You can open a cupcake cafe with a smart business plan and some top quality recipes. Of course you'll also need equipment, suppliers, staff and an excellent location. Location is key, because if you'll have a cupcake cafe and not a restaurant, you'll have to be sure to make enough sales. Selling boxes of cupcakes for children's birthday parties, weddings and office meetings may help you increase your sales and provide appealing, in-demand products to customers.
A location near a bus stop, theater, apartment buildings and a high school would be ideal for your cupcake cafe since you'll need to target customers who aren't looking for a whole meal. Your business plan should involve a careful study of bakeries, coffee shops and other potential competition in your area. Your cupcake products should be delicious and of top quality and items that customers can't find elsewhere in the neighborhood. You should spend time developing products and cupcake package specials that can't be easily copied by your competitors.
You'll also need to consider what beverages to offer in your cupcake cafe. Again, consider the needs and desires of your potential clientele as well as what the competition has to offer. Creating efficient "cupcake to go" service plus some comfortable eat-in space is probably the best approach for your cafe.
If you hope to attract the early morning school and work commuters, developing cupcakes suitable for early in the day is a good idea. You could advertise morning cupcake and coffee specials, for instance. Cupcake flavors such as apple cinnamon and blueberry lemon should be popular as morning options and will help you compete with local donut, coffee and fast-food places for breakfast traffic.
Six pack specials of your assorted cupcakes may be a good marketing strategy. When people come in for a single cupcake, you can encourage them to take home your six pack special of their favorite cupcakes. If your products are reasonably priced and absolutely delicious, it shouldn't take long for word of mouth to spread through your business area. Of course, you should never rely on reputation alone, but rather always be implementing your marketing and advertising plans.
Creating an interesting, comfortable environment adds a welcoming touch to your cupcake cafe that can help keep your tables filled with customers. Consider painting the walls in pretty cupcake frosting colors without going overboard. Rather than using plain utilitarian white restaurant dishes, consider rounding up a supply of mismatched floral cups and saucers from thrift stores. A saucer is the perfect size plate for a cupcake and the many floral patterns can give your cafe a unique and pretty look that goes well with the cupcakes.