New Idea!

daviecronin

Hello Everyone!

Back again, haven't been on in a while and hope everyone is good! Some of ye (if not all) will recognise me from posts a few months ago! Causing trouble as usual!

You can click back on my posts if you don't know my story. My side of things has been going great (business wise) still making a nice handy bit of money etc! Me being me I love new things!

I have an idea and I know straight away some people are going to say its bad! Milkshake shop! You've all probably heard and seen one and tasted one even! You can get any combination of bars/sweets and put them in a milkshake.

They had one a few years ago in Cork and it was doing great business and the recession hit it hard I'm guessing. Their rent was too high as well the premises was way bigger then it needed to be.

I have found the perfect unit very small so a good rent with thousands passing it each day. Great street frontage and potentially great advertising spot. It is very small so it wouldn't have many seats so would really be a take out shop if you get me. I have a few questions about it though.

By using various products in your milkshakes would there be issues with the companies who own these bars? Although I'm presuming they would be delighted to get a bit of advertising?

Would there be a lot of health and safety issues and hurdles to jump considering food is being prepared?

I know some of you might say its a fade and seasonal which may be true, but there is ways I have thought of that the business could still survive in the cold months! I have money to invest straight away and I wouldn't imagine the set up costs be extraordinary!

Is there anything im missing? Thanks for help! Great to be back.

Gloomtastic!

I'm pretty sure all the Milk Shake shops have gone from Dublin too. That says fad to me. However, Eddie Rockets have recently expanded their milkshake offering so maybe it can work, but only as a bolt-on.

Those milkshakes would have 1000's of calories, people are moving to healthier eating. Have a look at chopped.ie for alternative inspiration! :cool:

jimmii

Yeh the one on Liffey St seemed to always be busy when I popped in but didn't last. For all its footfall that street seems a tricky one to make work though.

MRTULES

Easy to feel milkshakes are great especially when the weather is nice. Out of the thousands of people passing your shop in the dark, cold and wet winter days (which can easily run from September to May), how many do you need to sell per day to meet wages, rent and ingredients??
Something to ponder.

tacofries

The ones in Galway are still there including two that are in the shopping centre.

daviecronin

Hey guys thanks for the feedback!

One thing I still need to wrap my head around is health and safety? Could something like that take weeks to sort? If its going to make money it would need to be up fairly soon! I do think the small unit and therefore small rent could really work! a take out shop. One was in Cork about 5 years ago and the unit was way too big and imagine that led to their downfall. I've done a rough estimate of figures and its tempting! One thing I will agree with Winter will be hard. Even to get it up for 2/3 months and judge it from there. You could start to specialise in hot drinks then?

Graham

daviecronin wrote: »

You could start to specialise in hot drinks then?

I knew I should have taken that bet.

Do you know where I would never consider going for coffee.....

daviecronin

Graham wrote: »

I knew I should have taken that bet.

Do you know where I would never consider going for coffee.....

Just tell us Graham I know you're dying to!

jimmii

daviecronin wrote: »

Just tell us Graham I know you're dying to!

Presumably Cork but then for the majority of us it is a bit of a commute.

Graham

jimmii wrote: »

Presumably Cork but then for the majority of us it is a bit of a commute.

Had plenty of coffee in Cork, some lovely coffee shops around the city.

Here's some of the places I wouldn't go for coffee:
Shoe shops
Barbers
Hardware stores
Milkshake bars

Davie, dedicated coffee shops can struggle to get customers through the door and they know the market they're targeting.

Come to think of it, why would you even bother with milkshakes if you're considering hot drinks for the cold wet days which lets face it generally run from August to June.

delahuntv

I saw the post and thought this was a zombie thread from about 3 years ago.

Sorry, but not a new idea and not simple.

When you specialise in a product you need to be so so so much better than places that offer the same product in a smaller way.

There is one in Galway and probably best to spin up there to look and have a chat that to get opinions of people here. Note how the galway place has about 120-150 shake options, thus having a USP over other sellers.

http://www.corbettcourtshoppingmall.com/shop/17/shake-milkshake-bar.php

One advantage is that as you will not be cooking anything or having seats, no special planning other than "shop" would be required. But location would be key and it could even be done from a "window" of another store - see Swan's on the Green in Naas who have an ice cream & shake operation separate to the main store & cafe.

delahuntv

daviecronin wrote: »

Hey guys thanks for the feedback!

One thing I still need to wrap my head around is health and safety? Could something like that take weeks to sort? If its going to make money it would need to be up fairly soon! I do think the small unit and therefore small rent could really work! a take out shop. One was in Cork about 5 years ago and the unit was way too big and imagine that led to their downfall. I've done a rough estimate of figures and its tempting! One thing I will agree with Winter will be hard. Even to get it up for 2/3 months and judge it from there. You could start to specialise in hot drinks then?

health and safety is the easy part - keep it clean and take temperatures.

Small shop with good frontage ona busy street = high rent and high rates. Rent is caculated using a ABC system. 1st 20ft from front door = A rent, second 20ft is B (about half the "A" rate) and everything else is "C" (about 1/4 the "A" rent.

A small 200sq ft kiosk in a good location in Cork would probably be €30k a year in rent and at least 10k a year in rates..

As post above - think of concession within a store for a seasonal trade.

Ideally when setting up a new business you don't pick an industry and business model that has already demonstrated it doesn't work in multiple locations in your country. Pretty basic logic!

daviecronin

Thanks for the replies.

