October 9, 2018 | maigne
Only one thing can beat the sensation of waking up to the smell of freshly-baked pastries — the ecstasy brought about by drowning in the sweet and delicious scent for an entire day. Some may think it gets old fast but really, it never does. In fact, if someone could put this sensation in a bottle, they’d be worth millions by now! If you find happiness in the scent of pastries fresh out the oven and have an exceptional skill for baking, then maybe it’s time you to look into how to open a bakeshop in the Philippines.
Working with food is something most people dream about. There’s just something about bringing recipes to life, serving them to people, and seeing the smiles on their faces as they take that first bite. It’s equally satisfying and fulfilling — something every chef and/or baker, whether professionally or at home, takes pride in. It’s also the same reason most self-taught cooks and bakers share their skills outside the confines of their home and start businesses of their own. They want to make more people feel the same kind of happiness their families feel whenever they taste their culinary creations.
Of course, there’s also the desire to earn great profits — something that could absolutely be accomplished. But, for some, that’s a far second to their burning passion. For those who want to figure out how to open a bakeshop in the Philippines, we have all the answers for you! All you need is to continue reading this original guide on how to open a bakeshop in the Philippines!
There are many things to consider when opening a bakeshop franchise in the Philippines, and they can determine whether your business fails or succeeds, so make sure you keep these in mind!
One of the first steps you have to make is deciding what type of bakeshop you want to open. There are a number of types to choose from such as:
Opening an online bakeshop means you won’t have a storefront and all customer orders are going to be taken over the internet. This works well for self-taught bakers who want to test the waters and don’t have much capital because they can run the business from home.
Putting up a counter service bakeshop requires very little commercial space since customers simply have to walk in, pick up goods from the counter, pay for each item, and leave the store premises. It’s a little less personal, but easier to manage and requires little to no cleanup.
As the name suggests, a specialty service means you specialize in a single baked good. In this bakeshop type, what matters isn’t where you run the business – at home or through a physical store – but the product you sell. You have to be really good at baking that particular product because it’s what you are going to be judged on.
Sit down is one of the most common bakeshop types because people love to enjoy the food as they buy it. Previously, the sit-down or dine-in option wasn’t a thing, but they’re a growing trend in the industry now. Sit down bake shops usually sell more than just baked goods, they also offer beverages to complement their cakes and pastries!
Aside from figuring out what kind of bakeshop to open, this is also the perfect time to decide on what baked goods you’re going to sell. You can go with what’s currently popular or what you’re good at making just make sure that you can do it well.
After you’ve thought about what kind of bakeshop to open and what products to sell, you should then look for possible sources of ingredients and supplies or equipment.
Most bakeshops partner up with local vendors since they’re able to provide ingredients and supplies of the highest quality for fair prices. You can also choose to import goods if you’re making a specialized product that features an ingredient that you can’t find locally but know that it may cost you a bit more.
As for supplies, the one tip we can give you is to never cut costs. The same can be said for ingredients but more often than not, bakeshop owners prefer skimping on equipment and tools without realizing that it may actually cost them more. Poorly made and low-quality supplies are going to affect the end product and wear out much faster. This means you’re going to have to replace them more often, which also means that you’re going to have to spend more money.
When you open a bakeshop, you have the option of hiring a master baker or doing the majority of the work yourself. If you plan to do the latter, then you’re going to have to assess your own baking skills and products. You can do this by having family and friends compare your creations with products from potential competitors. If they deem that yours is above the rest or at least up to par with others, then you should be fine opening your own bakeshop.
You should also learn business-scale baking, especially if you’re banking on your home-baking skills. There’s a huge difference between baking for your friends and family and baking for customers, particularly in terms of quantity. You should be able and prepared to produce baked goods of consistent quality for hundreds of people.
Whether you plan on running the kitchen or not, at the end of the day, you are still responsible for managing and running the business. What this means is you need to have sufficient knowledge to make good business decisions and make your bakeshop flourish.
You can possess the most exceptional baking skills in the world but it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t properly run your bakeshop as a business.
As with any business, bakeshop or not, location is of utmost importance. You need to set up shop somewhere your goods are needed or wanted and where there is little to no competition. If there is some competition, then you at least have to make sure that you can remain competitive.
When it comes to choosing a location for your physical store, it’s good to be picky. Take your time, research the area as much as you can, talk with neighboring businesses, and don’t forget to compare prices!
The number one rule in business is to know your audience, and it’s no different for a bakeshop in the Philippines. Once you’ve decided on a location, the next thing you should do is study the people who frequent that place. Know what products they want and how much they can afford to spend. This can be done by acute observation or by actual interaction, so it shouldn’t be too hard.
Last but certainly not least is your overall budget. After you’ve decided on bakeshop type, product, and location, you should be able to calculate how much you’re going to need to run the business.
This involves rental fees, equipment cost, employee salary, ingredient cost, and some extra money for failure management. You should also take into account that ingredient costs can fluctuate due to competition and demand, so it’s better to have a little wiggle room in your budget computations.
Surely, you don’t plan on running your bakeshop on your own. Enlist the help of the different types of employees you’re going to need to properly run a bakeshop:
At the heart of every bakeshop are its bakers. In other words, the people who are actually making your product. Ideally, you should have two or three experienced or trained bakers in your shop, including yourself, of course.
