June 1, 2025
How to Launch a Café in 90 Days Without Going Broke
Launching a café is exciting—but also risky if you don't plan it right. Here's how to go from idea to
opening day in just 90 days, without draining your bank account.
90-Day Roadmap:
Week 1–2: Market Research & Location Scouting
Walk the area. Study footfall, competition, and customer patterns. Find a gap. Talk to locals. Look for
locations with history or previous food licenses to reduce setup costs.
Week 3–4: Legal, Branding, & Concept
Register your business. Choose a simple, strong name. Begin licensing and insurance. Finalize your
branding, visual style, and menu draft. Start building hype.
Week 5–6: Menu + Supply Chain
Lock in your ingredient list. Talk to suppliers. Finalize costing and pricing. Design a starter menu
that's simple, scalable, and unique.
Week 7–8: Hiring & Training
Hire core team. Focus on personality over skill—you can train technique. Begin staff training using SOPs
and roleplay.
Week 9: Soft Launch
Invite friends, family, and local influencers for a test run. Capture photos. Collect honest feedback.
Fine-tune the service and flow.
Week 10: Grand Opening
Launch with an offer: "Free coffee with any breakfast" or "2-for-1 desserts". Post every day for two
weeks. Monitor reviews and tweak fast.
Pro Tip:
Budget at least 20% more than you think you need for unexpected costs. The most successful café launches
we've worked with had contingency funds ready.
May 15, 2025
The Real Reason Most Restaurants Fail Before They Open
You can lose before you even open your doors. Most hospitality failures are rooted in poor planning—not
poor food.
Common Mistakes:
Spending too much too early
People blow budgets on decor and branding before testing the concept or pricing. We've seen owners spend
£50,000 on interior design only to realize their menu pricing can't sustain the rent.
No cash flow model
If you don't know how long your money will last, it won't. Create a detailed 18-month financial
projection with realistic revenue estimates and ALL expenses accounted for.
Bad menu structure
Too big, too costly, or hard to execute menus kill kitchens before day one. Start with a focused menu of
12-15 items that share ingredients and preparation methods.
Underestimating marketing
It's not just about opening—it's about opening with demand. Budget at least 10% of your startup costs for
pre-launch and launch marketing.
Doing it alone
Launching solo without expert input often leads to expensive fixes later. Even experienced chefs need
operations and financial guidance.
"We worked with a client who was ready to sign a £85,000/year lease on a location with only 15% foot traffic
of their previous successful site. Our launch audit saved them from a certain failure."
Solution:
We offer affordable Launch Audits (from £1,000) to make sure your business is ready to succeed before a
single customer walks in. This investment could save you tens of thousands in the long run.
April 28, 2025
Menu Psychology 101 – How to Make Customers Order What You Want
Your menu is the most powerful silent salesperson in your business. If you understand customer psychology,
you can guide them to order your highest-margin items—without pressure.
Tactics That Work:
Golden Triangle Layout
Eyes go top right, top left, center. Place your stars there. This natural eye movement pattern is where
you should position your highest profit margin items.
Odd Pricing
£8.95 often feels cheaper than £9.00. Drop currency symbols to reduce price sensitivity. Studies show
removing the £ sign can increase average spend by up to 8%.
Anchor Items
Place a high-price "premium" dish to make other items feel affordable. This cognitive bias makes a £22
main course seem reasonable when placed next to a £38 option.
Boxes & Icons
Use minimal symbols to highlight bestsellers, but not too many—overuse kills focus. A simple box around
2-3 items per section can increase their orders by up to 20%.
Descriptive Language
Use emotional triggers: "Slow-roasted," "Locally sourced," "Chef's favorite". Evocative descriptions can
increase sales of an item by up to 27%.
"After implementing these psychology techniques in our menu redesign, a client saw their average check size
increase by 14% in the first month alone."
Bonus:
Our Menu Generator App includes built-in layout psychology, costing, and visual guidance. Try it for just
£20/month and transform your menu's performance.
April 12, 2025
How to Train Front of House Teams Like a Michelin Restaurant
Great service doesn't happen by accident. It's the result of clear standards, practice, and accountability.
Here's how to elevate your service to Michelin levels.
7 Steps of Service:
1
Warm greeting within 10 seconds
First impressions are crucial. Train staff to acknowledge guests immediately, even if they're busy with
another table.
2
Offer water & menus immediately
Set the tone for attentive service and give guests something while they settle in and make decisions.
3
Knowledgeable menu explanations
Staff should taste everything and be able to describe ingredients, preparation methods, and allergens
confidently.
4
Mid-meal check-in without hovering
Time this perfectly: after guests have had 2-3 bites, not when their mouths are full.
5
Clear and timely plate clearing
Wait until everyone at the table is finished, unless a guest explicitly asks for their plate to be
removed.
6
Suggesting dessert or afters
Don't ask "Would you like to see the dessert menu?" Instead say, "Would you prefer our chocolate
fondant or the crème brûlée today?"
