OPENING a cafe, a coffee or tea shop has been quite a trend nowadays as said business kept on popping up everywhere in Cagayan de Oro City, and perhaps even outside of it.
It began with a thought of serving coffee to sleep deprived customers, people who did not get the required 8-hour sleep yet needed to be awake for classes or work. Coffee, aside from energy drinks, is their sort of stimulant to keep them going through their day.
Although some people drink coffee just for the enjoyment, relaxation and warmth it gives.
But as years passed, several beverages emerged to accompany the normal brewed coffee in the menu, such as the frappe, latte, iced coffee, shakes, teas, milk teas, among others. Then came in the different food served to partner it up with the drink of your choice.
Opening a cafe or coffee shop may sound like an easy enough business as a start-up for first time entrepreneurs.
However, there are some points one should think about when it comes to planning your very own cafe/coffee shop.
Shiela Andrea Cang, owner of the Shake and Brew cafe, shared some tips to consider for first time entrepreneurs who are open to the possibility of starting a cafe.
1. Location
It became a norm to Kagay-anons to establish their shop within the city proper, particularly in Divisoria, a place where a large number of people gather, and where plenty of offices, hotels, suites and schools are located.
To some, the bustle and hustle of the people and vehicles that fill the streets of Divisoria may seem like the perfect location to put up your cafe/coffee shop. As for Cang, it was the opposite.
"Yung market kasi namin yung hindi maingay sa daan kasi minsan pag ground floor ka usually maririnig mo yung mga jeepney, mga motorela, ganun so tapos overrated na kasi yung sa Divisoria, most of the time kasi sa market mo kasi 70 percent o-order tapos tambay (What we market is the peace and quiet of the place since if you're in the ground floor, usually you can hear the noise of the jeepneys and motorelas passing by. Also, Divisoria is an overrated place to put up the cafe as 70 percent of the time a customer visits, it's to order and then to hang out)," Cang said.
The Shake and Brew cafe is situated in the second floor of A&M Building, Tomas Saco St, Cagayan de Oro City.
The cafe may be in a place with fewer vehicles and people but it still get a lot of customers which, according to Cang, are usually families, workmates, young professionals, and students.
"Tag line ko minsan kapag nag ma-market ako (Our marketing tag line is): Your cozy cafe away from the bustling city."
2. Food
"Minsan kahit mahal pero alam namin para bang ikabubuti yan ng store, binibili namin. Yung iba kasi ang after nila is palagi yung profit. Dapat kasi nasa second yan. Para bang customer satisfaction, second na yung profit (Sometimes even if its expensive yet we know it's good for the store, then we buy it. There are those that are always after the big profit. It should be customer satisfaction first, then profit)," Shiela said.
Shiela, and her boyfriend and business partner Bruce dela Cerna, a trained barista who worked for 4 years in Starbucks and 2 years in Saudi Arabia, has been meticulous when it comes to purchasing the ingredients needed to prepare the food and beverages on their menu.
The couple have regarded the quality of the product as a primary concern, investing more on picking up the freshest goods to avoid food spoilage.
"Ang Cagayan [Kagay-anons] kasi mahilig mag compare, so kahit simple lang yung cafe namin, pero we make sure na kung ano ang ise-serve namin, may quality din (The Kagay-anons are fond of comparing things, so even though our cafe is simple, we make sure that whatever we serve are of good quality). Parang worth the money you're paying for," Cang said.
She added that if you're thinking of having a long-term business, the cuteness or beauty of the store doesn't matter if the ingredients you use are just powder and water.
"Kasi yung babalikan yung food mo, yung ambiance second na yan (It's the food that brings back the customers, the ambiance comes in second)," Cang said.
3. Staff
"Mas preferred namin yung walang experience kasi mas madaling turuan. Ang always ko lang ginaklaro sa ila is wala ko kinahanglan og naa kay experience or wala, ang ako lang (We prefer those with no experience since they are the ones who are easy to teach. I always make it clear that it doesn't matter whether you have the experience or none, what I want) is if you're willing to learn," the cafe owner said.
Cang has been employing part time workers, usually working students from Xavier University, who have zero experience in preparing beverages such as latte, frappe, etc.
"Sa interview pa lang, pinapakita na namin kung ano ang mga kailangan nilang i-memorize na mga drinks, ng mga ingredients. ini-introduce ko yung mga equipment sa kanila (During the job interview, we already introduce them to the drinks and ingredients they needed to memorize as well as the equipment) like the microwave, toaster, oven, yung ganun lang kasimple (those simple things)," she said.
Despite hiring two employees for the cafe, Shiela and Bruce are still working with them, with the former handling the accounting and marketing of the place while the latter works on the food and beverages as well as teaching the workers the ropes.
So if you ever visit the café, you will personally meet its owners and, likewise, be personally served by them.
Aside from food and drink preparation, the staff are also taught to interact with customers, especially when the latter puts in some suggestions which the cafe wholeheartedly accepts.
4. Innovation
Shiela, who had been dreaming of owning a cafe, has spent a lot of her time learning the needed skills and information in starting a cafe business.
And even after finally having her dream come true, researching for something more to improve the cafe is still in her routine.
"Kahit busy or kahit stressful, pero (Even though I'm busy and stressed but) at the end of the day, parang excited pa rin mag research kung ano nanaman ang bagong i-introduce (I'm still excited to research on something new to introduce)," Sheila said.
"From time to time you need to be updated on the trends, especially in social media. Kung anong bago, anong ginagawa nila, saan sila inspired (On what is new, what they do and what inspires them)," she added, saying that this doesn't only apply to the food and beverages but also to the cafe's decor.
Also working as an events decorator, Cang handles the decoration inside the cafe, changing up the colors and designs for a period of time.
"For a period of time, even I regard the decors as boring to look at, much more the cafe customers," Shiela said in Filipino.
The change in decors can be attributed to the people's attitude to take selfies or groufies for their social media accounts.
Might as well beautify the place for an Instagram worthy picture.
As for the introduction of a new food or drink, Cang said it is usually done every 3 months.
5. Advertising
Every new business, in order to be known to the public and in the business world, needs to be promoted, be it through the traditional means such as putting up ads on newspapers or magazines, in television or radio, or through the modern mode like the social media.
Shiela has been posting pictures in their social media accounts almost everyday just to promote the cafe, but what made customers visit Shake and Brew often and keep on coming back is not through the modern era's mode of advertisement but through a much older version of advertising, via word of mouth.
According to Cang, since direct interaction with their customer is part of their service, customers who became their regulars often shared their cafe experiences to their friends which in turn sway them into visiting the establishment.
Connections with people during their time in their previous working place have also been helpful in spreading the name of their cafe and inviting more customers.
Shake and Brew, owned by business partners and couple Shiela Cang and Bruce dela Cerna, was established in July 2016 and had its two-year anniversary last July 25.
Located at the second floor of A&M Building, Tomas Saco St, Cagayan de Oro City, the cafe is open during Mondays to Fridays at 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sundays at 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.