Just a quick post today.
Was working on some of the menu ideas that sounded so good...until I tried actually making them!
Tried making some funnel cake marshmallows for our deconstructed smore... didn't turn out so well! But tomorrow I will probably try again. The chocolate cups didn't work out so well either. I think I burnt the chocolate while melting it because it got all stuck together...
But these are minor setbacks, no big deal!
Will update again in a few
-Wilson
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Rereturning
The common question that gets asked in business is, ‘why?’ That’s a good
question, but an equally valid question is, ‘why not?’ -Jeffrey Bezos
As I walk into my coffee shop of choice (Rolling Out on 28th and Taraval), I sit down and start to brainstorm. Why do I keep coming back to this coffee shop? Why do I "rereturn" to this specific cafe? Let's list them below and talk through it.
1. It's close to me.
Yes, proximity is clearly a factor. It isn't the biggest factor as I would prefer to walk a few more blocks up the street if I didn't enjoy coming into this coffee shop. But of course, this is why people always say "location location location" is the number one factor in a successful business. My future location is 2 blocks from the beach, less than 10 minutes away from multiple high schools (Lowell, Lincoln, St. Ignatius just to name a few) as well as multiple colleges (SF State, City College of SF), with major bus lines running right past the cafe (the L train and 18 bus) in a location with few true competitors.
2. It has quality drinks and food.
I enjoy coming here and having a drink, whether that be a chai latte or a steaming cup of hot chocolate on a chilly SF day. I have sampled a few of their pastries including the sweet potato tart and the cinnamon roll which are delicious sweet treats. In order to have repeat customers at a place that serves food/drink, you must have some quality items that people will have to "rereturn" for. Hopefully some of the items that I will have on the menu such as the dessert rolls, "stoner tots", and specialty drinks will keep my customers coming back for more.
3. It serves a purpose.
What is the reason I come into the coffee shop? It is a nice, quiet and friendly environment where I can sip on my coffee and use the wifi to write some blog posts and do some research. In my case, the purpose of my dessert cafe is supposed to be a hangout location for high school and college kids. It needs to be comfortable enough that they will want to come chill, which also leads into the next topic.
4. It has a nice atmosphere.
The cafe I currently am "working in" has a pleasant atmosphere. The temperature is just right with a fresh cool San Francisco breeze that blows throughout the place. The music is light and pleasant, the noise level is average. The seating is comfortable and the place looks nice overall. In my case, the atmosphere is going to be different of course, because my cafe serves a different purpose. If I want it to be a hangout spot, I will have a few TVs around, showing Giants games and other things that young people want to watch. There's going to be a few "loungey" chairs and sofas in the middle to relax in (i.e. Central Perk). I'm going to loan out decks of playing cards and other games to invite them to stay.
5. It has great service.
Finally, the coffee shop I frequent has an excellent owner who knows about good service. Whenever he is here, we will chat for a little bit and he'll either upgrade my drink to a larger size or let me sample a new pastry he is baking. He'll remember what we talked about last time and by that, he makes a connection. He knows that by making a strong bond with your customers, it encourages them to keep coming back and be LOYAL. Loyal customers are always going to be your best customers. They are the ones that will tip better, that will keep coming back, and most importantly, TELL THEIR FRIENDS about it. Would I go about telling everyone that I go to this coffee shop called Rolling Out (on Taraval and 28th) if I didn't enjoy coming here? I definitely would not. In one of my future blog posts, I will talk about customer service and how I feel this affects customer loyalty and "rereturn".
-Wilson
As I walk into my coffee shop of choice (Rolling Out on 28th and Taraval), I sit down and start to brainstorm. Why do I keep coming back to this coffee shop? Why do I "rereturn" to this specific cafe? Let's list them below and talk through it.
1. It's close to me.
Yes, proximity is clearly a factor. It isn't the biggest factor as I would prefer to walk a few more blocks up the street if I didn't enjoy coming into this coffee shop. But of course, this is why people always say "location location location" is the number one factor in a successful business. My future location is 2 blocks from the beach, less than 10 minutes away from multiple high schools (Lowell, Lincoln, St. Ignatius just to name a few) as well as multiple colleges (SF State, City College of SF), with major bus lines running right past the cafe (the L train and 18 bus) in a location with few true competitors.
