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How to open a roadside cafe? Roadside business: how to open a roadside cafe? Business plan for a roadside cafe: necessary equipment and documents.

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Business plan

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A high-quality cafe business plan will help a novice entrepreneur, without a hitch, to develop his own business and establish a personal mini-cafe or even a large modern cafe-club. An interesting undertaking will definitely be adequately rewarded, because, despite the growth of infrastructure, catering places are still in high demand and thriving. A document carefully compiled and supported by real figures will not only allow you to take the first steps in opening a cafe, but will also be able to warn against hasty and ill-considered decisions.

The example presented contains sections that will prompt necessary actions for purchasing the necessary equipment, serving items for a cozy family, themed vegetarian, healthy eating or even a creative art cafe. Your imagination and ideas, coupled with proven calculations, will help make your dreams come true, because for thousands of our compatriots, eating is a kind of ritual for which they agree to pay decently.

The available ready-made document helps you make adjustments according to your ideas, you will find here a chapter on the benefits of opening catering outlets various types and types. A modern restaurant, a literary cafe, a sports bar is a traditional meeting place for friends on weekends or in the evenings, as well as an establishment where it is possible to celebrate a birthday, professional holiday or even children's party. Deciding on the concept of a future establishment is taking the first step in a planned entrepreneurial venture.

Using a sample document when organizing a cafe fast food will allow you to understand how profitable the implementation of this idea can be, because to modern man There is constantly not enough time to eat balanced, on time and on time. And such a cafe will allow office workers to solve the problem of lunch; it will allow visitors to get a portion of tasty and hot food for a relatively small fee in a small establishment with its own flavor. Recruiting personnel for this type of establishment also has a number of features that are worth paying attention to.

Having received the document, you will also understand how to organize a roadside cafe; you will be able to turn to economic indicators and determine the profitability of such an establishment, its specifics and the correctness of the process. In such an establishment, people want to get food quickly, because this is an intermediate point on the route. However, often it is precisely such establishments that are remembered and those who, due to the nature of their work, must constantly travel various distances, return to them. Roadside establishments should remind you of home, and the quality of service in such places should be constantly improved.

You can understand how to draw up a document correctly if you already have a kind of “pattern” on hand, where the typical mistakes establishing work at catering outlets, the main cost items are given and mathematical calculations based on real figures are indicated. Food still remains a priority necessity for human existence, so it is within your power to take on part of the solution to this problem, to understand how to open a modern cafe, obtaining a profitable establishment, which, if the work is carried out correctly and the purchase of high-quality equipment, will bring considerable profit.

The catering market is developing very actively in our country, and small cafes where you can quickly and inexpensively have a snack are in high demand today. When choosing between opening, for example, a sports cafe with 100 seats and a small establishment with 30-40 seats, many businessmen choose the latter. Of course, you can open a vegetarian cafe or an art cafe, but narrow specialization poses a serious financial risk. After all, finding your client in this case will be much more difficult.

A business such as opening a small democratic cafe attracts, first of all, entrepreneurs with small initial capital. This also determines the most common format of such cafes - the fast food format, in other words, fast food. The reason for the passion of entrepreneurs for this format is simple: haute cuisine requires much more substantial investments. Therefore, a businessman has to focus on such cafe dishes - light snacks, imported desserts and pastries.

What are the goals and objectives for a businessman planning to open a cafe? It is clear that you can attract a client only with affordable prices and delicious dishes. There is no need to reinvent the wheel: even though the menu in your mini-cafe is almost no different from its competitors, what is important to you is quality.

When planning to open your own business - a small cafe - it is important to find your place correctly. The modest format of the establishment does not imply exorbitant prices, and only a constant flow of visitors can save the situation, ensuring a stable profit. It is even more difficult to open a fast food cafe in small town, there it is necessary to approach the choice of a suitable place as responsibly as possible.

