How to Know if Catering is the Perfect Business for You

Catering is not a business for everyone. Some will only do it for the money. But remember, there are so many things about catering that you might not like, especially because it’s a very diverse industry with lots of things to consider. So before you embark on starting a catering business, you need to be sure that you’re doing the right thing for yourself.

How do you know if catering is the right business for you?

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1. You have a love for cooking

This is where every business should start – passion. With passion, you can do almost everything. As long as you are happy with cooking, you’ll never run out of joy in cooking food for your customers. And therefore, you know that this catering business isn’t just part time or until you find another industry where you can focus all of your attention to. If you love cooking, then you should know just enough to survive many faults, flaws and possible situations that could arise from catering.

2. You are GOOD at cooking

Just because you love cooking doesn’t make you a good cook. But in order to start a catering business, you need to be GOOD at cooking. This means that the food you cook is actually delicious. The food you cook should be tasty, healthy and you don’t settle on something that doesn’t meet your taste. If your friends and family say that you’re a bad cook, then maybe you should get more experience first before embarking on a business.

3. You have experience in cooking

But besides your passion and the ability to cook, you also need to be experienced. Just because you know how to cook a beef patty doesn’t mean you can cook Fettuccini and Lasagna. Just because you know how to cook spaghetti doesn’t mean you can cook Lasagna either! In order to do good in your catering business, you need to know how to cook different things. You might even have to dabble in different cuisines before you can truly embark on a catering business.

4. You know how to cook quickly

While speed isn’t as necessary as the others, it definitely helps a lot. So what if you can cook a mean Spaghetti if it’ll take you three hours just to cook for three people? Now that’s not a sustainable idea if you’re going to be cooking for plenty of people.

5. You want to start a catering business

It’s not just about the cooking anymore when you have a catering business. You should also be passionate about this business. You need to WANT to cater to build a catering business.

6. You know how to market a catering business

Marketing a catering business can be easy if you know how to. You can provide your own custom beverage napkins, plates and cups, you can partner up with events planners and wedding planners, you can even partner up with companies to help you boost your business. But in order to make it a sustainable plan, you need to know your market too.

If you have all of these qualities, welcome to the world of catering! If not, experience is a great teacher too. 

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Tips to Brewing a Good Cup of Coffee

Everyone needs to know how to make a great cup of coffee. Not just any ordinary type of coffee, a great cup of coffee that you can appreciate every day. While you can always opt for the 3-in-1 packs bought in any grocery store, you can’t really control the strength and taste of that kind of coffee. On the other hand, you can also look for coffee syrups for sale, but even if you use that to change the flavor of your coffee, it’s not the same as brewing your own coffee.

If you really want a good cup of coffee every morning, you’re going to have to learn how to make one –the semi-old fashioned way – with a coffee maker and some coffee beans.

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To help you blend the perfect taste of coffee for your daily dosage, here are a few tips:

1. Consider the amount of coffee you need

When you brew your coffee, do you even consider how much coffee grounds you put inside the machine? Do you consider the amount of water you add? If you don’t, then the taste of your coffee highly relies on this factor. Always measure the amount of water and coffee to put inside the machine. If you’re only brewing a cup for one person, do remember that a standard cup of coffee holds about 6 ounces. However, a regular measuring cup holds as much as 8 ounces. If you don’t measure the coffee and water well, you’ll end up with too much coffee.

2. Use quality water

Most of the time, the quality of water is a major factor to brewing a tasty cup of coffee. Do take note that water from different sources produce different tastes. Sometimes, you have to use a specific type of water in order to make your coffee. Tasteful coffee is usually brewed with mineral water.

3. Use coffee syrups

Many years ago, coffee was coffee. Bitter, strong, dark, it was coffee. But today, the flavor is what greatly defines the value or quality of a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, not everyone likes the original bitter taste of coffee. Not everyone can drink the same taste of coffee several times a day. This is why people have started to buy coffee syrups to help them change the flavor of their beverage from time to time. At least, by pouring syrup into their coffee, they can spice up their coffee with different flavors. Flavored syrups vary from different fruits like strawberries, bananas and blueberries to basic tastes like vanilla and caramel.

4. Avoid burning your coffee

Did you know that you can actually burn your coffee? If you keep your coffee on a heated surface longer than necessary, your drink will start to burn. As a result, the taste of your coffee will be even more bitter than usual. If that’s not a taste you’re after, keep your coffee pot on a neutral area once you’ve finished brewing it. Coffee pots are usually insulated so you don’t have to worry about your coffee getting cold. 

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How to Learn to Make Various Drinks in the Shortest Amount of Time

Setting up your own coffee shop means that you have to be prepared to do everything. It’s not just about the place, the budget and your supplies anymore. It’s also about learning to give your customers what they want. And when what they want is a variety of other drinks, you need to take the time to learn how to make them, otherwise, you could lose the opportunity to gain some loyal customers.

However, learning how to make drinks cannot be done just overnight, especially if you really have no experience with that kind of stuff. What if you’ve already opened up shop and people are already asking about the drinks? In order to learn in the shortest amount of time, here are a few tips to getting the drinks down pat.

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1. Watch videos

Videos are great tutorials to helping you learn how to make a drink. All you have to do is find a quality tutorial group that can teach you step by step on mixing drinks. If you’re an active learner, videos are a good form of education so you can actively watch what the barista is doing in the video. Unfortunately, if you have questions about what they’re doing, you won’t get an answer immediately.

2. Read articles online

On the contrary, reading articles can also be very beneficial. Just by reading articles, you know the types of ingredients you need, how much coffee syrups is required in the drink, what type of sugar you might use and how much coffee beans you’ll need for each drink. Reading articles allows you to learn about these drinks. You won’t get to see a person make the drink for themselves, but if you can follow instructions easily, you’ll probably get the hang of it in no time.

