# Various Question about Crepes business, help needed



## pechemignon (Jan 14, 2015)

Hi Everyone,

We are 2 french expat living in london, we're currently working on new business, I am planning to be a casual trader (only weekend at first) on a market in London and I have severals questions on various subject, I'm opening this business with a friend of mine who is chef, I didn't go to chef school but I have been working in catering for about 5years however none of us have experience on crepes.

We are getting ready to start and last weekend we did a little "simulation" in our garden, just to train ourselves and see how we do, the results wasn't a desaster but it wasn't great enough either, we still need to improve a lot of small but important things

I am hoping that someone experienced will be able to help & advise us ... : 

We currently have 1 crepe griddle Krampouz (CGBIK4AC)

- How do you check that the griddle is at the right temperature ? So far we have been setting it to 5 and I thought that it would always stay at the same temperature but I'm not sure that it really does, is there any tips for this ? I understand that depending on the weather we'll have to keep on adjusting the temperature but I just don't know how we should check.

- Where can we buy the patented spreader (easycrepe) I've only seen the spreader kit which contains it but I don't need the other bits ...  (I did have some difficulties to evenly spread the crepe mix so I was thinking about trying with that as it seems easier)

- What is an acceptable/common length of time to make 1 crepe ? (I feel like we're being too slow for now, we're taking about 5mn/crepe)

- Do we have to purchase a specific fire resistant table cloth or is there something that we can put between the table & the crepe griddle to operate in a safe environment. (as or table cloth is partially made of plastic I'm afraid that it will burn) or is there an health & safety requirement ?

- Our griddle is 40", how big should the ladle be for us to be able to do one crepe with one full ladle ? At the moment we had to put about 1 + 1/2 to have the good amount .. (or maybe is it easier with a jug ? what your opinions ?) 

- How can we keep the Nutella warm & runny so it's easy to spread on the crepe ? (it gets really hard as we work from a market stall.

- As we only have one griddle for now, I was thinking about making a few crepes in advance so we can have a quickest turnaround when/if it gets busy, do you think rewarming them will work ? I did see a lot of creperie doing the same in Paris would I have to turn down the temperature to the minimum to allow the stuffing to get warm without burning the crepe ... ?

- I'm looking for a good&cheap website/place to purchase the few remaining missing pieces of equipment (squeezy bottles, pallet knife, jugs, etc ... )

- On the administrative part, would anyone have some good template that we could use to calculate the cost of 1 day in the market & how much we should sell to cover the cost, 1 to record all our spendings & Benefices so we can easily complete a tax return when needed. More generally I just need a lot of advices on this part, what to keep, what to record, how & when ... ? 

Below is our menu so far (3sweet crepes & 3 savoury), I want to keep it good but as simple as possible for now can you please give me your feedback ? We won't keep the filling hot they will just be stored in containers (gastro) and that's one of the raison why it takes up to 5mn to finish a crepe I want to make sure the filling is piping hot ! any advices on that ? Another problem I have with the tuna crepe is that some of the tomato sauce sometime make it through the crepe and touch the griddle, I do clean it afterward but will that be an issue in regard to the health & safety regulations ? Same question for the fact that I'm using the same griddle to do both sweets & savoury pancakes ... 

I also need to find solution to stop some of the filling from dripping, especially the tuna & the mushrooms (as they're quite moist) ...

Sweet :

Lemon Sugar

Nutella Banana

Jam (Strawberry)

Savoury :

Tuna Bolognaise Mozarella

Egg, Chicken, Emmental, Mushrooms

Emmental, Mozarella, Blue Cheese

Sorry for the long text and the tonnes of questions (I actually have more things to ask but I'll stop there for now !) thanks in advance for your help


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

For openers, search this forum: there have been dozens of threads about starting a crepes business.

Mike

Well, it's _seemed_ like dozens


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## pechemignon (Jan 14, 2015)

Thanks Mike I did that research before posting, found a few tips about the Nutella but that's about it ...


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

Most of your questions are answered in this video. There are probably more since this is nr. 3 out of 4.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Forgive me for some negativity... but your questions are so basic I wonder if you are really ready, or if you are partnered with the right chef.

