Considerations When Starting a Bed and Breakfast

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Bill Jacobs

Considerations When Starting a Bed and Breakfast Starting a bed and breakfast sounds like a dream job for many people, you get to enjoy the company of your guests and it is not unheard of for lasting relationships to be formed between guests and hosts.So while forming good friendships, you also expand the scope of your business, because the guest can act as a good referral. People that frequent bed and breakfasts are in search of lodging and service of high quality as well as uniqueness of each innkeeper and B&B. Many of these people are willing to pay more if they feel that they have been treated well. So what does it take to start your own bed and breakfast? Here are some things to consider:

Guest Rooms / Beds
You should look at this aspect objectively. Is there enough closet space? Are your furnishings okay? What types of beds are in your room? King, waterbed, twin, etc? It is a helpful thing to spend a night in one of your own rooms and see how it feels as a guest. Because it is your place, you may have grown accustomed to noises like the chime from an old clock or the normal noises from the street such as a cat meowing. These things may bother a potential guest. Other things to consider are whether the beds sag or not, the type of pillows you have, lighting in the room, squeaky doors, and so on. It all comes down to detail, all of these things can make your guest satisfied or dissatisfied.

Bathroom Facilities
A private bath is what most guests expect, often en suite. If you cannot provide this, a guest may not object if you have made appropriate arrangements for bathroom sharing. Remember though, sharing your bathroom with outsiders costs you your privacy; you may have to wait in line sometimes! The best solution is to make sure that the guest has his/her own private bathroom.

Staff
Hiring a cook, housecleaner and dishwasher make the guest feel comfortable and at home. Additional staff such as waiters, bartenders, and groundskeepers are also helpful during the peak season when your business begins to get busier.

Security and Keys
Dealing with security in your B&B would probably involve giving your guest a key to the front door and their private room. Most hosts hand over a key for free while others charge a “key fee”, which is usually a maximum of $10. However for security reasons, it would be a good idea to retain the only key to the deadbolt. It would also be smart to give your guest a key to his/her room but set certain hours that the front door remains unlocked.

Other helpful things to consider are selecting a good wine and food list, setting up a proper budget within your means, subscribing to reservation service agencies in order to broaden your market, networking with other B&B owners, and surveying the prices of your local competitors. Remember, as you start your B&B business, the aim is to make sure your guests feel as comfortable as possible and to give them an experience worth remembering.

Starting a Food Truck Business

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Bill Jacobs

Starting a food truck business Starting a food truck is an interesting endeavor for those who want to work for themselves, interact with customers while providing them with food. However, before deciding to follow your dream, it’s important to cover the basics. What kind of food do you want to serve? Do you want to prepare the food yourself? Do you need business insurance? These are all questions that need to be asked before taking your restaurant out on the road.

Food Truck Type
Before taking to the road, you should consider the type of truck that you will need. There are specific trucks made for different variations of food. If only cold meals are served, there will be no need to have a food heating system. However, if only hot food is being served you will need a completely different setup.

Licenses and Safety Measures
Mobile food trucks will require a license. Call your local health department to determine what licenses you need, how big your truck should be, and what safety equipment is required. Setting up any type of business needs to be done diligently. You don’t want to have a fully operational business that can be shut down for minimal discrepancies. Once your food truck is prepared, undergo an inspection to ensure you comply with all of the laws and safety measures.

Business Insurance
Every business needs to have insurance. If someone gets sick while eating the food you serve, your business needs to be covered. Without insurance, a lawsuit can halt all of your food serving operations. A local insurance agent will be able to determine what specific insurance you will need to get your business on the road.

Prime Locations
The location of a business can determine whether it is successful or not. Food trucks allow owners to choose their locations and even change them on a whim. A good location to serve food is in a city or industrial areas. Since warehouses have many employees, these are usually a prime location for food trucks. Being a sole provider in one of these areas can generate steady income all year long. All you have to do is drive around and analyze potential areas during their prime eating times. Depending on whether you want to serve breakfast, lunch or dinner, you will need to go to the area at those specific times.