7
Farewell and invitation to return
Thank guests by name if possible, and specifically invite them to return, mentioning an upcoming
special or event.
Training Ideas:
- Roleplay common customer questions and complaints
- Weekly 10-minute refreshers before shift
- Print and post mini cheat sheets behind the till
- Create a "secret shopper" program with small rewards for perfect service
- Record and review sample interactions (with permission)
Result:
Trained staff = consistent service = more tips + better reviews + repeat customers. One client saw their
TripAdvisor rating jump from 4.2 to 4.8 stars in just three months after implementing our training system.
March 29, 2025
5 F&B KPIs That Show Whether You're Thriving or Sinking
Numbers don't lie. If you track these 5 KPIs weekly, you'll always know how your business is really
doing—before small issues become major problems.
Essential KPIs to Monitor:
1. Food Cost %
This shows how efficiently you're using your ingredients and managing waste.
Formula: (Food Cost ÷ Food Sales) ×
100
Target: 28–32% for most operations
Warning Sign: Consistent increases over 3+ weeks
2. Labour Cost %
This indicates if your staffing levels are appropriate for your revenue.
Formula: (Total Labour ÷ Total
Sales) × 100
Target: 25–30% for table service, 15-20% for counter
service
Warning Sign: Costs rising while sales remain flat
3. Table Turnover Rate
This shows how efficiently you're using your space.
Formula: Tables Served ÷ Available
Tables
Target: 3–5 turns at lunch/dinner in busy zones
Warning Sign: Less than 2 turns during peak periods
4. Average Spend Per Head
This reveals how well you're maximizing each customer's value.
Formula: Total Sales ÷ Number of
Covers
Target: Consistent increases month over month
Warning Sign: Dips might mean weak upselling or menu layout issues
5. Gross Profit Margin
The ultimate measure of your restaurant's financial health.
Formula: (Sales – Costs) ÷
Sales
Target: 65–75% depending on concept
Warning Sign: Steady decline over 3+ months
Pro Tip:
Track weekly, not monthly. Adjust early and you'll avoid big surprises. We've seen businesses turn around
30% profit losses by implementing weekly KPI tracking and making small, consistent adjustments.
March 15, 2025
How AI Will Save Restaurants 20 Hours a Week (No Coding Needed)
What if you could get your marketing, social content, and emails done in a fraction of the time—without
hiring anyone or writing code? AI makes it possible, even if you're not tech-savvy.
Real AI Tasks for Restaurants:
ChatGPT for Daily Content Ideas
Use simple prompts to generate 30 caption ideas, weekly promotions, or even your next email newsletter.
Example prompt: "Write 5 Instagram captions for a new seasonal menu at my
Mediterranean restaurant, highlighting local ingredients and summer flavors."
Canva + AI for Design
Upload your logo and brand colors once, then use AI to generate post templates, menus, and signage that
perfectly match your branding without hiring a designer.
Social Media Auto-Schedulers
Tools like Buffer or Meta Business Suite allow you to schedule all posts for the month in one sitting.
Set it and forget it, while maintaining a consistent online presence.
Responding to Reviews with AI
Train ChatGPT with your brand tone to auto-write polite and professional responses to both positive and
negative reviews, saving hours of careful wordsmithing.
"My general manager was spending over 5 hours each week manually replying to reviews and creating social
posts. With the AI tools Epicurean set up for us, she now does it all in under 40 minutes and the quality is
actually better."
— Jasmine M., Café Owner in Bristol
Result:
One of our clients reduced their admin time by 18 hours/week using 3 free tools. We can set this up for
you in one session, with measurable time savings from day one.
February 28, 2025
Why Your Website Is Costing You Thousands Without You Realizing
A good-looking website isn't enough. If it's not functional, fast, and Google-friendly—it's hurting your
revenue. Most restaurant websites are silently losing customers every day.
Checklist for a High-Converting Site:
Fast Load Time (Under 3s)
Slow sites lose customers. Period. Every second delay reduces conversions by 7%. We've seen restaurants
lose up to £2,000 monthly due to slow sites driving away mobile users.
Mobile First Design
80% of hospitality traffic comes from phones. If your menu is unreadable on mobile, you're losing diners.
Zoom-required PDFs are the #1 reason people abandon restaurant websites.
Clear Calls-to-Action (CTA)
Your homepage should offer booking, menu, and location in one click. Each additional click loses 30% of
potential customers. Most restaurant websites bury their reservation links 3+ clicks deep.
SEO & Google Business Optimization
If you're not showing up locally, you're invisible. 92% of diners search online before choosing where to
eat. Proper Google Business optimization can double your discovery rate.
Booking or Delivery Integration
Make it easy for customers to act instantly—no PDFs, no phone calls needed. Direct integration with
booking systems increases reservations by up to 35%.
"After Epicurean rebuilt our website with these principles, our online bookings increased by 47% and our
bounce rate dropped from 65% to 22%. The investment paid for itself in just 3 weeks."
