After completing his studies in hospitality, Yasheel Anand Singh returned from Switzerland and worked with a few brands before realizing that in metropolitan cities there are already a lot of people serving in the F&B space. It is the small cities like Patna that require more exposure to good and variety of food, therefore he decided to launch Cafe 13 in Patna. Cafe 13 is best known for its handcrafted coffees, thick and creamy shakes, crunchiest waffles, and appetizers that will keep you asking for more, unlike any other menu in town.
In Conversation With Yasheel Anand Singh Of Cafe 13
For the people looking for a leisurely breezy afternoon or a great night out, Cafe13 is the place for them. With a fantastic vibe of the interiors and the delicious food, it is a must-visit site in Patna.
Yasheel Anand Singh reveals all about his QSR business, the importance of food presentation and a lot more, while in conversation with The Restaurant Times!
Importance of Menu Engineering
It is imperative to understand the taste of local customers. A good restaurant menu design is the most integral part of a restaurant brand.
According to Singh, when a menu is designed it should express the brand’s personality, and focus on the overall operations, promote profitability, and keep your brand fresh in your customer’s mind. The right placing of items on the menu also holds a lot of importance.
‘Put your best selling items or those you want to have the biggest draw, on the prime sweet spots of the menu. Prime sweet spots are the areas where the average client brings his or her eyes to first, and which grab all the attention. Also, arrange your items in separate and well-segregated columns when you design a menu,’ says Singh.
He also adds that standardization of recipe and the menu is vital as it helps maintain consistency across various restaurant outlets and also keeps food costs in check.
Importance Of Food Presentation
People eat through their eyes first and then through their nose and finally through their mouth, hence food presentation is of high importance.
According to Singh, food presentation is about stabilizing variety and contrast. It is good to have different kinds of textures on the plate. The color of the plate is also significant. White plates are popular because they create high contrast and provide a neutral background for the colorful creations. Utilize white space and use the rim as your frame, and consider using the rule of thirds to highlight your plate’s focal point.
‘Cafe 13 is very innovative when it comes to plating, and we mostly focus on the types of plates we use. We choose our dish wisely by making sure it’s big enough to allow the food to stand out but small enough so that the portions don’t look too small’, says Singh.
Importance of Location
Location is highly important. Depending on the kind of food one decides to serve and also on the crowd they target, one needs to determine a place to set up a QSR.
According to Singh, it is critical to ensure that you are not starting in an area that does not have a high footfall. If people are scarce, there will hardly be any customers to buy your food. Malls, busy markets, and high streets are some of the best places for opening a QSR.
‘While deciding the location for Cafe 13, I made sure that I open the brand at a place with high accessibility and visibility. Another important thing is that restaurateurs have to research about the place where they wish to open up to attract their target audience and to keep the hold in the industry’, says Singh.
Building The Right Team
Running a successful restaurant is a lot of hard work, and you can’t accomplish it without the right team behind you.
According to Singh, hiring the right staff who have the skills and passion needed for this industry is crucial. It’s not an easy world, especially when it comes to hiring for your restaurant. For every distinguished employee you have, you’ll have a few that are okay, and even more that you wish would quit. It’s always better to take your time and find the right person than hiring anyone and everyone that shows interest so that you have enough staff.
Technological Bedding
Technology has always had a strong and positive impact on the restaurant industry. It helps restaurants deliver a flawless, convenient and enjoyable experience to their customers. Technology offers a means to speed up the processes and improve the customer experience.
“I have been using Posist since the beginning of Cafe 13, and it has made my life very simple and straightforward, especially concerning sales. Posist’s online ordering feature has helped me accept orders from multiple platforms directly at the POS. It also helps me manage my inventory quite effectively by allowing easy assessment of the usage of raw materials,” says Singh.
Singh concludes by saying that isolating himself from all the metropolitan cities, his aim is of setting up brands in smaller cities. So customers can hope for his new ventures soon in Allahabad, Ranchi, and Varanasi.