2. It has quality drinks and food.
I enjoy coming here and having a drink, whether that be a chai latte or a steaming cup of hot chocolate on a chilly SF day. I have sampled a few of their pastries including the sweet potato tart and the cinnamon roll which are delicious sweet treats. In order to have repeat customers at a place that serves food/drink, you must have some quality items that people will have to "rereturn" for. Hopefully some of the items that I will have on the menu such as the dessert rolls, "stoner tots", and specialty drinks will keep my customers coming back for more.
3. It serves a purpose.
What is the reason I come into the coffee shop? It is a nice, quiet and friendly environment where I can sip on my coffee and use the wifi to write some blog posts and do some research. In my case, the purpose of my dessert cafe is supposed to be a hangout location for high school and college kids. It needs to be comfortable enough that they will want to come chill, which also leads into the next topic.
4. It has a nice atmosphere.
The cafe I currently am "working in" has a pleasant atmosphere. The temperature is just right with a fresh cool San Francisco breeze that blows throughout the place. The music is light and pleasant, the noise level is average. The seating is comfortable and the place looks nice overall. In my case, the atmosphere is going to be different of course, because my cafe serves a different purpose. If I want it to be a hangout spot, I will have a few TVs around, showing Giants games and other things that young people want to watch. There's going to be a few "loungey" chairs and sofas in the middle to relax in (i.e. Central Perk). I'm going to loan out decks of playing cards and other games to invite them to stay.
5. It has great service.
Finally, the coffee shop I frequent has an excellent owner who knows about good service. Whenever he is here, we will chat for a little bit and he'll either upgrade my drink to a larger size or let me sample a new pastry he is baking. He'll remember what we talked about last time and by that, he makes a connection. He knows that by making a strong bond with your customers, it encourages them to keep coming back and be LOYAL. Loyal customers are always going to be your best customers. They are the ones that will tip better, that will keep coming back, and most importantly, TELL THEIR FRIENDS about it. Would I go about telling everyone that I go to this coffee shop called Rolling Out (on Taraval and 28th) if I didn't enjoy coming here? I definitely would not. In one of my future blog posts, I will talk about customer service and how I feel this affects customer loyalty and "rereturn".
-Wilson
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Clientele
"Ability is what you are capable of. Motivation determines
what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." - Lou Holtz
The place that is currently open at my future location is a Hong Kong style restaurant. They say it is hard to make a sufficient living because of the location yet they have been open for FIFTEEN years! It is two blocks from the beach and a major bus line drops people off right next to the front door. Quality of food is also not the issue, as their food is better than most HK style restaurants in SF. It is clearly who they are catering to that is the biggest issue. While I was there helping out on Friday, every single person that came in spoke Cantonese. Not one non-Chinese person came into the restaurant. When you are so limited by your clientele, it is hard to stay in business. And not only do you have such a specific clientele with different tastes than other Americans, it is the one customer base that is culturally inclined to NOT SPEND.
A small history lesson on why so many Chinese came to San Francisco.
San Francisco was called "gold mountain" by previous generations of Cantonese/Chinese people during the gold rush in 1849. Many Chinese immigrants, like westward moving Americans, flocked to the "gold mountain" in hopes of striking it rich on a fat vein of gold. However, this fairy tale ending was realized by very few people, and even fewer Chinese. When the Chinese arrived, they were bullied, harassed, and treated as second class. They were forced into slums (present-day Chinatown is one example) with despicable living conditions. Many had to take up jobs doing dirty work, opening laundromats, restaurants, and taking up small menial tasks. Many Chinese were also coerced into building the transcontinental railways across the United States. Hard conditions and low paying wages reduced the Chinese to second class citizens.
Especially since moving to America, Chinese Americans have had to work extremely hard for every single penny that they earn. Most Chinese Americans in that age had to save every penny they earned in order to send money to their families back home. Many a Chinese starved themselves stateside, in order to save enough money, with the hopes of one day bringing their family over to join them.
Where was I going with that little history lesson? Don't worry, the point is coming up next.