3. Take a short course

What better way to learn how to make drinks than by being taught in a class? Bartending and making drinks is a sort of art. There are steps to perfect certain drinks and sometimes, videos and articles just don’t make the cut. Instead, you can enroll yourself in a short course to help you learn more about making drinks in real time. The best thing about it? You’ll probably be learning from the best of the best.

4. Ask a friendly barista or bartender

If taking a short course and paying a few hundred bucks for it isn’t an option for you, then you can always ask a friend who is a barista to teach you. You can’t guarantee that they know everything but they probably have a few tips and tricks of their own. Of course, you can’t guarantee that they’ll be able to teach you well either. If you have several friends who are in the barista business, ask them all to teach you so you can learn different tips and tricks from them.

Once you’ve gotten some skills of your own, practice. The more you learn how to make drinks, the more you get better at it.  

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How to Set Up a Buffet Table

One of the best ways to set up food at a party is to create a buffet table where everyone can just come and take the food that they want. However, setting up a buffet table doesn’t just mean that you can place everything randomly on the tables. You can’t simply put the custom beverage napkins in the line of all the main courses and the desserts with the appetizers. It’ll only drive you and your guests crazy because they don’t know which table they should go first. And they won’t be able to find what they want easily. They’ll end up having to ask you or the waiters, disrupting the whole process.

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In order to keep an orderly fashion with your buffet table, you can set it up in two different ways.

By meal classification

First of all, classifying your buffet table by the type of meal you have is one way to be smart and organized throughout your party. Classifying by meals means that you keep the appetizers (first course) on one table, the main course (second course) on another and the utensils, desserts (third course) and drinks on another. Keeping your food arranged in this way helps your guests to know which table to go to for the food they want. They won’t get lost in the line and they won’t have to cut lines just to find what they want. If you arrange the tables in the right way (appetizers first, desserts and drinks last), you won’t have a problem keeping your guests in one long line. This is a good way to have an organized buffet.

If you have a controlled buffet, you can keep the waiters in line so they can easily set the food down on each plate. Always keep your utensils, beverage napkins and cups in one table. If you separate them, guests will have a hard time looking for it and you don’t want that to happen.

By type

On the other hand, you can also have your meals arranged by its type. You can set the meat in one table, the vegetables in another and finger foods in another. However, if you plan to do this type of buffet, you need to make the first table for the utensils, plates, napkins and cups. People usually need this first before they get any food and it is essential that they find them. Don’t forget to entitle each table too so that people won’t have a hard time finding what they want. Keep the desserts in one long table. You can either have a separate table for drinks or you can keep a drinking station by the desserts.

Arranging your buffet tables by the type of food allows you to keep your food in a bigger space. You don’t have to crowd your guests in one place, but you can keep them going back and forth from different tables. This way, no table gets too crowded and no lines are too long.

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How to Make a Macchiato

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Do you want to add more to your coffee shop? Are you tired of the same old drinks that you serve every day? Well, then it’s time to branch out into other drinks to make your coffee shop a little more interesting.

A Café Macchiato is an Italian name meaning “marked” with froth. This drink is basically a single shot of espresso mixed with a touch of frothy, delicious, thick milk. It is not a latte, nor is it a cappuccino, but it is an espresso drink with its mark at the top with foam. The foam covers the espresso so it protects it from exposure to air. Even if it’s only a small drink, a Macchiato can actually be pretty difficult to make. Steaming milk is actually a tough skill, especially for those who truly want to master the art of making the perfect espresso shot with the perfect froth.

To make your macchiato, you need to be prepared with the basic ingredients. Prepare a set of espresso beans and milk.

Start the process by steaming the milk. Use a 12 oz pitcher for steaming the milk. While you won’t need all the milk, you should still fill the pitcher up to the nozzle to give the pitcher enough time for steaming. If you have more milk in the pitcher, you have more time to steam it up to 155 degrees. This means you can have more time to play with the foam. Since a macchiato means that you will be marking it with foam, you need to make more foam.

Next, use the tip of the nozzle to touch the surface of the milk. Now, in order to mix the foam and the milk, you need to start swirling and surfing the nozzle. Try not to separate the two until you’ve poured it into the cup. As much as possible, avoid making bubbles. If you need to remove bubbles, spin the pitcher or tap it.

For those who are skilled in making these types of drinks, swirl the milk with the double espresso shot. However, if the machine doesn’t allow you to do this, continue swirling the pitcher. To make a good shot of espresso, grind the beans fresh and tamp three times. To make a good shot, you need about 21-27 seconds, depending on the beans you use and the machine.

Give the pitcher another swirl for more foam. If you didn’t get enough foam from steaming, lessen the milk by pouring it out. Use a spoon to hold the foam as you pour some milk out. Now spin it again. Get your espresso cup and hold it at an angle. Pour the freshly-made frothy milk into the espresso, right in the middle for emphasis. Raise the pitcher while you pour so you can keep the speed steady. Don’t pour too much milk into the espresso. If you put too much milk, then you’re now making a cappuccino. As you pour the pitcher, jiggle it a little, so that the pitcher does all the movement. Pour only until you see fit and then pull the pitcher away from you. This will help you create a heart at the top of the espresso shot.

Congratulations! You’ve now made a macchiato. If only you can add coffee syrups and use other easy ingredients, right? 

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Tips to Starting a Catering Business

The food industry nowadays has been increasing gradually, due to the fact that everyone seems to want to eat more and more. With various events upcoming, food is something that you know will never run out of business. And if you happen to be a good cook, then you might want to start your own restaurant. Unfortunately, starting a restaurant isn’t easy. You need a lot of money to buy your own place, set up the permits and prepare everything for the opening. On the other hand, if you start a catering business instead, you just might save yourself the trouble of all the restaurant expenses.

