of people passing by, coupled with their “quality” (belonging to the target audience) that is the key to the success of a coffee to-go outlet. Finding a place like this is half the battle for coffee to go.

However, we should not forget about another important fact for the coffee to go business. This is the taste and quality of the coffee itself. If you prepare delicious invigorating drinks, people will come back to you and recommend you to friends and acquaintances. This way, you can ensure that spontaneous purchases are reduced and the number of regular customers increases.

We will talk about all these subtleties and other important details further.

Investment size

Opening a takeaway coffee shop can be considered a business with small investments. According to the experience of entrepreneurs who have opened their own takeaway coffee points, you can spend 200 thousand rubles, and the upper limit of starting capital is unlikely to exceed 400 thousand rubles.

This difference in initial capital is explained by ample opportunities to save.

Of course, the amount of funds required to start will largely depend on several large expenses, without which it is simply impossible to open a takeaway coffee shop. Firstly, this is rent, which we will talk about a little later. Secondly - equipment.

Coffee machines for coffee to go

If the flow of customers depends on the choice of rental location, then the ability of the point to quickly and efficiently service this flow will depend on the equipment on which you will prepare coffee.

A professional coffee machine and coffee grinder are the main means of preparing and selling coffee to go.

There is no point in bringing a home coffee machine or even a super-automatic coffee machine to your coffee spot. Firstly, such equipment will not be able to provide the required quality of the product, and secondly, it is not designed for constant and uninterrupted operation. And if the coffee machine breaks down, you won’t sell a single cup of coffee anymore. Remember, the miser pays twice: time wasted, money wasted.

That is why many entrepreneurs try to purchase high-quality, foreign equipment, the cost of which can be 150, 250 thousand rubles, or more. If you don’t have that kind of money, but working with professional equipment is still a priority for you, renting equipment or buying used coffee machines can come to your rescue.

Typically, coffee equipment is provided for rent (even free of charge) by coffee bean suppliers, subject to the purchase of a certain volume of coffee from them. At the same time, they also advise on the selection of the necessary list of equipment depending on the expected amount of work (for example, single- or double-chamber coffee machines) and provide maintenance and repair of equipment. However, even in the case of free rent, many companies require a security deposit - from 20 to 50 thousand rubles.

As for used equipment, its purchase will cost no more than 100 thousand rubles.

What else will you have to spend money on?

You will also have to spend money on a sales counter or the design of a rented kiosk. Naturally, when developing the appearance of a coffee to-go outlet, you need to pay attention to ensuring that it attracts attention and attracts glances. The appearance should evoke a reflexive desire to drink coffee or tea. The name on the sign should not subtly hint that an invigorating drink is being poured here, but shout about it, so that a person understands at first glance that you are offering coffee, and not selling donuts or SIM cards...

Returning to the investments required to open a coffee-to-go business, it is also worth mentioning all sorts of little things that are nevertheless important for comfortable work without failures or hiccups.

Purchase of consumables for preparing a variety of coffee drinks - milk, toppings and syrups; additional assortment - snacks, sweets and snacks; purchase of disposable cups, lids, spoons; purchase of bar equipment.

By the way, there is an option to save on the purchase of consumables - for example, disposable tableware, if you can cooperate with other takeaway coffee owners who purchase unbranded cups.

Step-by-step instruction

Having calculated the required amount of investment in the coffee-to-go business, it’s time to start taking action.

To begin with, register your business legally. It would be best to register yourself as an individual entrepreneur and submit an application to the tax office to choose the UTII taxation system. This tax will allow you to pay less due to the lack of employees and the small rented area on which the activity is carried out. Taking into account the minimum required area of ​​a coffee to-go outlet of several square meters, you will pay an average tax of about 3,000 rubles. In addition, for individual entrepreneurs on UTII, a cash register is not required, which means you can issue a check only upon request using a regular CPM (check printing machine).

The OKVED code for the coffee-to-go business is 55.30 “Activities of restaurants and cafes.”

Despite this OKVED, there is no need to obtain any permits, since there is no full-fledged kitchen, which means there is nothing for the supervisory authorities to check. All that is required of you is to notify Rospotrebnadzor about the start of activity. You should wait for inspections from the SES only if there are complaints. If you are lucky, you will have your first meeting with inspections only in three years.

Attention to the workplace

It’s worth taking care of ordering a sales stand in advance. It will take at least two weeks to design and manufacture. Provided that you already have a chosen rental location.

The process of installing a counter, bar or kiosk equipment can also cause difficulties and problems that will lead to a postponement of the planned opening date.

For example, you need to take care of proper energy supply in advance. If it is not there, you will have to call an electrician and install an additional line, which will need to be agreed upon with the landlord. Therefore, all issues related to electricity, heating or water supply must be resolved at the stage of signing the lease agreement. At the same time, the contract itself should not be concluded for a long period: your expectations about traffic may be erroneous and in practice the pedestrian flow will not be converted into buyers and clients...

