To start a waffle business, there are a few essential things you need to have and know.
These include a kitchen, Waffle recipes and a proper advertisement/marketing.
The myth is you need a lot of capital to start a good business. However, when it comes to food and snacks businesses, you don’t need much money.
Steve Jobs always said, “It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want!”
And it makes more sense today than ever before!
Many people have childhood memories and experiences of eating waffles at home with their family. Hence, a successful waffle business needs to draw on these memories, familiarities and sentimentality in its recipes, marketing and advertising. Usually, waffles go hand-in-hand with different flavours and toppings. If you are interested in starting a waffle business, you should either open:
- A retail spot where customers can enjoy their waffles hot with a variety of toppings and probably a cup of tea/coffee.
- Set up a frozen waffle business so customers can reheat their waffles at home and dress them with their own toppings. This is advised to those who cannot afford to rent a big space for their waffle business.
- A waffle recipe book or a topping business, where you can deliver toppings to various customers.
Here are three important things to consider when starting a waffle business
- Plan a product line for your waffle business.
You plan to sell your waffles directly to customers, your business will likely involve a sit-down space where you can serve your waffles hot. Firstly, you need to understand/research the type of your customers and the location/neighbourhood you want to start the business. Secondly, experiment with recipes for the waffles, as well as methods for the toppings. Give out surveys to your friends and potential customers. Understand their inclinations and what will sell. However, if you will be selling frozen waffles, try different recipes and experiment with freezing them and then defrosting them in order to develop a product line suitable for the handling that your waffles will receive. - Find a commercial kitchen for your waffle business.
For frozen waffle business, build a wholesale kitchen, or find an existing commercial kitchen with an adequate freezer that can store the amount of product you intend to produce. Buy industrial waffle irons and test your recipes on them. If you are starting a retail waffle business, lease a retail space in a neighbourhood with parking or foot traffic. Work with your local health and building departments to design a kitchen and seating area that conforms to local health and building codes. - Market your waffle business to your target market.
You have decided that you are starting a wholesale waffle business, design an attractive logo, packaging that showcases your product and provides information about it (ingredients and nutritional information). Provide samples to retailers and distributors, and once they agree to carry your offerings, schedule product demonstrations to introduce customers to your waffles. If you are starting a retail waffle business, identify your target market based on the location of your storefront and the style of waffles you will be serving, that is, either basic or fancy. Get to know your neighbours, advertise in neighbourhood publications and network with other neighbourhood businesses to introduce your waffles and your establishment to the community.