— Marco T., Restaurant Owner
What We Offer:
We run a full Website Intelligence Audit (£150) and redesign based on real user behavior and speed
metrics. Most clients see ROI within the first month through increased bookings and orders.
February 15, 2025
Create 1 Month of Instagram Posts in 60 Minutes with AI
Posting every day is overwhelming—but what if AI could plan your month's content in an hour? Here's our
proven workflow for busy restaurant owners.
Step-by-Step Workflow:
1
ChatGPT Prompt Example
"Give me 30 content ideas for an independent café in London with a rustic vibe, specializing in
artisanal pastries and specialty coffee. Include ideas for behind-the-scenes, staff spotlights, customer
stories, and seasonal promotions."
2
Design in Canva Pro
Use AI-generated captions and drag them onto branded templates. Canva's AI can now generate images
based on your descriptions, or use your existing food photos.
3
Auto-Scheduling Tools
Use free apps like Meta Suite or Buffer to post for the entire month automatically. Set different times
for different days based on when your audience is most active.
Extras for Increased Engagement:
Use 11Labs for Voiceovers
Convert your chef's written descriptions into professional voiceovers for Reels or Stories. The AI voice
quality is now indistinguishable from professional voice actors.
Add AI-generated Subtitles
CapCut and similar tools can automatically transcribe and add captions to your videos, increasing
engagement by up to 12%.
Auto-resize for Reels/TikTok
Create content once, then use AI tools to automatically resize for different platforms. No more manual
cropping and reformatting.
"I used to spend 6-7 hours every weekend creating content for the coming week. With this system, I do a full
month in one hour on the first Monday, and our engagement has actually increased by 28%."
— Leila K., Bakery Owner
Result:
Professional daily content without hiring a social media manager. Our clients save an average of 20-25
hours per month while improving their content quality and consistency.
January 28, 2025
The Restaurant of the Future: Fully Digital-First from Day One
The next generation of food brands won't just be about flavor—they'll be built like startups with
digital-first DNA. Here's what the successful restaurant of 2025 looks like.
Future-Ready Setup Checklist:
Online-First Branding
Your visuals, story, and style are designed to live online—not just in a dining room. This means
photography-optimized plating, visually distinctive spaces that photograph well, and shareable menu items
designed to drive social engagement.
AI-Generated Content
Reels, voiceovers, blog posts, newsletters—all created with AI in hours, not weeks. The most
forward-thinking restaurants are now producing daily content with AI assistance, maintaining constant
engagement with minimal staff time.
Touchless Operations
QR ordering, e-menus, live kitchen feeds, and AI POS systems improve flow and hygiene. Some of our
clients have reduced front-of-house staff needs by 30% while improving service speed through digital
systems.
Training Via AI Video Modules
Use AI to create onboarding content that never gets tired or makes mistakes. AI-powered training ensures
all staff receive consistent information and can learn at their own pace.
"We launched our latest concept as digital-first, with all these systems in place on day one. We're
operating with 40% less administrative staff than our previous restaurant while serving 22% more customers.
The future is automated."
— James L., Restaurant Group Director
We Can Help You:
Build your business as a digital product—then deliver hospitality on top of it. Our digital-first launch
package (£5,000) includes all systems, training, and setup for a truly modern restaurant operation.
January 15, 2025
Turn Your Head Chef Into a YouTube Star (With AI Help)
Your chef is your secret content weapon. With a smartphone and a few AI tools, they can become the face of
your brand and drive significant engagement and bookings.
Here's How:
1
Film Simple Clips
Behind-the-scenes, plating, tips, or storytelling from the chef. Just 1-2 minutes of raw footage is all
you need per video.
2
AI Voice + Subtitles
Use tools like 11Labs to narrate if your chef is camera shy. Use AI auto-subtitles to increase
engagement (85% of social videos are watched with sound off).
3
Auto-Edit for Socials
Platforms like CapCut or Descript help you cut videos fast with music, captions, and transitions—no
editing experience required.
4
Distribute to All Channels
Repurpose for Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. One 2-minute video can become 4-5 separate
pieces of content with different focus points.
Content Ideas That Perform Well:
- One special technique that elevates a common dish
- The story behind a signature recipe
- Quick kitchen hacks people can use at home
- Seasonal ingredient spotlights
- Reaction videos to food trends (does your chef love or hate them?)
- Day-in-the-life content showing the kitchen journey
"Our head chef was reluctant at first, but after we showed him how simple the process is with AI tools, he
started creating weekly content. His knife skills video reached 2.8 million views and we saw a 35% increase
in bookings the following month."
— Sarah M., Marketing Director
Why It Works:
Chef-led content performs better, builds trust, and turns customers into followers. We can set up this
entire system for your restaurant in a half-day workshop (£450) and give your team all the tools to
continue creating professional content independently.
Want More Hospitality Insights?
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