How to Operate a Cookie Dough Cafe Franchise

If you have never worked at a cookie dough cafe before, but are interested in the cookie dough cafe franchise business, the whole process might seem a little daunting. Don’t worry – cookie dough cafe franchises generally have relatively simple streamlined processes and don’t require as much upfront costs and equipment than other types of franchises.

Here’s a primer on how to operate a cookie dough cafe franchise.

The Day to Day

A lot of the day to day in running an edible cookie dough franchise is the same in any shop, you need to make sure everything is clean and well-stocked before opening up for the day and that your staff are all ready for their shifts.

You will need to make sure you have enough fresh edible cookie dough in all the flavors you offer ready for the customers. Then you are ready to open up and serve your customers. And at the end of the day, there is all the cleanup to be prepared to do it all again the next day.

The Back End

As the business owner, you will also have additional management responsibilities like ordering and receiving shipment of supplies and balancing the books and taking care of payroll and managing staff. It can be a nonstop hectic work environment so it is certainly not for everyone. You really have to have a passion for it.

Skills Required

As the business owner, you should have some business experience and a strong educational background, but a college education isn’t always a must. You must be good with people and know how to lead though. You need to hire a strong team that can carry out your vision. And of course you need a passion for cookie dough.

Here are some other tips for operating a cookie dough cafe franchise:

Take advantage of help offered by franchisor.

Especially if you are new to the franchise business, there is a lot you are probably still unsure about when it comes to how to operate your business. You need to know so much more than just cookie dough to run a cookie dough cafe franchise. So if you are not an expert at marketing for example, what should you do? By surrounding yourself with leading experts in the industry, you will get the support and advice you need to grow your edible cookie dough franchise. Also be sure to take advantage of all the experience of the other franchisees who have been there longer. And networking sites are also great to look into.

Use social media to connect with customers.

As a cookie dough cafe franchise, it is so important for you to have a social media presence. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, then hire a social media strategist to maintain your social media channels for you. If you haven’t done so already set up an account on Facebook, Twitter and at least one other social media channel like Pinterest or Snapchat and use them to post pictures of your products and to let your customers know about upcoming events and specials. Encourage your customers to like your page and share it will all your friends. You will be pleasantly surprised by the power of social media. Just be sure to check with the main headquarters of your franchise program to make sure you are following all brand requirements.

Form partnerships with other businesses.

When you partner with another business for an event or a promotion, not only can you share resources, but you also get a chance to reach out to new potential customers. By combining forces, you will be able to do so much more. Again just check with headquarters for any rules pertaining to events or promotions. They can also help you run some of them.

Create a loyalty program.

Returning customers are a sign that you are doing something right and you want them to keep coming back and to bring their friends and families. To reward them, offer special incentives like discount coupons, special happy hours and other special events. Thank them for choosing you.

Hire a strong team.

Besides good food, the other indispensable ingredient for a successful business is a high-performing staff. Both behind the counter and in the back office, you will want to build a team that believes in your vision and will work hard alongside of you. You need a team you can count on and delegate to.

Make good food a priority.

While it is a no-brainer that for your cookie dough cafe franchise to be successful, you need to have great food, sometimes quality can fly out the window when you are trying to stay within a budget or rushing to serve your customers. Always be in the kitchen experimenting with ingredients to perfect your products and innovating on new ones. You want to keep tantalizing your customers’ taste buds.

Don’t underestimate a hard day’s work.

Of course none of this will work if you are not willing and able to work hard. Running your own business can seem like a thankless job of long hours, lots of stress and little downtime so it is important to never let go of your vision and to keep on trucking. If you are only half way invested in this business, then it will never grow like you want it too.

Invest in advertising.

Word of mouth will only get you so far in the food franchise business so even if it is a small budget, make sure you allocate some resources for advertising and promotions. Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are great, low-cost ways to connect with potential customers as well.

Watch cash flow closely.

The first year a food franchise is open is very crucial. In the beginning, it is expected that you will be putting out more money then you are making, but you want to make sure you stay on budget and that as soon as possible you are making more money then you are spending. Always keep a close eye on your cash flow so you don’t find yourself buried under debt and unable to dig out.

Looking to invest in and operate a cookie dough cafe? DoDo Edible Cookie Dough & Ice Cream is a popular cookie dough cafe franchise based in Ocean City, Maryland and are currently accepting applications for new franchisees.

For more information, give us a call today or send us a message.