How to run a cafe

Just returned from a ‘How to run a cafe course’ in the beautiful town of Bakewell, Derbyshire ran by Hartingtons of Bakewell.  Both of us can’t stop raving about how good it was and how we now feel more confident about what we need to do and how we are going to do it.  A definite for anyone looking to buy and set up a cafe or small restaurant, it was even being recommended by the council in Suffolk I found out from chatting to another attendee.   A small group of just 7 like minded people in a relaxed atmosphere with excellent facilities and best of all a tutor who had actual on hands experience of running a successful cafe.  Sarah, our tutor, from Jacks of Melbourne, made the course such a success with her honest, factual and informative course notes and topics of discussion.  She talked through the pit falls and successes, the need to be able to change and adapt, and the importance of strong negotiation skills.  She allowed us access to her account figures for the first 2 years of trading and was open about complaints and issues she has dealt with. We learnt lots of tips about the cafe culture and recommendations on how to get free advertising, plus there was a short introduction to coffee making by a professional Barista who ran through roasting, grinding and brewing.  If you are thinking of setting up a cafe and have no previous experience this is a great place to start, money well spent.  Can’t wait to get started......