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So how do you start your own catering business?

1. First, you need to do some research first.

Before anything else, you need to know how the catering industry works. In order to do this, you have to do some research to make your business work. It might take a few months, even years. But if you’re truly acquainted with catering, you’ll know how your business should work too. If you really want to know how catering works, you should also do some catering of your own. Get a few catering jobs. See how everyone works. See what your business would need. The best way you’d know how to improve your catering business is to see what other people lack.

2. Second, find a licensed kitchen for cooking

Unfortunately, you can’t really cook at your own home, especially if you have a small kitchen. You’d need a lot of space and equipment to get the food going. Before you start making plans of licensing your own kitchen at home, you should try renting first. It’s going to take a lot of money to build and have a licensed kitchen so you might as well try and rent first. Look around the area for some kitchens and get their hourly rates. You’d need this for your packages.

3. Get catering equipment and supplies

Now, your catering business will not work without catering equipment. This includes the platters, the plates, custom beverage napkins if needed, utensils and more. If you cannot afford to buy your own catering equipment and supplies, you can also look into renting. Renting won’t be as sustainable, but you can always change that in the future.

4. Create your own packages

Once you have all the expenses sorted out, you need to create your own catering packages. Create a list of the things you could offer your customers. Make a wedding package, maybe a budget and luxury wedding package. Consider creating a package for other events too. Be flexible with your packages and give your customers a lot of things to choose from.

5. Attend socializing events

When you have everything in place, you need to do some socializing to get to your target market. Attend weddings; meet wedding planners and event planners. Get on their list so that they have someone to call when they need a caterer. Catering businesses usually thrive on word of mouth marketing. Make a lot of contacts and your business will benefit from it in the future. 

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6 Types of Coffee Drink for Your Café

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If you own a new coffee shop, then you probably have only the basic drinks served to your customers. One way or another, you need to start branching out to different types of drinks in order to impress your customers and target a bigger market. If you continue to sell only a limited menu, you could be closing your doors to bigger possibilities. Besides, everyone who likes coffee tends to try other caffeinated drinks as well.

Here is a list of the most popular types of coffee drinks for you to try at your coffee shop.

1. Espresso – this is a type of black, condensed coffee, which you can make by forcing water through dark, roasted coffee beans with high pressure. By brewing the espresso perfectly, it should have golden-brown cream at the top of the surface. If you add sugar, it will float on the crema for a few seconds before it sinks to the bottom of the drink.
2. Frappuccino – made popular by Starbucks, this drink can be achieved by mixing blended coffee, whipped cream, ice and other secret ingredients. However, if you want to achieve the same caffeinated goodness in your own home, you can also easily achieve a Frappuccino by mixing coffee syrup with plain coffee or espresso with ice and whipped cream.
3. Cappuccino – very popular for it’s strong, but delicious taste, a real cappuccino is 2 parts of espresso, steamed milk, with milk froth at the top. If you can make this drink properly, it can also serve as the customer’s dessert. If you want, you can also sprinkle cocoa or grated chocolate over the milk froth. You can also give the drink a twist by giving your customers an option between “scuro” or less milk and chiaro or more milk. If you add ice, you can make it an iced cappuccino. And if you add skim milk, it becomes a “skinny”.
4. Café Americano – this drink is made of lots of hot water mixed with 1 shot of espresso. Despite its controversial name, many coffee shops have this drink perfected, resulting in a rich, creamy coffee, perfect for drinking before an energetic activity. This drink can be mixed with milk, but it should be kept to a minimum to make most of the espresso flavor. On hot days, you can also turn this into an Iced Americano beverage.
5. Café Latte – this drink can be made by mixing espresso, steamed milk and a bit of milk froth. While this beverage is usually drunk without any twists or special ingredients, it is also a popular drink used to dip desserts like cookies, sponge cakes and especially Italian bread. Perfect for drinking during breakfast.
6. Café Au Lait – for those who think café latte is too strong, you can recommend them to this beverage. This drink has the less kick that a café latte has because it is made with brewed coffee instead of an espresso shot. Mix it with milk and sugar, this drink is also a good beverage for dipping. 

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5 Ways You Can Make Your Restaurant Different

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In order to stand out among the other restaurants in the area, you need to find a way to make your restaurant a little different.

1. Serve unique food – this is where every restaurant usually varies. The type of food they serve is a huge factor in deciding if a restaurant is definitely different than others in the area. If the food being served is only of mediocre quality, people won’t have enough reasons to come back to the place. But if the restaurant serves good food, people would want to go back to the restaurant no matter what. On the other hand, you can also serve a different cuisine. People like to taste various cuisines and if no other restaurant in the area offers that kind of food, you’ll have a separate market on your own.
2. Be creative with your supplies – one thing that differentiates restaurants from the others is the way they brand themselves. If you truly want your restaurant to stand out, you need to give your customers something to remember you by. Logos are very important when it comes to branding your restaurant. Every time a customer sees the logo, they should remember the good food they ate. If you want to instill the logo into the minds of your customers, you need to put the logo in places where customers will be likely to look at. This includes printing custom beverage napkins, plates, cups and even special uniforms with logos for the staff. The more they get to see the logo, the easier it will be for them to recognize it in the future. 
3. Set a theme for your restaurant – if you’re creative with the supplies you serve in the restaurant, you should also think of adding a theme for your restaurant. With a theme decided for the restaurant, it’ll be easier to determine how to decorate the place. You can get comfy seats, buy custom-made tables and chairs and decorate the place according to the theme. The unfortunate thing about setting a theme for your restaurant is that it will definitely cost a lot of money to customize it.
4. Offer something different – part of the reason why a customer will remember your restaurant is because you offer a different kind of eating experience to them. Some restaurants will offer you the chance to eat at the top of a building. Others will have you eating in a transparent tube above the cities. There’s even a restaurant that will allow you to eat in the middle of the sea! If you can give them a unique dining experience, they’ll never forget your restaurant. 
5. Choose a good location – location is always part of a restaurant’s dining experience. There’s really nothing compared to eating out at the top of the building or being in a restaurant with good atmosphere and a good view. In the same way, if your restaurant is located in a convenient place for customers, you’ll also find yourself an easy target market.