What Food to Serve
Once a location is chosen, you will need to determine the food you want to serve. Will this be hot food, cold food, ice cream or just snacks? Do you want to prepare the food yourself or will the food be pre-made? After deciding on the type of food you want to sell, determine the popular foods for the chosen locations. If an area is primarily one ethnicity, chances are they will look food from their own culture. However, you can also locate popular restaurants in the area and find out what their most popular dishes are. This will allow you to provide delicious food that is in demand by your potential customers.

The Advantages of Restaurant Franchising

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Bill Jacobs

The Advantages of Owning a Restaurant Franchise Many people dream of owning a restaurant but the prospect can also be intimidating. There are many challenging aspects to owning and managing a restaurant that a first time restaurateur will not anticipate. It is for this reason that many first time restaurants fail. In fact many of the most knowledgeable and famous chefs and restaurant owners have at least one failed restaurant in their past.

These potential pitfalls should not deter the prospective restaurant owner though. There are things you can do to mitigate your risk and start on the path to a successful business.

Undoubtedly, one of the best ways for a novice restaurant owner to become an established and successful business owner is to develop a franchise opportunity from a well known chain restaurant. By doing this, you would find that a great many of the difficult decisions a restaurant owner has to make are taken care of by a head office team, which has proven to be very successful and has a good track record.

If you choose to develop a restaurant based on a franchise model, important aspects such as food quality, food development, menu design, interior décor, uniform design, equipment choices, marketing, and promotion are all taken care of for you. The business models of franchise restaurants have been proven to be successful on many occasions in major cities and counties all over the globe.

The marketing budgets of the largest franchise chain restaurants are enormous. They have the means to attract the top marketing minds and strategists to leverage a product which will sell in very large quantities. This aspect of restaurant ownership can be the most challenging for a small restaurant owner. An independent restaurant may have a marketing budget that is only a small fraction of a chain, and, as a result, can not compete on a level playing field.

As well as benefiting from an excellent marketing campaign, restaurant franchising also brings the benefits of economies of scale. This is an economic term which describes the advantages large businesses have over small ones. Basically, a large business can offer savings because of it’s size. This can be through increased buying power; a large business which produces larger orders will be more attractive to suppliers and in a better position to negotiate bigger discounts for buying in bulk. This means that you can benefit from these economies of scale without having to own hundreds of restaurants yourself.

Restaurant franchising is a proven and very viable way to own a successful restaurant. Very few individuals excel in all the fields required to be a great restaurateur without any help, advice, or assistance. You may be a great chef, an excellent business strategist, or a people person with outstanding social skills. Whatever your strengths and weaknesses are, you can be sure that with a franchise system, the franchise company can support you throughout the process with helpful advice.

The range of choices available are numerous, so you will be able to find a restaurant that suits you and your chosen area. If you can find a suitable location, restaurant franchising is an excellent way to own a successful business.

Complete Guide to Opening a Coffee Shop

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Bill Jacobs

Opening a coffee shop is similar to running any business where various factors have to be taken into consideration in order to ensure that the establishment is profitable. Coffee, being a favorite of many people, has in itself an immense potential to be a quick seller. Coffee-dates may spring to mind whenever a coffee shop comes to mind. During winter, it is increasingly common to see people packing a coffee house in an attempt to warm themselves from the chilling cold. With such a vast variety of potential customers, opening a coffee shop is almost inevitable for saavy business-oriented minds. However, one may think that running a coffee shop is as easy as it sounds. This is usually not the case as it requires lengthy periods of careful planning and market analysis to develop strategies that will make a coffee shop successful. Here are some factors you should consider:

Financing and Capital Availability
Just like any business, opening a coffee shop requires a reliable source of finance or capital. Sufficient funding is essential because you need to gather all the materials that you will need to set up a coffee shop. In instances where building the shop is not required, money is needed to lease or purchase a location that will play host to the coffee shop. Capital is also required to hire employees who will work in the coffee shop, besides purchasing other relevant materials necessary to run an efficient shop. The amount of capital required often depends on the size of the store and the number of customers among other things.

Market Analysis
Opening a coffee shop near another shop offering the same service would count for nothing as there will be a split in the number of customers between the two adjacent coffee houses. In the same vein, it is not recommendable to open a coffee shop business in a locale inhabited by numerous other coffee shops. The main principle behind a coffee shop business is to attract as many customers as possible to increase your sales volume. It is always wise to choose a location with a low number of pre-existing coffee shops.