There is a specific list characteristic features, indicating the ideal location of the cafe. These include proximity to bus stops, the location of the building on the corner of two streets, and the first line from the road. When opening a cafe in a residential building, be prepared for complaints from residents who really don’t like restless neighbors. When choosing the location of a cafe, you can give preference to premises that are poorly suited for catering, but at the same time with inexpensive rent, or you can rent a ready-made cafe, spending a lot on it more money. Is it possible to make money from a rented cafe? Of course, because this point is already popular, and it is important for you not to lose existing customers.

It's okay that the fast food concept won't allow your imagination to run wild. The main thing is that the assortment and pricing policy cafes combined with each other, giving visitors the opportunity to appreciate your efforts. To attract customers, you can try out some new ideas, for example, organizing a hookah bar in a cafe.

A competent mini-cafe business project will help you understand other intricacies of this business. After studying a professional sample business plan for a mini cafe, you will learn how much money is needed to open a mini cafe, and how to determine trade margin in a cafe. Advice from professionals will help you avoid the most common mistakes and find answers to pressing questions, for example, what is needed to open a street cafe and what prospects it promises.

If Mohammed does not go to the mountain, then the mountain, and in our case, the cafe, will itself come not only to Mohammed, but also to the rest of the hungry customers. Cafe on wheels – great option business for beginners, since it requires much lower costs compared to a stationary cafe. But at the same time, an autonomous mini-cafe can compete quite seriously with other catering establishments.

How to open your own business - a cafe on wheels? This type of business has certain specifics. Decide in advance on the category of the population for which mobile catering services will be designed. The mobile café format offers affordable prices, so it will most likely be most popular among young people.

Despite the fact that this niche has not yet been sufficiently developed, attracting customers will not be so easy. To do this, the cafe owner should think about how to become noticeable and how to attract visitors. The experience of opening a cafeteria on wheels proves that the comfort of the establishment is of no small importance, as well as high-quality sound insulation, which does not allow sounds from the street to penetrate into the cafe area.

Organizing the work of a cafeteria on wheels involves the competent development of a travel route. You need to take into account the size of human flows at different times and the convenience of locating an autonomous catering point. For example, students do not always have the opportunity to eat a hearty and inexpensive meal. By arriving at the institute on time, you will be able to ensure that the cafe is as busy as possible. It is better to choose simple, but satisfying dishes for the student cafeteria.

The main menu of the drive-thru cafe will, of course, consist of pastries, salads and hot sandwiches, since cooking in a mobile cafe is not allowed. After all, the main tools of work in such a cafe are a refrigerator and a microwave. By conducting a customer survey in a cafe, you can easily understand what your visitors are missing and what “trick” you can bet on. You can even create a purchasing table for a cafe and strictly follow it.

How to open a drive-thru? Having asked such questions, a businessman should definitely look into professional example business plan for opening a cafe from scratch with ready-made calculations. It contains a lot of useful information that an entrepreneur needs. For example, you will learn which authorities need to approve a café project, how the organization of a fast-service café on wheels differs from stationary cafés. How to open a mobile cafe, where to start, what you need - this document contains step by step instructions for a novice businessman.


Minimum effort – maximum return. A similar statement is true in relation to a business such as construction roadside cafe. A cafe located on a busy highway is a catering outlet that has its own clearly defined category of visitors. For people who are passing by, rushing past on their business, organizing a cafeteria right on the highway is a great opportunity to satisfy their hunger.

Prompt customer service in a roadside cafe is the main condition; people passing by have no reason to linger for a long time. Therefore, the menu can be as simple as possible: salads, pastries, semi-finished products that can be quickly prepared or heated in the microwave.

Where does the cafe on the highway make money? Of course, it depends on the number of visitors. Regular customers for such a cafe are very rare. But you should place a special emphasis on them. These are mainly heavy vehicle drivers who regularly ply this route. If they like the service and quality of food in your cafe, they will come to you constantly. Moreover, they will advise their friends and acquaintances to stop by your cafe if necessary.

