Animal cafes have been popular in Asia and Europe for a few years now. Recently, this concept of an animal cafe has started to make its way to the United States in a few cities. A cat cafe offers people a place to relax with their friends and felines. It is a place where you can enjoy a beverage and snack and hang out with the cats housed at the cafe. Many cafes help the cats they house by making them available for adoption.
Opening a cat cafe might seem like an easy venture. However, it can be more difficult than you think. Because it is a new concept, you will probably have to educate people and go to government officials to obtain necessary permits and attract business. Starting a new cat cafe will come with all of the other aspects of opening a regular restaurant with the added tasks of the feline aspects. If you are considering opening a new cat cafe, there are some considerations. Let’s look at some of the equipment you might need for your new cat cafe.
Securing Restaurant Equipment
In general, to open a cat cafe, you’ll need standard restaurant equipment. Depending on your menu, you could require coffee shop equipment or full commercial kitchen equipment. The type of cafe you are opening will dictate the best option for kitchen equipment. However, if you need new equipment, it could be just as expensive as buying items for a new restaurant. No matter what your situation requires, you might consider a restaurant equipment lease as a better option for your new business.
Your cat cafe will probably require a significant startup cost, and an equipment lease could help ease some of that burden. Instead of paying out a bunch of money upfront, you can make monthly payments and allow the equipment to pay for itself. Additionally, you will have options to upgrade your equipment sooner and maintain a more efficient kitchen, depending on the terms of your lease.
Caring for the Cats
One of the keystone elements of your cat cafe will be the cats. You will need to reach out to shelters and adoption groups to discuss housing cats at your cafe and offering them for adoption. An animal welfare group will help you ensure that your cafe is cat-friendly. Additionally, you will also need to designate areas for the cats and ensure that you comply with sanitation regulations. You should also establish clear rules for how your customers can interact with the cats.
Aside from this, you need to consider how you will incorporate the cats into your concept. For instance, you want to offer homemade cat snacks or treats. You can offer these for customers with their own cats. You might consider checking out eco friendly pet food packaging if you are going to offer cat food or snacks. You will want to care for the cats at your cafe and take an interest in the cats that your patrons own.
Marketing Your Cafe
Once you’ve created a solid business plan and established everything needed for your cat cafe, you will need to market it. Cat cafes are a relatively new concept, so you must educate the community about your concept and business. Because people can be excited about the novelty of a cat cafe, you need to explore multiple outlets such as social media, local press, and animal groups. Let the world know that your cat cafe is open for business and ready to serve the community as well as felines.
Cat cafes allow visitors to enjoy a coffee or pastry while interacting with cats that need a forever home. There are many steps to opening a successful cat cafe, from securing new restaurant equipment to caring for the cats and marketing your business. With some time and consideration, you’ll have a quaint cat cafe that the community will enjoy.