A crepe restaurant is a niche restaurant that serves crepes (pancakes) as its main menu. A crepe is a French pancake that is made with a thin batter containing flour, eggs, melted butter, salt, milk, and water. Crepes can be filled with a variety of sweet or savory mixtures. Savory buckwheat crepes are always served for lunch and dinner in a crepe restaurant while sweet crepes are for dessert or snack.
The crepe restaurant business is a subset of the culinary cum food services industry. Available data shows that the food service industry is the largest retail employment segment in the world. In the United States, sales of food and beverages are over $700 billion and over $1.2 trillion when combined with retail food supermarkets.
Steps on How to Write a Crepe Restaurant Business Plan
Table of Content
Executive Summary
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. is an American based restaurant that will major in preparing and serving different flavors of Crêpes and other typical French dishes, coffee and wine served in an intimate, mosaic-tiled bistro with sidewalk seats and good music. Our restaurant will be located in the heart of Montpelier, Vermont.
At Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc., we prepare our crepe fresh to order with only the finest and freshest ingredients (fillings). We take great pride in all the crepes (pancakes) we make. Chef Chloé Raphaël is the founder and CEO of Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc.
Company Profile
a. Our Products and Services
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will be involved in;
- Preparing and serving different flavors of crepes (pancakes)
- Preparing and serving niche foods (French dishes)
- Sales of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and water.
b. Nature of the Business
Our crepe restaurant will operate the business-to-consumer model.
c. The Industry
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will operate in the culinary cum food services industry.
d. Mission Statement
Our mission is to establish a standard and world-class crepe business that will sell franchises all across the United States of America and other countries of the world. We want to become a household name when it comes to serving crepes (pancakes).
e. Vision Statement
Our vision is to establish a niche crepe restaurant that will become the number one choice for both residents and tourists in our restaurant locations.
f. Our Tagline (Slogan)
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. – Delicious Crepes, Our Craft!
g. Legal Structure of the Business (LLC, C Corp, S Corp, LLP)
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will be formed as a Limited Liability Company (LLC). The reason why we are forming an LLC is to protect our assets by limiting the liability to the resources of the business itself. The LLC will protect our CEO’s assets from claims against the business, including lawsuits.
h. Our Organizational Structure
- Chief Chef (Owner)
- Restaurant Manager
- Human Resources and Amin Manager
- Accountants (Cashiers)
- Chef (Cooks)
- Kitchen Assistants
- Waiters and Waitress
- Cleaners
i. Ownership/Shareholder Structure and Board Members
- Chloé Raphaël (Owner and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer) 52 Percent Shares
- Gabriel Léo (Board Member) 18 Percent Shares
- Macron Hugo (Board Member) 10 Percent Shares
- Julie Arthur (Board Member) 10 Percent Shares
- Maribel Lucas (Board Member and Sectary) 10 Percent Shares.
SWOT Analysis
a. Strength
- Ideal location for a crepe restaurant
- Highly experienced and qualified employees and management
- Access to finance from business partners
- Excellent customer testimonials.
- A reliable and efficient method of preparing crepe (pancake).
b. Weakness
- Financial Constraints
- A new business that will be competing with well-established crepe cum niche restaurants.
- Inability to retain our highly experienced and qualified employees longer than we want
c. Opportunities
- A rise in people who want to experiment with crepes
- Good support from the city
- Online market, new services, new technology, and of course the opening of new markets
i. How Big is the Industry?
Although the culinary cum food services industry is a massive global industry that is worth over $700 billion and more than $1.2 trillion when combined with retail food supermarkets, it is important to state that the crepe restaurant business is a very small segment in the industry.
ii. Is the Industry Growing or Declining?
The crepe restaurant line of business is growing because loads of people are beginning to embrace crepes.
iii. What are the Future Trends in the Industry
The future trends in the crepe business will revolve around technology. Software that is meant to predict what customers want from a crepe restaurant.
iv. Are There Existing Niches in the Industry?
No, there is no existing niche idea when it comes to the crepe restaurant line business because the business is a niche restaurant business and a subset of the restaurant industry.
v. Can You Sell a Franchise of your Business in the Future?
