New Play Cafe on Northcote Road? Post Reply

[kiwimummy]

Wow some really good advice from Maria of Eddie Catz.

I really liked Eat Play Love when I went during the week but I had a HORRIBLE time there on a weekend. We booked a table for 6, and there was a party in the party room. The doors to the party room were open and the music was so loud that it made it impossible to talk in the main part of the café. the kids in the party (ages 6-8, I thought) were running around the tables and soft play area and back into the party room. we left when two boys started fighting at the next table, as my two are much smaller and were scared. I tried to complain about the volume of the music in the main café but gave up when the person behind the counter couldn't hear me. I'd never go back as i was so cross about how the space was managed. I expect noise in a children's café but this was something else.

Soooo, if you were thinking of doing parties - please make sure they're under control!

[CBW7779]

Just wanted to add to this thread to say that we will definitely be visiting Eddie Catz having seen Maria's post, how kind to take the time out to give such detailed advice and insight. Also wanted to say that I can't understand criticism of the food at EPL, it has always been fab when I have gone and I think the staff are very helpful. For what it's worth I think that a play cafe with a decent sized soft play area and reasonably maintained toys and books could probably charge around 2/3£ per family given what people seem tobspend on some playgroups and classes around here. But I'm not sure that income plus the takings from coffee and cake or even a wider menu would pay for itself on Northcote Road though given all the fixed costs of running this type of business, particularly if busyness fluctuated from week to week. My vote would be for something on a less busy street, as I think most mums are so used to going some distances for classes and play dates...? Good luck!

[CBW7779]

Ps I'm afraid I wouldn't come with my two if there were screens/iPads everywhere! Sorry to be a Luddite!

[kcai]

I don't travel over to Northcote Rd very often and my views are going to be pretty different than others aired in this thread - so take my post with a grain of salt, I guess.

I would absolutely love a cafe with some toys. BUT I don't want to see another pseudo soft-play slash cafe slash "some activities held here for an extra price" place.

If I want soft play I take the kids to Eddie Catz or Its A Kids Thing. Great places, but I can't afford to go as often as I would to a cafe. In a cafe what I want is 15-30 minutes of sitting around, drinking tea/coffee, having a nibble, maybe getting some reading done or chatting to a friend if I've come accompanied.

I loved the Crumpet on Bellevue Rd and went there often, although as others have pointed out they went downhill near the end with battered, dirty toys. Right now, my cafe of choice with young children is Belle Amie on Garratt Lane - they have great coffee and loose leaf tea, good pastries (haven't yet tried the food so can't speak to that) and the back room has some simple toys to play with.

It sounds like what you're proposing is a kind of hybrid between full-on soft play and somewhere like Crumpet/Belle Amie. I think you need to consider customers other than mothers with children - do you plan to cater to them as well? Take-out coffee for example? Wi-fi?

If I were to open a kid-friendly cafe (and I don't plan to - that's not my cuppa tea ), I would keep the play area small - maybe even not have a "play area" at all, but two "stations" the kids can float between to separate them a bit and prevent huddling. I'd have a train table with a ton of wooden trains (Thomas is almost always a hit with many children), and I'd have something like a wooden kitchen area with lots of play food.

I'd look at buying top-grade stuff, maybe even stuff designed for hospital waiting rooms or other similar high-traffic places, since it'll be very cleanable. No "loud" toys that will bother customers without children. And maybe a separate revenue-maker if you have the space - gumball machine or something, or one of those ride-on toys that cost 50p a go.

Best of luck in your venture

[snowpea]

I hope any childrens play cafe would not allow dogs please. HUGE one in play cafe nearby recently, I don't care if it is a 'nice one' with little ones running around with food. If the USP is a safe play/eat/environment this is NOT appropriate.

Will visit Eddie Catz, thank you!

[twice_as_nice]

unfortunately rents at northcote road are prohibitively high. Have you looked into the costs of them? Also, fit out costs are extremely high too - apparently chain coffee shops tend can spend around £250k on fit outs - so it's a massive risk in the first few (many?) years. Great advice from Eddie cats...agree really nice of Maria to post and very interesting to read.

to midwifemummy - yes the costs of a cup of coffee and cake are high on northcote rd (and other areas) but the rents are ridiculous. Trying to make ends meet let alone make a profit means that prices need to be high. Look at crumpet closing down - they did fairly good food, in a good play environment but closed down - I suspect because they couldn't make the money to make it work (I don't know so please correct me if I'm wrong, anyone in the know).

Much better to have higher priced independents otherwise northcote road will turn into a bland street of chain restaurants that can afford the high costs and fit out.

I think it's really unfair and inaccurate to say that the independent businesses in the area are taking mums for a ride. Running an independent business is bloomin hard work and I can't imagine anyone is making their millions from it.

[Sandimous]

I would love to have a kiddie cafe on North Cote.

I think the kid's cafes I have seen in the area aren't offering as much as they could and are missing out on opportunities to make more money.

You could sell fresh packed lunches that people could quickly pick up on the way to school - maybe offer a card where they buy 10 or 20 at once and just need to show the card to pick one up quickly in the morning. Also, do a family dinner service in the early evening. Not enough good places for a mom or sitter to go with young kids for dinner. More healthy snack options for both moms and kids. Do low fat options for mums so they can have a healthier snack when they buy their coffee. Offer deals - cards so you get a free something with every 10 coffees - other offers that encourage people to buy more.

Offer to host PTA meetings and other groups that meet after school drop off or new mum's groups. Give a discount for groups that meet regularly in your space or other incentive.

I spend a fortune at kiddie cafes and have for years. There are so many times I want to spend more - but they aren't offering what I need - packed lunches to go available before school starts, good spots for dinner with kids, a place to buy coffee that rewards me for buying lots of them with a frequent buying card program. Also lots of kid food places have awful food so I avoid them, or go anyway and am unhappy with the food and order less than I normally would.

Do keep everything very clean and repair and replace everything that breaks.

-S

[Sandimous]

Forgot to say - don't forget the free wiifi.