From coffee to cookies: how to choose a supplier?

Naturally, in parallel you need to look for suppliers of consumables and raw materials.

And first of all, you need to decide on a supplier of coffee beans. If your customers don't like your coffee, everything is lost. Delicious coffee is one of the main components of the success of a coffee to go business. There are a huge number of coffee varieties that suppliers can offer. Your own taste, advice from the suppliers themselves, and analysis of competitors will help you navigate your choice.

If you purchase your own coffee equipment, you will not depend on a specific coffee supplier and the range of varieties offered may be much wider.

Find out whether the variety you choose is suitable for classic coffee drinks, since it is the usual espresso, latte, cappuccino, Americano and mochaccino that you will specialize in. The volume of the initial purchase will depend on the conditions under which you sign an agreement with the supplier, whether you will rent equipment, etc. There is no need to be afraid of numbers of 10 kg or more.

A small 200 ml glass of coffee requires 9 g of coffee, and 18 g for a 400 ml glass.

Thus, the purchased 10 kg of coffee will cost just over 1,100 small glasses of coffee. At the same time, an operating coffee to-go outlet in a passable place sells much more per month.

In addition to the coffee list, it is necessary to create a menu and a list of additional assortments. Will you sell a variety of chocolates and sweets, or maybe ready-made sandwiches or even baked goods?

If the answer to this question is affirmative, you should look for profitable suppliers or partners who could provide you with the required amount of products, usually not too large. You can buy chocolates or oatmeal cookies at wholesale markets and stores, as well as in stores such as Metro, Lenta and Auchan.

Of course, the main component for a coffee to-go outlet will remain coffee as a drink, and various sweets and “snacks” are necessary rather only to increase the average bill and the convenience of the client. You are unlikely to be able to make money from chocolates or pastries. Still, the margin on resale of other people's products is small.

In general, the volume of additional assortment does not exceed 5-7% of turnover.

The assortment of snacks and coffee accompaniments will change - some items will disappear, others will be added. It is definitely necessary to experiment with the assortment, but only when the operation of the outlet stabilizes and the changes do not entail a sharp decline in revenue.

Barista for coffee to go

An important factor in the success of a coffee to-go outlet is the professionalism and competence of the barista. This person must not only prepare delicious coffee, but also serve customers correctly, communicate with them, and be able to upsell, thereby increasing the average bill. Finding and hiring such a person may pose certain difficulties both at the launch stage and during the first time of working with coffee to go.

When opening their first to-go coffee shop, entrepreneurs often personally stand at the counter and serve their first customers, working 12 hours a day without days off or lunch. But such work on two fronts quickly becomes exhausting. In any case, an entrepreneur will need a replacement or a full-time employee. At the same time, hiring a professional barista is not always possible. Mostly young people who don’t have the slightest idea about how to prepare coffee correctly apply for the vacancy of a barista at a coffee shop to go. She is attracted by the flexible schedule, hourly pay, etc.

Careless young baristas bring their friends to work with them for coffee so they don’t get bored. And instead of working, they organize a booth.

A special feature of working with the staff of a coffee shop to-go is a high staff turnover - which will stop only when you hire the right person - friendly, honest, hardworking and responsible, who will also quickly master the art of making delicious and high-quality coffee. Agree, such people, especially young ones, are rare today...

Therefore, the future owner of a take-away coffee will initially be faced with the task of finding and training a reliable person who can replace you at the counter. Subsequently, if you do not stop at opening one coffee shop to go, the need for employees will increase. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately determine the stages of selection and training of employees, as well as develop a shift schedule, a system of motivation and control.

One of the options for motivating baristas is bonuses or premiums for exceeding the sales plan and the absence of comments (a percentage of total revenue or a percentage of each coffee sold above the plan).

But even the motivation system does not insure against unscrupulous workers who do not show up for their shifts, create a booth at the point, or simply treat work superficially. The owner of a takeaway coffee is faced with the acute issue of monitoring an employee or shift worker.

Alternatively, you can install a surveillance camera at the coffee to-go point and thus monitor the employee online.

Regardless of which option for working with staff you choose - carrot or stick - when opening a coffee shop with you, be prepared that at any moment you will be forced to personally stand behind the counter and work as a barista.

If you are planning to open a takeaway coffee shop, know that all your profit will depend primarily on the location. At the same time, choosing a suitable location for a coffee to-go outlet can be one big problem.

A couple of years ago, when no one had heard of takeaway coffee, landlords, especially large shopping and business centers, did not understand how you could make coffee in three square meters and refused to rent. Today, almost all the tasty places in more or less large shopping centers and business centers have long been occupied.

