juice/smoothie bar/wheatgrass

[Fuel Juice Bar]

Hello All--this is my first post on egullet---read about this forum in Saveur this morning---what a great resource! I will try and keep future posts short--but I figure a bit of background is necessary up front--so here goes--

For years I have been encouraged by friends to do some sort of professional culinary-related business. I finally decided to take the plunge and open a smoothie/juice bar in the San Diego area. It seemed like the simplest way to venture into the restaurant/food service industry.

I am a pretty experienced home cook, comfortable with advanced culinary techniques and exotic cuisines. I have catered weddings for 150 and supervised fund-raiser dinners for 500 + . Have lived in both Europe and Asia and have traveled extensively. I am also a locally published writer/journalist (over 500 articles in print) Restaurant reviews and food stories are easily some of my favorite assignments...(see this recent story about a local chocolatier--he makes great stuff! http://www.imperialbeachnewsca.com/article...news/news01.txt ) My writing is on hold until we get the shop open.

My smoothie shop will be called Fuel JuiceBar. We will also serve coffee and pre-packaged food and drinks. (Sandwiches. protein bars, snacks and bottled soft drinks/gatorade/red bull etc). However the main emphasis will be on organic (as much as feasible) locally produced fresh and frozen fruits and vegetable smoothies and juices. I am hoping to use biodegradable containers/cups from World Centric/Styrophobia and am thinking of using (sustainable) Barefoot Coffee Roasters and Blue Bridge (a local San Diego company) for my coffee suppliers.

I get to design and build out a raw space in a hip, new award-winning building that is in a GREAT location and also happens to have a state-of-the-art fitness center on the top floor with a large membership. We are located on the ground floor on a fairly busy corner with lots of walk by traffic and good parking. We will offer free wi-fi, and a modern, urban, sexy vibe (think concrete, brushed-aluminum and some capiz shell accents, comfy indoor and outdoor seating, wood and water elements) that should help draw in customers.

Am in the middle of dealing with bureaucratic paperwork and permitting (Dept of Health etc) and getting final bids from contractors. My oldest daughter will be helping me. She is an experienced barista and has managed a gelato shop/worked in/managed a variety of coffee shops/wine bars etc. I figure between the two of us-- and my husband's expertise in running his own tech business/doing the book keeping--we will be able to make this work.

Also-- there is no other smoothie/ juice bar in this town--the closest competitor is a self-serve yogurt shop. Local coffee shops only offer one or two flavors of powder-blend or fruit puree smoothies. If you want a fresh fruit smoothie you have to drive a few miles to the nearest Jamba Juice.

The preliminary buzz and support of the community I have lived in for over 25 years has been pretty enthusiastic. I am cautiously optimistic about success even in this down economy. (At the very least it certainly makes for good deals on used equipment!)

But there are still several things I am nervous about--

1.Amounts: How the heck do I know how much fruit etc. to order for the first week? My supplier will deliver daily if I need it for no extra charge--how do I figure this out? Will we serve--30--50--100 smoothies? What should we be ready for? We are scheduled to open mid Feb (Valentines Day promo!) I can probably freeze almost anything I don't immediately use--but any input and advice on up front quantities etc would be great!

2. Wheatgrass: Fresh wheatgrass is essential for juice bar aficionados. What type of juicer should I get? This is what I have found so far--a Sundance Wheateena for $595.00. The tag on the machine says model 3002 or 4004 which is confusing..is this the best model for a good price? It's a year old and VERY gently used.

3. Juicers in general---the gold standard for blenders seems to be Blend-Tec--but I have heard a lot of conflicting opinions about the best fruit and vegetable juicers. (A restaurateur friend raves about her Omega--but she is not primarily a juice bar--so she is very low volume-- and its plastic construction makes me nervous...) What is the most efficient, durable, easy-to-clean and maintain juicer?

4. Menu How should I organize my menu? I am thinking of offering a few basic smoothie blends up front--and then let people make up smoothies to taste--priced by ingredient amounts/protein powder and offering fresh juice blends in season. (Ever try fresh beet, grape, apple and mango together?--It blew me away and the color is outrageous!) Any thoughts?

5. Prices: What is the best way to determine prices? Is there some sort of rent/overhead/ payroll/cost-of-raw-ingredients formula someone can suggest to me? The shop is located in a small resort town with a world-class, five-star hotel a block away---HUGE tourist influx in the summer--and an affluent local clientele year round...but I don't want to overprice--the locals will be offended (their 401 K's have suffered too...) Maybe a slightly higher price overall and offer a 10 % local discount?

Any and all suggestions and advice is welcome--prayer too

Thanks and looking forward to hearing from everyone--

Nina

Edited January 11, 2009 by Fuel Juice Bar (log)