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. has plans to sell franchises in the nearest future and we will target major cities with thriving niche restaurant markets in the United States of America.
c. Threats
- The arrival of new niche restaurants that also serve crepes within our market space
- Unfavorable government policy and regulations.
- Steady wage expenses
- Economic uncertainty
- Liability problems
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could change its regulatory status and decide to enforce strict regulations that can strangulate new businesses like ours.
i. Who are the Major Competitors?
- The Crepe House
- Crepeccino Café & Crêperie
- Crêpes n’ Crepes – Cherry Creek North
- La Crepe de France
- 48th & Crepe
- Creme De La Crepe Long Beach
- The Crepevine
- Bonjour Crepes & Wine
- Creme de la Crepe
- Crepes-a-Go-Go
- Bonjour Crepes & Wine
- Vive la Crêpe!
- La Crepe Nanou
- Crepes Bonaparte
- Stephanie’s Crepes
- Crêpes Parisiennes
- Crepe De France
- Crêpes à la Cart
- Choupette Crêperie & Cafè
- Flint Crepe Company.
ii. Is There a Franchise for Crepe Restaurant?
Yes, there are franchise opportunities for crepe restaurants. Here are they;
- Crepe Delicious
- Crepe Company
- The Crêpe Café
- Eight Turn Crepe
- Crepe Station Café
- Sofi’s Crepes.
iii. Are There Policies, Regulations, or Zoning Laws Affecting Crepe Restaurant?
Yes, there are county or state regulations or zoning laws for the crepe restaurant business. Players in this industry are expected to work with the existing regulations governing similar drinks and food-related businesses in the county where their business is domiciled.
The regulation of the industry is shared by the FDA and the Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau. Essentially, every crepe shop must register with the FDA, and are subject to random FDA inspections without warning.
Please note that in the United States, you are required to follow your state’s foodservice code. Visit the FDA website for a list of food service codes by state. Use this to find the state authority handling restaurants and shops and view the laws that apply in your state.
Marketing Plan
a. Who is Your Target Audience?
i. Age Range
Our target market comprises adults above 18 years old who have the finance to purchase crepes from us.
ii. Level of Educational
We don’t have any restrictions on the level of education of those we will sell our crepes to.
iii. Income Level
There is no cap on the income level of those who will buy crepes from us.
iv. Ethnicity
There is no restriction when it comes to the ethnicity of the people who will buy crepes from us.
v. Language
There is no restriction when it comes to the language spoken by the people who will buy crepes from us.
vi. Geographical Location
Anybody from any geographical location is free to purchase crepes from us.
vii. Lifestyle
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will not restrict any customer from purchasing crepes from us based on their lifestyle, culture, or race.
b. Advertising and Promotion Strategies
- Deliberately Brand All Our Vans and Bikes.
- Tap Into Text Marketing.
- Make Use of Bill Boards.
- Share Your Events in Local Groups and Pages.
- Turn Your Social Media Channels into a Resource
- Develop Your Business Directory Profiles
- Build Relationships with players in the event planning industry and culinary cum food services industry.
i. Traditional Marketing Strategies
- Marketing through Direct Mail.
- Print Media Marketing – Newspapers & Magazines.
- Broadcast Marketing -Television & Radio Channels.
- OOH, Marketing – Public Transits like Buses and Trains, Billboards, Street shows, and Cabs.
- Leverage direct sales, direct mail (postcards, brochures, letters, fliers), print advertising (magazines, newspapers, coupon books, billboards), referral (also known as word-of-mouth marketing), radio, and television.
ii. Digital Marketing Strategies
- Social Media Marketing Platforms.
- Influencer Marketing.
- Email Marketing.
- Content Marketing.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing.
- Affiliate Marketing.
- Mobile Marketing.
iii. Social Media Marketing Plan
- Start using chatbots.
- Create a personalized experience for our customers.
- Create an efficient content marketing strategy.
- Create a community for our target market and potential target market.
- Gear up our profiles with a diverse content strategy.