The culture that many Chinese have is the culture of saving. Saving money is a great thing. I grew up learning to save, save and save. It teaches us that you should always have something put aside for a rainy day, or even for something you really NEED like a car in college, or money for textbooks or rent. But growing up as an American, I also saw the other side of things. The culture of buying not just what you need, but what you WANT. Having but not needing an IPhone or an IPad. Having but not needing a $100,000 car. The reason I am shifting my clientele away from strictly Chinese (like many other dessert places are doing in San Francisco) to "American" is because of this. Chinese people are CULTURALLY cheap. They save, eat in, do everything they can to keep their hard earned money because they know how hard it was to obtain. Every single dollar was gotten using their blood, sweat and tears (literally and figuratively) and it is so hard for them to let go of it on mere wants. It is engrained in our culture because of our long fought history in the U.S. and that only the newest generations of Chinese Americans are finally letting go of.
Yes, there are a lot of Chinese in San Francisco. But those are not the clientele I am appealing to. I am trying to include and appeal to all "Americans". Having a menu that is basically for the tastes of people from Hong Kong and China is not something that appeals to all. Without a doubt, it's the newer generation of Americans that are willing to spend the money to eat out and try new things. That is the crowd I am catering to. Ones that want to go hang out with friends, spending money to enjoy themselves on a regular basis. Why limit yourselves to doing business with a small subset of the population who are culturally inclined to spend less, when you can work with people who are willing to spend in order to have a good time?
-Wilson
Friday, July 19, 2013
Why do people go out to eat?
"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."
-Bill Cosby
Why do people go out to restaurants/cafes? It's an interesting question with a ton of answers. I am going to explore this question in order to better determine which crowd of people I am trying to serve.
1. They don't want to cook at home.
This is one of the main reasons why people go out to eat. It's more convenient that cooking at home after a long day of work or shuttling the kids around for practices and recitals. Since my cafe will be more of a snack and dessert place than a formal restaurant, this is not the specific crowd I am trying to lure in.
2. They are hanging out with friends.
Eating is a very social activity and most people, similar to watching a movie, don't like to do it alone. Not everyone can hang out at their own house and thus, meeting up at a public location for dinner or drinks is the best option for everyone. My visions for my cafe are to make it a hangout spot for people to relax, have drinks with friends, and just have a good time.
3. They want to get away from home.
This is a very interesting concept. Unlike answer ONE, where the reason to leave home is solely to eat, hanging out somewhere away from home (more specifically a cafe in this instance) allows people to be away from family, away from certain stress, and just relax and have a drink and/or a bite to eat. Similar to what a bar is to middle-aged working class men, what I want my cafe to end up being is a cool hangout spot, away from home, where teenage and college kids can relax, kick back with their friends and enjoy some time.
4. They want to try new things.
Novelty. Novelty is a very interesting concept that lures many customers in through the door. It may not keep customers coming back, but the initial novelty of a place is a strong factor in deciding whether or not to try it. If novelty is what initially brings people through the door, it's customer service, food quality, and value that keep them coming back. Modern day business models are moving too far away from old school ideals like sincere customer service. Yes, the quality of food and the value of the menu is important, but I feel that customer service plays a vital role in customer satisfaction, more so than most people are aware of. I will go into further detail about customer service and my business model in another post.
In my mind, I want to make this cafe a spot for people to come, hang out, and enjoy time away from home. With social networking becoming so technologically based, with people using Skype and other means of telecommunication, isn't it great to have a place like Central Perk (Friend's fans rejoice!) where pals can just relax, talk, and basically feel like they have a home away from home. I also want to push certain boundaries for snacks and desserts, letting people explore tastes and foods that they have never seen before.
-Wilson
-Bill Cosby
Why do people go out to restaurants/cafes? It's an interesting question with a ton of answers. I am going to explore this question in order to better determine which crowd of people I am trying to serve.
1. They don't want to cook at home.
This is one of the main reasons why people go out to eat. It's more convenient that cooking at home after a long day of work or shuttling the kids around for practices and recitals. Since my cafe will be more of a snack and dessert place than a formal restaurant, this is not the specific crowd I am trying to lure in.
