Your business: how to open a roadside café-fastfood

The Russian catering market is saturated, and the competition for us is merciless. Such tough working conditions force restaurateurs to develop new formats and expand the geography of their business. A promising area where you can still find a free niche are catering establishments on highways. Most of the points outside the city are not yet mastered, the competition here is much lower than in cities. And besides, the services of roadside cafes are relevant for many people.

City highways are already crammed with various outlets, but the inter-regional highways, on the contrary, are almost not mastered by catering establishments. The same options that are, often represent a “cafe from the past.” Such establishments, more often, even outwardly represent a rather pitiful sight and do not enjoy the confidence of drivers and their passengers. The most promising and modern cafe format at the tracks can be called a segment of fast food. During long trips, most drivers and passengers use the services of fast food outlets. And the stereotype that a roadside cafe can only feed with poison or fried pies is no longer appropriate.

The cafe by the highway is the same restaurant, which must meet the requirements, meet the standards of any catering establishment and even have its own concept. In Russia, roadside cafes are just on the path of correction. Stimulates an example of European restaurateurs who manage to place near the highways both a small dining room with home cooking and a cozy coffee shop. But in Russia, the idea of ​​not a measured meal at the curb, but a quick snack will take root. Therefore, it will be more profitable to open a catering point in fast food format. This is a meal that you can quickly cook and take with you to the car for a snack on the way.

Choosing a place for a roadside cafe: the main difficulties
Please note that choosing the right place is one of the most important points for a roadside cafe or a roadside restaurant. Therefore, you need to know some of the nuances so as not to be mistaken. Incorrectly chosen place can significantly reduce revenue.

Optimal placement of a roadside cafe:
gas stations;
territories near settlements;
recreation areas on the slopes in scenic places;
close to convenient traffic interchanges.

At gas stations, things are not as simple as they seem. Gas station operators are unlikely to be happy to see a competitor who will offer a worthy alternative to their products. For gas stations, you are a direct competitor, so opening your establishment can face competition even on the sidelines, almost in an open field.

But this is not the only difficulty. The development of territory along highways is also hampered by the fact that such places often do not meet the requirements. Problems arise at the level of connection to electricity, wastewater, sewage, the same thing with the disposal of income and transportation of products. All communications should be connected to the site that you plan to use as a cafe. If not, no one will allow you to open a catering facility.

As a result, communication and delivery of fresh products to remote locations become very expensive. Trying to save money, many cafe owners are trying to make a menu of fast food. Unfortunately, it often ends with a pizza heated in a microwave.

Solving this problem is also not easy. To carry out communications, it will require serious investments that will almost double the costs. In this regard, the majority of entrepreneurs decide to open an institution on the territory of ready-made complexes located on highways. Points that are concentrated in the same territory work on each other and ultimately increase sales. But it’s not a fact that a business already entrenched in these complexes will want to let you in.

Therefore, carefully evaluate the area on which you plan to place a cafe. Be sure to consider the possibility of connecting to engineering networks, the presence of other establishments in the vicinity with which you can cooperate, as well as the degree of adequacy of their owners.

Your business: how to open a roadside café-fastfood
Development of a business plan for a roadside cafe
Development of a business plan is recommended to start after you decide the issue with the room. Be sure to think over the production, financial and marketing parts. If the project is financed with borrowed funds, an investment plan will have to be drawn up. This will require the bank when it considers your loan application.

A thoughtful, well-written business plan will help not only in raising funds. It will avoid unnecessary expenses and problems at the start. What issues need to be addressed in the business plan:
collection of all permits;
registration of the premises (documents, communications, repairs, etc.);
purchase of equipment;
staff, their work schedule, payroll.