Any interest in new European cafe?

[SerpentQ]

Hello,

My husband and I are currently looking into the possibility of opening a new European style cafe at The Villages and as part of our research we are keen to establish whether or not there is any demand/interest for this type of restaurant.

The cafe would serve hot and cold drinks, possibly some alcohol, a selection of sandwiches and baguettes, cake/pastries and we would like to sell chocolates and some small European items.

We would really appreciate any comments, thoughts or suggestions as this would be a big step for us and whilst we hope that we could make the business a success, we obviously need to ensure that people want what we could offer.

Many thanks.

[Madelaine Amee]

[QUOTE=SerpentQ;500318]Hello,

My husband and I are currently looking into the possibility of opening a new European style cafe at The Villages and as part of our research we are keen to establish whether or not there is any demand/interest for this type of restaurant.

My first question would be WHERE? Location, Location, Location! Sumter has Paneras and Starbucks, Spanish Springs has Starbucks, Wedgwood Lane has a couple of Cafe's - not European, but still cafe's. Also all the Publix have an excellent supply of European "goodies" from chocolate to foods, even WalMart has an excellent selection of European foods.

You would probably do extremely well in the winter months, but I believe summer would be a tough sell for you.

But, I did not think a Wine Bar would go here, but it does very well. I have to admit I would LOVE to have a Hungarian Patiserie serving real European pastries and coffee out of silver coffee pots! :smiley:

Whatever you decide I wish you well.

[Phanatic Luvr]

Hi! Just a thought ... I am a year round resident in the southern section of The Villages, St. James, and would love to see a GOOD Cafe closer to us. Brownwood, the new town center being build would be a good place to look but also any other commercial area in and around 466A or south. It may be wise to contact one of the commercial agents at The Villages, if you haven't done so already. There is also a commercial area slated along 466A between Buena Vista Blvd. and Powell Road. I don't believe it will be golf cart accessible but in a good location. Also, google Atrium Dell. That shows on The Villages website as I believe a commercial area which will be located adjacent to the new Brownwood shopping center. I know they are presently working on the area but everyone you speak to has a different idea of what exactly that will be built out as. In as far as the Panera's and Starbusck, we do go to Panera's from time to time but I can see what you are speaking of opening to be something different than either of those two. With that said, I am always amazed at the crowds at Starbucks in Lake Sumter every time I am up that way. Personally, I am not fond of their coffee, dry pasteries and high prices. But that's just my opinion. I would love to see someone move into the area that does it right. Best of luck to you.

[graciegirl]

[QUOTE=SerpentQ;500318]Hello,

My husband and I are currently looking into the possibility of opening a new European style cafe at The Villages and as part of our research we are keen to establish whether or not there is any demand/interest for this type of restaurant.

My first question would be WHERE? Location, Location, Location! Sumter has Paneras and Starbucks, Spanish Springs has Starbucks, Wedgwood Lane has a couple of Cafe's - not European, but still cafe's. Also all the Publix have an excellent supply of European "goodies" from chocolate to foods, even WalMart has an excellent selection of European foods.

You would probably do extremely well in the winter months, but I believe summer would be a tough sell for you.

But, I did not think a Wine Bar would go here, but it does very well. I have to admit I would LOVE to have a Hungarian Patiserie serving real European pastries and coffee out of silver coffee pots! :smiley:

Whatever you decide I wish you well.

I agree with your assessment Madelaine Amee. The bottom line is that overhead costs are VERY high to rent in the squares and people are VERY thrifty here. AND the business is cyclical with the season. People need to be hired for a job for year 'round. If you know all those things and are willing to take the risk, I wish you well. I do not like European pastries as much as I LOVE wonderful American pastries, such as sticky buns. I made them for our village potluck and it was a cookie sheet full and they disappeared literally in seconds. Now THEY would be a good seller for sure.

Just my two cents. May I have a penny back, please. ;)

[784caroline]

Now this is a good first post!! A European cafe should generate some good interest, but most likely would have to be located in an out parcel, meaning land not owned or managed by TV,s commercial div.

Why...TVdoes not typically rent out to mom and pop operations and they would say you are competing with Starbucks, DD, and panaro,s. the rent in a prime tv location would most likely be cost prohibitive?

As someone previously stated your numbers would be good for 5 months (in season) a year so could you make it work for the other 7 and make it a viable business!! These are real questions you would need to address in any business plan you would prepare.

Good luck!!

[SerpentQ]

Thank you so much to those who have responded so far - we appreciate your comments. All feedback is really useful to us.

We have made contact with someone from the commercial department at TV and are waiting to hear back.

Whilst we think TV would be a wonderful location for our business and we would love to be part of the community, we appreciate that costs and overheads will be very high and so would consider starting the business outside of TV itself, but within the immediate vicinity. Can anyone help with suggesting any suitable locations, which residents of TV frequently travel to? We had hoped to be golf cart accessible but this may not be an option. Are residents willing to travel slightly further afield, and if so, where should we focus our search?

[Bogie Shooter]

Thank you so much to those who have responded so far - we appreciate your comments. All feedback is really useful to us.

We have made contact with someone from the commercial department at TV and are waiting to hear back.

Whilst we think TV would be a wonderful location for our business and we would love to be part of the community, we appreciate that costs and overheads will be very high and so would consider starting the business outside of TV itself, but within the immediate vicinity. Can anyone help with suggesting any suitable locations, which residents of TV frequently travel to? We had hoped to be golf cart accessible but this may not be an option. Are residents willing to travel slightly further afield, and if so, where should we focus our search?

Have you visited TV??