- Use brand advocates.
- Create profiles on the relevant social media channels.
- Run cross-channel campaigns.
c. Pricing Strategy
When working out our pricing strategy, Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will make sure it covers profits, insurance, premium, license, and economy or value and full package. All our pricing strategies will reflect;
- Cost-Based Pricing
- Value-Based Pricing
- Competition-Based Pricing.
Sales and Distribution Plan
a. Sales Channels
Our channel sales strategy will involve using partners and third parties—such as referral partners, affiliate partners, strategic alliances in the tourism industry, the event planning industry, and the culinary cum food services industry, to help refer customers to us.
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will also leverage the 4 Ps of marketing which are place, price, product, and promotion. By carefully integrating all these marketing strategies into a marketing mix, so we can have visible, in-demand products and services that are competitively priced and promoted to our customers.
b. Inventory Strategy
The fact that we will need supplies – food ingredients (flour, eggs, butter, salt, milk, sweet sauce or garnish, sugar, jam, or Nutella et al), means that Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will operate an inventory strategy that is based on a day-to-day methodology for ordering, maintaining and processing items in our warehouse.
We will develop our strategy with the same thoroughness and attention to detail as we would if we were creating an overall strategy for the business. Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will make sure we work with “Just-in-time (JIT) inventory” – (JIT involves holding as little stock as possible, negating the costs and risks involved with keeping a large amount of stock on hand.)
c. Payment Options for Customers
Here are the payment options that Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will make available to her clients;
- Payment via credit cards
- Payment via online bank transfer
- Payment via mobile money transfer
d. Return Policy, Incentives, and Guarantees
At Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc., our customers are our top priority hence if you receive food (crepe) that is different from your receipt, we sincerely apologize. Please call us as soon as you notice that there was an error in your order and you may come to pick up the correct food item.
For credit card payments, you will be refunded the sales price amount associated with the error and recharged for the new items’ price. For cash payments, you will be asked to pay the difference of the balance if the new food has a greater value than the one received in error.
In some cases, we may offer you store credit. Your order will be a priority if you come to pick it up. In all cases, please return the crepe order in the original container(s) to our host. Please, if you have any questions regarding the Return & Refund Policy, please call our restaurant.
e. Customer Support Strategy
Our customer support strategy will involve seeking customer feedback. This will help us provide excellent customer service to all our clients. We will work with effective CRM software to be able to achieve this. Regularly, we will work towards strengthening our Customer Service Team and also Leverage Multi-Channel Servicing as part of our customer support strategy.
Operational Plan
We plan to expand our revenue by 25 percent in the second year and the plan will include a marketing, sales, and operations component. The operations component of the plan would include attracting partnership and retainer deals that will enable the firm to boost our crepe restaurant service offerings and support revenue growth.
a. What Happens During a Typical Day at a Crepe Restaurant Business?
- The business is open for the day’s work
- The restaurant serving area and kitchen are cleaned and ready for the day’s business
- Food ingredients are purchased, washed, and ready for use
- Customer’s orders are taken and they are served or their orders are delivered to them
- Cashier collect’s cash and reconciles account for the day
- Administrative duties are carried out
- The store or warehouse is restocked when required.
- The business is closed for the day.
b. Production Process
Preparing crepe starts with acquiring your food ingredients (flour, eggs, butter, salt, milk, water, sweet sauce or garnish, sugar, jam, or Nutella et al).
You are expected to heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown.
c. Service Procedure
The service procedure for a crepe restaurant starts with a customer requesting crepe (pancake) and perhaps drinks. Once the request is gotten, it will be processed and the customer will be served or the order delivered to a location as requested.
d. The Supply Chain
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will rely on key players in the tourism industry, event planning industry, and the culinary cum food services industry to refer business deals to us. So also, we have been able to establish business relationships with wholesale supplies of food ingredients (flour, eggs, butter, salt, milk, water, sweet sauce or garnish, sugar, jam, or Nutella et al).
e. Sources of Income
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will make money from;
- Preparing and serving different flavors of crepes
- Preparing and serving niche foods (French dishes)
- Sales of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and water.
