Mountain Man and I just spent 5 days in a car together, and I spent a lot of time bouncing ideas off him for the bakery and taking notes and jotting down ideas that seemed to resonate most. I got stuck on the following issue:
Would the bakery be most successful if we were open for breakfast and lunch OR lunch and dinner?
At this point, it doesn't make sense to consider being open all day. I definitely want to be open for lunch, since many of the recipes I'm working on are perfectly suited for lunch. But I'm not sure if I prefer breakfast or dinner as the other meal.
Breakfast gives the option of espresso drinks, smoothies, scones, muffins, and breakfast sandwiches and burritos. This weekend, MM had a breakfast burrito that was made out of tri-tip, salsa, cheese, potatoes, and eggs. We also had breakfast with the family, and my brother-in-law noted that the bakery needed to provide really good English muffins. Breakfast would allow for some creativity, and if it was in the right place (i.e. not close to a Starbucks or similar), it could become a go-to place for people who want something quick on the way to work. So breakfast sounds great to me.
But, dinner means not waking up at the crack of dawn, and it means that I would be making the same dishes for both lunch and dinner - I wouldn't really need to do anything different for the two mealtimes, besides making sure that there was enough for both lunch and dinner. It would be easier, but I'm not sure it would be as fun.
So, my question to you is this: Breakfast or Dinner?
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About Me
- Deya
- An ex-acquisitions editor at a publishing company making the great move from the corporate world to small business ownership. More specifically, a small bakery specializing in savory foods. Heading to culinary school, working on a business plan, shoring up the courage to do it, and looking for ideas, inspiration, and advice!
Now with your reasoning, I agree with the breakfast and lunch option. I think that the options for breakfast are better but also lend themselves to being a lot more fun for you! It will allow you to bake and be creative whereas dinner and lunch would be the same.
ReplyDeleteBreakfast! But because you can make both breakfast and dinner so well, you'll want to consider the location and the market. Will you be the only place open for dinner in the area? Are there a lot of commuters who will be looking for a breakfast fix on their way to work?
ReplyDeleteA savory breakfast can sometimes be hard to find in a land of danishes. Ham and cheese croissants?
Maybe it's just me and my morning routine, but I never stop for breakfast before going to work. I want to go to work and get home as soon as possible so I have the night for my personal time--that's when I want to get out and have a meal.
ReplyDeleteBut lunch and dinner might not show off a lot of range or versatility.
I feel like many of the recipes you have been thinking of are much more breakfast-oriented, with of course a lot of lunchtime stuff too. If you were near to lots of office buildings, it seems like breakfast and lunch would be better moneymakers as people stop before work and/or nip out during the day for snacks or a full lunch. And if it wouldn't be as 'fun' to make dinner, well, that does not sound so good! Of course, scrapping dinner probably means scrapping tasting flights, to which I have been totally attached, lol!
ReplyDeleteRegarding locational strategy, opening near a Starbucks is not necessarily a bad thing. Burger King used to employ a massive strategy team to figure out optimal locations for new storefronts. They ended up letting go the whole department because it turned out that the consistently best location for a new BK was anywhere near a McDonald's. People who want fast food will go to where they know they can find it, and once they get there, they will go to either, depending on personal preference/cost/etc. The point is to get people in the vicinity in the first place. Maybe it would work the same with a Starbucks.