Glenn's Cafe

 

 

At Glenn’s Cafe, we plan to serve well considered food in a fast casual environment. Our Mission Statement is: Great Food with the Fusion of Inclusion. We intend to be a welcoming space for the Down Syndrome community through volunteer positions, employment, hosting private events and business meetings. Our eclectic menu, welcoming design, shelved books and featured local artwork, coupled with kind and sincere service, will make our space stand out. Our logo, a nod to Glenn’s famous two-eyed wink, captures the spirit of the cafe and reminds us that “effort is the key ingredient; the rest is gravy.”

Meet Glenn on Instagram 

We have over 10 years in the hospitality industry as well as 15 years in manufacturing. This experience allows us to anticipate what to expect from opening our first cafe and to be able to do it efficiently. We plan on being able to open 3-6 months from selection of physical site.

 

We chose the Powder Springs, Austell, and Mableton areas in Cobb County as desirable locations for many reasons. We have lived in the community for over 15 years. We have watched the surrounding towns grow and are excited to see the continued development of both residential and commercial properties. We feel like the area is primed for success and we want to be a part of that.

 

We are in search of a 1200-1400 square foot space for a term of 3 to 4 years so our menu can support our success; larger spaces could possibly bite into our profits with the indoor dining struggles the country is experiencing now. (I can only hope that my problem is that I need more space to support my volume and not the other way around where I struggle to pay for square footage that is not being used to its full capacity.)

 

We anticipate our start up costs are approximately $200,000. Knowing that the first few years can be tricky we have set modest initial goals. We expect to generate $145000 in sales the first year with a 5% increase year over year. We will keep payroll low and grow as business requires.

Below is a deeper dive into the who, what, where, when, and why of our venture. If you're sold, no need to read any further. However, if you still have questions, perhaps the beta below will win you over.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

What We Are

 

Glenn’s Cafe is a privately held limited liability corporation. It is wholly owned by Jason and Patricia Walesh. Glenn’s Cafe will operate in Cobb County; exact location yet to be determined. We will be open for breakfast and lunch with the option to do special events in the evening. We hope to host and cater meetings for the local Down Syndrome Association and Special Olympics Committees, have small snack and craft parties, and do special tastings like Taco Tuesday.

 

Glenn’s Cafe will be managed by Jason Walesh and will be supported by his brother Glenn Hutchinson (for whom the cafe has been named after). One more full-time employee may be brought on depending on volume of business. Along side the small crew, Glenn’s Cafe will bring in part-time employees from the down syndrome community via staffing agencies that specialize in work placement of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are looking for real life experience in the restaurant business.

 

Jason Walesh has over ten years experience in the hospitality industry. He has worked in a variety of places, from college cafeterias to cruise lines, and held many positions: dishwasher, busboy, server, cook, and manager. He has also worked in manufacturing for over 15 years in both production and design. He left the manufacturing industry to finish college and pursue employment with non-profits. After volunteering for a few years with multiple non-profits, he has decided to take his varied work experiences and create his own space where he can operate a profitable business and work with those with special needs at the same time.

 

Glenn Hutchinson has many years of experience as well. He has worked at a movie theater, volunteered for local charities and participated in fundraisers. He is also an accomplished athlete in the Special Olympics where he has competed in bowling, swimming, golf and weight-lifting. He is ready for his next adventure and we couldn’t be happier having him on our team.

 

Our extended staff will mostly consist of employees from the down syndrome community. The idea is to bring in individuals who are looking for work experience in a safe and inclusive setting. We will work with a variety of local agencies who specialize in serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities  such as GiGi’s Playhouse, the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta and Briggs and Associates and others in order to make the best informed decisions.

 

Glenn’s Cafe mission statement: “Great Food with the Fusion of Inclusion” is at the base of all our goals, both short and long term. From day one, the cafe will serve well thought out food prepared daily to welcomed guests. Glenn and/or other staff from the community will be out front and performing their duties. We plan to develop individuals for long term success by giving them real world experience in a creative dynamic atmosphere. Our hope is to be successful enough to warrant other locations and take the show on the road.

 

What’s out there

In looking at the market in our area, we find that our competition is with fast casual entities like Atlanta Bread Company, Einsteins Bagels, Chipotle and Panera. Seeing these chain restaurants locally confirms the community’s desire to explore different palates other than burgers and fries. What we have noticed though is that typically the meals often sound better than they taste and that is where we will set ourselves apart. Being a smaller operation, we can take chances and cook on a smaller scale where authenticity can thrive. Great food coupled with works from local artists and shelved books as part of the design concept will give guests a unique experience usually found in artsy districts of big cities.

 

When considering Glenn’s Cafe target market, we thought of three segments: those with curious palettes, a bit of leisure time, and civic minded in nature. Our menu is eclectic in the sense that it is mostly made up of our own experiences out in restaurants as well as our own cooking for family and friends. The phrase “ I bet you can make this,” is quite familiar in our household, followed by a close second, “I wonder if I could do this.” We do not trend in any one sort of flavor profile and aim to open others up to experiencing different items at our cafe. If anything, the fact that we do not have a fryer may suggest that our food is a bit healthier.