However, the rental market is quite competitive and involves a change of tenants. It's just a matter of price. If you find a sweet spot, but it's occupied, it's worth starting negotiations with the owner or rental department, find out the rental rate and offer to pay more, or convince that your coffee to-go spot can generate additional traffic and attract a certain audience.

By the way, you can open a takeaway coffee shop not only in big cities, where the lifestyle encourages people to do everything on the run, including drinking coffee, but also in small towns. Moreover, it’s even easier to find a good place for coffee to go in a small town - there are fewer points with high pedestrian traffic in small towns, which means the likelihood of choosing a bad place is reduced.

However, it is still quite easy to make a mistake when choosing a place to rent for a coffee to go outlet. It often happens that a location seems to have high traffic, but it is only possible to evaluate its quality once you start working. For example, it may turn out that there is simply no target audience among the traffic passing by. Or the point itself is not located in the flow of people, as it should, but “around the corner.”

When considering locations for coffee to go, you don’t need to limit yourself to rental options in shopping or business centers.

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July 27, 2018

How to open a takeaway coffee shop. Business plan: everything from choosing a location to payback

People are drinking more and more coffee, and few people are surprised by a kiosk with takeaway coffee. But a culture of drinking coffee has emerged: now people prefer to drink coffee outside the home and sometimes pay a lot of money for a cup.

Most city residents are constantly short of time and do not always have the opportunity to visit sophisticated coffee shops with good coffee. That is why a business model such as “coffee to go” or “coffee to go” has emerged, which allows people to quickly buy their favorite drink for little money.

“Coffee to go” and, in general, selling coffee is a highly profitable business, especially if you have more than one outlet. Today, the range of coffee is very wide, and thanks to competition, wholesale suppliers offer good prices and favorable conditions for different sales volumes.

The price of bean coffee, for example 100% Arabica, from trusted suppliers is on average 400 UAH (1000 rubles) per kilogram. For one cup of Americano you need about 7 grams of coffee - as a result, the cost is approximately 3 UAH (8 rubles) per cup, and it is sold at “coffee to go” points at a price of 15-20 UAH (45-60 rubles)! (Data is based on anonymous statistics from the Poster POS automation system for cities in Russia and Ukraine.)

To-go coffee franchise or your own business model?

There are two ways to open such a business: independently or through a franchise. Depending on the choice of the franchisor, the finished project will cost 70,000–200,000 UAH (150,000–500,000 rubles).

Franchises for Ukraine:

Franchises for Russia:

The franchise package usually includes a ready-made brand book, outlet design and well-established promotion schemes, as well as its own suppliers, technological maps and own drink recipes, advice on organizing a business and maintaining an accounting system, perhaps even a common customer base and a loyalty system. Some offer additional training for your staff at working coffee outlets as a bonus.

Of course, the availability of such services from the franchisor depends on the selected package and the terms of the contract. But in any case, in addition to purchasing a franchise, you will have to spend money and time on registering a business, purchasing equipment, initial investments in the first month of operation and working capital.

But you can save on buying a franchise, spend time searching for the necessary information and do everything yourself by thinking through your business model. This approach will take more time and effort, but you will be able to invest more money in equipment or renting a good place. To help you in this difficult task, we tried to cover all the most important points in the checklist of a novice coffee shop owner in this article.

Choosing a place for a coffee station

One of the most important points when opening a takeaway coffee shop is choosing a location. When calculating the traffic of a place, it is worth considering that approximately 3 people out of 100 are your potential clients. The greater the flow of people, the higher the revenue, the profitability of the establishment and, consequently, the return on the initial investment.

The most fishy places:

pedestrian crossings;

metro entrances;

public transport stops;

parks, squares, embankments;

areas near educational institutions (universities, colleges, etc.);

shopping centers and large pavilions;

airports, train stations.

To maintain a high turnover of your coffee machine, you need to constantly monitor the dynamics of such parameters as number of checks And .

The number of checks depends on the traffic of the place and the correct definition of the target audience. Even despite the high traffic, there may simply not be your potential clients among the people.

What documents are needed to open a coffee to go?

Registration of individual entrepreneur (Ukraine), individual entrepreneur (Russia) or LLC

Registration of a sole proprietorship (IP) is much cheaper, faster and requires the collection of fewer documents. When registering with the tax office, you must classify your type of economic activity as “retail trade in food products.” You must also obtain permission to open a point from the sanitary and epidemiological service, territorial property management authorities and fire inspection.

The entire registration process takes on average 3 to 4 weeks. If you do not want to resolve these issues yourself, you can entrust all the work to a company that collects and prepares documents. Usually it takes no more than a week and costs about 2000 UAH (5000 rubles).

