My wife and I are thinking about buy a small business in the center of our resort-oriented village in NW Montana.
During the 5 months of summer the village is full of tourists shopping in our quaint gift shops and art galleries and eating at our handful of eating establishments. We’re on the way to or from Glacier National Park so there is a steady stream of visitors throughout the day and well into the evening (in July the sun doesn’t set until 10 pm). We are near a large recreational like and lots of parks which are great for hiking.
Since it can get fairly cold and snowy during the winter months the number of tourists drops off considerably and there are only 2,500 locals that stay throughout the winter. Even though the foot traffic is fairly low during this time of year, the merchants somehow manage to stay open until summer rolls around when business will boom again.
The business we are looking at is a small coffee shop that also sells ice cream and other snacks of various types. It’s not a sit-down restaurant, which we already have, however it’s in a niche (take-out only) which is something the village needs. I’m not concerned about business during the summer months, in fact we’ll have to hire part time help to cover our extended hours, but during the winter I can see us barely making the rent and insurance payment each month.
For the entire year we can make enough money to cover the winter months, but ideally I would like to make a small profit during the winter and not break even. I see two ways of doing that, drastically reduce the days and hours we are open to reduce expenses, or come up with treats and beverages to attract the locals downtown even if the weather isn’t great.
I am thinking of adding crepes and Panini sandwiches to the menu, but I don’t think that’s going to draw in the locals. People will stop by for a cup of coffee, but you can’t make enough on coffee alone.
So what food or beverage items would you get in your car and drive into town for on a cold winter day? Any ideas, no matter how crazy, are welcome, and while some people will eat ice cream on a 10 degree day, most people won’t.
If you don’t have a bakery in town, I would think locals would welcome some simple, fresh baked goods. Things like brownies, muffins, or coffee cake are pretty foolproof. Fresh bread is usually a great hit, but it does take more skill.
Really good chicken soup - where the broth is made from scratch - is cheap, time-consuming but mostly hands-off, and would easily entice me to get my lazy butt out of my warm snug home and off to your store.
Rich sandwiches like roasted pulled pork with broccoli rabe. Or roasted beef with brie. Or italian sausage with grilled onions and peppers. Great bread is the key for these so you’ll need to source some local bread maker that everyone knows and likes and feature them prominently.
Don’t try to make a dozen different sandwiches either. Just focus on a few that you can specialize in and make consistently well with fresh ingredients that are always available.
If you have a deep fryer. Learn to make Scotch Eggs.
Bread puddings, savory and sweet options. Easy to make and satisfying.
Even the coffee that you serve - don’t bother with the typical Folgers or Green Mountain stuff. Order something special, like La Colombe. It’s more expensive but people will go the extra block or two, even in the cold, for really good coffee.
I second (or is that third?) the soup idea. There is a small place here in town that makes a fantastic clam chowder and a delish lobster bisque. They only make them on certain days, and when they do, they put a small add in the paper saying they got chowder & bisque! and people flock over.
Sandwiches like those you suggested are a good idea. We will have a coffee bar, but I’m not trying to be Starbucks. High quality coffee is a must. Most people around here seem to prefer Montana Coffee Traders for some reason, even though it costs more than what I can get at Costco.
Does everyone think savory and/or sweet crepes are a good idea? A warm chocolate or Nutella Banana crepe on a cold day is about the best thing I can think of to eat.
Heat milk to just before boiling point. Whisk in dark chocolate chips. Add a little vanilla extract. For variations: Pinch of cayenne pepper or pinch of cinnamon or some caramel chips/syrup.
You’ll have to play with the amounts of each to get it to the state you like it.