[asianthree]

Have you had a business before? There are lots of people here who have run their own business and for ten years yes we made good money, but always worked many hours and leaving employees to run it while you took a vaca was just as stressful

[Bonny]

Something like this might be okay if you could get there by golf cart. I think it would be a problem if people had to drive there. It sounds good, but definitely not something I would get in my car & drive to. Do you think you could make enough money to pay for help, rent & the costs. I would think you would need some higher end priced items. So many places have gone out of business when they are so limited in selections such as sandwiches, subs, etc. You can't make alot of money off of those items. I would also think a liquor license would be expensive if you could even get one.
What ever you decide I definitely wish you good luck that everything goes well for you.

[NotGolfer]

I think TV needs a really good coffee/spot (not a chain necessarily) similar to what one finds 'up north'. A spot where folks can meet for a light lunch and conversation with-out sitting on top of one another as at Starbucks. On the south end of TV for sure and golf-cart accessible would be key to this. I'm not familiar with a European type restaurant so can't say from my perspective.

[SerpentQ]

Yes we have visted TV twice and are coming to stay in November to do a bit more investigating and hopefully if our plans are taking shape, put some wheels in motion.

We are definitely going for a relaxed, comfortable, friendly and reasonably priced coffee/tea shop. We'd like to serve sandwiches, croissants, cakes, cream teas and so on but are open to any other suggestions. Is there something which you feel is currently missing from TV which we might be able to accomodate?

As much as we obviously want and need the business to be a success, we also want to offer something to the residents and be an integral part of the community so we definitely want to try and take on board people's suggestions and wants.

[Cissy]

I would LOVE to have a European cafe located in The Villages, perhaps on the order of Stella's Pantry in Ocala!

[applesoffh]

I'm not a Starbucks or Panaera Bread person. In fact, I'm kind of sick of all the chains in TV. Most are nothing special. I come from an area filled with mom & pop restaurants, cafes, etc., and miss that atmosphere.

I would LOVE to have a nice place to go with friends for cappuccino (the real thing), croissants, small pastries, etc., but I must agree with posters who have lived here longer than I...if you can find a small place outside "the compound" you may have a chance. Look at the success of Cotillion, on 301 in Wildwood? Small and wonderful, in an area with lovely antique shops across from City Hall.

Good luck with your decision. Please keep us posted.

[Canabarrybarb]

Using TOTV to get feedback is a good idea. If you haven't started a business before, you might want to consider getting free mentoring from SCORE, a national volunteer organization that helps entrepreneurs - we have a chapter here in The Villages.

regards... Barry

[784caroline]

SCORE is a great recommendation. I have a contact for you but unfortunately I am not in TV right now with ready access to the info for you.

I would goggle SCORE the villages or lady lake fl and that should get you started. What you want is an out-parcel within tv that is golf cart accessible. They can help you

[JLHart]

If you plan on opening a biz on TV developer owned / controlled land .... THOROUGHLY investigate the lease agreement!! The CAM (Common Area Maintenance) fees they charge are substantially above market rate and they actually want a considerable % of your sales $$$ volume for the privilege of doing biz!!

[SerpentQ]

Fantastic, thank you. I will look in to that and make contact with them. Not sure if they will be willing/able to help us as we are not US citizens, but obviously TV (or surrounding area) is where we would like to re-locate to. Fingers crossed they will be able to offer us some advice or point us in the right direction!

[MSNPA]

A cafe would be wonderful. A place to go for coffee, teas and scrumptious desserts. I like Starbucks, Panera Bread and Too Jays, however these are not places to visit when you want to sit and relax and have a great cappuccino and dessert. So often after dinner we wish there was a place to go similar to what you are suggesting. I can't comment on the business end of it, but it sure sounds like a good idea. I'm dreaming here, but it would be nice if the cafe had soft lights and good music!

[islandgal]

There was a British Tea Room & florist in Sumter Landing that was here for a year or so.
I was told it closed because of high rent and commissions to The Villages:
Tea Plantation & Floral Boutique - The Villages, FL (http://www.yelp.com/biz/tea-plantation-and-floral-boutique-the-villages)

There is a Tea Room
in Mt. Dora you might want to visit:

Windsor Rose Tea Room and Restaurant | A relaxing escape to British tradition in beautiful downtown Mount Dora, Florida (http://www.windsorrose-tearoom.com/)

Good luck to you. It sounds delightful.
SCORE is a wonderful source for you. I welcome any Mom and Pop - many, many chains here -
the welcomed exception being Bonefish-IMO
:mmmm:

[Poetrosie]

What we really need is a good bakery here in the Villages. If your cafe can supply delicious coffee with an assortment of pastries and cakes, I think you would do very well.

[Pturner]

Hi SerpentQ

Welcome to TOTV! I love mom and pop shops and wish I could offer encouragement. To be honest though, I agree with many of the posters about the challenges you would face.

Commercial rents and fees within TV are high and while there are full-service restaurants outside of TV, such as Cotillion, that are popular with Villagers, I'm skeptical about whether a specialty cafe without cart access, where people go to relax and socialize, would be.

All that said, I'm not a good test subject as we are not full time in TV.

Besides contacting Score and the Villages commercial office, see if you can talk to some of the local merchants within TV for advice and guidance.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you every success and happiness!

[aaffmom]

Sounds wonderful. My answer is yes!!

[westcoastsunshine]

Hi,

I just wondered if you have thought about serving high
tea? I know it is sometimes a chick thing but there sure
are a lot of women in TV.

If it is well done, it can be so much fun for a light meal
and great conversation.

Just a thought!

WCS