Step 1: Room The choice of location is as important for a vegetarian restaurant as it is for any other restaurant. With the difference that you need to take into account that the revenue of a vegetarian restaurant, especially at first, may not cover the high rent, so it makes sense to bet not on the location, but on the combination of price and quality. It is desirable that the vegetarian cafe is located in a place with good ecology. “We believe that it is most profitable to build our own premises: if we count on the long term, then it is more profitable than renting, and besides, you can design the building to your liking,” says Tatyana Kurbatova, director and co-owner of the Troitsky Most restaurant chain. Construction of a building can cost about $500, rent – $2-3 per month for about 60 m2. Step 2: Equipment and Interior As a rule, in vegetarian restaurants, the interior uses natural materials that are as close to nature as possible: wood, stone, textiles. Natural fur, bone and other accessories of animal origin are not used. In a vegetarian restaurant, as a rule, they do not smoke or drink, so ashtrays and dishes for alcohol are not provided. It is necessary to invest about $20 in the repair of the premises and the interior. The equipment of the kitchen and warehouse is not much different from any other public catering. But it is worth considering a larger number of fresh vegetables on the menu, so you need to stock up on a large number of refrigerators for storing vegetables and vacuum packaging compared to a traditional cafe. The equipment will cost at least $50. Step 3: Products The selection of products should be approached especially carefully, since it is the range of products and dishes that makes the cafe visited. “You should try to include in the menu all kinds of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, mushrooms that you can get in the city. It is unprofitable to deal with direct deliveries from countries of origin, since small batches are needed so that the products always remain fresh. It is better to establish a wide network of suppliers for a variety of positions,” advises Roman Kurbatov, General Director of OOO Enterprise Range (Troitsky Most brand). At the same time, the hope to save money on meat and eggs is unfounded, since some rare vegetables are not inferior in price to meat delicacies, and sometimes even surpass them. Step 4: Staff To open a cafe, two chefs, three to five waiters, a cleaner and a director are needed. And if there are no special requirements for the last three professions, then problems arise with cooks in vegetarian cuisine. “There are no specialists at all. There are no vegetarian chefs in the city as a class,” says Tatyana Kurbatova. – In our cafes, we ourselves grow chefs, administrators and owners themselves stand at the stove along with the chefs. Moreover, most of those who cook with us are non-professionals. It is extremely difficult for professional chefs to even think about cooking without meat; we had the experience of attracting a famous chef, but it did not end well.” Step 5: Spin Up The most promising way to promote a vegetarian establishment is to distribute promotional flyers. It must be remembered that a vegetarian cafe should count not only on convinced vegetarians. It is worth intensifying the advertising campaign during the posts, when there are more customers in vegetarian cafes, place advertisements in the relevant publications and on sites related to vegetarianism or a healthy lifestyle. Many Petersburgers like vegetarian food, but there are very few establishments where there is no meat, fish and alcohol in the city.
2022-11-11