Is it profitable to open a cafe on the highway? When creating a cafe, you should take into account that the amount of your profit will depend on the amount of revenue. As a rule, roadside cafes do not experience a particular shortage of visitors. But this does not mean that you can relax and feed people passing by not quite quality products. The reputation of an institution is very expensive: it is easy to destroy, but sometimes it is not possible to restore it at all.

The peculiarities of organizing a cafeteria on the highway are that you can save as much as possible on the interior design of the establishment. An exclusive interior is a luxury no one needs in this case. Normal renovation, simple good furniture, cleanliness, delicious dishes and quality service. The main thing is that people leave your cafe full and happy.

If you decide to organize a roadside cafe with about 40 seats, take care of the availability sufficient quantity areas. In addition to the hall for visitors, the cafe must have the necessary auxiliary premises, the organization of which affects, first of all, the attitude of Rospotrebnadzor and Pozhnadzor employees towards you. Package registration necessary documents Opening a cafe is standard and may take several months.

How much to invest in opening a cafe on the highway or at a gas station is the main question that worries businessmen. If you doubt that the available money will be enough for you, then there is a need for a loan. But to do this, you will have to provide the bankers with a competent business plan for a roadside cafe. It contains step-by-step instructions for opening a cafe from scratch and lists the investment prospects for this project. Useful information, for example, about what documents for consumers need to be prepared before opening a cafe, or what advertising methods will be most effective in your case, will provide an invaluable service to the entrepreneur himself, providing an opportunity to avoid annoying mistakes.

If a roadside cafe is opened on a busy section of the highway, the profit can be compared to the income of a restaurant in the central part of the city. Conditions will be even more favorable if there are no similar establishments nearby.

The first step to success is a competent and well-founded business plan, which can be downloaded from our online store. If the cafe is located closer to the city, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to achieve maximum profit; a greater distance from settlements. Renting land near the city will cost much more, and the main consumers (drivers of heavy trucks or vacationers) usually ignore such cafes. Most likely, in this case, the building will have to be built from scratch.

To get started you need registration individual entrepreneur, but if the range includes alcohol, then you will need to register an LLC and a license to sell alcohol. You need to take the design of the room very seriously; it is advisable to choose a thematic design so that the atmosphere of the cafe is memorable and there is a desire to return here. After the building is ready, the work should be coordinated with Rospotrebnadzor, SES, and the fire service.

An important part of the business plan for a roadside cafe is its menu, as well as mandatory list related products. In addition to the usual list of salads, snacks, and pastries for any cafe, a roadside cafe should have hot dishes: both the obligatory first course and several types of hot food for a complete and healthy diet for a person on the road. There is no need for complicated dishes here; the food should be tasty, in good portions and inexpensive.

Products can be purchased from local residents from surrounding villages, this will save money. Acceptable operating hours: from 7 hours to 24 hours.

The profitability of the business will largely depend on the professional skills of the cook and the friendliness, attentiveness, and politeness of the waitresses. The overall impression of the cafe will depend on the staff. When hiring workers, it is necessary to take into account that the presence of health certificates is mandatory. Ancillary workers will also be needed: a dishwasher, an assistant cook and a technician.

Advertising should also be given sufficient attention: a noticeable sign, preferably glowing at night, signs on both sides of the road, flyers or business cards at nearby gas stations.
It can be decided that to open a roadside cafe with 20 - 25 seats, you need a room of approximately 100 - 150 square meters. meters. Furniture for the hall and other premises, household appliances and kitchen utensils, dishes, cash register. Expenses will be not only for decorating the cafe itself, but also for landscaping the surrounding area.

Staff for efficient work: administrator, two cooks, 2 - 4 waiters, cashier, two dishwashers, two cleaners.
RUB 1,200,000 - acquisition of land and construction of buildings;
400,000 rub. - equipment;
50,000 rub. - advertising and other expenses.
180,000 rub. - salary;
120,000 rub. - purchasing products;
50,000 rub. - other costs.
450,000 rub. - planned monthly revenue.

