Starting up a English Tapa's Restaurant

InsideInsurance

Have seen "world" tapas before and that did include one or two english items.

Given the original idea of tapas comes from bars not restaurants and they're supposed to be small bites to eat on their own with your drinks I am not sure I'd go for baked beans but the rest seem a reasonable idea.

As a business idea I am not convinced though, but happy to be proven wrong. In traditional spain, not tourist, most tapas is still bar food and it works very well there because they have the culture or it. Known a few tapas bars in the UK and whilst some do ok they are 90% bars with most people not eating at all.

You can go down the restaurant route but would that fly? I think tapas of other foods are successful is because we dont know them, they're "different" and tapas allows you to try a variety of things without much risk. We know english food and therefore dont require that risk avoidance.

Look at it another way, you will find hundreds of indian, chinese etc buffets and yet outside of hotels I cannot think of any english buffet restaurants I've seen in this country. I think for a fairly similar reason.

PasturesNew

InsideInsurance wrote: »

I cannot think of any english buffet restaurants I've seen in this country.

That's because an English buffet is called a carvery.
Plenty of those.....

I bet there's one near you: http://www.tobycarvery.co.uk/

C_Mababejive

PasturesNew wrote: »

That's because an English buffet is called a carvery.
Plenty of those.....

I bet there's one near you: http://www.tobycarvery.co.uk/

I went to a Toby Carvery once. It was more like a pig farm. Mind you,it was Sunday afternoon. Never again.

charlylovesphil

I have no advice on all the formal stuff but wanted to say I think its a fab idea!! I'd eat there!!

naff123

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Before launching into this venture,could you tell us what your vision of an English Tapas Restaurant is please?

English Tapas is basically English dishes like pie and mash all on a tiered pricing system as in bottom prices would be lower end dishes like sausage egg and chips and top tier would be like a micro beef wellington.

all would be miniature in size so you could have multiple different dishes if you choose to but yo sushi style with a conveyor belt style serving options.

Also I am considering doing themed food days e.g. Fisherman's Friday's and some other potential ideas

paulwf

naff123 wrote: »

all would be miniature in size so you could have multiple different dishes if you choose to but yo sushi style with a conveyor belt style serving options.

I thought the English tapas idea was "unique" but the conveyor belt idea just takes it one step further into bonkers territory. I salute you!

First question...how do you do a mini fried egg? Quails eggs?

Second question...how do you keep it hot on the conveyor belt? Sushi works because it is served cold and doesn't degrade in appearance or quality for several hours. Unlike a fried egg.

InsideInsurance

PasturesNew wrote: »

That's because an English buffet is called a carvery.

No a carvery is only sunday/ roast dinner possibly one other thing for the vegetarians.

I have never seen a carvery/ buffet that has roast dinner, shepherds pie, cottage pie, steak and ale pie, faggots, lamb hotpot, toad in the hole, fish and chips, bangers and mash etc

My local chinese buffet has something like 30 different main dishes (exc veg/ rice accompliments etc), not just 3 meats and a nut roast.

naff123

paulwf wrote: »

I thought the English tapas idea was "unique" but the conveyor belt idea just takes it one step further into bonkers territory. I salute you!

First question...how do you do a mini fried egg? Quails eggs?

Second question...how do you keep it hot on the conveyor belt? Sushi works because it is served cold and doesn't degrade in appearance or quality for several hours. Unlike a fried egg.

This is on issue I am trying to resolve to!

I am potentially thinking either Heat lamps along the way ( could pose H + S Issues) or have a limited time frame on each product for when they are due to be of poor quality so fresh out of the cooker with a traffic light state on top of the plate i.e. Red amber and green.

once amber they could be at a reduce to clear price and red = throw away something I am looking into

paulwf

naff123 wrote: »

This is on issue I am trying to resolve to!

I am potentially thinking either Heat lamps along the way ( could pose H + S Issues) or have a limited time frame on each product for when they are due to be of poor quality so fresh out of the cooker with a traffic light state on top of the plate i.e. Red amber and green.

once amber they could be at a reduce to clear price and red = throw away something I am looking into

Logistics is one thing, food culture and the actual practicalities of eating are another. Tapas and sushi work partly because each element is self contained. You can pick at a small dish then have a drink and a chat and then graze on something else.

British food tends to be focused around one element - i.e. meat or a pie - and everything else is the trimmings to accompany it. I just can't see someone picking at a fried egg, then a bit later a saucer of beans then a bit later some roast potatoes. You have it all on one plate at the same time.

Breaking the mould is good, doing something different is essential to set you apart from the competition. However when there are thousands of restaurants in the UK and not one is doing this concept that has to be a huge warning in big red flashing letters warning sirens blaring!!!

There's no need to take a risk, you should be able to test the concept before you get stuck with a lease and expensive equipment. Pop up restaurants are very fashionable, every pub seems to be hosting pop up catering events. Start off this way and do a few pop ups to test the waters and build up slowly from there.

naff123

Breaking the mould is good, doing something different is essential to set you apart from the competition. However when there are thousands of restaurants in the UK and not one is doing this concept that has to be a huge warning in big red flashing letters warning sirens blaring!!!

As much as I agree with you I am very skeptical of the whole why isnt everyone else doing it, because if everybody taken that approach the MP3 player would never of been developed or other inventions I think that there are ideas that have been overlooked or just not thought of imho.

You are absolutely spot on with the testing idea with pop up restaurants something worth looking at because I have links in the catering trade I should be able to get some bargains for whole sale produce.