If you are planning to open a coffee shop on the territory of a shopping center, then it will be a little easier for you: you do not need to obtain permission from the fire inspectorate and other services. Shopping and business centers have almost all the necessary permits, except for the sanitary and epidemiological station.

Equipment for coffee to go

The most important equipment you need to buy for a takeaway coffee shop is a coffee machine. The tank volume must be at least 8 liters, and the power must be up to 5 kW (this must be taken into account when calculating energy consumption). A smaller coffee machine simply will not be suitable for the required speed and volume of coffee preparation.

For quick work and instruction for novice baristas, it is better to consider devices with a minimum set of necessary functions. The fewer additional features, the cheaper and easier it is to repair equipment. However, setting up any professional equipment takes a lot of time, and you will also need an experienced specialist to supervise the coffee preparation during startup and debugging.

Purchasing equipment for a coffee machine is the most expensive part of a business plan. It is best to trust manufacturers whose dealers and service centers are located in almost all regions: Saeco, Egro 70 Series, Settanta, Nuova Simonelli, CMA, Arctic.

High-quality foreign equipment is very expensive: 60,000–100,000 UAH (150,000–250,000 rubles) or more. But you can always consider the option of buying a used coffee machine and coffee grinder, which will be almost 2 times cheaper. You can also rent coffee equipment or even rent it for free from coffee suppliers - subject to concluding an agreement to purchase a certain volume of coffee over a year or several years. In addition, they can advise on the purchase of the necessary equipment, depending on the volume of coffee preparation, and quite often help with the repair and maintenance of coffee equipment.

Don't forget about sales counter costs, design of a rented island or kiosk and various little things that are also important for the comfortable operation of the point without overlaps:

consumables for coffee drinks (milk, toppings and syrups);

snacks, sweets, snacks;

disposable cups, lids, spoons;

bar equipment.

Coffee shop menu

The menu in small coffee shops without tables, as a rule, is limited only to the coffee list, unless you have imported cakes, chocolate or other sweets in your assortment. Coffee and coffee-based drinks depend on the season. The sale of coffee provides 80% of all revenue, the rest comes from related products, most often various desserts.

To diversify the menu, add items that not only differ in preparation methods (latte, espresso, cappuccino, etc.), but also types and varieties of coffee that will distinguish the drinks in taste. Nowadays it is not enough to present only one type of coffee - in order to stand out from competitors, you need to offer something exclusive in the form of a unique variety or a mixture of different varieties. Don't forget about toppings and spices!

And most importantly, don’t be lazy to set up a stand for selling roasted coffee by weight in branded bags - it’s real will increase your average bill.

What do you need to open a coffee to go - choosing a supplier

Coffee quality is the most important factor when choosing a supplier. Be sure to check all product and production certificates and sanitary and epidemiological examination reports. You can read more about choosing a supplier in, in which all the most important questions about choosing coffee suppliers and working with them were answered General Director of the Coffee Molly business coffee chain Irina Uskova.

Coffee shop staff

Barista jobs are often seen as temporary. To avoid turnover, you need to think about it. Most often, baristas are paid hourly. According to trud.com, the average salary of a barista in Ukraine is 5000–6000 UAH, depending on the city; in cities with a population of over a million they are naturally larger, and in the capital they are the highest. In Russia, salaries are slightly higher, but also vary significantly from region to region - on average from 25,000 to 35,000 rubles. Typically, a shift lasts 10 hours, but if the coffee shop is located in a shopping or business center, then the start and end of work coincides with the opening and closing of the center (for example, from 10:00 to 22:00), and then the shift duration is 12 hours.

In addition to the rate, you can motivate the barista with a share of sales within 2-3% when fulfilling the plan and following all work instructions.

How to open a takeaway coffee shop from scratch. Financial plan

Concerning investment, then opening a takeaway coffee shop is considered a business with small investments. If you choose the most budget options with inexpensive rental and used equipment, then you can meet 100,000 UAH (250,000 rubles), and the maximum is unlikely to be higher than 180,000 UAH (400,000 rubles).

* The cost of rent in shopping centers of large cities in Ukraine and Russia starts from 1000 UAH (2500 rubles) and reaches 5000 UAH (13,000 rubles) per square meter. The price depends on the location of the shopping center itself, its class and the location of the point within the shopping center. The average area of ​​a coffee shop is 10 square meters. m.

** The list of purchased equipment includes: bar counter, refrigerator, coffee grinder, water filters, disposable tableware. The volumes of purchased coffee depend on the traffic of the place.

Calculation of the cost of coffee to go

Let's look at the cost calculation using the example of a cup of Americano. As we said at the very beginning, at a price of 400 UAH (1000 rubles) per kilogram of coffee, approximately 120 servings can be made from this raw material - 3 UAH (8 rubles) for each. We also include the cost of a glass with a lid, a stirring spoon and sugar - as a result, the cost of the drink will be approximately 7 UAH (18 rubles).