The idea was that it would basically be a take away shop. Like other milkshake places offer 100s of chocolate bars/sweets Etc. Good mark up to be made. Could sell at €3.80 even.

The rent is 12k a year. Ive already looked into it with rates aswell. I genuinely think this could work and not much money would have to be invested as it is a very small unit. Even room it till the end of September.

For health and safety it would have to be checked regularly by an offical?

daviecronin

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Ideally when setting up a new business you don't pick an industry and business model that has already demonstrated it doesn't work in multiple locations in your country. Pretty basic logic!

It has work and it's still working! There was loads about 5 years ago and the recession obviously did them no good. There outlay was probably huge and mine wouldn't have to be.

Tabnabs

This place has to be seen to be believed. In a rubbish location, very little footfall, a long established and really strong brand near by. But against the odds, these guys are booming. I've seen queues out the door in November.

https://www.facebook.com/scrumdiddlysworld

It goes against the rules, but does sometimes work.

jimmii

Tabnabs wrote: »

This place has to be seen to be believed. In a rubbish location, very little footfall, a long established and really strong brand near by. But against the odds, these guys are booming. I've seen queues out the door in November.

https://www.facebook.com/scrumdiddlysworld

It goes against the rules, but does sometimes work.

Looking at their facebook page it seems to mostly be ice cream and waffles that seems like a much better idea. The place that does crepes, waffles and ice cream on Grafton & Henry is often packed even during the week. Might well be worth OPs time looking at going that route instead of focusing on the milkshakes.

daviecronin

daviecronin wrote: »

It has work and it's still working! There was loads about 5 years ago and the recession obviously did them no good. There outlay was probably huge and mine wouldn't have to be.

Where is it working in Ireland right now?

Where did all the juice bars go? Last time I was home almost every single one of them I knew from before was gone.

Theres a difference between a celtic tiger booming economy and a regular stable economy. just because the country is out of recession does not mean people can or will spend the same way during the boom times! And you dont even know if those businesses were profitable in the boom times because they were only open a couple years

Why aren't you picking an industry that is on the up, with a proven business model and a product on trend thats in demand? (Healthy stuff) Why would you want to compete with the biggest fast food companies in the world who already do exactly what your proposing doing in the your milkshakes?

Its a hair brained idea Davey, your enthusiasm is commendable but you need to look at this critically with a bit of discipline.

jimmii

jimmii wrote: »

Looking at their facebook page it seems to mostly be ice cream and waffles that seems like a much better idea. The place that does crepes, waffles and ice cream on Grafton & Henry is often packed even during the week. Might well be worth OPs time looking at going that route instead of focusing on the milkshakes.

Indeed, if this kind of model is making lots of cash then much better to copy that idea then copy one that failed many times already.

YellowSheep

What do you think your health and safety problems would be? I can't see s problem with this?

pedronomix

Makes ya wonder what you are doing here at all, when you see twaddle like this making over 20 posts. Clearly lots of other wasters like myself with nothing better to do of an evening!! I think I might take up watching Fair Ciddie!!

pedroeibar1

Tabnabs wrote: »

This place has to be seen to be believed. In a rubbish location, very little footfall, a long established and really strong brand near by. But against the odds, these guys are booming. I've seen queues out the door in November.

https://www.facebook.com/scrumdiddlysworld

It goes against the rules, but does sometimes work.

That is a good example because it is someting that works against the odds; it works because it is novel, has a multiplicity of offers, has a sense of fun about it, it seen as cool by the kids, gives value, the staff (I know DL only) are superb, friendly and "smiley" and is a destination venue, not dependent on footfall. It is helped by the fact that the competition down the road has gotten fat and lazy, runs out of its choice of (only) 3-4 toppings regularly and the staff can be downright rude.
Sadly too many confuse footfall with potential customers. How many people pass through an airport or railway station or high street and have no intention of buying anything?

DoYouEvenLift

Have you considered starting out with a small kiosk first instead to basically test the demand and profitability?

spinga

''One thing I still need to wrap my head around is health and safety? Could something like that take weeks to sort? If its going to make money it would need to be up fairly soon!''

Take this from someone who sells catering equipment , especially ice cream machines and equipment for milk shake bar set up's.
Today is late June , people usually in this game want to be set up for 17th of March , take my advise and plan for next year.
With all needs to go into one of these I doubt you would be ready to trade in August , Ive bought a lot of equipment back from places where these do not work.
Ice cream parlours and shake bars are the among highest failure rate in retail enterprises in the UK , out failing the Coffee shop sector....
If you have money and want to stay having it I advise you to stay away , these only really work as an add on in a Spar or like convenience store...
PM me if you need any more info...

Atomic Pineapple

You would definitely need to expand outside just offering milkshakes if you were to plan on opening year long I'd imagine. The Scrum Diddlys shop looks like a good concept I've just returned from Orlando and (Yes I know the year long hot weather over there makes more sense for shops like this) I really liked the Cold Stone Creamery franchise shops over there. (https://www.coldstonecreamery.com/)

They basically let you make your own ice cream combinations using high quality ice cream and toppings, it was delicious and since coming back I've hankered for an offering like that here in Ireland that is better than the standard scoops of ice cream in a tub or cone we have here.

Something like that, a bit different, a bit more unique and offered with a high quality might have a chance but I think I'd echo the sentiment on a standard run of the mill milkshake shop, its been done and doesn't seem to be easy to make a success so you need to offer something more.

bolopapa

It will work, when it comes to food it always about the location and the food itself. Milkshake is just like food whether you like it or not.
Understand this and you have sound business.