2. They are hanging out with friends.
Eating is a very social activity and most people, similar to watching a movie, don't like to do it alone. Not everyone can hang out at their own house and thus, meeting up at a public location for dinner or drinks is the best option for everyone. My visions for my cafe are to make it a hangout spot for people to relax, have drinks with friends, and just have a good time.
3. They want to get away from home.
This is a very interesting concept. Unlike answer ONE, where the reason to leave home is solely to eat, hanging out somewhere away from home (more specifically a cafe in this instance) allows people to be away from family, away from certain stress, and just relax and have a drink and/or a bite to eat. Similar to what a bar is to middle-aged working class men, what I want my cafe to end up being is a cool hangout spot, away from home, where teenage and college kids can relax, kick back with their friends and enjoy some time.
4. They want to try new things.
Novelty. Novelty is a very interesting concept that lures many customers in through the door. It may not keep customers coming back, but the initial novelty of a place is a strong factor in deciding whether or not to try it. If novelty is what initially brings people through the door, it's customer service, food quality, and value that keep them coming back. Modern day business models are moving too far away from old school ideals like sincere customer service. Yes, the quality of food and the value of the menu is important, but I feel that customer service plays a vital role in customer satisfaction, more so than most people are aware of. I will go into further detail about customer service and my business model in another post.
In my mind, I want to make this cafe a spot for people to come, hang out, and enjoy time away from home. With social networking becoming so technologically based, with people using Skype and other means of telecommunication, isn't it great to have a place like Central Perk (Friend's fans rejoice!) where pals can just relax, talk, and basically feel like they have a home away from home. I also want to push certain boundaries for snacks and desserts, letting people explore tastes and foods that they have never seen before.
-Wilson
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Introductions
Let me introduce myself. My name is Wilson Tsang. A little bit about myself.
-Graduated from Nursing School at UCI *zot zot* class of 2011
-Worked for a combined 1 1/2 years at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and doing medical research in Irvine.
-Partnered with a friend to establish a very competitive and large shop at Frank N Sons, selling Yu-gi-oh cards and many other games and collectibles.
This is where I am going to keep my thoughts, while trying to open my own dessert cafe. I am keeping this blog (mainly for myself) in order to look back on it in a few years and see the humble beginnings from which I had come from. If you are willing and wanting to tag along for the ride, I will try to entertain and enlighten you.
The one question that people always ask me when I tell them I am trying to open my own business... WHY?
WHY would you leave a nursing career behind to attempt to open your own business?
-WHY would you leave a possibly lucrative opportunity continuing to sell Yu-gi-oh cards and make a comfortable living off of it?
These questions always come up, no matter who I talk to. In this post, I will attempt to satisfy everyone (including myself) by answering these main questions and showing my thought process throughout.
LOYALTY = SECURITY?
Security for our family, security for ourselves. Everyone desires it but a majority of people go about getting it in a very linear fashion. Get a job, get more educated and get promoted, staying at the institution until they retire while accruing benefits and pension packages to carry them through the rest of their lives.
But in these changing times, less and less companies work in this manner. Take my past two jobs in OC/LA as an example. I worked as a temp for over 8 months at Children's Hospital, with the hopes that I would lock in a full-time position when they opened up. My work ethic and abilities were heralded by my fellow coworkers. But when the time came to hire full-time RN, the 3 positions went to external candidates. Did my loyalty to the company not matter? Did I not move down to Los Angeles from San Francisco for a low-paying job in order to prove that I was able and willing only for them to say to my face that one of the reasons they didn't hire me was because they didn't think I was going to stay at their institution after 2 years was up? In Irvine, I did medical research in the capacity of a RN, but they used a temp agency to hire us so that they would not have to give us benefits or insurance. Is it legal? Sure it is. But in this age of cost cutting and financial instability, it does not pay to be loyal. Companies continue to outsource jobs to third world countries in order to cut costs. More and more teachers get canned or pressured to leave before they reach tenure, so that the younger teachers with less experience can take lower paying positions. In this age, it does not pay to be loyal. In my eyes, security must be obtained by yourself.