 

Knowing that we are not a turn and burn concept, we plan to invite people in and once they have ordered are welcome to look around at the decor, grab a book, and have a seat while we prepare their meals. We will be promoting family size orders, such as Million Dollar Chicken Salad for customers to consider bringing home for dinner. Our goal is to serve the customer promptly and have them take their time from there.

 

With part of the mission statement focusing on inclusion, we want those who are in the down syndrome community, or those with intellectual and developmental disabilities in general, to be proud that there is representation in their area. Hearing, “wow, that was delicious, and I love the fact that they have people with special needs working there is wonderful,” would be the ultimate review and best marketing.

 

Considering those three segments, our target demographic is not gender specific, aged 25-75 years, with average to above average income ($40-$60K per year). Our menu and decor will be welcoming to most so we do not think in terms of gender. With taste and agency developing over time, we feel like those in their mid twenties and over will be most attracted to our cafe. Furthermore, in creating a menu priced appropriately we do not want guests to break the bank in dining with us.

 

As mentioned previously, we see Panera, Atlanta Bread Company, Chipotle and Einstein’s Bagels as our primary competition. They all have attractive decor, popular flavor profiles and invite the same guest. One notable feature is that we will offer custom mix-in’s for both our cream cheese and hummus. This allows the guest to create their own experience and give us some insight as to what is popular or an up and coming trend. We will, of coarse, have some pre-set recommendations but want the guest to feel free to experiment each time they visit the cafe. Another interesting part of our menu is that the bagel will play an important role throughout, it is our core breakfast item, the vessel for our sandwiches, the accent to our salads and appetizers and is used in all our desserts. These attributes set us apart with our independence in decision making when it comes to the menu, be it specials or local seasonal dishes, our unique personalized decor and our mission statement.

 

As an independent owner, we plan to market Glenn’s Cafe via multiple social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, and Linked In. We will work with SOGA, DSA and The Giving Kitchen to help promote our restaurant as well. The cafe will also have a strong ground game and market to the local neighborhoods. We will be creating pins, key chains and magnets that are worth discounts. The magnets will be placed on mailboxes in targeted neighborhoods that are branded with a percentage discount when they turn the magnet in. Those magnets will then be repurposed to other neighborhoods. Pins and keychains will be distributed that represent a tighter group of loyal guests that affords them discounts as well.

 

Location, location, location…

We have lived in Cobb County for over 20 years and are familiar with the area. In considering the space for Glenn’s Cafe, multiple points were weighed. Cost, traffic, and potential were the most driving factors. We wanted to be able to support the business with a menu we believed in. Of course, having a spot on Marietta Square, Smyrna Square or in the Vinings would be great places, however, they come with high rents and are quite a distance from our home. Living in the Austell-Powder Springs-Mableton area, we are the people frequenting those other areas and feel like our neighbors would welcome a great cafe closer to their home. Wanting to have a site that is frequented by potential clientele regularly, we honed in on strip malls that had a grocery store in them already and did not already have a breakfast lunch cafe like ours in order to avoid any non-compete clauses. The rents are affordable in these pockets and our menu can support it. Many medical, residential and commercial properties, including hotels, are coming to the area so we have increased potential to capture some of their spending dollars.

 

 

Glenn’s Cafe will serve great food and we want a space that welcomes creativity, tolerance and change. The basic bones of the cafe will be like many fast casual dining places. We will have a queue where you place your order and then the guest will find a table and wait for their food to be prepared. While waiting, the guests are welcome to walk around and look at the local artwork on the walls, grab a book from a shelf or just sit back and relax. Mix matched tables, chairs and cutlery will lend itself to us being less pretentious and open to the idea that everything is not perfect. The floors will be clean, the walls decorated with metal wood and stone and we will have a TV in the corner (playing HGTV of course). The restroom will be modern with a spa like feel and have as many touch free items as possible; faucet, soap dispenser, hand dryer and such. We will fill the walls with art work that will be for sale as well as having used books that are shelved and available for the customers to look at while in the cafe or for sale if they want to take it with them. We will either hand deliver the food to the table or ask the customer to pick it up at the counter depending on business.

 

 

As mentioned previously, we will run a tight ship in order to keep the costs down, profits up and have flexibility to include staff from the down syndrome community. Jason Walesh will run the daily operations as well as be the main cook. The menu and cafe layout were designed to be able to run with one person and have staff added per need and desire. We intend to have Glenn Hutchinson on board to meet and greet the guests and help with front of the house duties that will help the efficiency of the day, We will likely hire one part time person who can help during peak periods that is capable of doing both front of house and back of house responsibilities. The balance of the staff will comprise of employees from the Down syndrome community seeking real time work experience that can translate to adaptable skills far beyond the walls of our cafe. This will most likely consist of multiple members being able to work 2-3 hour shifts a few days a week.

 

We plan to fund raise for approximately 3 months to reach our goal and move this project to the next level. I cannot thank you enough for the time you took to read through this and consider if you would like to contribute to the efforts!