 | 回答: 再转几个hot business ideas， 由 ladybug2005 于 2007-03-02 08:15:38 The verdict is in: Americans are in the mood for dessert-onlyrestaurants and chocolate cafes. According to Hudson Riehle, seniorvice president of research at the National Restaurant Association inWashington, DC, nearly 1 out of 3 fine-dining operators reported thatconsumers bought more desserts in 2005 than they did in 2003.Meanwhile, trend-watching firm Datamonitor named chocolate "the newcoffee" in a list of the top 10 trends to watch. The bottom line?Opportunities abound for entrepreneurs who wish to feed off thisnation's sweet spot.
In January 2006, Ste-phane Lemagnen and Laurent Lanneau, 31 and 34,respectively, catered to the craving by opening Room 4 Dessert, one ofNew York City's first dessert-only establishments. The restaurantoffers a variety of dessert-tasting menus to be paired with wines andteas, and culinary masterpieces are created before customers' veryeyes. No wonder curious pastry chefs come from the West Coast, visitorsconsider the dessert bar a must-hit spot in New York City and 2007sales are expected to reach $600,000.
If a chocolate cafe is more your style, jump on the bandwagon with thelikes of chocolate giant Mars and European-trained chocolatier MaxBrenner, who are making it big with their sweet cafes. But make sure tocater to America's current taste buds and desires by going dark. Recentstudies demonstrate the health benefits of flavonoids, which are oftencontained in dark chocolate, and sales are soaring as a result. Darkchocolate sales were up 40 percent in 2006, according to MintelInternational. Other hot varieties, according to Joan Steuer, founderand president of Chocolate Marketing LLC, a Los Angeles consulting firmthat specializes in strategic forecasting and tracking trends in thechocolate industry, are artisanal, organic, socially responsible andnutraceutically enhanced chocolate. Incorporate these items into yourdessert menu, and neither your customers nor you will be disappointed.
Tempted to strike out on your own? Here are some tips for starting your own chocolate cafe or dessert-only restaurant.
Ask yourself three key questions. "Where am I now, where do I want tobe and how do I get there?" advises Steuer. When answering, refrainfrom comparing yourself to competitors. Instead, focus on yourstrengths and your distinguishing qualities.
Pool your resources. Have enough money in the bank to last at least sixmonths, recommends Steuer, and build a board of advisors who can offerunbiased advice and suggestions. When forming your board, don't limityourself to experts within the chocolate industry--people from outsidethe industry can offer great insight, too.
Create an unforgettable experience. At Room 4 Dessert, des-serts areassembled in front of customers, high attention is paid topresentation, and menus are seasonal, changing every three months.Advises Lemagnen, "Make it exciting and fun because when people go out,they want to have fun [and] relax."
Keep your customers in the loop. Lemagnen and Lanneau make it a pointto collect their customers' e-mail addresses. This way, they can keepcustomers updated with the newest menus and information--and keep themcoming back for more.
Dessert-Only Restaurants:
Sir Chocolate
Showcolate Fondue Express
for more info, visit:
http://smallbusiness.aol.com/start/startup/article/_a/dessert-only-restaurants/20070228152009990001
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