Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Hi everyone, I just wanted to post a message to seek your thoughts on future venture I intend to take. I want to set up a vegetarian restaurant/cafe. The area where I live only has one and I have to be honest its the only one I have eaten out at. As I have to go to the bog standard places and choose the veggie option (rissoto) I have never really experienced really top notch vegetarian food. I have looked at websites and have a few ideas but I thought the best way to work out what to actually serve would be to actually ask you guys. As you probably guessed I am not the chef. I cook at home and know what I like but I do not know what people really want to pay for. Lets face it when the options are sparce you just make the best of a bad deal. I dont want that in my place. I have a bit of learning curve here, as i have only been Veggie since late last year. So any thoughts and ideas whether it be for breakfast or lunch menu or indeed the outrageously overpriced ala carte evening menu I would love to hear from you. Many thanks Paul PS No I have not bought my restaurant yet. But I will soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Paul, Congrats on deciding to open up a vegetarian restaurant/cafe. I have no advice at the moment for you, but I wish there were more people like you out there. We only have one vegetarian restaurant near us and it about a half hour away. I was just saying last night how I wish there were places closer to us or I would like it if more restaurants offered more vegetarian options. Where do you live? Hugs, Mindy , " Paul Holmes " <paul_holmes1968 wrote: > > Hi everyone, I just wanted to post a message to seek your thoughts on > future venture I intend to take. I want to set up a vegetarian > restaurant/cafe. The area where I live only has one and I have to be > honest its the only one I have eaten out at. As I have to go to the > bog standard places and choose the veggie option (rissoto) I have > never really experienced really top notch vegetarian food. I have > looked at websites and have a few ideas but I thought the best way to > work out what to actually serve would be to actually ask you guys. > As you probably guessed I am not the chef. I cook at home and know > what I like but I do not know what people really want to pay for. > Lets face it when the options are sparce you just make the best of a > bad deal. I dont want that in my place. I have a bit of learning > curve here, as i have only been Veggie since late last year. So any > thoughts and ideas whether it be for breakfast or lunch menu or > indeed the outrageously overpriced ala carte evening menu I would > love to hear from you. > > Many thanks > > Paul > > PS No I have not bought my restaurant yet. But I will soon. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 You do not say what part of the country (or what country?) or if you want a vegetarian or vegan restaurant. As for myself what I like to see are dishes that are normally not available in vegetarian form rather than the old stand byes that are served at regular restaurants that have a couple of vegetarian options - (for example pasta primavera gets pretty old to me...even though it is good) Also, I like it when restaurants do something creative and different with their food, rather than the same old thing again and again....but this all depends on where this restaurant will be located. , " Paul Holmes " <paul_holmes1968 wrote: > > Hi everyone, I just wanted to post a message to seek your thoughts on > future venture I intend to take. I want to set up a vegetarian > restaurant/cafe. The area where I live only has one and I have to be > honest its the only one I have eaten out at. As I have to go to the > bog standard places and choose the veggie option (rissoto) I have > never really experienced really top notch vegetarian food. I have > looked at websites and have a few ideas but I thought the best way to > work out what to actually serve would be to actually ask you guys. > As you probably guessed I am not the chef. I cook at home and know > what I like but I do not know what people really want to pay for. > Lets face it when the options are sparce you just make the best of a > bad deal. I dont want that in my place. I have a bit of learning > curve here, as i have only been Veggie since late last year. So any > thoughts and ideas whether it be for breakfast or lunch menu or > indeed the outrageously overpriced ala carte evening menu I would > love to hear from you. > > Many thanks > > Paul > > PS No I have not bought my restaurant yet. But I will soon. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Hi Paul, So nice to meet you finally. Wow that sounds fantastic. Have you ever thought about going to the BIG Citys such as San Fransico, Berkely, & La? Im not sure what town you are in. Or general area you are in. We deintaley need more and more vegetrian Cafe resturants. More and more people are becomming Veggies and thats great. Ya never know about meat. I am 90 percent Vegetrian & I Prefer it. Thats my oppion. I Hope it works out well for you. Hugs Cyndie ps Ever need a kind word of advice feel fre to wrtie me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Size of city will influence too. A strictly Veg restaurant was opened here a couple of years ago and folded quickly. Because most of the veggie eaters have so's that refuse to go. Sam PS There is a restaurant in Portland Oregon that I just love. The Old Wives Tale. If I remember correctly (I rarely make it to Portland) everything on the menu is Veg or vegan and then at the bottom of the description it says: Add Beef: $1.50 Add Chicken: $1 (or whatever the price is). Confidentiality Notice This email message, including any and all attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient and may contain individually identifiable patient health information. The use and disclosure of any personal health information contained in this email by the recipient is restricted by Federal regulations governing Confidentiality and Drug Abuse Patient Records, 42 C.F.R. Part 2, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 & 164, and must be deleted appropriately when its use is no longer required. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution of this email is prohibited and may violate Federal laws, including the Privacy Act. A general authorization for the release of medical or other information is NOT sufficient for this purpose. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact Samantha Lea or Adapt at (541) 672-2691, and destroy all copies of the original message. 