The Tea Stop is a business plan for opening a specialized tea shop that aims to provide high quality tea and a pleasant atmosphere. The tea shop will target students, tea lovers, couples, and corporate employees. It will focus on quality, hospitality, atmosphere, customer satisfaction, and hygiene. The tea menu will include various chai options as well as iced tea flavors. The business plan outlines steps for obtaining licenses, learning about competitors, choosing a good location, maintaining tea stock, decorating appropriately, developing a signature tea blend, hiring staff, and marketing the new business.
2. THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
MISSION
To provide high quality tea to the customers in a pleasant
atmosphere to share their happiness.
To help the customers to enjoy a healthy drink which boosts their
energy.
3. THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
TARGET CUSTOMERS
Students
Chai Lovers
Business People
Couples
Corporate Employees
4. THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
IDEA
To open a specialized tea shop in a air-conditioned environment.
To grab the attention of the tea lovers by offering a wonderful atmosphere and the best
drink to share their happiness.
5. THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
MAIN CONCENTRATIONS
QUALITY
HOSPITALITY
ATMOSPHERE
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
HYGIENE
6. THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
CHAI MENU
CHAI
MASALA CHAI
ELACHI CHAI
GINGER CHAI
TULSI CHAI
7. ICE TEA MENU
PEACH ICED TEA
RASPBERRY ICED TEA
CUCUMBER MINT GREEN TEA
LEMON AND ROSEMARY ICED TEA
STRAWBERRY BASIL ICED TEA SPARKLER
LEMON-BLUEBERRY SWEET TEA
BLACKBERRY MINT ICED TEA
POMEGRANATE GREEN ICED TEA
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
8. THINGS TO DO
LEGAL
Comply with local, country and state legal regulations.
Register my business license.
Create a name for the cafe before applying for the license at city hall as the name
must appear on the license.
Visit local health departments and code inspectors to ensure that my business
complies with health inspections, building permits and other required certificates.
Apply for a tax identification number with the Internal Revenue Service.
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
9. COMPETITORS
Learn about my competition.
Knowing how they operate, the products they offer and how they utilize their spaces gives
me the chance to do it better.
Keep careful records of competitor's prices, teas and other issues to built my business
with high standards and excellent customer service.
If there is significant competition for one market, such as college kids, but very little to
attract the business crowd, I can target business people with your ambiance, tea house
theme and tea choices.
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
10. LOCATION
Find a location.
Choose a storefront with windows so people walking by can appreciate the atmosphere of the
tea stop.
A busy street with plenty of parking is ideal.
Avoid purchasing an existing tea cafe that is going out of business, as it will be difficult to
overcome the poor reputation the previous occupants may have developed.
Choose an empty building or a going-out-of-business location that is not a tea cafe.
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
11. STOCK MAINTANENCE
Develop relationships with tea vendors and select 10 teas that will be offered on a daily
basis.
Limiting the stock can help build clientele as too many choices can overwhelm a
customer.
Ten tea varieties provides options without being overwhelming.
Also identify 80 to 100 tea blends that can be ordered as needed and use them to offer five
daily specialty blends.
Coordinate the specialty blends with seasons, holidays and other occasions.
Also stock pastries and crackers that can be paired with the teas.
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
12. DECORATIONS
Ambiance is everything in tea cafes.
Pattern the entire decor around a theme or eclectic pattern and install couches, chairs and
stools that encourage relaxation and conversation.
Individually placed lamps work better than bright overhead lighting.
For plans to cater to the business crowd, a modern, quiet, theme works best so customers
can meet at tea house to conduct job interviews and business meetings.
Alternatively, the college crowd will migrate to a tea house that provides upbeat music
and a fun, playful theme.
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
13. SIGNATURE
Invent a signature tea blend.
Invite friends and family members over to spend a day trying different blend
combinations.
When someone represents my cafe, name it and make it the cafe's signature tea.
RENTING
Rent or purchase necessary equipment, including linens, tea cups, silverware and pastry
dishes.
Renting allows to change patterns at will with a phone call or email while purchasing
reduces monthly overhead.
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
14. INSURANCE
Insurance for the building, stock and liability are minimum cafe ownership requirements.
RECRUITING STAFFS
Place ads in local papers and online.
Define in the ads what the job entails, what it pays and what, if any, experience you require of
applicants to reduce the number of unqualified applicants.
Part-time workers do not typically expect benefits while full-time workers often seek out
positions that offer health insurance and annual paid vacations.
Full-time employees are typically easier to schedule because there are fewer to juggle.
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
15. OPENING
A soft opening, which is a quiet opening without a lot of fanfare, allows myself to test drive the
cafe and its products before making a splash with a grand opening.
Some businesses also have a VIP night, during which relatives of employees, area dignitaries
and vendors are invited to spend the evening sampling products free-of-charge and providing
feedback on the experience.
The grand opening is typically planned for a few weeks after the soft opening and includes
plenty of advertising. Grand openings are meant to announce the successful opening of my
teastop.
Ask a local radio station to broadcast from my location during the grand opening.
Pay a fee so that the tea stop is advertised on the radio constantly for an entire shift.
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2
16. MARKETING
Design a website that describes your business, includes a calendar of events and a photo
album of fun events that occur.
A social network site page gathers followers who will place my business's page on their
pages, thereby reaching all of their contacts.
Advertisements in local print media and on radio and television stations also reach
potential customers depending on the chosen venue and ad spot timing.
THE TEA STOP SUSITRA.A/EVERSHINE/T8M2