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5 Most Popular Coffee Syrups to Taste

One of the best ways to change the basic flavor of your coffee is to add flavored coffee syrups. No more ordinary coffee for your daily dosage. And if you don’t like the actual taste of coffee, you can still enjoy a good cup of caffeine with a flavored taste, just by adding these syrups. If you simply want a different type of coffee for your breakfast, you can always buy bottled syrups to help you change the taste into something more flavorful. Out of the hundreds of different types of coffee syrups, here are 5 of the most popular flavors you need to taste.

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1. Vanilla – this aromatic flavor is popular for cakes, pastries and even ice cream. Because it is a basic taste for different kinds of food, it adds elegance to anything you mix it into. Despite vanilla being a popular additive for experienced chefs, beginners can also use it to spice their drinks. And if you’re not satisfied with the ordinary taste of vanilla, you can also try other vanilla tastes like French vanilla and vanilla bean.
2. Chocolate coffee syrup – who doesn’t love chocolate? If you hate the bitter taste of coffee, then you’ll definitely appreciate the sweetness of chocolate added into your coffee drink. Because chocolate is a popular flavor for syrups, they are usually inexpensive, allowing chefs and bartenders to easily mix the sweetness of chocolate to dissolve the bitterness of coffee. If you add just the right amount of coffee and specific ingredients into your coffee, you can enjoy the delicious mocha beverage. All you need now is some ice, whipped cream and cherries to top your iced mocha coffee drink.
3. Buttered rum isn’t a common flavor for syrups. However, this flavor is actually pretty unique with your ordinary coffee. Buttered rum is a good additive for those who have a sweet tooth. If you’re curious as to how buttered rum actually tastes, it’s similar to sweet butterscotch candies. On the other hand, you don’t like the actual rum flavor (actual alcoholic taste) for your coffee, you can use buttered rum instead. But if you’re adventurous and you really want the alcohol kick, you can also add a bit of real rum to make your coffee drink taste like the actual alcoholic drink.
4. Mint flavor – nothing better than spice for your coffee. Everyone likes the slightly minty taste. If you add this mint flavor to your coffee, you will definitely enjoy the extra “kick” from its flavor. Besides, mint is also known to be a calming and soothing component, perfect for those who need something to keep them relaxed. If you don’t like the mint flavor alone, you can also add chocolate for Java goodness.
5. Caramel flavored syrups are also delicious for coffee. If chocolate is too dark for you, caramel is a great alternative. As a mixture of brown sugar and butter, you’ll enjoy the creamy, smooth syrup for your coffee. Great way to sweeten your morning cup of coffee. 

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How to Make Your Own Coffee Syrup

Nowadays, the ordinary type of coffee isn’t necessary at all. Despite the fact that you might need strong coffee to survive your day, you don’t have to suffer a bitter tongue just to get your hourly dose of caffeine. Instead, you can always get the caffeinated beverage with coffee syrup to enjoy an energizing drink without the after taste. That would be the ideal situation if there’s a nearby café or restaurant near your place.

However, if you cannot buy coffee from a café or the grocery stores have run out of stocks, you can enjoy the alternative way to enjoying your coffee. By making your own syrup, you can control how much to add in your beverage and how many times you can drink flavored coffee.

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Don’t worry, you don’t need to be Betty Crocker to make the syrup. In fact, you can make your own chocolate coffee syrup within a few minutes!

What do you need to make your own chocolate coffee syrup?

Before you start cooking, you need to prepare the ingredients to make your syrup. You’ll need a half cup and 2 tablespoons of white sugar, half cup of unsweetened, powdered cocoa and half cup of water. You’ll also need a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

How do you make your own chocolate coffee syrup?

Now that you have your ingredients ready, you can begin your cooking process. Start cooking by mixing the sugar and powdered cocoa in a medium-sized saucepan. Continue stirring until the lumps have disappeared inside your mix. Turn the stove up to heat at medium rate. At this point, you can start adding the water and the salt, slowly into your mix. Cook well and stir your syrup as frequently as you can.

Wait around for some time until your syrup starts to boil. The liquid will thicken a bit and you can continue to stir while it cooks for a few more minutes. When you think the liquid has thickened enough, take your saucepan from the stove and let your mix cool for at least 5 minutes. By then, you should be able to smell the slightly chocolate-y flavor. Once your syrup has cooled down, you can add the vanilla extract. This will heighten its aroma and add to its chocolate taste.

Since this recipe makes more than what you need for one drink, you can store the rest in an air tight container and leave it in the refrigerator until your next use. This way, you don’t waste any syrup at all.

Now that you have your coffee syrup, you can start making your caffeinated beverages. Remember to use only 2 tablespoons or less to a cup of coffee or coffee and milk. Unless you want a really sweet beverage, you can add more of your home-cooked coffee syrup. Pour the syrup slowly so you can taste test until you have poured the right amount.

Enjoy your flavored coffee with some pastries and a good book. Best way to spend a weekend!

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Ideas to Make Your Restaurant Unique

There are so many restaurants nowadays that you don’t even know which one to choose to eat in. People will either choose the restaurant nearest their homes or they will pick out one that offers them a unique experience. The only way for you to stand out over the other restaurants is to make sure that you have a unique restaurant.