1. WHY would you leave a nursing career behind to attempt to open your own business?
Nursing is a stable career. It is one of the main reasons I chose to enroll at UCI, in order to get my nursing degree and have some form of security for myself when I graduated. After getting my nursing degree and working in my various jobs in the medical field though, I realized that this was not where I wanted to be. I despised waking up every morning to go to work in the hospital or in the lab. If I am going to spend half my life somewhere, I'd better enjoy it!
At the hospital, I hated being constantly being surrounded by the sick and dying. After being in the field, I truly believe that people in the medical field, especially nurses, are examples of everyday heroes. Not only do they take care of their patients physically, they ensure that their psychological and mental needs are fulfilled.
Working at the lab doing medical research became monotonous and dull. The same protocol and procedures were used every single day and while I lied to people telling them that it was an interesting experience, it was only that for the first few weeks. I was not learning anything that would further my knowledge base, and I felt like I was turning into a machine that could basically shut his brain off for the whole day I was there, working through sole repetition.
2. -WHY would you leave a possibly lucrative opportunity continuing to sell Yu-gi-oh cards and make a comfortable living off of it?
Many people don't really understand the impact that Yu-gi-oh has had on my life. To most, this card game is just "for children". They trudge through life with their narrow-minded ways of thinking and fail to accept and appreciate what they do not understand. The only people that truly understand are those within the community.
I was somewhat of a celebrity in this community. I topped multiple championship caliber events, recorded videos on youtube to help further the community, while making money through the game in order to finance my travels to other events.Yu-gi-oh has allowed me to travel to 11 states in the past 2 years, as well as Mexico and Costa Rica. Even though most of us don't play anymore, a majority of my closest friends in San Francisco I met through Yu-gi-oh. It has even helped me pay my rent, groceries, and other bills throughout college. Through my capacity and hard work, it's no wonder that my strongest supporters and biggest believers in my success come from the Yu-gi-oh community. These people that I have met throughout my career strongly believe in my ability to succeed and my drive to rise above the rest. The opinions of this community are the ones I take into consideration the most: they have seen my work ethic, my dedication, my social skills at work and my abilities. I can proudly say that Yu-gi-oh has helped me become the strong, independent, business-minded individual that I am today.
But back to the question...why leave?
It is true that I could continue grinding away selling Yu-gi-oh cards as a career. I had contemplated the idea many a times. Yet, when I started planning for an opening of a card store, there were a few things that troubled me. Firstly, there is no exit strategy. If I built up a store for a few years and made it worth 500k, there is almost no chance that anyone with that kind of money would buy me out, because they would prefer to buy something else like a restaurant or a bar. Secondly, I felt that turning this hobby that I so thoroughly enjoyed into a job that I would work at everyday, mailing and sorting cards nonstop,would kill my love for it.
I have spent a lot more time than I thought writing this post and I probably need to be getting back to all the paperwork and preparation that I need to do for the next few weeks. Tomorrow I'll start working as a waiter for my parent's friend's business and learning some tips and tricks for running my own business while trying to figure out the flow and coordination that I will need to incorporate into my own business. Until then!
-Wilson
-Graduated from Nursing School at UCI *zot zot* class of 2011
-Worked for a combined 1 1/2 years at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and doing medical research in Irvine.
-Partnered with a friend to establish a very competitive and large shop at Frank N Sons, selling Yu-gi-oh cards and many other games and collectibles.
This is where I am going to keep my thoughts, while trying to open my own dessert cafe. I am keeping this blog (mainly for myself) in order to look back on it in a few years and see the humble beginnings from which I had come from. If you are willing and wanting to tag along for the ride, I will try to entertain and enlighten you.
The one question that people always ask me when I tell them I am trying to open my own business... WHY?
WHY would you leave a nursing career behind to attempt to open your own business?
-WHY would you leave a possibly lucrative opportunity continuing to sell Yu-gi-oh cards and make a comfortable living off of it?
These questions always come up, no matter who I talk to. In this post, I will attempt to satisfy everyone (including myself) by answering these main questions and showing my thought process throughout.
LOYALTY = SECURITY?
Security for our family, security for ourselves. Everyone desires it but a majority of people go about getting it in a very linear fashion. Get a job, get more educated and get promoted, staying at the institution until they retire while accruing benefits and pension packages to carry them through the rest of their lives.
