For the organization of the restaurant business, the factor of fashion for a particular cuisine is of great importance. If a few years ago, an increased demand was traced for Italian cuisine, then in recent years, many gourmets are clearly intrigued by exotic dishes from the Land of the Rising Sun.
In a fairly short period of time, more than a hundred similar establishments were opened in the capital, offering sushi, sashimi and other Japanese delicacies. However, no matter how attractive the restaurant's cuisine may seem, due to its high cost, it is still not available to so many. The same cannot be said about fast food establishments, the rapid development of which can be traced in Russia today. If in the same cafes and restaurants the markups are about 200-300%, then in fast food establishments the profit is growing due to the large influx of visitors attracted by the established democratic prices.
Against the backdrop of ever-growing competition, the priority factor for the successful operation of any catering establishment is the right location. When choosing, it is necessary to take into account a number of criteria: high "traffic" of the place, low rental rate, the level of well-being of potential visitors, etc. Moreover, if the factor of successful "registration" is not so important for network operators, since a well-promoted brand is working here first of all, then for the owners of small cafes or restaurants, as a rule, who do not have significant start-up capital, but expect the earliest possible profit, this issue is quite critical. In this case, the ideal way out of the situation is the presence of a conceptual "zest" in the establishment.
Traditionally, the most attractive territory for organizing a "nutritious" business is the city center, and the most preferred objects for investment are retail space on the first floors of buildings facing major city thoroughfares. It is for such premises that today there is an acute shortage within the Garden Ring, and there is also an increased concentration of catering points. "Sleeping" districts of the city lag significantly behind in the number of such establishments.
After the area and the approximate location of the “gourmet paradise” have been determined, a dilemma arises: to build an object from scratch or to reconstruct and even repurpose the old building. It is clear that the second option is preferable only when serious restructuring is not needed.
As a rule, network operators can afford to invest in the construction of a retail space. For single establishments, a much more realistic option is to acquire ownership of premises inherited as a legacy of the Soviet era. Therefore, now you can often find cafes and restaurants "registered" in the premises of former bakeries or grocery stores. The advantages of such continuity are quite obvious: during construction, all the necessary GOSTs are easily observed and the premises do not need to be re-profiled.
After all, if an institution that was far from catering was previously located on this territory, potential restaurateurs will not be able to avoid the difficulties of re-profiling the premises. To do this, you will have to obtain licenses, long and stubbornly knocking the thresholds of a number of administrative authorities, from the REU and ending with the sanitary control service.
An even more economical option is to rent small premises. "Temporary" shelter, located in "walk-through" places - near business centers, shopping areas, etc. - will initially contribute to a quick return on investment. However, there are also a number of difficulties. Firstly, the volume of objects available for rent, which can be found in the databases of real estate agencies or which are put up for competition by the capital's authorities, is extremely limited. Most of the most "tasty" meters remain in the shade for various reasons. Secondly, re-equipping the territory for a cafe or restaurant, investing in the promotion of a place, etc., knowing that not today or tomorrow you will have to move, is an extremely short-sighted move in business. If you are to start your own business, you need to own at least a roof over your head.
The ideal cure for such "surprises" with real estate is renting meters in shopping centers. For fast food chains in the capital, the optimal move is to combine them into food courts, or so-called food courts. Today, every shopping center has its own food court, where at least 6-7 concepts are presented that do not duplicate each other and reflect the vast taste preferences of visitors (for example, a restaurant, fast food, coffee shop, sushi bar and steakhouse).
For such operators, the owners of retail space, as a rule, offer more favorable rental rates in comparison with the same expensive clothing or jewelry stores. The reason is simple. The hypermarket serves as a great center of attraction for potential customers outside. However, after the visitors are already inside the shopping complex, a variety of options are used to set their trajectory, which is desirable primarily for large tenants. The emphasis is on food court establishments - rarely a visitor can resist the temptation to drink a cup of coffee or order something more substantial. Thanks to the well thought-out location of such points (along the route of the main flows of buyers), it is possible to achieve a significant increase in the time spent by visitors within the walls of the shopping complex, which will affect the income level of other tenants. Often, food courts act as a kind of "magnets" that attract visitors to disadvantaged places. For example, the upper floors are allocated for catering points in shopping malls.
It is necessary to take into account that the level of the establishment corresponds to the concept of the center. For example, in places where elite shops and boutiques from leading world manufacturers are located, focused on a highly profitable part of the population, McDonald's dishes will not look quite appropriate, and on the trade collapse with “cheap” products from third world countries, sit-down restaurants and expensive coffee shops.
The range of rental rates for food courts now ranges from $ 400 to $ 2,000 per square meter per year. For example, in the Mega shopping center, the developer of which is the Ikea company, the annual rental rate will vary between 1,500 and 2,000 per square meter. Typically, a lease is concluded for a period of at least 5 years, during which the establishment pays a flat rental rate plus operating costs ($ 80-150 per square meter per year). True, the owners of meters often prefer to receive rent in the form of a percentage of turnover.
In a complex under construction, rental rates are set, as a rule, taking into account the expected flow of visitors, based on the concept, the type of anchor tenants (hypermarket, food court, cinema complex, etc.), coverage area, parking capacity, etc. operation of retail space, as well as in the presence of nearby competitors, rates can be reduced.
An indicator of the promising nature of food courts in the capital is the creation of a pool of five largest players in the Russian fast food market: McDonald's, Rosinter, Lunch (Yolki-Palki chain), UNTD (Sbarro restaurants) and Melenka intending to jointly fight for a place in the sun in shopping and shopping and entertainment centers.
Today, one of the most effective ways to expand a business is franchising. In our country, many large companies, including such as Rosinter, Coca Cola, Baskin Robbins, Subway, work according to this scheme, among others. The reason is the ease of their replication with lower financial risks.
Working according to such a scheme assumes that the franchisor company grants the right to use the name, corporate identity, experience, technologies of the franchisee company. Franchisees get the opportunity to purchase original products and equipment at competitive prices from certified manufacturers. In addition, the franchisor provides its recommendations on the placement of a trading network, advertising policy, helps the franchisee in training highly qualified personnel, and sometimes even provides financial assistance.
In order to become a franchisee, it is necessary to purchase a license for the right to use the trademark and business system from the parent company. First, an initial license fee (purchase of a franchise) is made, which is 7-10% of the initial investment. And then current monthly payments are made in the amount of 4-7% of the sales volume, as well as payment to the advertising budget up to 3% of the sales volume.
Although, in order to become a franchisee, desire and financial capabilities alone are clearly not enough. In the same Rosinter company, this requires experience in running a restaurant business, general management skills, as well as the availability of equity capital in the amount of about 200 thousand dollars. A big plus will be the fact that the franchisee owns or leases premises for a restaurant with an area of 150 square meters or more. After opening the restaurant, you will have to pay a monthly license fee in the amount of 7% of the proceeds (net of sales tax) for the entire duration of the contract.