Income per day

In the example, we calculate the average income of a takeaway coffee outlet based on the amount of the average check and the number of purchases.

Income per month

To increase profits, you need to increase the average check. Your barista can do this, the main thing is to motivate him correctly. You need to sell more desserts, snacks, drink toppings, and encourage customers to order larger drinks.

The number of purchases also needs to be increased, but this is more difficult to do: here you already need to seriously work on the brand and recognition of your takeaway coffee outlets.

It is very important to quickly serve the client: take the order, calculate and serve the drink. If the speed of preparing drinks depends only on the skills of the barista himself, then everything else can be significantly speeded up if you install an automation system. For example, to use Poster POS you will need a very ordinary tablet that can easily fit on a counter. The barista places an order with a couple of touches on the screen, prints a receipt for the buyer, and the owner immediately sees this sale on the screen of his smartphone or in a laptop browser.

Payback for a takeaway coffee outlet

The cost of drinks is 30-40%.

Return on sales - 22%.

Initial investment - 105,000 UAH (267,500 rub.)

Break-even time is from 2 to 4 months.

Return on investment is from 9 to 12 months.

Risks of opening coffee to go

What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a business? The success of a coffee-to-go business depends most on the location of the outlet. A big risk to business profitability is a decrease in traffic. For example, if your coffee shop is located in a shopping center, then the decline could be:

during the holiday season (summer is a rather difficult period for the coffee business: at this time people prefer to go to nature, to the sea, abroad, rather than walk around shopping centers);

during the holidays (the main target audience is students);

during an economic crisis, exchange rate fluctuations, etc. (when people’s purchasing power falls, they are less likely to go to shopping centers for non-essential products).

If your point is located at the entrance to the metro or at a stop, then traffic depends primarily on the weather. Daily revenue will decrease during snow, rain and severe frosts. People rush to get shelter from the weather rather than stand at the kiosk waiting for coffee. There is also a decline in the summer, but profits at this time can be increased in other ways, which we have already described in the article.

Results

“Coffee to go” or a mini coffee shop is a profitable business, but you shouldn’t count on excess profits. On average, monthly income from one point rarely exceeds 40,000 UAH (100,000 rubles), and most often amounts to 20,000–30,000 UAH (40,000–80,000 rubles). It’s very good if in the first month you can break even, but later, by expanding the range and promoting the point itself, increasing recognition, you can reach a more decent profit of 80,000 UAH (140,000 rubles).

Despite the fact that the cost of a cup of coffee is 30-40% of the selling price, the profitability still remains at approximately 20%. Part of the proceeds goes to renting a good place, but thanks to this you can earn more, so there is no need to cut costs here.

The first 30-60 cups of coffee sold per day cover the cost of rent and consumables. And only the next sales will bring 60-70% of the profit.

To earn more, takeaway coffee owners open several points in different parts of the city- firstly, to increase your income and increase brand awareness, and secondly, to compensate for declines in sales in different locations. For example, a point in a shopping center brings in a stable income on weekends, but shows rather low efficiency on weekdays, while with a point in a business center the opposite is true.

Don’t forget about the loyalty of your customers: encourage regular purchases, hold promotions: “Fifth coffee for free”, “Free waffle with a large cappuccino”, etc.

The fast pace of life in a metropolis requires mobility. Therefore, selling a drink in a take away format is profitable and quickly pays for itself as a small business.

Coffee is the second most popular drink in the world after water. According to statistics, residents of big cities around the world leave tens of thousands of dollars in take away coffee shops every day. Customers buy drinks deliberately and spontaneously - if they are cold, hungry or want to cheer up.

Estimated costs and profits

The average profit of an island selling coffee to go in a metropolis (for example, St. Petersburg) is from 50,000?. Payback - from 6-12 months. You can increase the profitability of a point by selling coffee drinks with toppings and syrups, sweets, nuts, desserts and ice cream.

Initial costs include:

Monthly expenses:

Business registration and required documents

The optimal form of business is individual entrepreneur on a simplified taxation system. Specify the OKVED category 55.30 “Activities of restaurants and cafes” or 55.40 “Activities of bars”, since drinks are prepared on site. To work you will need documents:

• Certificate of registration of individual entrepreneur
• Conclusion of Rospotrebnadzor on equipment
• Retail trade permit
• Certificates for coffee and other food ingredients
• Lease contract
• Sanitary books and employment contracts for sellers
• Documents to comply with the requirements of the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”

Location and arrangement of the island

The potential audience (students, office workers, travelers) is concentrated in shopping centers, business centers, educational institutions, airports, and parks.