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1. Adopt a theme – this may be a corny concept, but remember, the more noticeable your restaurant is, the better for your restaurant. Adopting a theme doesn’t have to be corny, though. You can always choose to build a restaurant on an admirable or noticeable theme. You can bank on becoming a Navy restaurant, where your waiters and waitresses all wear Navy-themed uniforms and you focus on serving seafood. You can choose a Halloween theme where you sell gross, bloody cupcakes and design your restaurant with blood and gore. You can even choose a superhero theme where young kids can play around with superhero items. The more creative you can be with your theme, the more possibilities for your restaurant.
2. Brand your restaurant – every restaurant needs to be branded if they want to stay longer in the market. A brand is text, image, icon or all that people can associate with your food and services. In order to brand your restaurant, you should be open to expanding your marketing strategy. Create an interesting logo for your restaurant. Have some custom beverage napkins printed. Also consider branding the plates and cups so that every time your customers use it, they’ll see your logo. The more they get to see your logo in a span of a few seconds, the more they’ll remember your restaurant when they need to.  
3. Sell unique food – branding your restaurant is good for marketing strategies. But if you offer unique food, you take on marketing on a whole new level. Your food and services greatly define your restaurant so if you can offer your guests a unique experience, they’ll be more likely to remember your restaurant the next time they need to eat. Be creative with the food you sell. Create a good, complex menu with interesting pictures and descriptions of your food. Hire an experienced chef who can whip up exotic food. Being different in the restaurant business can be hard because that means you have to top everyone else’s ideas. But if you can pull off the unique factor with your ideas, you can easily establish a reputation with your customers.

Offer exquisite services – if you have unique food in your menu, offer unique services as well. People like to be pampered. If your waiters and waitresses can offer friendly and courteous services, your restaurant will most likely make an impression on your customers. You can always add additional services and entertainment like a singer on stage, maybe waiters singing the Birthday song for a customer. Some restaurants also get dancing waiters just for the entertainment of their customers. Maybe you can even provide free cake for celebrants dining in your restaurant.

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10 Characteristics of a Good Restaurant

Starting a new food business? How do you know if your restaurant is good enough to be sustainable?

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Here are 10 characteristics that every restaurant should have.

1. Cleanliness – every restaurant should bank on their cleanliness. It is important that a restaurant should be clean, because this can affect the health of their employees and customers. Without a clean restaurant, the restaurant shouldn’t be open at all. Make sure that your service and dining area is clean at all times.
2. High quality food – no restaurant can survive without high quality food. This is the best way to attract more customers to your restaurant. Always taste-test your food so that you know how it tastes and you know your customers will like it. If you serve food that may not be delicious for your customers, you’ll end up losing them.
3. Good service – even if you serve great food, a restaurant won’t last long if the people who serve them aren’t friendly or courteous. Sometimes, if a restaurant has good service but mediocre food they can easily bank on building relationships with customers.
4. Reasonable prices – a restaurant should always price their food right. If your food is overpriced for its taste, customers will definitely lose interest.
5. Uniqueness – because there are so many restaurants nowadays, it can be hard to stand out amongst them. The only way you can be remembered by your customers is by giving them some uniqueness in your restaurant. Whether it is by service, by the aesthetics of a restaurant or by the food you serve, you need to give your customers something they will remember.
6. Aesthetics – a good restaurant should be considerate of how the place looks. Every eatery business has to be interesting and comfortable. They should be designed well, look pretty with good tables and seats, comfortable lights and good entertainment if needed.
7. Branding – in order for a restaurant to remain sustainable for longer periods, they need to eventually start building their brand. They can start with a good logo. They can use custom beverage napkins or plates that are printed with their logos. The more people will remember their logo, the more they will associate your restaurant with good food or everything they remember when they ate at your restaurant.
8. Safe equipment – a good restaurant will not only think about their customers and guests, but they’ll also consider the safety of their employees. It is crucial that the restaurant only gets safe equipment to allow employees to provide good food without any hassle on their parts. Besides, any good company will always think about their employees’ safety too.
9. Complex menu – customers are more likely to return to a restaurant because they have a complex menu where they can choose different types of food. If the menu is only limited and the customer finds that they cannot eat anything there, they’ll have no choice but to find a different restaurant.
10. On time delivery of food – nobody likes to wait hours just for their food. If a restaurant can deliver food on time, they’ll be able to impress their customers. 

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How to Choose the Right Tea for You

There you are. Happily chatting away endlessly at the ear of your boss. Your boss is clearly irritated but you just can’t seem to notice it. You go on and on about that amazing sale you had about 6 months ago and for some reason, you can’t stop talking. Now, usually, any normal boss would have kicked you out and fired you. But this boss is your friend and she’s too friendly to do that. So she just stands there, pretending to listen. But she probably understands that you’ve had too much coffee to drink again and you probably finished all the coffee syrups in your tiny apartment.

Yes, it’s time to cut back on your coffee and start drinking something else. Give your boss a break and instead of taking several cups of coffee in the morning, gulp down tea instead.

Tea is definitely a much healthier type of drink for mornings. However, because of the variety of tea leaves and beverages that you can make, you might not know which type of tea will be perfect for you.

Here’s how you can choose the right tea drink for you and how you can finally start controlling your energies again.

There are 4 main types of tea.

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Black tea is made with tea leaves that have been fermented. If you really need to get your mind working for the day without drowning yourself in coffee, this is your perfect alternative. Black tea is usually the basis of flavored tea beverages, including chai. If you have many friends that smoke, drinking black tea can help protect your lungs. It also helps to prevent stroke.

Green tea, on the other hand, is made by steaming tea leaves. One of the healthiest types of tea, Green tea can prevent clogged arteries, burn fat, counteract any oxidative stress in your brain and even reduce your risk to neurological disorders. It also helps to improve cholesterol levels. Unlike black tea, it doesn’t have as much caffeine. Because of its natural and grassy flavor, Green tea is best for those who need to relieve stress.

