Coffee shop with in house baked pastries vs. coffee shop outsourced pastries

[MUFFINTOP]

Newbie here: I have some experience working seasonally in a bakery (now closed down) and learned that store front bakery is difficult to survive. Yet, I still would like to work for myself and slowly exit from my current professional job. I enjoy baking and have been thinking about a coffee shop with in house baked pastries. I am curious why most coffee shops outsources their pastries? I am starting to learn about coffee business and found this forum. I apologize in advance for not asking the correct questions. My thinking is that good coffee would be the reason to bring customers and hoping that they will appreciate the fresh pastries. Of course, light lunch offerings as well. Unless I am incorrect to think that coffee drinkers are not picky with pastries.. Also, would drive thru window or a pick up window/pick up spot not a good idea?

 

[mjl871]

Most coffee shops concentrate on coffee and do not have the space or the desire to bake. BUT that being said I use to own a bakery but did not want to go back to full time baking so I opened a coffee shop with just a few pastries items. The popularity of the pastries forced us to expand the pastry items we have and now have a pastry chef. We bake everything in house that we sell that is not coffee and people seem surprised we bake in house but the customers love it.

What's not to love? Coffee and a pastry such a great combo.

 

[wmark]

1. outsourcing pastries can mean lots of waste, and lack of items if it is busy. Baking is a pain but at least you can control cost and inventory. There is a need to limit selection (have some standards but change/rotate a few items)

2. Most coffee shops do most of their business in the morning, so your offerings should be geared to that crowd

3 You may have a lunch crowd but they are not generally speaking a coffee crowd

4 There generally is a mid afternoon bump for coffee

5. After that, there is not very much business, so clean up and prep for the next day if you don't want to close early and miss the 5 customers that come in late

It has been said that you should walk out your location door and look 3 blocks in each direction (if that). That is where your customers are coming from. If you think you can survive on that, then build a business plan

 

[MUFFINTOP]

Thanks for replying. Good to know that you expanded the pastry side. I should consider space so not limit myself later on. But finding an existing place will be tough. Are yor clients the commuters or neighborhood people looking for a place to decompress? If it is volume, then businesses makes more sense. Are shop owners target different than Starbucks on every corner?

 

[CoffeeMusic]

I know of a place that does it kind of backwards. They focuse on being all gluten backery that sells specially coffee. They get the coffee from other cafe in my area.

 

[CoffeeMusic]

Most coffee shops concentrate on coffee and do not have the space or the desire to bake. BUT that being said I use to own a bakery but did not want to go back to full time baking so I opened a coffee shop with just a few pastries items. The popularity of the pastries forced us to expand the pastry items we have and now have a pastry chef. We bake everything in house that we sell that is not coffee and people seem surprised we bake in house but the customers love it.

What's not to love? Coffee and a pastry such a great combo.

I know of a place that does it kind of backwards. They focuse on being all gluten backery that sells specially coffee. They get the coffee from other cafes in my area.

 

[freshlybrew]

Interesting, posting to follow the answers

 

[cavason]

I prefer pastries sourced from local bakeries. Or, coffee served at bakeries.

 

[Gibsongi]

You said you worked in a bakery and I was curious if you ever used a bench scraper while cooking the bread. I heard that some kinds of bread are almost impossible to be cut without a bench scraper. And if you had one, was it one from these scrapers that include the best bench scrapers https://www.thewindupspace.com/best-bench-scraper-reviews/ ? I am aware that these dough scrapers are really good and make the ideal cut.

I have a bench scraper and I cut with it everything I need