Location is a fundamentally important point

To get the point working, you need to:

• Install counter, shelving and bar
• Connect electricity, water supply or make sure that the rental property has them
• Install equipment

Equipment and inventory

The main costs are for a professional coffee machine. Its cost starts from 100,000? for used equipment. To buy a new powerful car you will need about 250,000?. Also needed:

• Professional coffee grinder
• Refrigerator for cream, milk, products
• Bar equipment for mixing coffee drinks, decorating desserts, ice cream

Selection of suppliers and procurement of ingredients

The quality of drinks depends, first of all, on the quality of the coffee itself. To navigate the choice of suppliers, conduct an analysis of the market and competitors, find out the trends in “coffee fashion,” and read reviews about the product.

Approximate product consumption

You will also need napkins, disposable cups and spoons, and sugar in bags. You can buy them, milk, syrups, sweets in large wholesale hypermarkets and warehouses.

Staff

An experienced, friendly and efficient barista is the most important component of success. A fixed location requires at least two employees. You shouldn't skimp on baristas by doing their work yourself, but you can take on the administration of the business yourself.

How to advertise an island selling coffee to go

• Make remote boards indicating the assortment and prices, design of the island
• Conduct an advertising campaign on social networks, on the website of the shopping center/center
• Inform customers about promotions, happy hours, discounts - distribute flyers, leave messages on the website or social media pages

An example of an advertisement for an island selling coffee to go

Comparison of opening a point with buying a ready-made island

Let’s compare the opening of a takeaway coffee shop with an island selling coffee drinks and desserts operating in a large shopping center in St. Petersburg:

When you open a point yourself, you can save money at the start. However, given the difference in the costs of creating and purchasing a business, the return on investment for a finished outlet is much higher and its new owner will “become a plus” faster.

By purchasing an island, you can save money on equipment and the initial advertising campaign, as well as time on searching for suppliers, locations and employees.

In our catalog you will find offers for the sale of takeaway coffee outlets in different regions:

• In St. Petersburg
• In Moscow
• In Russia

The first burning question for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to organize a profitable business based on the growing popularity of the aromatic drink is how to open a “Coffee to Go”? Step-by-step instructions, a business plan, an analysis of possible risks, a competent strategy - this is just a small amount of information that will be useful for the development of a successful and profitable enterprise.

Fresh, aromatic, invigorating coffee is a delicious alternative to banal tea or cocktails. This drink is preferred by young and creative students and strict teachers, successful businessmen and “freelance artists”, people of art and motivated office workers. But the noisy and active current of city life does not allow modern coffee lovers to sit in stationary cafes and enjoy every shade of their favorite delicacy.

Mobile coffee shops offering the best varieties of delicious drinks are not only an excellent alternative for those who want to escape the bustle of the city for a couple of minutes and relax with a glass of coffee, but also a good idea for a promising startup.

“Coffee to go”: about business and sales markets

In essence, “Coffee to Go” is a retail outlet that offers a service for preparing coffee in a disposable paper or plastic cup, which allows customers not to waste time on long sit-ins in a cafe and enjoy their favorite drink on the go - on the way to work or school or home. And this is the basis for the popularity of this format of coffee shops, because modern city residents simply do not have extra minutes.

The service implementation process looks like this:

1. The barista prepares the type of drink ordered by the customer at a specially equipped counter.
2. After paying for the order, the client receives coffee in a disposable cup with a lid (this accessory is necessary to maintain the temperature of the drink and prevent it from spilling while moving), a paper sachet with sugar, a napkin and a wooden or plastic stirrer.
3. The buyer can drink coffee in any place comfortable for him.

The format of the establishments is presented in the following options:

• mobile vans on wheels;
• stationary kiosks with special equipment;
• “islands” in shopping centers and entertainment complexes.

The assortment of a retail outlet can include different types of goods - from traditional coffee “classics” (latte, espresso, cappuccino, Americano), which brings in up to 90% of revenue, to branded mixes with syrups and toppings. The product line should include hit drinks that are popular among customers, and the “palette” can be supplemented with seasonal variations of coffee with additives, aromatic assorted teas and cocktails.

But, regardless of the assortment, you need to take care of the quality of raw materials and purchase good grades of coffee beans from trusted suppliers.

In addition, many coffee shops offer customers fresh baked goods, such as muffins, donuts, cookies or sandwiches. These snacks must be ordered separately as this business does not involve food preparation at the point of sale.

Expanding the services offered will proportionally increase the number of visitors to the coffee shop. The target audience of the project is very wide and is not limited by age category (with the exception of children under 16-17 years old) - these are students, office workers, vacationers, and tourists... The list can be continued endlessly and this means that a competently and creatively organized trade the point will most likely not go unnoticed by customers.

Advantages and risks of the enterprise

In order for a business to recoup its investment as early as possible and begin to generate a stable income, the owner must study all the nuances, correctly assess his financial capabilities, and compare the advantages and expected risks of the enterprise.

