How to Buy a Cafe

culled from:wikihow.com

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Tea rooms are generally the easiest to sell, although they are the least profitable. A lot of people just go in for a cup of tea and a cake, whereas it's easier to make money if you are selling eggs, chips and the works. It's a good idea to sell food, and not just have people sipping drinks.

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   While specialist coffee shops might work in Soho, or even in towns such as Ipswich or Colchester, they are not viable outside the main centres as turnover will be insufficient to compensate for the expense of the lease and the coffee-making equipment.
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   Providing food in the evening could be an option if the cafe is in a prime town location, a student or young professional area, or even near to a shift-working factory. As always, it is important to tailor your menu to the market – there is no point in offering ciabattas if your customers want fry-ups.
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   Lifestyle is a vital consideration. For example, if you are running a profitable venture which depends on breakfast, early starts will be part of the job. Deciding to open for dinner too – which is when a drinks licence could be a definite bonus – means that a long and stressful day is going to be on the agenda.
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   Some operations could open at 7am and run until three or four in the afternoon, and then open later in the evening for a second shift. Of course, the exact times you open will depend on the area you are based in and the resident population. It's hard work – you need to cook commercially," he says. "If you want to employ someone to cook for you, that will immediately cut into your profit margins." He adds that if you are pitching for the top end of the market, experienced catering staff can be difficult to manage.