IN in this case profit per month will average 100,000 rubles., discrepancies are possible in one direction or the other. The cafe will fully pay for itself in a year or a year and a half.




In June 2013, the Business Studio plans to conduct online training "Business plan for a roadside cafe". This type of business continues to be of great interest to entrepreneurs from various regions, including start-ups.
There are many examples with different options organizing such a business. Roadside business It can be very successful or a failure. The reasons mainly lie in the chosen strategy, which should take into account the experience of other enterprises, regional characteristics, and its own capabilities.

Today we’ll talk about unsuccessful projects and mistakes when planning such businesses:


  1. Roadside restaurant complex designed for large number visitors. A fairly large plot of land was allocated, separate houses-gazebos for companies were built from timber, and playgrounds for children were equipped. Stylish, attractive design, advertising along the highway for several kilometers. Located on the capital's highway, in the center of a fairly large village. The price level is above average. The problem is there are almost no visitors. Occasionally you can see 1-2 cars in the parking lot, and more often - not a single one. What is the reason? In our opinion, initially the wrong bet was made on wealthy motor tourists, of whom not so many travel along this route. And although this region is attractive for tourists, the main flow from the capital goes along a branch road, and few get here. For other potential visitors - business travelers and entrepreneurs, as well as truckers, this village also has roadside cafes at the entrance and exit, with more affordable prices, specialties and large parking lots. Locals don't like the restaurant either - it's expensive and too elegant. This situation has been going on for a year now. One can only guess how many losses the owners suffered. Some improvement in the situation is possible if work is carried out with partners who will send target clients here. For example, with travel agencies, in order to include lunch in a restaurant in the program of tour routes. But you will have to pay decent commissions. Simple advertising most likely will not work - the flow of transit cars is not the same. The restaurant is also not very suitable for corporate events and celebrations - there is not a large common room, a dance floor, and it is located right on the highway - noisy and not very cozy.

  2. Roadside cafe with home cooking at a gas station. It worked quite successfully for a year. This gas station, located at the exit from the village, had affordable prices compared to other nearby ones on this highway. True, there was no additional service organized at the gas station - no store, no maintenance. Only a roadside cafe, which was opened in a trailer by another entrepreneur, improved the area a little, placed a couple of tables under umbrellas on the street and also organized the sale of chilled drinks and ice cream. But the owner of the gas station had problems, and now it is not working. Of course, the number of customers in the cafe has also sharply decreased - only those who have already been here and liked the cuisine, and some local residents who are satisfied with the prices and simplicity, come in. It’s time to close, but for now the cafe is open so as not to lose regular customers and in the hope that the gas station will still open. What also saves the situation is that the entrepreneur liked this business, and he managed to open another cafe in another village, and there the flow of customers is quite large, not only from passing people, but also from local residents.

  3. Cafe-motel on the highway, exit from the village. Busy metropolitan highway. The cafe-motel building is located directly above the road. Quirky architecture made of timber, but smacks of handicraft. There are few places - both in cafes and in motels. Rather, this property can be called a rural tourism facility rather than a motel. The owners live right on the property, in another house, keep farm animals and even a mini-zoo for clients. Perhaps, in a more convenient place for relaxation, it would have attracted the attention of visitors, but the proximity of a busy highway is not very conducive to relaxation. As a result, there are very few cafe clients and guests, investments in the construction of the building do not pay off and are unlikely to pay off for such a business. Although there are practically no current costs - the owners serve occasional clients on their own, without involving employees.

  4. Cafe with national cuisine, the building was built and equipped on credit. The route is quite busy, but there are very few visitors. The hostess is in despair - the interest on the loan is eating up the remainder of her savings, the invited chef is preparing to leave, and possible clients are rushing past in their cars. Obvious mistakes - lack of advertising national cuisine, unusual for of this region, one-sidedness of services, chronic shortage of money, which is felt in everything. There may also be anti-advertising for the establishment - direct or word of mouth.

