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entry as the original keys had been lost. The plan was to open for business in October 2009 but various planning and building related issues meant that this date came and went.
As the building work got underway Jim started sourcing suppliers. Whilst he had a strong idea of what he wanted to achieve with Meat Roll on the food side of the business, it had been over 20 years since he had been selling takeaway coffee at his deli and Jim realised that the world of coffee had moved on considerably and that he needed some expert help in this area.
Jim chose to work with Cafe Bar, the HORECA division of Autobar UK Limited. His decision, he says, was down to Cafe Bar's consultative approach to doing business, and the fact that it was able to take this side of the business and manage it for him.
THE COFFEE OFFER
Jim's brief was simple: he wanted to serve great quality coffee to complement the quality of his food. He wanted to charge a premium for this coffee and decided that the best way to do this would be to use a traditional espresso machine - which would also add to the ambience of the establishment with an element of theatre.
Jim also wanted to serve filter coffee
as he recognises that both here and in the States filter is currently enjoying something of a renaissance.
After meeting with Cafe Bar account manager Justin Brown and talking through the options available Jim settled on a CMA Planet traditional espresso machine and chose Cafe Bar's premium 100% Arabica bean, Pelican Rouge, and the company's Fairtrade filter coffee which is a blend of 80% Arabica and 20% Robusta.
Jim has adopted a 'train the trainer'
approach to operating the coffee machine, which seems to be working perfectly - Cafe Bar's barista trained him and a key staff member who are now training other members of staff. Justin also helped Jim with his
supplies order. Working out how much to order upfront can be difficult for a new business, but Justin guided Jim through the process. Whilst it is essential that he doesn't run out of anything it is also important not to tie up too much cash in stock.
THE OPENING Meat Roll officially, but briefly, opened for business in June 2010 but closed again five days later due to a problem with the sprinkler system which resulted in them losing all of their stock and having to close for four days until the problem was rectified. Once re-opened there was then a problem with the electrics which caused them to close again for a couple of days.
However - cue drum roll - after a long haul and a couple of false starts Meat Roll is now fully open, but whilst food sales are already impressive Jim's latest challenge is to tackle rather lacklustre coffee sales. The problem in this area appears to
be one of perception. Whilst Jim has complete confidence in the quality of the beverages Meat Roll serves he is aware that his establishment might not scream 'coffee shop' to the outside world - one drawback is that despite having a coffee shop ambience the shop's name doesn't feature either the word 'coffee' or 'café'. Current coffee sales therefore are an additional purchase with food. Jim's challenge is to make the beverage side of the business stand on its own. Cafe Bar has worked with Jim to put together a marketing campaign to kick start coffee sales. The company understands that coffee sales are helped hugely by visual stimulation and so has developed a set of branded posters featuring strong coffee visuals which are to be displayed in the shop. It is also working on a loyalty card scheme, bespoke menu board and bespoke graphics for a window display which will help to give Meat Roll more of a coffee shop feel.
Jim is also planning to take the concept a stage further by holding free coffee mornings to promote this side of the business. "Working with supportive business partners who understand your business and the challenges it faces is critical to the success of any new business," says Jim, who is confident that he has a great product and great partners and is looking forward to seeing his business grow.
More information: Cafe Bar T: 0800 230 0097 W:
www.cafebar.co.uk
Jim chose a CMA Planet 2 group traditional espresso machine
The interior of Meat Roll has a coffee shop ambience
The meat-filled rolls are served to order from a hot counter
Information about any advertisements appearing in this issue:
enquiries@essentialcafe.co.uk
Essential Café 41
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