Taking Over Cafe Business...

TELLIT01

The term for what is needed before parting with a single penny is "Due diligence". Check all aspects of the business including any plans submitted in the local area for developments which could pull the rug out from under what is currently a going concern.

Savvy_Sue

spadoosh wrote: »

Theres thousands of independent cafe's across the country that manage perfectly well and provide solid incomes to their owners, otherwise there wouldnt be as many cafes.

There's also thousands of cafes across the country changing hands on a regular basis. Every time I walk from where I work into town there seems to be a new cafe, or one which has changed hands. Some do so on a regular basis.

OP, IF you go for this one, bear in mind you may be obliged to keep the Saturday girl under TUPE regulations, so you need to look into those. You also need to understand your legal responsibilities as an employer - holiday pay, keeping records, sick pay etc.

I'd also wonder how a cafe can operate consistently with generally just one member of staff. You want a day off? Do you close the cafe or pay someone to open up for you? The dog's sick and needs to go to the vet? Ditto. You're not well - especially d&v? Ditto.

And one thing that's important to me about cafes is that they are open when they say they will be open. There's a new-ish one on my route home, convenient for a coffee if I miss my train, BUT the other day it had closed early. So now I know it can't be relied on.

I knew a couple who ran a cafe in France - it all went quite well until one of them became ill. At that point, the logistics of getting two children to school and hospital visiting in two separate directions from the cafe was just too much.

WibblyGirly

Have you looked at your local colleges to see if they have any relevant courses to give you some business basics before you buy? They are usually only short courses but a variety of them could give you a basic knowledge which you then build on.

gail.wls1

Thank you I appreciated your input.

gail.wls1

Thank you for your input. I admit I am naïve, that is why I am on this site. I don't plan to rush into anything.

Sncjw

You have zero experience in catering and zero in business. I wouldn’t do this if I was you. Taking on a cafe with zero experience will be hard hard work. You need to take time to understand the basics also how to make food at the low cost to see for reasonable price. Such as how much of each ingredient to use to generate a profit