  5. To the above examples I would add, perhaps, roadside unfinished projects and completed but never opened objects, or the opening of which was delayed for a very long time. Common reasons: issues with land that was not properly registered, issues with the sanitation station, which did not accept the object due to gross violations, ignoring or conflicts with local authorities, miscalculations and underfunding of construction. Well, and most importantly, they rushed to implement their project, but did not coordinate the project, did not draw up the documents, did not calculate the costs, and, often, did not bother to order the project.

Each of these examples has its own miscalculations and mistakes, and despite all the optimistic expectations, practice can show the opposite.
Be sure to analyze the risks, develop a marketing plan, calculate the break-even point and pessimistic forecasts, supplement the main services with additional ones and come up with your own tricks to attract customers!

If you are wondering where to place your cafe, then seriously think about opening a catering point along the road.

Such cafes have long ceased to be considered “second-rate” establishments; they are in great demand among the majority of motorists, travelers and workers who, involuntarily, have to eat on the road. If you are wondering how to open a roadside cafe, then read how to write a business plan.

Well-known restaurant chains began their journey precisely with the format of roadside cafes, and they were right. So you can’t go wrong, either an economy class restaurant or an ordinary roadside cafe.

Most locations outside of both large and small cities have not yet been developed. This means that competition in this business is practically zero. If we take into account the European experience of businessmen, then we can confidently say that either a small cafe or a quiet, cozy coffee shop can be located on the highway, which will generate the same income. But, focusing on our population (central Russia), we understand that most people are in a hurry to the city and prefer to eat in the car rather than sit in a cozy cafe, so it would be more cost-effective to organize a catering point that will prepare fast food that you can Use it both in the establishment and take it with you.

Let's make up sample business plan and using an example, let’s look at how to open a roadside cafe.

There are several unspoken rules that a businessman who opens a cafe on the highway should follow.

  • the premises for your restaurant should not be very large; a small, cozy, even intimate atmosphere is preferable;
  • your catering establishment must be equipped with a good entrance, and, if possible, parking, a motel and other amenities;
  • cafes count on small quantity people, approximately 70-80 people;
  • The cafe's opening hours are preferably 24 hours a day. After all, in any case, even if the cafe is open from 6 to 23, you will have to hire several shifts of workers.

The business plan must also take into account the return on investment of the enterprise. A cafe on the highway can be considered successful if more than 500 people visit such an establishment per day.

  • you should be extremely attentive to drivers and tour guides of popular tourist routes. If they appeared in your cafe several times, then this is a reason to make a deal with them: next group they bring tourists to have a “snack” exactly to you, and for this you offer the driver (tour guide) a free full lunch;
  • construction public toilet next to the cafe. With this maneuver you will kill two birds with one stone: on the one hand, you will receive additional profit from the toilet itself, on the other hand, it will lure people to the restaurant (cafe). Most people passing by will stop at your public place. And on the way back, they’ll stop by a cafe and, at a minimum, buy a pie and a bottle of water.

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Menu development and staff hiring

The business plan should also contain the menu of your establishment. Here you need to find a “golden mean”. On the one hand, everyone wants to eat healthy food, on the other hand, no one wants to wait a long time for it to be prepared. Focus on dishes whose cooking time is no more than 20-25 minutes.

The menu should include several types of salads, the ingredients for which can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time. And just before serving, you just need to chop and season them.

Also include takeaway items on the menu. Many truckers and travelers will want to take with them fresh sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, main courses in closed containers, chips and other shelf-stable foods.

Allow cafe visitors to use boiling water for free. Many drivers stop in precisely those places where they are not trying to rip off money from them, even for boiling water. In gratitude for this, they order very impressive dinners from you.

