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