As a rare type of tea, White tea has developed a lot of curiosities among those who love to drink tea. It can only be picked a few weeks in a year so its supply is rare and the process of its leaves is kept a secret. Among the types of tea, White tea is also the one with less caffeine. However, it is also the one that provides the most antioxidants. Because of its light flavor, White tea is best drunk by those who want to feel refreshed and healthy.

Oolong, on the other hand, is a cross between green and black tea. The name itself means Black Dragon and it is highly known for its positive effects on your digestive system. Oolong tea can also help some people to lose weight. This kind of tea is best for those who just want to quench their thirst and try something new.

Cut back on coffee and try tea this time around. Better yet, invite your boss so you both can stop drinking too much coffee for one day. 

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Important Aspects of a Good Coffee Shop

Starting a coffee shop may be easy if you have a good coffee machine and a lot of recipes for coffee drinks. However, besides that, you’ll also have to consider a few other aspects in order to make sure your coffee shop stays in business.

Variety of coffee

No one likes a coffee shop with a limited menu. Gone are those days when black coffee was the only variation of coffee itself. Today, coffee has many different versions. If you don’t have different types of coffee to offer, people may favor those with a wider selection over your good coffee. After all, nothing beats coffee that tastes like raspberry. And you don’t have to be an expert barista either. Coffee syrups are available everywhere and you can simply mix them into your coffee to change its flavor.

Variety of drinks

Coffee shouldn’t be the only thing you offer in your coffee shop. Despite its name, you should also be open to offering various kinds of tea,juices and other beverages in your shop. Offer milk tea or green tea. Have a set of juices on display. The wider your selection, the bigger your market.

Food

No coffee shop can be complete without some food. Even if it’s just a small selection of desserts and pastries, giving your customers something to eat while they stay in the coffee shop is a good way to earn more. Besides, coffee is always good with food. Customers who will stay in your coffee shop for hours will end up buying both food and drinks.

Comfortable environment

Have you ever thought of setting up some sofas in your coffee shop? Sofas are really soft and comfortable so your customers can rest while sipping their coffee. Choose soft seats, instead of those garden chairs that can be really hard and uncomfortable to sit on for hours. Offering a comfortable environment can make a difference, especially if you’re catering to businesspeople and students who have more than the stress they can take. If you provide your customers with a comfortable environment, they’ll keep coming back – even if it’s just for your soft seats.

Atmosphere and ambiance

One of the major aspects of a coffee shop, both the atmosphere and the ambiance makes a difference for most coffee shops. Usually, this is the only aspect that differentiates coffee shops from one another. But if you can give your customers the right amount of lighting and welcoming ambiance, they’ll be back another day. Refrain from putting up bright lights, it’ll hurt your customers’ eyes. Play some soft, relaxing music and decorate your coffee shop with art. Stack books or magazines for some light reading.

Wi-Fi

Internet is a really big thing for people nowadays. If a person isn’t in a coffee shop to read, then they might be there just to go online. Giving your customers free Wi-Fi access will allow them to come back, just so they can bum off your internet as well. Now if they’ll be staying in your coffee shop, they’ll be obliged to buy from you. It’s a win-win situation. 

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Pros and Cons of Buying Used Restaurant Equipment

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The problem with starting a restaurant is that sometimes, you don’t have all the money to make it all work. There are so many things that you need when it comes to running a restaurant and even with a good, planned budget, sometimes, it doesn’t all work out. In fact, when you see the prices of used equipment, the desire to spend less might cloud your better judgment. If you spend less on equipment, you might be able to spend more on supplies like custom beverage napkins or personalized plates and cups.

Before you make a decision on buying brand new restaurant equipment or settling on secondhand stuff, use these pros and cons in buying used restaurant equipment to help you make your decision.

 Pros:

-          There’s nothing better than getting one of the major equipment for a cheaper price. If you’re buying secondhand restaurant equipment, there’s a possibility that you’ll be paying a fraction less than what it would usually cost at a hardware store. Now if you were to spend that much less for equipment, you can spend more on other important stuff for your restaurant.

-          The beauty of secondhand restaurant equipment is that most of the time, they will come from restaurant owners whose businesses didn’t last very long. If they are desperate to get rid of their equipment, you can haggle the price to your liking and they’ll probably agree to it just to get rid of the equipment and earn back some money.

-          Some owners will also be so desperate to sell the items that they’ll let you leave with lots of freebies. If you buy more than one equipment from them, they might end up throwing more into your purchases, free of charge.

Cons

-          The problem with buying used restaurant equipment is that the item sold to you may not be of good condition anymore. What if you buy equipment for an expensive price only to find it broken the week after? You’ll spend more just having it repaired and that’s not something a new restaurant can afford.

-          Speaking of repairing equipment, you’ll only spend more money. Used restaurant equipment may have some hidden defects and if you’re not careful, the seller will take advantage of your trust to sell the equipment to you at a much higher price. If the equipment happens to break down after a few uses, it might take more than the original price you paid for just to get it back to its good shape.

Before you consider buying secondhand equipment, make sure to check the item twice. Look for defects, any signs of weaknesses that can lead to future repairs. On the other hand, other restaurant equipment and supplies can be bought secondhand. After all, there’s really nothing wrong with using an old table cloth that doesn’t have obvious spills. Do be careful in choosing where to buy your supplies and equipment whether or not it’s brand new. This stuff is critical to the success of your business. 

