Idea Napkin No. 1

     I don’t currently have any experience in the food industry, which is a disadvantage for me. If we’re being completely honest, I’m the last person that should be opening a café because I don’t like coffee or tea and the only times I really visit cafes is when my friends suggest them as a place to meet up. However, even in the small amount of time that I’ve spent in cafes I’ve been able to identify my opportunity. My solution revolves around the problem of my food always getting cold too soon and my experience of eating a large portion of my meals out of mugs and bowls. In regards to the food itself, my limited cooking experience should be enough in the initial start of the café.

     My aspiration for Mugged is to become a unique café that provides a small town feel, even in a larger city like Gainesville. I want it to become a place where people can go to have lunch or a cup of coffee and just forget about everything else going on, if only for a couple of minutes. If I were to start the business I don’t see myself playing a large role in the company long turn. I can see myself investing a couple of years, initially, into the business to make sure that everything is running smoothly and eventually hire someone to manage the store while I pursue my true interests. However, once I retire from my profession, I could see myself taking on a larger role in the store by doing something simple like just walking around and talking with costumers.

     With Mugged, I’m offering a unique twist on a traditional café where everything will be served in mugs. Since everything will be served in mugs, the food will remain cold or hot longer for a greater period of time; which will allow people to have longer conversations before their food becomes unappealing to eat.

     Mugged is targeted at people between the ages of 13 and 50 who enjoy eating at cafes, with a specific focus on college students. I want to provide a place that’s great to grab lunch with friends but also a place where you can quietly enjoy a good book as you drink your coffee. Above all, I want Mugged to embody the atmosphere of a small town café as soon as you step in the doors. With diverse food and drink options, Mugged should appeal to anyone that likes to eat or drink.   

     The prices at Mugged are expected to be extremely comparable to other coffee shops around the Gainesville area. When we boil it down to the reason I want to serve everything in mugs, it’s because I like to eat out of mugs and to a certain extent it will keep your food warmer longer. At Mugged people aren’t paying for a revolutionary technology that will change how they do things, they’re paying for good food served in a unique way as they enjoy a relaxing atmosphere. Mugged provides them a warm and inviting place to visit instead of a sleek and cold atmosphere that you find in most chain coffee shops.

     The fact that everything will be served in mugs sets my café apart from any other cafes that I’ve ever heard of. However, people aren’t going to visit Mugged just to eat food out of a mug, they’re going to visit Mugged for the comfort food and small town atmosphere which isn’t currently being offered by many cafes in the Gainesville area. I want Mugged to be a well-known place in Gainesville where if someone is passing through town they just have to stop and try it.

     I think all of the elements fit together really well, which really comes down to the fact that I’m not doing anything drastically different from a traditional café, I’m only adding one small twist. My weakest point at the present time is “why do they care” because it’s hard to say through my previous interviews that I’ve conducted thus far.