28/2/2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 I think the location you choose is very important. For example, when a really great vegatarian resturant/cafe was doing well, so decided to open another, however the 2nd failed due to the location. The first was near a lot of businesses and students etc, the second was in a very suburban area(closer to me incidentally), but I think there were not enough vegetarians in that area to keep it going...so my advice is to try to be near businneses where people will go out to lunch a lot to try it. maybe near some other resturants? etc. Good luck! , " Paul Holmes " <paul_holmes1968 wrote: > > Hi everyone, I just wanted to post a message to seek your thoughts on > future venture I intend to take. I want to set up a vegetarian > restaurant/cafe. The area where I live only has one and I have to be > honest its the only one I have eaten out at. As I have to go to the > bog standard places and choose the veggie option (rissoto) I have > never really experienced really top notch vegetarian food. I have > looked at websites and have a few ideas but I thought the best way to > work out what to actually serve would be to actually ask you guys. > As you probably guessed I am not the chef. I cook at home and know > what I like but I do not know what people really want to pay for. > Lets face it when the options are sparce you just make the best of a > bad deal. I dont want that in my place. I have a bit of learning > curve here, as i have only been Veggie since late last year. So any > thoughts and ideas whether it be for breakfast or lunch menu or > indeed the outrageously overpriced ala carte evening menu I would > love to hear from you. > > Many thanks > > Paul > > PS No I have not bought my restaurant yet. But I will soon. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 They usually do really well near a college or university!! Marilyn Daub mcdaub Vanceburg, KY My cats knead me!!! - " Samantha Lea " <saml Thursday, February 28, 2008 5:26 PM RE: I need your advice. > Size of city will influence too. > > A strictly Veg restaurant was opened here a couple of years ago and folded > quickly. Because most of the veggie eaters have so's that refuse to go. > > Sam > > PS There is a restaurant in Portland Oregon that I just love. The Old > Wives > Tale. > > If I remember correctly (I rarely make it to Portland) everything on the > menu is Veg or vegan and then at the bottom of the description it says: > Add Beef: $1.50 Add Chicken: $1 (or whatever the price is). Confidentiality Notice > This email message, including any and all attachments, is for the sole use > of the intended recipient and may contain individually identifiable > patient health information. The use and disclosure of any personal health > information contained in this email by the recipient is restricted by > Federal regulations governing Confidentiality and Drug Abuse Patient > Records, 42 C.F.R. Part 2, and the Health Insurance Portability and > Accountability Act, 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 & 164, and must be deleted > appropriately when its use is no longer required. Any unauthorized > review, use, disclosure or distribution of this email is prohibited and > may violate Federal laws, including the Privacy Act. A general > authorization for the release of medical or other information is NOT > sufficient for this purpose. If you are not the intended recipient, please > contact Samantha Lea or Adapt at (541) 672-2691, and destroy all copies of > the original message. 28/2/2008 > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Hi, Paul, I wish you success with your venture. I have been in vegetarian, vegan restaurants from coast to coast, small town to big city. Some are passable for vegetarians and some are awesome for anyone. The key to your success is good food! That may sound like a simple idea but it is amazing how many places don't get that. In a vegetarian restaurant, I also want to see some vegan items and I want to see creative dishes. I don't want to see vegetable penne or a steamed vegetable plate. I want an awesome pasta dish that includes seitan or tofu or something I can't get at any Italian restaurant. Even if the plate is a macrobiotic steamed vegetables and brown rice, I want to see a nice ginger beans or seaweed side that makes it something more. The most awesome vegetarian restaurants offer comfort food - a milkshake (soy milk and soy ice-cream), a meatless loaf with gravy, mashed potatoes (without dairy!), a simple but delicious vegetable, a nice pie (made without dairy or sugar), muffins, waffles, grilled cheese sandwiches (dairy or soy cheese!). So many of the vegetarian/vegan restaurants I have visited have food that will not attract non-vegetarians. The vegetarians are not crazy about the food but they didn't have to cook it and it is the only place around, so they eat it. But people who are not vegetarian try it once, confirm the fact that vegetarians are insane and never come back. It gives vegetarians a bad name. There was a restaurant in TX that did nothing I could not do from my freezer at home. They served the Health is Wealth chicken patties and nuggets, Boca Burgers, tortilla chips and milkshakes. There was nothing creative or really cooked on the menu. There was a restaurant in, I think it was IA. The food was just terrible! And they were rated the top restaurant! There was a vegetarian Chinese restaurant in NJ that had fabulous unusual dishes. Everyone I knew LOVED their Mongolian beef (seitan). We went to an amazing restaurant in San Diego with a menu that was overwhelming. You could get a vegetarian version of almost any dish you would find on standard menus in the area and the food was awesome. In OH & NC there were restaurants that had pizza with soy cheese and soy, seitan, & tofu meat options on whole grain crusts, not just one vegetable pizza in a sea of meat and dairy cheese pizzas. Another restaurant in NJ had a Sunday Brunch buffet that was to die for! Pancakes, waffles, soy sausage & bacon, scrambled tofu, muffins, coffee cake, and soy coffee and tea drinks. If you have specific questions, I would be happy to answer them. My husband and I have eaten out from coast to coast in most of the 50 states and are very familiar with restaurants and what they do right and wrong. But I think the best advice is to make the food awesome, not passable. Jo-Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Hey! What a great idea and I hope you do well with it! I would recommend that you put several items on the menu that would appeal to non vegetarians too. Not meat items, but things that don't contain " weird " stuff like tofu or polenta. I think those types of thing scare off non-vegetarians. Have some things like Manicotti or Bean and Cheese Enchiladas. I think things like this will appeal to the non-vegetarian friends and family members of the vegetarians who will be coming to your restaurants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 I would also find out if there is a local veg group who can support you and such. You can check vegetarian.meetup.com to see if there is a group in your area! I absolutely love our group, we have 116 members so far, in the Fargo Moorhead area! 360./naturekeene7 My Website! Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 My friends that used to be in the food industry tell me it's hard work for little money, but they loved it until they burned out. Have a good chef, know your market, make sure you are adequately capitalized (like, plan on losing money for quite a while before making any), and let us know where it will be. :-) -ginger just outside Boston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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