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Permalink Reply by christopher myers on April 29, 2010 at 10:39am

I worked in the restaurant industry for a long time before my first cafe job, doing everything from dishwasher to appetizer and entree chef. I am trying to bring that experience to the cafe that I am starting up as a cooperative. However, I think one of the major limitations to the cafe/food combo is that most cafes don't have the room for things like stovetops or ovens. The previous owner I worked for couldn't even be convinced that we could make room for a soup warmer and panini grill. Another thing is that most baristas don't have food experience, so you have to train a bunch of people how to prep and plate food correctly, which is hard.

So for me, the key is having menu items that, while gourmet, are fairly easy to prep, and quick to put together. Another thing often overlooked is presentation. It costs very little to garnish a plate, and train your employees to arrange food in an aesthetically pleasing way (think rosettas vs. plain foam on top) it makes a huge difference in what your customer thinks of your establishment.

After doing some cost/profit checks I concluded that you are crazy not to serve soup in a cafe. Even the tastiest soups are fairly easy to make, and once you have a pot full, it only takes seconds to serve and garnish with a sprig of parsley, a basil top, or some parmasean. My signature soup is tomato basil: veggie stock, onion, peeled tomato, red potato slices, zucchini, mushroom, and basil seasoned with just salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for kick.

I'm also including Italian Bruschetta on the menu because the ingredients are all things most cafes have already, and they're also easy to prep: Just toast some baguette crustinis and top with bruscetta mix. Ours will be served on a bed of mixed greens with a side of mixed olives. The baguette slices are great too because they're supposed to be crunchy, so you can store leftover ones for a couple of days before they're too stale and just fall apart. And when that happens; make croutons! Planning the menu for reducing waste is also important because you're just never going to sell as much food as a restaurant. Which is also why I think a cafe menu should be small and concise with just a few signature items. I think it's a big mistake to serve things like plain old deli sandwiches. when it gets to be around lunch time, and customers are making that decision between going home to eat or going out to a restaurant, and you're serving something for 5 or 6 dollars that they can make at home, the odds are against you. Offer something special, but simple, to make them want to stay.

I'll send this to your email too.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Burton on April 30, 2010 at 9:44am

Thanks Chris. I'll email you with more questions. Thanks.

christopher myers said:

I worked in the restaurant industry for a long time before my first cafe job, doing everything from dishwasher to appetizer and entree chef. I am trying to bring that experience to the cafe that I am starting up as a cooperative. However, I think one of the major limitations to the cafe/food combo is that most cafes don't have the room for things like stovetops or ovens. The previous owner I worked for couldn't even be convinced that we could make room for a soup warmer and panini grill. Another thing is that most baristas don't have food experience, so you have to train a bunch of people how to prep and plate food correctly, which is hard.

So for me, the key is having menu items that, while gourmet, are fairly easy to prep, and quick to put together. Another thing often overlooked is presentation. It costs very little to garnish a plate, and train your employees to arrange food in an aesthetically pleasing way (think rosettas vs. plain foam on top) it makes a huge difference in what your customer thinks of your establishment.

After doing some cost/profit checks I concluded that you are crazy not to serve soup in a cafe. Even the tastiest soups are fairly easy to make, and once you have a pot full, it only takes seconds to serve and garnish with a sprig of parsley, a basil top, or some parmasean. My signature soup is tomato basil: veggie stock, onion, peeled tomato, red potato slices, zucchini, mushroom, and basil seasoned with just salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for kick.

I'm also including Italian Bruschetta on the menu because the ingredients are all things most cafes have already, and they're also easy to prep: Just toast some baguette crustinis and top with bruscetta mix. Ours will be served on a bed of mixed greens with a side of mixed olives. The baguette slices are great too because they're supposed to be crunchy, so you can store leftover ones for a couple of days before they're too stale and just fall apart. And when that happens; make croutons! Planning the menu for reducing waste is also important because you're just never going to sell as much food as a restaurant. Which is also why I think a cafe menu should be small and concise with just a few signature items. I think it's a big mistake to serve things like plain old deli sandwiches. when it gets to be around lunch time, and customers are making that decision between going home to eat or going out to a restaurant, and you're serving something for 5 or 6 dollars that they can make at home, the odds are against you. Offer something special, but simple, to make them want to stay.

I'll send this to your email too.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Smyth on May 27, 2010 at 9:44am

Sending you an email.

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Permalink Reply by Jay Caragay on May 28, 2010 at 4:37am

I've had the opportunity to work with some very forward-thinking chefs in the design and execution of both coffee signature drinks and multi-course tasting menus. As such, many of the so-called "signature drinks" we develop are designed to be progressive in nature, incorporating ingredients such as tobacco, lobster, celeriac, truffles and more.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Burton on May 28, 2010 at 7:54am

The article was submitted to Barista Mag. a few weeks ago. Thanks for adding your input and the next time I have an article for the industry I'll post on here. Thanks again.

Jason Burton ~ LAB 5702
Twitter @LAB5702

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