- Franchise
Financial Plan
a. Amount Needed to Start your Crepe Restaurant?
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. would need an estimate of $250,000 successfully set up our crepe restaurant in the United States of America. Please note that this amount includes the salaries of all our staff for the first month of operation.
b. What are the Costs Involved?
- Business Registration Fees – $750.
- Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits – $1,300.
- Marketing, Branding and Promotions – $1,000.
- Business Consultant Fee – $2,500.
- Insurance – $1,400.
- Rent/Lease – $75,000.
- Other start-up expenses include commercial satellite TV subscriptions, and phone and utility deposits ($1,800).
- Operational Cost (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $40,000
- Start-up Inventory – $25,000
- Store Equipment (cash register, security, ventilation, signage) – $1,750
- Furnishing and Equipping the Restaurant and Kitchen – $60,000
- Website: $600
- Opening party: $3,000
- Miscellaneous: $2,000
c. Do You Need to Build a Facility? If YES, How Much Will It cost?
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will not build a new facility for our crepe restaurant; we intend to start with a long-term lease and after 5 years, we will start the process of acquiring our facility.
d. What are the Ongoing Expenses for Running a Crepe Restaurant?
- Cooking supplies – food ingredients (flour, eggs, butter, salt, milk, water, sweet sauce or garnish, sugar, jam, or Nutella et al)
- Utility bills (gas, internet subscriptions, phone bills, signage and software renewal fees et al)
- Salaries of employees
- Trucks and vans maintenance
- Insurance
- Marketing costs
e. What is the Average Salary of your Staff?
- Chief Chef (Owner) – $45,000 Per Year
- Restaurant Manager – $39,000 Per Year
- Human Resources and Admin Manager $38,600 Per Year
- Accountants (Cashiers) $37,000 Per Year
- Chef (Cooks) – $36,600 Per Year
- Kitchen Assistants – $28,700 Per Year
- Waiters and Waitress – $26,000 Per Year
- Cleaners -$24,000 Per Year
f. How Do You Get Funding to Start a Crepe Restaurant?
- Raising money from personal savings and sale of personal stocks and properties
- Raising money from investors and business partners
- Sell shares to interested investors
- Applying for a loan from your bank
- Pitching your business idea and applying for business grants and seed funding from the government, donor organizations, and angel investors
- Source for soft loans from your family members and friends.
Financial Projection
a. How Much Should You Charge for your Product/Service?
The price of our crepe will be between $4 and $10. It is important to state that the price will depend on the fillings inside the crepe.
b. Sales Forecast?
- First Fiscal Year (FY1): $250,000
- Second Fiscal Year (FY2): $350,000
- Third Fiscal Year (FY3): $550,000
c. Estimated Profit You Will Make a Year?
- First Fiscal Year (FY1) (Profit After Tax): $100,000
- Second Fiscal Year (FY2) (Profit After Tax): $200,000
- Third Fiscal Year (FY3) (Profit After Tax): $350,000
d. Profit Margin of a Crepe Restaurant
The ideal profit margin we hope to make at Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will be between 20 and 40 percent depending on the ingredient used in filling the crepe.
Growth Plan
a. How do you intend to grow and expand?
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. will grow our crepe restaurant by first opening other restaurant outlets in key cities in the United States of America within the first five years of establishing the business and then will start selling franchises from the sixth year.
b. Where do you intend to expand to and why?
Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. plan to expand to Brattleboro – Vermont, San Francisco – California, Chicago – Illinois, Washington, D.C., Boston – Massachusetts, Miami – Florida, Seattle – Washington, Dallas – Texas, and Las Vegas – Nevada.
The reason we intend to expand to these locations is that available statistics show that the cities listed above have the highest and most thriving market for niche restaurants such as crepe restaurants in the United States.
Exit Plan
The founder of Chloé Raphaël© Crêpe Restaurants, Inc. plans to exit the business via family succession. We have placed structures and processes in place that will help us achieve our plan of successfully transferring the business from one family member to another and from one generation to another without hitches.