Cafe Opening Insights
Hi Friends!
Our previous post about the costs of opening a café sparked some interest, so we thought it would be helpful to share some additional insights from our experience. Here’s what we learned along the way:
Understand the Process: Work closely with contractors to identify potential bottlenecks and issues that could increase your budget. Being familiar with all the drawings and speaking the same language as your contractors will help. Additionally, staying in touch with the city and knowing your building permit inspectors is crucial.
Choose the Right Contractors: Find contractors you feel comfortable working with. They should be proactive problem-solvers, which will save you a lot of time and money.
Plan for Extra Time: Allocate additional time for every step of the process. Things are not complete until they are 100% done and double-checked. For example, we had to wait weeks for a separate plumbing permit unexpectedly requested by the city, which delayed our renovation progress. Similarly, transitioning from renovations to opening took almost two weeks for deep cleaning, assembling furniture, organizing shelves, and training the team.
Consider Auctions and Marketplaces: We saved a significant amount by purchasing some of our furniture and storage equipment from auctions and online marketplaces. In our case, we acquired all our furniture for $1,500 instead of the initial $7,000 estimate.
Verify Equipment Suppliers: Ensure your equipment supplier is reliable. We had a terrible experience with NELLA, who misled us and mishandled our $80K order. The only person who tried to help us was Roger Balasingam.
These are just a few thoughts that may seem obvious, but sticking to them can be more challenging than it appears.
Let me know in the comments if you’d like to hear more about the café opening process!
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