Never skimp on the quality of the food you prepare! Let your business plan not be entirely accurate and pay off a couple of months later than planned. Always prepare dishes only from fresh products, despite the fact that all your visitors will be random people and are unlikely to return to complain about food poisoning after visiting your cafe. But word of mouth will do its job. Always remember this.

For one shift you will need a qualified cook, 2 waitresses and a cleaner, with a 2/2 work schedule.

Depending on the “influx” of visitors, you can vary the number of waiters. Or you can even make a counter where one person will take orders, and then he will deliver them or hand them out at the counter.

The cleaning lady's task will be to clean the premises 2-3 times a day: in the morning, before opening, wet cleaning at lunchtime and after the cafe closes.

All service personnel must have health certificates. Nowadays, a trend has become fashionable when the director gives money to his subordinates so that they “buy” themselves a health book. Now, don't do this! After all, one sick waiter can infect hundreds of people a day, let alone an unscrupulous cook.

From time to time, check the neatness of the waiters, make comments to the cook who forgets to wash his hands. This is not a way of manifesting dictatorship, it is basic rules, which are worth mentioning.

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Official side of the business plan:

If you already know where to start opening a roadside cafe on the highway and have definitely decided to test your strength by writing a business plan, then it’s time to formalize your business.

And here there are two options: if you want to open a cafe without selling alcohol, registering as an individual entrepreneur is suitable, but if alcohol is on the restaurant menu, you should register your business as an LLC, CJSC or OJSC so that you can obtain a license to sell alcohol.

Another feature of your establishment could be “order in advance” for regular customers. In this case, stock up on business cards and a work phone number where orders will be received. Thus, a truck driver approaching a cafe will be able to order the dish he likes in advance and, upon arriving at his destination, he will not waste time.

Nowadays, almost all the main Russian highways are strewn with roadside cafes of various styles and sizes, where you can taste hot dishes, enjoy cold snacks, and just relax. The business of opening a roadside cafe is very profitable and promising, and therefore the number of such food stations convenient for passing through is increasing.

The competition among entrepreneurs in this regard is enormous, and in order to avoid possible risks and not end up losing, you need to choose your own business development tactics, which should be included in a detailed business plan for a roadside cafe.

1. Location determination.
The most important thing in this business is to decide on the geographical location of the cafe. Technically, it would be correct to locate the cafe on very busy roads, away from the city and other establishments specializing in catering. The location of the cafe near the city is unprofitable and unprofitable, because... the city dictates its own rules in setting land prices and has its own luxurious food facilities.

2. Registration
To promote your business, you need to register your individual entrepreneur; if there is alcohol in the cafe, you will have to open an LLC. After preparing the building, you need to go through the approval procedure with the SES, as well as with Rospotrebnadzor and fire services, and obtain the necessary liquor license. The tax regime in this case is EBIT.

3. Organization of cafe work.
In order for a cafe to be immediately remembered by customers, its external and internal design must be original and attractive. The offered range of dishes should be varied, the food should be tasty and nutritious. You might consider a takeaway food service. Optimal mode The cafe is open from eight in the morning until midnight. It would be good if next to the cafe there is a small store selling various goods for the road.

4. Equipment.
Among the most important equipment are furniture for decorating the hall and utility rooms, kitchen utensils, household appliances, dishes, cash register. The beautiful landscaping of the surrounding areas will also attract the attention of passers-by.

4.Staff.
It is important that the workers hired are not only skilled in preparing delicious food, but also neat, polite and smiling. Travel-weary customers will be pleased to have another bite to eat in the company of pleasant people.

4. Advertising.
To advertise a cafe, a bright, catchy sign above the entrance, several billboards on the road and information signs at nearby gas stations are enough. But the best advertising will be the opinion of visitors who will strive to come here.
Financial strategies for operating a roadside cafe, its income and expenses should also be included in the business plan. Familiarize yourself with the rules and drafting samples financial plans and you can download ready-made developments on special websites.