Recently I came back from a European trip, and as usual as a foodie, I visited many restaurants, cafes and coffee shops. One stood out to me because It was a small quaint cafe close to the city center that had excellent food. I mean finger lickin’ food. I loved it so much I kept coming back every day.
Let me give you a brief background of the cafe. It was nicely decorated inside and it was very welcoming, with a small selection of menu items, but delicious foods like sandwiches, desserts, coffee, local dishes and burgers, which by the way was the best burger I have ever had, and that was in Europe. Go figure!
Now the big question? I told her, why doesn’t she franchise her cafe concept and go big? First she said she used to have 3 cafes in town, but has since closed the two other ones and just stuck with one. She said managing a franchise will require all kinds of expenses from labor and more, but I explained to her that a franchise doesn’t work that way, instead you set up standards for each franchisee and get a royalty, typically a percentage of their revenues and you won’t have to manage it yourself. But she still insisted it will be too much, after all she has a 16-year old, a ten year old and a 4-year old and she is comfortable with what she has.
So why do cafe owners sometimes think small? The question is that for most their small business is a lifestyle business and they are not interested in running a mid to large business. Sometimes it takes an outsider to see the potential your business has. So if you are a restaurant, cafe or coffee shop owner, learn to think big. Thinking big helps you grow and be successful even if you end up with your small cafe.