But in these changing times, less and less companies work in this manner. Take my past two jobs in OC/LA as an example. I worked as a temp for over 8 months at Children's Hospital, with the hopes that I would lock in a full-time position when they opened up. My work ethic and abilities were heralded by my fellow coworkers. But when the time came to hire full-time RN, the 3 positions went to external candidates. Did my loyalty to the company not matter? Did I not move down to Los Angeles from San Francisco for a low-paying job in order to prove that I was able and willing only for them to say to my face that one of the reasons they didn't hire me was because they didn't think I was going to stay at their institution after 2 years was up? In Irvine, I did medical research in the capacity of a RN, but they used a temp agency to hire us so that they would not have to give us benefits or insurance. Is it legal? Sure it is. But in this age of cost cutting and financial instability, it does not pay to be loyal. Companies continue to outsource jobs to third world countries in order to cut costs. More and more teachers get canned or pressured to leave before they reach tenure, so that the younger teachers with less experience can take lower paying positions. In this age, it does not pay to be loyal. In my eyes, security must be obtained by yourself.
1. WHY would you leave a nursing career behind to attempt to open your own business?
Nursing is a stable career. It is one of the main reasons I chose to enroll at UCI, in order to get my nursing degree and have some form of security for myself when I graduated. After getting my nursing degree and working in my various jobs in the medical field though, I realized that this was not where I wanted to be. I despised waking up every morning to go to work in the hospital or in the lab. If I am going to spend half my life somewhere, I'd better enjoy it!
At the hospital, I hated being constantly being surrounded by the sick and dying. After being in the field, I truly believe that people in the medical field, especially nurses, are examples of everyday heroes. Not only do they take care of their patients physically, they ensure that their psychological and mental needs are fulfilled.
Working at the lab doing medical research became monotonous and dull. The same protocol and procedures were used every single day and while I lied to people telling them that it was an interesting experience, it was only that for the first few weeks. I was not learning anything that would further my knowledge base, and I felt like I was turning into a machine that could basically shut his brain off for the whole day I was there, working through sole repetition.
2. -WHY would you leave a possibly lucrative opportunity continuing to sell Yu-gi-oh cards and make a comfortable living off of it?
Many people don't really understand the impact that Yu-gi-oh has had on my life. To most, this card game is just "for children". They trudge through life with their narrow-minded ways of thinking and fail to accept and appreciate what they do not understand. The only people that truly understand are those within the community.
I was somewhat of a celebrity in this community. I topped multiple championship caliber events, recorded videos on youtube to help further the community, while making money through the game in order to finance my travels to other events.Yu-gi-oh has allowed me to travel to 11 states in the past 2 years, as well as Mexico and Costa Rica. Even though most of us don't play anymore, a majority of my closest friends in San Francisco I met through Yu-gi-oh. It has even helped me pay my rent, groceries, and other bills throughout college. Through my capacity and hard work, it's no wonder that my strongest supporters and biggest believers in my success come from the Yu-gi-oh community. These people that I have met throughout my career strongly believe in my ability to succeed and my drive to rise above the rest. The opinions of this community are the ones I take into consideration the most: they have seen my work ethic, my dedication, my social skills at work and my abilities. I can proudly say that Yu-gi-oh has helped me become the strong, independent, business-minded individual that I am today.
But back to the question...why leave?
It is true that I could continue grinding away selling Yu-gi-oh cards as a career. I had contemplated the idea many a times. Yet, when I started planning for an opening of a card store, there were a few things that troubled me. Firstly, there is no exit strategy. If I built up a store for a few years and made it worth 500k, there is almost no chance that anyone with that kind of money would buy me out, because they would prefer to buy something else like a restaurant or a bar. Secondly, I felt that turning this hobby that I so thoroughly enjoyed into a job that I would work at everyday, mailing and sorting cards nonstop,would kill my love for it.
I have spent a lot more time than I thought writing this post and I probably need to be getting back to all the paperwork and preparation that I need to do for the next few weeks. Tomorrow I'll start working as a waiter for my parent's friend's business and learning some tips and tricks for running my own business while trying to figure out the flow and coordination that I will need to incorporate into my own business. Until then!
-Wilson
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