Getting a business up and running in the foodservice and restaurant industry can seem complicated enough, but ensuring it thrives may be a long-term challenge. One way to guarantee your business thrives is by entering a profitable niche market. Considering recent increases in veganism, perhaps you want to open a vegan eatery. From there, think of giving your vegan business a twist that allows it to stand out—like offering cannabis items on the menu. After coming up with such a bold, fresh business idea, you may be unsure of your next move. Listed below are practical tips for starting your vegan cannabis cafe.
Draft a practical plan for opening and running your cafe.
Once you’ve decided to open a cafe, it’s essential to determine the type of business entity it will be. Will you run a sole proprietorship, general partnership, or limited liability company (LLC)? A critical step in incorporating cannabis use into your business is ensuring your operations will abide by your local and state regulations regarding cannabis. Do so by finding out if it’s legal to offer cannabis-infused food or if you have to keep food items and cannabis items separate. Armed with this information, you can bring your ideas for your concept to life by thinking up potential appetizers, dishes, beverages, or sweet treats for your menu and obtaining the commercial kitchen and restaurant equipment needed to make it all happen.
Get top-notch equipment for your eatery.
As a restaurateur, you’re responsible for renting or purchasing furniture, barware, glassware, flatware, cookware, and appliances. Your vegan cannabis cafe will require industry standard refrigeration, freezers, coolers, oven, grills, fryers, prep tables, and other commercial kitchen equipment, as these appliances make a cafe functional.
Rely on a reputable restaurant supplies warehouse for excellent-quality commercial kitchen supplies and appliances to enhance your cafe’s productivity and worker safety. Consider using a premier restaurant warehouse that carries kitchen appliances by known brands like Atosa or True as your source for restaurant supplies. The right restaurant equipment warehouse for you provides sandwich prep tables for veggie burgers or sandwiches, pizza prep tables for vegan pizzas made with vegan cheese, shelves, an Atosa refrigerator, a True refrigerator, an ice machine, refrigeration tables with drawers, or other commercial refrigeration products that can enhance your kitchen’s functionality, storage capabilities, productivity, and attractive appearance.
Getting top-notch kitchen and janitorial supplies from an excellent market source can help you implement high general health and sanitation standards in your cafe. Such measures are essential, as you’ll want to ensure you can fully operate your business while limiting and stopping the spread of COVID-19 among your staff and customers.
Base your menu on your target audience’s preferences.
Identify the patrons your cafe concept may attract and conduct relevant research. Your vegan cannabis cafe’s target audience likely consists of vegetarians, vegans, individuals interested in plant-based diets for health benefits or environmental reasons, and those open to using cannabis. When coming up with vegan menu items that will satisfy your patrons’ lifestyle choices, factor in any other companies you may have to collaborate with to sustain your eatery. For instance, if you have salads on your menu, you’ll need vegan dressings to pair with them. Seek a producer who avoids dairy or animal products and instead uses plant sources to create condiments and sauces. Only Plant Based! Foods—a proud member of the Plant-Based Foods Association—is a leader in this domain, making premium vegan mayo. This producer creates nondairy original mayonnaise, garlic mayo, chipotle mayo, ranch dressing, sour cream, and more. Consider establishing a professional relationship with such an organization and turning to them as your trusted source for vegan condiments.
Acquire a team of skilled, knowledgeable professionals.
The COVID-19 outbreak last year caused numerous business owners to close their doors temporarily or indefinitely. However, as eateries begin reopening and more people resume dining out, businesses face new setbacks—such as workers who aren’t returning. Avoid running a short-staffed business by keeping your labor and staffing considerations proportionate to your budget and concept. Food trucks may need two or three employees based on the vehicle’s size. However, you’ll need several chefs and staff members in a full-service cafe.
Be sure several staff members are cannabis experts to ensure your vegan cannabis cafe is safe. If you’re offering cannabis-infused food in addition to cannabis-free food, it’s crucial to hire chefs experienced in cooking safely with this ingredient. Likewise, if you’ll grow cannabis and offer hash, oils, edibles, vapes, or pre-rolled joints at your cafe, you’ll want team members who can handle these items and clearly explain their content to consumers. Having employees who can successfully use commercial greenhouse rolling benches will also be essential, as using a rolling bench system allows you to maximize your grow space, increase your yield significantly, and optimize productivity.
Ultimately, with hard work and effective use of your professional resources, the success generated by your vegan cannabis cafe will reflect the plans and care you put into opening it.