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Ways to Get Better Coffee

Are you wondering why you don’t seem to like your coffee? Although you love the effects of coffee, you just can’t stand its bitter taste and how you have to sit through two or three cups just to energize yourself. This is normal for many people. Sometimes, they just get so used to the taste that they never really bother to wonder why they don’t seem to enjoy the taste of coffee – at least not as much as other caffeine addicts may be.

So how can you start enjoying your coffee – for real this time?

Use a coffeemaker

As much as you may deny it all you want, maybe the problem with your coffee is the fact that you don’t brew it well enough. Coffee can have a really rewarding taste, especially if you brew it to your liking. If you use powdered coffee, you won’t be able to control the strength of your coffee. And if you don’t know how to use a coffeemaker right, you might not be getting the best benefits of it. By using a coffeemaker, you can get a different taste out of your everyday coffee run.

It’s not just any coffeemaker though. There are different types out there and sometimes, you need to choose which one will help make the perfect coffee. It might take a lot of trial and error with different coffeemakers. However, to save time and money, you can also read reviews online to help you decide which coffeemaker might be the one you’re looking for.

Change type of coffee

But then again, maybe it’s just the taste you’re looking for. Have you tried black coffee? Coffee with milk? Coffee with sugar? If you have and you still don’t like it, then you might want to try changing the flavor instead. Nowadays, coffee beverages are available in various flavors. You can change the way your coffee tastes, just by adding flavored coffee syrups. With the use of different syrups, you can pick the flavor you want for your daily drink. By drinking flavored coffee instead of the usual morning brew, you won’t have to settle for the bitter taste anymore. Adding a good amount of these syrups can already spice up your drink. And the good thing about syrups? There are so many flavors and brands to choose from! All you have to do is find the one mix to help you enjoy your daily morning coffee.

Change your beans

If all else fails, maybe it’s time to change your coffee beans. Coffee is made in different parts of the world. Each type of coffee has its own taste. For some, the difference may not be noticeable at all. But for others who have a much more sensitive sense of taste, the difference could mean a lot. Have you tried different brands? Have you tried Arabica coffee? Arabica coffee itself has several varieties originating from different parts of the world. Or Robusta coffee? Green coffee from Brazil? One of these types of coffee beans just might help you enjoy your coffee more. 

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10 Characteristics of a Profitable Restaurant

In order to make sure that a restaurant will last for a long time in the market, you have to make sure that it has these 10 very important characteristics.

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1. Good marketing strategies – every restaurant needs to have its own way of promoting themselves to the public. Putting up a sign outside may be enough for you, but if you’re hoping to reach a time when your restaurant can finally branch out, then you may have to establish a strong marketing strategy to get the word out to people. The better your strategy, the bigger the opportunities for your restaurant.
2. Affordable supplier – a restaurant cannot last without its supplies. If you have to purchase supplies for your restaurant at sky-high prices, you’d end up having to offer expensive food. In turn, you’ll end up having a limited market. If you cannot find a cheap supplier offline, try making a search of online suppliers.
3. Good food – no restaurant can survive without good food. If you cannot provide delicious food for your customers, they won’t have any reason to go to your restaurant at all. Serving good food is one way to attract loyalty in your customers.
4. Welcoming ambiance – an important aspect of a restaurant. If your restaurant does not look welcoming or engaging for the customers, they won’t have any reasons to come back.
5. Brand awareness – if you want to make marketing your restaurant easier, building your brand is very important. Getting people to see your brand is a good way to get customers for future branches. If your restaurant can provide good food and service as part of its brand, they can expect to see this in future branches.
6. Custom made supplies – one of the best ways to promote your brand is to buy supplies that are specifically made for your restaurant. Use custom beverage napkins. Offer branded cups and have your plates printed with your logos. This way, every time a customer sees your logo, they’ll remember your food and services.
7. Caters to the likes of customers – even if you have a special type of food for your restaurant, you still need to consider your customers. What do they like? What will make them go to your restaurant more? If you cater to the requirements of your customers, you’ll attract more people.
8. Variety of menu – if you offer a limited set of menu to your customers, you’ll only end up turning them off, especially if you don’t serve a dish they like. Having some variety will allow your customers to choose which dish they want to taste for their meal. A good variety will allow them to come back for more.
9. Accepts feedback – restaurants need feedback from their customers so that they can improve in time. Set a box for suggestions and feedback by the cashier. Give your customers a chance to tell you what you should improve. This way, you know which aspect of your restaurant requires improvement.
10. Organization – your restaurant needs to be organized in order to be profitable. Keep supplies in one place. Have your sales and expenses recorded, just in case you might need them in the future. An organized business decreases the chances for mistakes and makes room for development in the future.

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Coffee or No Coffee? Other Beverages That Can Help You Energize

Mornings can be pretty hectic for anyone who didn’t get the right amount of sleep the night before. When this happens, it is important for them to find something to energize them. At least for the next 8 hours that they have to be alive, alert and awake at work. But when coffee’s just a little too much for the moment, what other beverages can you drink that won’t give you insomnia for the rest of the night?

Tea

Unlike coffee that has a good amountof caffeine resulting in keeping you up for the rest of the night, tea won’t give you the same effect. Since it only has around half the amount of caffeine in your coffee, it will stimulate your body enough for an energizing effect, but not too much that you’ll end up having to take sleeping pills just to make it through the night. Just like coffee, tea also has a good amount of antioxidants for your body. Best of all, you can choose among a wide variety of flavors so you don’t get bored with just one. Some of the most popular types of tea include green tea, licorice tea and black tea.

Smoothies and Juice

On the other hand, to stay completely away from caffeine altogether, you may want to try a cold glass of juice or smoothie instead. Juice is so much healthier than tea or coffee. And when it comes to variety, nothing beats it either. For fiber and potassium, carrot juice is the best option. Unfortunately, because it has a lot of sugar, it might not be a healthy option for a daily morning routine. Pomegranate juice, however, has 3 times the antioxidants compared to green tea. Not only that, it also functions as a blood thinner, making it excellent for the heart. A smoothie made out of cherry juice will also benefit those who suffer from arthritis, muscle pains or any other types of pain. Also filled with antioxidants, it can also prevent a heart attack, stroke or even colon cancer.