Consumer Intensity
There are some areas that do not have an influx of people who claim coffee as their favorite beverage. Potential customers will most likely shy away from your business if they do not drink what your shop offers. However, business strategists and economists will tell you that it is a risk worth taking. Should the same people who do not like coffee try it and love it, the coffee shop will make more sales as consumers venture in to have a taste of your coffee. After all, business is all about taking risks.

Quality of Service
Customers will always have a natural attraction to coffee shops with the best service. It is vital to understand the basics of customer service, like running promotional offers and quality service. This way, customers will feel more comfortable in your shop and you will undoubtedly see more couples enjoying their coffee-dates in your shop.

Conclusively, running a coffee shop can be a profitable business depending on how effectively you handle its operation.

Coffee Making Supplies From InstaWares

Tips for Making Drinks at Home Like a Pro

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Bill Jacobs

Learn how to make drinks at home like the pros from Instawares Who said that making drinks like a pro at home is only possible for professional chefs? You don’t have to enroll for cooking classes in order to learn how to make delicious drinks at home. Everyone has the ability to make drinks that will leave you licking your lips. Most likely, you already have everything needed to make drinks that will leave your guests asking for more. Here are some useful tips:

Select the freshest fruits for juicing
Fresh fruit juice is one of the simplest drinks to make at home. It’s important for you to select fruits and vegetables carefully prior to your juicing session. Fresh fruits ensure that you get the best flavor for your juice, thus eliminating any need for additional flavors. Fleshy fruits ensure that you obtain maximum yield from your fruits and vegetables. Following this tip mean you’ll only need a few fruits and vegetables for a high yield of juice.

Add artificial flavors only when necessary
Most of the ingredients used to make drinks at home have enough natural flavors, and typically don’t require any additional flavors. A good example is oranges and pineapples. These natural flavors are often very appetizing. You do not need to use artificial flavors for juicy fruits such as these. Neither do you need artificial flavors for vegetables such as carrots or tomatoes. However, you can add flavors to some fresh juices if you wish to serve them to young children. Adults more commonly don’t require any additional flavors.

Mix well and avoid excessive water
Water dilutes the flavor of your drink, and therefore needs to be used sparingly especially when making cocktails, fresh juices, and smoothies. When blending different types of drinks, it’s important to use the right measurements in order to retain the natural flavor of your drink.

Use natural ingredients
Most drinks can be made using natural ingredients found in the home. Making drinks like a pro requires you to strike a balance between nutrition and taste. Ensure that all the drinks that you make are both delicious and nutritious. Consider the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of each ingredient used, and the daily nutrition requirement of the person you are making the drink for. Make use of organic ingredients, which are known to have a high nutritious value. Strive to make your drink balanced in terms of nutrients, and avoid any ingredient that can cause undesirable effects for the recipient.

Purchase a recipe book
Making drinks like a pro at home is easier if you have an interest in cooking. Drink preparation is very much like cooking, and every worthwhile cook has access to a good recipe book. Visit your favorite online store and buy yourself a cook book that lists different types of drink recipes. Try these recipes until you come up with a delicious drink that can be served to other members of the family or friends. Remember, you will only become perfect through regular practice.

Five Must Have Knives for the Home Chef

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Bill Jacobs

Chef Knives you must have for the home The definition of tools of the trade as a noun is any instrument, implement, device or piece of machinery that is needed to expertly and correctly conduct an occupation, trade or profession. It should be obvious that in the food preparation industry, for a Chef, knives qualify as a tool of the trade.

Upon graduating from culinary academies, a graduate will probably have their set of basic knives that travel with them everywhere. There is one rule that is pretty standard among chefs: You do not share knives!

When traveling, chefs need to take precautions to wrap their knives well, protecting them from shifting and bumping, and to protect the edges of the blades. Some chefs may wrap their knives in towels, and others wrap them between articles of clothing or pieces of leather. Some may even have specially designed cases.

There are five basic knife needs and/or tools that any chef must have. As they progress in their careers, they will probably include dozens more of experimental and specialty tools, but with these five knives, most any meal can be prepared.

