Have You Ever Dreamed of Opening Up a Cafe?
I have, and it looked something like this…
I have often dreamt of owning my own cafe, I saw myself popping in whenever I felt like it — book in hand, of course. I would serve the best (Italian) coffee and amazing, French-style, cakes. And don’t get me started on the food, I was thinking somewhere along the lines of Higher Ground quality (famous Melbournian cafe) — just google it and you’ll know what I mean.
I would have it decorated with comfortable soft (armchair-like) seats, combining rustic charm with the latest designer trends — all the while ensuring the highest level of sustainable materials and processes.
I would hire my staff based on personality and make sure I paid them well. I would let them plan their own shifts and swap between each other whenever they felt like it. The music would be soft and inviting so that my guests wouldn’t have to shout in order to hear each other.
And, I would definitely eliminate my biggest pet peeve of all, having the waiter/ess come over to ask if everything was ok. This usually happens when either, my mouth is so full I cannot say a word — forcing me to violently swallow my food in order to respond, or, they come smack in the middle of the most interesting conversation, making me lose my train of thought.
If requested, I would offer pictures of the menu items for those who wish to know what to expect. And, if someone brought in a crying baby or misbehaving toddler, I would ask them to step outside until the baby stopped crying, or the toddler calmed down.
I know that many of you might not agree with me on the ‘kids’ thing, but, for a lot of people going out to eat is not something they can’t afford to do on a daily basis, and when they spend their hard-earned cash to have a night out, sitting there the whole time listening to a screaming baby at the next table is a complete waste of money. I’d rather offend one patron than having to make the rest suffer.
So, that’s my dream of the perfect cafe, a dream I will never have because I am very aware of the fact that what I’ve just written down, is a romanticised fantasy that doesn’t take into account all of the headaches associated with running a cafe. Nevertheless, it’s a picture of perfection in my dreams :)
Do you have a fantasy about a business you will never have?