Protein Shakes

If you really need a lot of energy in the morning, then protein shakes are great for your morning routines. By drinking protein shakes, you can easily get your fruit and vegetable requirements in just one beverage. If you’re creative, you can even create your own protein shake, adding in everything you want and need in a diet. In a few minutes, you’ll get your drink and you can even bring it with you to the office. Even if you don’t eat anything, your protein shake will serve as a good substitute.

Flavored Coffee

However, if you truly cannot shake off your love for coffee, you can make a difference by using flavored coffee syrups instead. Syrups allow you to get a different taste of your favorite everyday coffee. At least, you can lessen the amount of sugar you drink daily. If you also like fruits, you can even get your coffee in the flavor of your favorite fruit.

Now, which type of beverage would you choose for your mornings?

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Party Tips: Different Ways to Prepare Your Table

When you’re preparing a party for a client, you’ll find yourself plagued with a variety of decisions in order to meet their requirements. One of these decisions includes how to prepare their party table. This decision will usually come from the client themselves. However, if they don’t know how to prepare a party, they need to give you details so you can suggest themes and ways to prepare. This way, you have to prepare the party’s entertainment, decorations, food and catering and even set up invitations, if needed. But one of the most important decisions you’ll be making will involve your preparations for the party table.

photo credit: marthastewart.com

A formal table setting is usually required in formal party themes. If your client will be having some business guests and important visitors, you’ll probably want to recommend this type of setting. In a formal party environment, your guests will be doing a sit-down meal, complete with a business-like setting.

Your plates, utensils should be placed in the right positions and your glasses should be at the upper right of your plate. If you have no idea how to create a formal table setting, there are some tutorials online that can give you ideas. Don’t forget to place the napkin above the plate, as this is one of the major differences of a formal and casual table setting. Be careful in choosing utensils and plates too. If you don’t use elegant pieces (aka proper China), you’ll end up disappointing a lot of your client’s guests.

photo credit: nerdygaga.com

A casual setting, on the other hand, is for friends, maybe officemates and even bosses off hours. This type of table setting should be used only in a care-free environment. Preparing a table for a casual event is much different than that of a formal event. Most formal events have sit down dinners. Casual parties, on the other hand, not so much. If your client requires a sit-down dinner for their casual party, set the table up similar to a formal dinner style. The only difference is that the napkin is placed beside the plates instead. Now that you have a friendlier environment, you can use stylish plates and utensils. Prepare custom beverage napkins too, just in case the guests will need it after dinner.

photo credit: cateringeden.wordpress.com

A buffet style party is different than both casual and formal table preparations. This time, the attention isn’t focused on the setting on the table. It’s focused on how you set the food on the table. Since all of the food will be placed on one table with the guests lining up to pile their food, you have to arrange the food in the most convenient way possible for the guests. Be sure to separate meals by table. Desserts should be with desserts, while the main course should all be in one table. Keep your appetizers in another. Don’t just place the food on the table, of course. Use your creativity to make the buffet table look attractive and convenient for guests. 

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Guidelines to Customizing Your Restaurant Supplies

Have you ever thought of customizing the cups, plates and napkins in your restaurant? If you just built your restaurant, there’s a big chance that you have. Everyone always thinks in advance, especially when it comes to business. However, due to the fact that it can be really hard to run a restaurant, they find that they lose the time to think of doing the plans they originally thought of. 

imagecredit: davaobase.com

Because in reality, the only way you can think of customizing your restaurant supplies is only when your restaurant is finally doing well – financially. Once your restaurant has a lot of customers, then you can start getting custom beverage napkins, plates and even cups just for your restaurant.

In order to make sure that your personalized supplies will only be advantageous to your restaurant, you may want to consider these guidelines.

First of all, do take advantage of printing your supplies to help market your restaurant. This is the main benefit of printing your own restaurant supplies – marketing and branding the business. By simply printing on those cups and plates, you’ll be able to make sure that everyone will remember your restaurant for the food they ate. A good print will include the restaurant’s logo and contact details. This way, if they take out food and the containers have your brand on it, they’ll know where they got the food. If ever they need your restaurant for anything in the future, they have your details. Also make sure that whatever they print on the supplies will look good. Not to complex, simple and straight to the point.

Second, do make sure that the cups, plates and napkins that they print on are made out of quality materials. If you’re an eco-friendly business, make sure your supplier will only choose eco-friendly supplies. Be consistent so that your customers will not be confused. If you serve your food on low-quality products, you’ll end up giving your restaurant a bad name.

Third, do keep count of how many supplies you actually need in a week or month. It’s never good to run out of customized supplies at the middle of the week. Regular customers will be confused and they’ll notice the inconsistency. Before you get your supplies printed, keep a regular watch at the number of supplies you use. This way, you only print a safe amount of supplies each week or month.

Fourth, keep your budget in mind. Even though you are branding your restaurant, always be sure that your investment will pay off. If you’re paying a big amount to get crappy products, it won’t do your restaurant any good. Be wary of your expenses and negotiate if you must.

Fifth, always make sure that the supplier you get is good. Having a supplier you can trust will ensure that you can get good products and good prints too. If your prints come off as low quality, you might only end up ruining your reputation. If you can’t get any good printers or suppliers in your area, you might want to check online because there are many companies that can offer you great deals to print on restaurant supplies. Just make sure you get samples first though.

Before you start branding your restaurant, make sure you are ready financially and your restaurant is at that moment when development and growth is expected. 

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