The sprouting and proliferation of Waffle Restaurant have turned a lot of eyes for the past few years. The craze for waffles has hit almost every nook and corner of the country, and it won’t be a surprise if you see new waffle outlets at every street flooding with a long queue at a busy hour even on a weekday! It is just too normal nowadays!
It was as early as the late 14th century, and the first known waffle recipe was penned in an anonymous manuscript, Le Ménagier de Paris. Since then it has always been a significant part of the dessert menu in abroad, however, in India, it was never predominant until the last few years when the waffle industry blossomed breaking all records. It is almost as if Waffles have become the new Momo!
Despite the Restaurant Industry facing various challenges at multiple levels, right from various government regulations to internal issues such as extreme competition, lofty rentals, and high attrition, the Food Business will never undergo a recession. Chefs will keep innovating new items or reinventing the existing and the classic ones to appeal to the eyes and tongues of the customers. The Waffle business is the latest to have received an enthusiastic response from the consumers.
According to Nikhil Merchant- a restaurateur, gourmet consultant, food writer, and blogger,
“Anything which is dough, has butter, is either fried or toasted appeals to the brain more than the gut. Waffles are and have always been a favourite amongst most breakfast eaters. Unconventional and experimental chefs have taken it beyond the breakfast table and on to your lunch, brunch, dinner and midnight snack escapades.”
What Does It Take to Start a Waffle Restaurant
Similar to a Quick Service Restaurant, starting a Waffle Restaurant does not need much of your investment. The cost of Waffle Iron ranges from Rs.1500- 5000. In addition to that, you can start a Waffle Business with a small preparation area, with just 1-2 staff members. You can decide if you want to start with a Takeaway module or provide Dining-in, based on your budget. Read in detail how to open a Waffle Business here.
What you need to focus on while starting a waffle business is the location. You must select a location which has high footfall. A busy market street or malls are some of the ideal locations for opening a Waffle Restaurant. Since Waffles are easy to prepare and have low Food Costs, they become a perfect choice for a new restaurant venture. You need to have a proper business plan and an ideal recipe to make your restaurant a blooming success while letting your customers to lick the extra bit of maple syrup off their fingertips!
Waffle Restaurants and the Consumers
The sale of waffles will naturally be more in metropolitan cities as people are a lot more aware, traveled and interested to try out new things if compared to the remote areas. The targeted customers for the Waffle business are especially the youth, however, the consumption of waffles cuts across all age groups. So if we are looking at the trending waffle dishes, the audience is quite large. There is also a lot of innovation in the product to keep the consumers hooked. Waff-wich, a hybrid of waffles and sandwich is a popular variety enjoyed by the customers. Considering the fitness fanatics, there are health waffles too, like multi-grain waffles that suit the needs of those who refuse to intake the extra calories.
Have these tempted you to start planning to satiate your customer’s cravings for a plate of delicious waffles with maple syrup or even better, some Nutella and ice-cream drizzled over them? It isn’t a bad idea since in the era of flourishing food & beverage industry; one particulate dessert item that has experienced growth beyond leaps and bounds is waffles. Hence venture into the field, satisfy the sweet tooth of your customers, earn high profits, and keep waffling around!
