How to open a café or restaurant in Australia

Opening a cafe or restaurant in Australia maybe your lifelong dream. But, it’s more than simply preparing a tasty meal. You’ll need to deal with customers, suppliers and the bank. For real success, you’ll need to research the current market. If you’re a barista or a chef, you’ll need to either get marketing and business advice or learn pretty quickly.

This comprehensive guide will help you get started.

Understand your market and stand out from the crowd

You probably have an idea about the food and the look of your cafe. But, is it what customers are after? Before planning your cafe or restaurant, you need to research the market – which is a lot more fun than you think.

Visit your competitors and have a look at their clientele. What are they buying? What time of day are they visiting? What attracts them to the cafe? Perhaps there’s a train station nearby or a school.

Think of your customer persona. How can your establishment be different from your competitors, and better? You may notice your competitor’s cafe attracts young mums. If so, perhaps providing a clean, spacious baby change area and babycinos will attract them to your cafe.

After seeing who your customers are in your location, you may need to rethink the overall concept of your cafe.

Menu design, décor and branding

To be successful and stand out from the competition, you need to think of your branding. Branding is more than just a logo. Your menu, signage and decor all need to appeal to your niche. They need to entice your customers to your delicious food and drinks.

Your colour scheme and typography need to match your signage, menu, website and social media, so your customers instantly recognise you.

Write a business plan

Chances are, you’ll need some financial assistance. The best way to go about that is to start with a business plan. So, you’re on top of your business concept and know how much money you’ll need. The first thing a bank will want to see is your business plan to see if it’s a viable business.

Your business plan will need to cover the following-

• A summary of the business, including your customer persona, location, and how your business will stand out from others in the market
• Detailed concept and menu
• Your staffing needs
• Your marketing
• Local competitors
• Financial projections, how much money you’ll need. What is your projected profit and loss?

The government has a business template and a guide to help you answer the questions.

Get funding

Starting up a cafe or restaurant can be expensive. To get a business loan, you need to know how much your start-up costs will be. This free business calculator from the government will help you work out how much money to borrow from the bank.

Both federal and state governments regularly create financial assistance packages and initiatives. Try this Grants and Programs Finder to see if you’re eligible for funding.

Buy the right equipment

Starting with the right commercial kitchen equipment is crucial to the success of your business. Comcater can advise you on the equipment you’ll need, whether you’re planning a hole-in-the-wall cafe or a full-course restaurant.

You may need cooking equipment, such as combi ovens, commercial ovens, grills or commercial deep fryers, depending on your menu. For drinks, you might need an ice machine or blender, commercial dishwashers, benches and shelving come in a range of sizes to suit your kitchen.

Speak to Comcater about your business idea. They’ll provide a guide on the best equipment set up for your business, tailored to your needs.