Knife Steel (or Sharpening Steel)
This has a handle like a long knife, but instead of a blade, there is a circular steel rod. Not only does it sharpen knives, but it keeps the blades aligned by reshaping the rough edges resulting from use. A good chef uses the knife steel before and after preparations on one of his trusty knives.

Serrated Utility Knife
Serrated edges are a must for cutting bread (especially with a hard crust), other foods with hard skins, and for very juicy vegetables such as tomatoes.

Cleaver
As the name implies, this cleaves and debones large cuts of meat that need to be sectioned in hefty pieces as opposed to being cut precisely.

Chef’s Knife
This is the most popular knife of all. Chefs use this knife during preparation nearly 95% of the time. In the right hands, it can slice, dice, chop, and debone smaller pieces of meat with expert precision. A well-crafted, top quality, forged stainless steel chef’s knife is the chef’s best friend and can last a decade with the proper care.

Filet Knife
This knife is used for filleting fish, handling very fine and soft meats, and can be used for slicing very thin luncheon meats. Sometimes it is used when preparing chicken, turkey, and other poultry.

Most chefs prefer high quality forged stainless steel blades. Mainly, the basic knife needs of a chef include heft, seamless design with no joints, a secure, comfortable grip, and a blade of high polish that resists rust and corrosion. Reputable chefs never use dull knives. They recommend professional sharpening every 12 to 18 months, and never sharpening serrated edges.

Some chefs only carry a select few knives, while others may keep an assortment of every type. The type of food a specialty chef works with will guide his/her selection. For instance, vegan chefs do not need the same knives as a pastry chef or Sous-chef.

Chafing Dish Basics

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Bill Jacobs

Learn the basics about Chafing Dishes and Chafers from Instawares.com The chafing dish has been around for centuries and was typically used to prepare meals. Today, with all of the modern kitchen items available, the chafing dish is more commonly used to keep foods at a temperature more suitable for serving. The chafing dish consists of 2 pans. One pan holds water while the other pan fits on top of the pan containing the water.

Once food is prepared, it can be placed in the chafing dish that sits on top of the water pan. The water pan is heated so that the water gets hot and keeps the food warm; leaving it at a temperature that allows it to stay ready to serve. The chafing dish is great to have for parties, events, or any type of gathering with food.

Perhaps you’d like to prepare something for your chafing dish, try this easy Crab Dip recipe to help get you used to using the chafing dish.

Melt 2- 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup of half and half, and stir together until smooth.
Add 2 teaspoons of grated onion, 1 teaspoon of Wocestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon of tabasco sauce, and half of a teaspoon of salt.
Next, add 12 oz precooked lump crabmeat (2 cups).
Mix well and pour into your Chafing dish.
Set the heat low so that the dip doesn’t scorch.

Serve with tortillia chips or your choice of toasted bread.

You might also like this easy-to-prepare Smokies recipe that is a great appetizer. Combine the following ingredients:

1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of sandwich mustard
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
1/2 cup of vinegar
1 can of jellied cranberry sauce
1 pound of cocktail sausage.

Place the combined mixture in your chafing dish so that your guests will be able to help themselves to these delicious party sausages.

A chafing dish is the perfect dish to have for entertaining. It’s great for keeping your dips and appetizers at the serving temperature that the recipe calls for. By having several chafing dishes, you are able to set up a buffet of great appetizers and dips. You can also use your chafing dish when hosting a special breakfast to keep foods such as eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, or grits warm prior to serving.

Maybe you are planning a gathering for a superbowl party, use your chafing dish to keep your warm foods warm so that everyone can enjoy them the way that they are meant to be eaten. For a really sweet treat, try serving apple, cherry, or peach pie from your chafing dish. Once it’s done baking, transfer it from the pie pan to your chafing dish. Keep your heat low so that your pie doesn’t continue to cook but only stays warm. Let your guests serve themselves pie from the chafing dish. As a bonus, put out some whipped topping or ice cream on the serving table to go with the pie.

You will find that you can really get a lot of use out of your chafing dish, especially when you have visitors or guest. Take advantage of all of the great opportunities to use your chafing dish.