The fundamental factors that determine the “Coffee to Go” format of coffee shops as a profitable area of ​​entrepreneurship are:

1. Compactness – to place a retail outlet you need an area of ​​20 square meters.
2. There is no need for major renovations of premises or radical measures for the construction of buildings.
3. Minimum costs for equipping a coffee shop with technical equipment.
4. Effective advertising does not require expensive marketing campaigns; a catchy thematic exterior of the outlet and quality service are enough.
5. Growing popularity and, accordingly, demand for services.

But there are also disadvantages, first of all, high competition and the human factor. To minimize risks, it is important to follow some rules:

• Choose a retail location with good foot traffic and no competing coffee shops nearby.
• Select friendly, friendly and qualified staff who provide customers with an excellent level of service.
• Constantly monitor the market and maintain a price tag “a little lower” than that of competitors (an adequate pricing policy will ensure an increase in the number of visitors and allow you to remain in the black).
• Monitor the quality and range of drinks offered to customers.
• Organize supplies of fresh snacks.
• Offer customers profitable current promotions (for example, “Sixth cup of coffee as a gift”).

For a business of this format, there are a large number of external threats that can damage the profitability of the enterprise. This is the use of unknown product brands, staff turnover, related products of dubious quality, and a rapid increase in the purchasing cost of ingredients.

To avoid such pitfalls, it is important not to rely on cheap equipment, low-quality drinks and unqualified personnel, and also to pay maximum attention to the operation of the coffee shop.

Beginning entrepreneurs can take the opportunity to buy a franchise of a well-known brand and start working under its name. Thus, you can minimize the risks of financial loss and gain quality experience in this field of activity.

Business organization

You need to open a “Coffee to Go” after you have carefully analyzed the sales market and identified the target audience, assessed the level of competition and your own financial capabilities, and based on the information received, create a detailed plan for the enterprise.

Perhaps objective reasons simply will not allow making the coffee business profitable, and the outlet will not only not break even, but will also turn out to be unprofitable.

To create and launch a “coffee-to-go” from scratch in the shortest possible time, you need solid initial capital. But without the ability to competently conduct business and coordinate processes, one cannot count on success either.

The following step-by-step instructions will help you organize your enterprise correctly and quickly bring it to the break-even point:

1. Preparation of documents (registration of a company as an individual entrepreneur or LLC, registration with the tax authorities in the form of UNDV or LLC).
2. Determining the location and renting a room/outdoor space for a coffee business.
3. Installation of a rack and purchase/leasing of equipment for a retail outlet.
4. Selection and, if necessary, training of employees.
5. Organization of a promotional campaign for the opening of a point.

To open a “Coffee to Go” point, you can buy a ready-made franchise business from one of the well-known brands. This will save time and effort, but will require additional financial costs.

To reduce costs, you can organize and launch an effective and profitable enterprise yourself. The latter option will ensure minimization of capital investments. But with this approach, you need to pay maximum attention to each stage of creating a business.

Step 1. Documentary base

It is necessary to prepare the following documents:

• Registration as an individual entrepreneur or LLC (depending on the size of the business and the owner’s plans for its development) with the tax service.
• Selecting a taxation form (UTI form is recommended).
• Permission to provide catering services from the sanitary inspection.
• Conclusion of the fire safety service and territorial authorities (not issued for rented space).

Obtaining permits at the initial stage does not relieve owners from constant monitoring of the retail outlet’s compliance with sanitary standards and fire safety requirements. The relevant authorities at least once a year can check the condition of the coffee shop, the availability of certificates for the ingredients used and confirmation of the quality of the products offered.

Step 2: Location

A very important point! Choose a location with a high traffic volume of potential customers. These are, for example, office blocks, intersections of busy streets, nearby territories of universities, metro stations, and public transport stops.

Convenient location of retail outlets in large entertainment and shopping complexes, airports and train stations, and in park areas.

Step 3. Setting up the point

A client can drink an instant drink from a bag in almost any store or grocery stall, but enjoy high-quality and natural coffee to go from good varieties, and even amazingly tasty prepared using professional equipment - this is only possible in your coffee shop.

But to do this, it’s not enough to just open a business; you’ll have to spend a lot on a good coffee machine (preferably models from Italian brands), a powerful coffee grinder, a blender, and water purification filters. You will also need display cases for related products, a mini-fridge for dairy products, a bar counter and advertising pillars, a lighting system, menu design, etc.

Suppliers can also offer high-quality equipment on a free rental basis when purchasing large quantities of ingredients.

Step 4. HR Policy

Polite, friendly staff of professionals in their field is a significant part of the overall success of the enterprise. You can invite an experienced creative barista to work or find people who are ready to learn the art of making delicious coffee.

