Do You Want To Open A Restaurant? Try With A Pop-Up Kitchen
After years working as chef, the possibility of running your own restaurant often comes to mind. The idea of becoming your own boss is exciting but, in the same time, frightening. Lots of questions and uncertainties tend to stop new businessmen to do the “big jump” in the hospitality market. Are you worried about money matters? Do you lack confidence in your entrepreneur skills? Are you afraid to leave your job and give up the security of a regular income? Do not you know where to start?
For all these reasons, opening a pop-up kitchen could be the perfect choice for you. Let’s now discover advantages and tips about this new way to create business.
1. What are pop-ups?
First of all, let’s clarify what pop-up means. Spreading during the economy recession, when many shops and retail units closed for turning into abandoned spaces, pop-up business began to become the innovative response for a stalled economy. Used in many business sectors as a form of non-traditional retail, pop-ups are the temporary use of physical spaces. From shops to bars and restaurants, they are now the cutting edge reaction to the new experimental economy. In fact, according to their temporary nature and use of engaging and creative spaces, it is possible design a fresh and unique shopping experience for clients.
2. Location
The coolest thing is that you have lots of freedom and options from where locating your pop-up kitchen. A food truck in a strategic position. An unusual and attractive space reinvented in restaurant. However, if you want to make it easier as first approach, you should opt for an existing pub as location. It will be helpful having a ready space to start working in. Plus, it’s not difficult finding a pub willing to host you. In fact, thanks to a new gastronomy conscious among people, customers needs are shaped for a good food menu. Consequently, pubs should offer more than a pint and some nibbles!
It’s a way that considerably help to marketing your business too. You will concentrate more on creating amazing and tasty food, leaving to the pub visibility to do this job for you! Think also about this period of the year, when the poor weather conditions make enjoying your favorite street food open air barely a nightmare. Having a cozy space that come with your pop-up kitchen is very advantageous.
3. What actually does running a business mean?
Opening a pop-up kitchen is a good way to understand what are the implications of your new role. Testing ideas and possible failures forward are the key secrets for acquiring success in a business. For this reason, a pop-up reality is the perfect way to provide to aspiring entrepreneurs evidences of their activity, for improving the concept and finding finance support. A perfect scenario for who dreams to open his own proper restaurant. Indeed, temporary business are an effective way for experimenting what the new role of owner involves before opening a brick-and-mortar long term activity.
4. Customers and market
Facing directly with customers is advantageous in order to better understand how effectively targeting your market and reaching the needs of your customers. Plus, the mobile nature of a pop-up kitchen adds value to its strength, since you can select the perfect spot and go where your target customers are. In fact, being not a stable location allows you to reconsider your choice and improve the potential of your future business.
5. Temporality and flexibility
Another big advantage of this kind of activity, which is always linked with its temporary nature, is the possibility to manage it during holiday or in your spare time. Convenient, isn’t it? You can start to run your own business without leaving the security of your full time job. On top of that, running a pop-up kitchen can leave you the chance to work in other areas of the food industry too and see which one works better for you. Think, you will have time to nourish your passions too! Flexibility as key benefit: flexible in time as well as physically.
6. Customers more keen to buy
Last but not least, pop-ups create urgency among customers. The short life of these kitchens makes clients more willing to buy your products or to be part of the experience you can offer them. As a matter of fact, you will create buzz among foodies who want to try as soon as possible your food offer. And, if their tastebuds have been satisfied enough, they would repeat the visit till your kitchen will be available. The message you generate is “Eat now cause you may not have the same opportunity again!”.
So what are you waiting for? An empty kitchen is just waiting for your creativity! Talented chefs, let’s grab a seat at the table of entrepreneurial players, with almost no risk and expenses.
