Location, location, location!

I have always wanted to open my own cafe selling my baked stuff, desserts, snacks and maybe some simple meals.  Since I don't have a job here, and I don't want to go back to teaching, I thought the time is perfect to start one here.  Pete and I have spent a lot of time discussing our potential business and boy, are there lots to talk about.  We have sort of decided on selling popular food from home such as curry puffs, samosa, roti john and chicken rice.  But I am also not counting out selling just baked goods such as cakes, cupcakes, cookies, scones and pies.  The pastries that are sold here are very different from what I am thinking of selling so we might carve out a niche for ourselves.

Before we can proceed, however, we have to find a location.  Once we find one, we can then confirm other factors such as the menu and budget.  Since I am quite flexible about the food that I want to cook, we are open to many different types of locations.  We have taken into account food courts, cafes and even food wagons.  Pete has been busy calling and emailing property agents and management of malls and other locations.  So far, the places we are interested in, such as a popular mall nearby, has not replied or they have no available places.  Some of these people have also been on vacation so we have to wait a few more weeks for their reply.

So far, we have only been to two locations.  The first one was a small cafe near a park, but when we got there, the owner had a change of heart and decided to keep it.  I actually like this place since the rent was not so high and the location is good.  The park is a popular one and the cafe is quite visible from the inside.  But too bad it didn't work out.

Today we checked out the second one.  It is a bigger place, 130 square metres and used to be a restaurant selling steak, burgers and beers.  We were early and had time to check out the neighbourhood.  Apart from a small bakery that sells only bread and sandwiches across the street and a pizzeria about 100m away, there were no other places selling food.  When the property agents came and opened the door, we walked into a small dining area, enough for maybe 16 seats.  The kitchen at the back is big enough for stoves, ovens, fryers and even an island in the middle.  There is even a basement area below with space for a lounge and storage.

I do like the seating area and the kitchen but I think the extra space in the basement is a waste of money since I don't think we would be using that a lot.  Also, because of the space, the rent is higher than we can afford.  Even though the street in front of the cafe is busy with vehicles and foot traffic, the rent is way too high.  We would need to attract a lot of customers and price the food higher to be able to make a profit.  Looking at the old menu that was stuck on the wall, it seems like the previous tenant had to do the same.

Also, we would need to do a lot of renovating.  The walls were an ugly shade of green with heavy, dark wooden panelling and the kitchen is dirty and had no equipment left, except for a small sink.  To make the cafe look modern and welcoming, we would need to spend a lot, not only on the dining area and kitchen, we would also need to neaten up the lounge and pantry.

So, although I do love the location, the rent and the cost of renovation are just too high.  The search continues.