If you want your new cafe to stand out from the rest, you’ll need to think outside the box. Even if your coffee and baked goods are truly exceptional, finding patrons can be a major challenge. After all, most people who visit cafes regularly are already loyal to one.
Embracing unique, niche ideas is a great way to attract customers who will support your business long-term. Here are seven fun ideas to get you started:
1. Focus on Outdoor Seating
This idea may not work in Alaska, but if you have even a few months of nice weather, a welcoming outdoor patio is a powerful attractant that can differentiate your cafe from others in the area. Of course, not every location is going to have viable outdoor seating options, so make sure you spend some time looking for the perfect spot.
A good patio should have ample seating for groups as well as individual tables for patrons flying solo. If possible, you may also want to offer some light outdoor activities. For example, a small bocce ball court or even a ping pong table can be the perfect excuse that guests need to choose your cafe.
Before you sign any paperwork, make sure you’re aware of local laws and regulations regarding outside seating. You may need to consider factors such as if smoking is allowed, will the patio be dog-friendly, and if you need to have outdoor bathrooms on the premises.
2. Let Customers Pet (and Possibly Adopt) Cats
Cat cafes aren’t a new concept, but the trend has grown significantly in recent years. The first one opened in 1998 in Taiwan. Around 2004, the trend took off in Japan, and eventually, the rest of the world took notice.
The concept is fairly straightforward: your patrons get to interact with stray cats while they sip and munch. If they end up falling in love with one of the cats, they have the option to adopt. You could also charge a cover fee. For example, they could pay $10 for an hour of kitty time.
As long as you’re vigilant about cleanliness, animal health, and following local regulations, running a cat cafe can be profitable and fun, plus you get to feel good about helping out some four-legged friends in need.
First and foremost, you must make sure that every animal is safe to be around. That means you must bring them to a veterinarian before even thinking about letting them roam your cafe. You should also spend plenty of time with them beforehand to ensure that they’re friendly.
You’ll also need to look into local regulations. For example, you may be required to have a separate room or section for the animals. It’s also important to find out how having cats on the premises will affect your human occupancy limit.
3. Dedicate a Corner to Books
Sometimes people want to spend some time in a cafe relaxing with a good book. Starting your own mini-library within your cafe is a great way to attract people who fill up seats for more than just a few minutes.
You don’t need to have a full library — just have one shelf packed with a variety of good books available for anyone to grab a book and enjoy.
You can even allow customers to rent books—it’s a great way to make sure they come back! Just be sure you’re willing to lose books if they neglect their duties. A simple solution is to make it a free rotating library, encouraging people to take or leave a book.
4. Provide Board Games
Attracting groups is an effective way to boost sales while providing a fun environment. This idea works great alongside the library idea too—people who want to relax can grab a book and groups looking for some fun can play a game together. Just make sure you choose fairly low-key games—you probably don’t want a rowdy Twister game happening in your cafe!
5. Offer Beauty Treatments
If your local regulations allow it, opening a beauty salon-cafe mash-up can be fun and profitable. How you approach this business model depends on whether you want to focus more on salon services or food and beverages. In other words, you could open a salon that also serves coffee or you could open a cafe that has a separate room for manicures.
6. Go Mobile with a Food Truck
Why wait for your customers to come to you when you can go to them? Food trucks have become incredibly popular, especially in major cities. That said, if you live in a small town, you could be the one to start the food truck revolution in your area. Just make sure you investigate your local laws first—there may be a lot of red tape to deal with.
Of course, the major investment is an appropriate vehicle that has the equipment you need to make and serve drinks on-the-go. However, that cost should be significantly lower than the overall expenses of an actual cafe. You should also be able to save money on food costs, as you’ll probably only offer a few different baked goods and drinks, rather than a full menu.
For example, you could bake some pastries the night before or early in the morning. You could bring ground coffee, bulk matcha, tea bags, and other easy-to-make drinks that can be made to order. From there, just find an area with a high concentration of people, and start serving.
7. Let Customers Play DJ
Bring-your-own-vinyl cafes and bars are growing in popularity. Basically, you provide the sound system, and you let your customers bring their favorite records to enjoy and share with other guests.
You may need to politely stop (or turn down) intrusive music, depending on the kind of atmosphere you’re trying to cultivate. You can also allow specific genres on set days if you want to curate the experience. Another option is to only allow customers to DJ only during certain times.
Another fun way to add some musical life to your cafe is to provide a piano. Again, just make sure you know when it’s time to end the show!
Don’t Rush Into a Decision
These ideas give you some food for thought, but the possibilities are endless. Be bold and creative. Sometimes the most profitable businesses are simply the ones that did it first.
Most importantly, remember that a niche idea won’t save a poorly-run business. Your highest priority should be to hire the right staff, be an amazing manager, and provide quality food and beverages. From there, your unique twist is just icing on the cake!