What you have to remember whenever you hire a baker is that they all have a different set of skills. Some may be more knowledgeable in making bread, while others may have more experience in baking cakes. You should choose bakers that are the best fit for the type of bakeshop you want to set up.
Another thing you may want to keep in mind is that these people, along with everybody involved in food preparation, are required to be certified in food safety, so check for that as you interview them.
If you plan on differentiating yourself from local competition by offering special baked goods, then you’re going to need specialized bakers. Depending on your business plans, you may need an artisan bread-baker, a skilled pastry chef, or talented cake decorators — all of which should be able to bring life to your customers’ wildest baked fantasies!
The downside of needing specialized bakers for your bakeshop is that they don’t come easy, so if one leaves, your business is going to suffer. Having an affiliation with a trade school should help with looking for specialized bakers. They also demand a premium, but justifiable wages. On top of that, you may also need to provide specialized equipment and ingredients for them that are sure to be costly.
There are many ways to solve these downsides, but the easiest way is to ensure that your target market is ready to purchase these special and often pricier products.
Your bakeshop’s kitchen doesn’t have to be (and isn’t supposed to be) full of bakers. It’s supposed to house a good mix of individuals trained in the art of baking, and others who can confidently take care of other necessary tasks.
Included in this list of equally important but often neglected tasks are refilling ingredient bins, sweeping floors, and washing dishes. If you leave everything to the bakers, they won’t be able to make products that are to your customer’s liking and it will drive your business to failure.
A good tip in hiring kitchen help is to look for people that have an eye towards the future. They should be hard workers that are ready to prove themselves and can be trained to be your next bakers.
With the bakers and kitchen help taking care of production, you now have to hire people that are going to take care of the customers. Even if you work closely with the business, it’s almost impossible to do this and bake at the same time so you’re going to have to look for front-of-house employees.
Front-of-house or counter staff need to be just as skilled as your kitchen staff and bakers. They should be able to handle food carefully and meticulously; if they can’t, then they should at least be trainable. They should also have bright, upbeat, and engaging personalities that customers would want to interact with. Perhaps most importantly, your front-of-house staff should be trustworthy since they’ll be handling the register.
Remember that these people are going to be the face of your company, the ones your customers are going to communicate with. If you hire front-of-house that rub customers the wrong way, even the best baked goods won’t be able to help your store.
At the end of the day, a bakeshop is still a business that needs to be run by competent people who have the technical knowledge to navigate the industry. You can be part of this as well, but you can’t be the only one managing the business side of things. It’s best to get outside help, especially if you aren’t experienced in the field.
Lawyers, accountants, and insurance brokers are examples of people you want on your team to help your business stay afloat. PR executives and marketing experts should help spread the word about your business and turn it into a household brand.
You may need to hire more of these types of people as your business grows, so be prepared for that. They may also demand a higher wage than your kitchen staff or front-of-house, and that’s acceptable since they’ll be making sure that your bakeshop stays in the black.
When people start looking into how to open a bakeshop in the Philippines, they rarely think about the employees that they’re going to hire. Most, if not all, think that they’ll be able to manage the business themselves, but don’t fall into this trap. Your bakeshop has a better chance succeeding if you hire the right type and amount of people who can run it collectively.
Your bakers and staff need their tools to work properly. Baking can’t be done just by hand which is why it’s important to fill your bakeshop with these essential equipment and items:
There are other pieces of equipment and tools that you may want to add on the list like a dough proofer if you’re mainly serving bread or a lazy Susan if you’re going to be decorating a lot of cakes. The things listed here are merely the necessities for any bakeshop and doesn’t include such specialized tools.
The first three parts alone should be enough to teach you how to open a bakeshop in the Philippines, but we don’t want for you to just learn the basics. We’re also going to give you a few additional tips on how to open a bakeshop in the Philippines and make sure that it becomes a success!
Now that you’re aware of how to open a bakeshop in the Philippines, do you still think that you have what it takes to provide the best cakes in Manila? If you think that all this is too hard, then we have one proposition for you, and that’s to open a bakeshop of your own with Original Cake!
We’re an established bakeshop brand within Southeast Asia and plan to extend our reach to other states and countries – the Philippines included. We’re ready to open several branches across the country, and we need people who are passionate about the craft to propel us to success.
Partnering with us to open a bakeshop in the Philippines means continuing our vision and mission of bringing a taste of Taiwanese tradition to the world and delivering happiness through freshly-baked traditional cakes that are made with the highest-quality ingredients! It also means not having to go through all the trouble and the risks of starting a bakeshop from the ground up.
As we’ve already solidified our status as leaders in the industry, we are confident that we can win the hearts of the Filipino people, which means your investment is going to be worth it. If you’re interested to know more about us and our amazing products, then simply head to our website!
We look forward to working together with people like you who have the burning passion to introduce people to the wonderful world of pastries and cakes!
Hailing from the scenic riverside Tamsui Old Street North of Taipei, Taiwan, it has stood the test of time and maintained its status as the favorite delicacy among Taiwanese locals, and now, it has arrived in the Philippines to deliver the same sumptuous taste.
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