To operate the point effectively, it is enough to hire two people who will take turns according to a convenient system schedule.

Step 5. Promotion

It is important for an aspiring entrepreneur to know not only information on how to open a “Coffee to Go”, but also how to properly advertise your business and thereby attract more customers. This item will not incur special costs for large-scale campaigns; there are many ideas for effective and inexpensive marketing.

For example, this could be a creative name and logo of the brand, creation of pages on social networks, original promotions (“Bring a friend”, “Collect likes”, “Check in with us and get a tasty bonus”, etc.), placing banners around the city , distribution of flyers and advertising leaflets. This list is limited only by the imagination and financial capabilities of the owners.

But besides general organizational issues and a list of what is needed to open a retail outlet, businessmen are interested in the main information - how much it all costs and in what time frame the enterprise will fully recoup the investment.

Video: how to open a Coffee to Go coffee shop?

Financial background

Before drawing up a business plan, you need to critically evaluate all possible risks and make detailed calculations. Let's consider the approximate volumes of investment using the example of a retail outlet - an “island” in an entertainment center.

Considering the average cost of a glass of drink is 80 rubles and the approximate amount of daily revenue is 8,000 rubles, the outlet will fully pay for itself after just six months of effective operation. A properly organized work process and the use of high-quality equipment and raw materials can achieve an increase in profitability of up to 50-80%.

Selling coffee in disposable cups is profitable not only in large cities, where the frantic pace of life forces people to drink and eat on the run, but also in small towns. Your main target audience is young people from 18 to 25 years old, active, respecting low prices, efficiency and friendly service. However, older people may prefer a living person to a coffee machine.

The profitability of a business largely depends on the location of the point. Open them in business or entertainment centers, on busy streets. It will be convenient to be located near universities and student dormitories or directly in them, if you can agree with the management.

The cost of opening one point is 150-400 thousand rubles, depending on the selected equipment. To obtain sufficient profit, it is advisable to install 4-5 points around the city, but for starters, you can limit yourself to one, and perform the function of a barista-cashier yourself. The rented premises can be only 3-4 square meters. m. Takeaway coffee is a profitable business that any entrepreneur can start with a small budget.

Organizing the sale of takeaway coffee

Although selling coffee does not require much effort, you still have to prepare and make your business official. You will need:

• Register as an individual entrepreneur and register with the tax authorities. It is most profitable to immediately switch to a simplified taxation system.
• Rent a place in an entertainment, shopping or business center. You can rent or buy a kiosk.
• Think over and create a design for a retail space and a sign on the outside of the building.
• Find a coffee supplier, select suitable varieties, purchase them.
• Purchase or rent equipment for brewing coffee. Some coffee bean suppliers provide their own equipment. It is beneficial to use capsule coffee machines.
• Purchase other consumables (0.2 and 0.4 liter disposable cups, lids, straws, toppings, products).
• Create a coffee list and menu (if necessary).
• Conclude agreements with suppliers of consumables, baked goods, and desserts.
• Hire a barista (you can learn the coffee craft yourself).
• Organize an advertising campaign for your takeaway coffee outlet (social networks, outdoor advertising, leaflets, business cards).
• Register the cash register. Today this is not yet necessary; you can limit yourself to the cash book. But there are rumors that the mandatory installation of a cash register may be introduced as early as 2017.
• Notify Rospotrebnadzor about the start of activities.

Takeaway coffee: how it happens

Making coffee using special equipment is a very simple process. Trading occurs as follows:

1. Attracting clients.

2. Receiving an order.

We need a barista, who is also a cashier and a salesperson (this can be you yourself). Develop a coffee menu with a varied assortment, add non-perishable snacks, chocolate and cookies to the menu - this will increase the average bill.

3. Making coffee.

Coffee equipment of the required capacity, coffee beans, toppings, liqueurs, milk, cream, etc. To quickly prepare coffee, you can get a capsule coffee machine.

4. Issuance of the order.

Buy disposable glasses (preferably with your logo), lids, straws, napkins, bags, and containers for carrying. We need a rack for consumables and a bar counter.

5. Payment for the order.

Cash desk, bank terminal.

Eventually

Takeaway coffee is a good option for a small investment and DIY. In the future, this could grow into a full-fledged enterprise with dozens of locations throughout the city.

Register an individual entrepreneur, a cash register, rent a corner in a suitable place, purchase the necessary products and equipment and go for it. The average payback period, depending on the point, will be 6-12 months.

Think about how you can save money. For example, if you purchase a certain size batch of coffee, suppliers may offer the equipment for free. A young company does not have to hire employees, which will further simplify reporting.

The result depends on the chosen location, well-created traffic, but most of all – on the taste of the prepared coffee. It is he who determines whether people will return to you for a new cup.