The Life of a Cafe Owner - An Explanation

Is the life of a cafe owner glamorous? Financially rewarding? Life affirming? Ha! Perhaps to some it may appear to be, and that is why some people decide to go into this business, even though they have no experience in this industry but wish to follow their dream of owning their own place.

The reason I say this is because I do get asked fairly often by people who want to set up their own place for advice. But is worries me that some people may be going into this with a false sense of what life is like.

While I fully support and encourage people to follow their dreams instead of laying awake at night wondering ‘what if?’, I also give a very strong word of caution. If you have no experience in this industry, then you are already well behind the ball, no matter how much time you spend eating and drinking in cafes in your leisure time or how well you make food or coffee at home or host a dinner party.

I recently asked an architect friend, that if I all of a sudden I had a career change and wanted to be an architect and came to them for advice, what would they say. The answer?…. Good luck. And it’s true. If I wanted to be a mechanic, or an accountant or whatever at the age of 40, then already in a very competitive market, I am against all the others who have been doing it for 20 years already.

This industry is rewarding, it is life affirming and it can be glamorous, but it is also very very very hard work. This is why I have a lot more respect every day for those people who have created amazing businesses, because they are very talented people indeed, and it is usually those for who the hospitality industry is a lifelong career.

Opening Kaffeine was easily the most terrifying experience of my life, and was so for at least the first year and it still occasionally terrifies me today.

Be aware, if you think this looks easy, it most certainly is not. (But I still love it!!) And if you do still want to do it, well then…good luck.

Peter Dore-Smith
Director
Kaffeine Ltd
66 Great Titchfield st.
15 Eastcastle st.