Regarding the menu... why only strawberry jam?  Jam is inexpensive and easy to store so offering multiple flavors should be considered.  Also, why just lemon... consider orange too.  Same logic.  The savory offerings just don't appeal to me, except maybe the 3-cheese crepe.  And if I ever saw crepes being pre-made... I'd walk always very fast!


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

ChrisBelgium said:


> Most of your questions are answered in this video. There are probably more since this is nr. 3 out of 4.


Nice!

Link to all episodes (except 4/4 it seems): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC3gCZK46eEshVHqqp-wrdQ


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## pechemignon (Jan 14, 2015)

Thanks for your input, negative or not a feedback is always good to take, regarding the videos, I have already seen them all and I even talked to the person who made them as I bought my equipment from Pancake World, I don't think they answer my questions but I'll have another look in case I missed something ... 

Not sure if I'm ready yet but I will be, that's exactly why I'm asking questions  

Thanks again


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Here are a few suggestions on some of your questions.

Great thing you tested this out before going public
As for testing the surface temp of your griddle I suggest an infrared laser there are inexpensive and highly accurate.
If you are using this griddle outside is your area heated? If not you will need to heat your area (obviously in the cold months only). I have a similar problem roasting coffee outside the temp of the roaster does not stay consistent in the colder months. Also, keep in mind that each time you introduce product to the surface it will cool the griddle. I would try prepping a crepe and start out by testing the temp of the griddle before, after and then how long it takes to heat back up to that temp.
You should have your griddle raised on a heat resistant surface preferably a stainless steel for sanitation purposes.
For the nutella keeping it warm keep get a small baine marie (steam table) or hot plate and place this in one stainless steel container in another with hot water. Does that make senses?
As for pre-making your crepes you should be able to we used to do this for desserts but, you do lose some of the charm of having the crepe prepared in front of you.
As for your food cost you MUST figure this out before you even get started. This is a pretty straight forward process of coming up with a recipe and making 10 crepes and costing out the ingredients and coming up with what you need to make a profit. Don't forget overhead (electricity, gas, labor).
I hope this helps you but I must add this. Your chef should know this, all of it and you should not be opening up this business if you have to find out on an internet forum how to do this. I personally would question whether you have the right chef for the job. They may be someone who knows how to make tasty crepes but what you are looking for is so much more.

Regards,


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Crepes are nice, but......

For me it's all about the surface area.

The crepe grills are rather large, so many places can't afford the space for more than 3 or max 4 grills.

But you can only do one crepe at a time per grill, and usually about 5-7 mins per crepe depending on the complexity and ingredients.  You also have to stand watch over the grills.

For me, it's just not viable as the mainstay of the business.  As a compliment to coffee, pastries, drinks, and maybe bistro items yes, but not as the main menu.

Just my thoughts....


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## pechemignon (Jan 14, 2015)

Nicko said:


> Here are a few suggestions on some of your questions.
> 
> Great thing you tested this out before going public (thanks I will definitely make a few more tests before starting)
> As for testing the surface temp of your griddle I suggest an infrared laser there are inexpensive and highly accurate. (Oh really good tip, that will surely help me !)
> ...


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## pechemignon (Jan 14, 2015)

I see your point, I will have some other small things like cakes & sweets on sale on the side so we'll see how it goes 

THanks


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

@PecheMignon I think you are smart to be a bit of a control freak in the beginning. Many food operations fail simple because people don't do their due diligence and understand their costs and logistics. I highly recommend many practice runs with your friends before going public. Then do a soft opening and test out your concept. You may not have the recipes where they need to be and have to tweak them a bit so they are perfect.

One thing about crepes is they are a relatively low food cost item and if you are smart you can make money. Have you figured out how many crepes a day you need to sell to break even? This is key because then you can measure at what point of the day you break even does it take 3 hours on a Monday but only 1 hour on a Saturday. This will give you a way to gauge your best money making times and slow periods.


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## fablesable (Oct 11, 2014)

@PecheMignon I lived in London for a couple of years and can see how the crepe thing would be received well. I would also add to what the others have suggested to you......get out to the markets where there are fresh crepe makers. Watch and learn as to what they are doing that you like and dislike, how long they take, ask tons of questions from them as you stand there waiting for your crepe. These are the people to ask as they eat, live and breathe the business. Also ask around the marketplace and some of the people you know as to where they get their favourite crepes and why they like them. This lets you see first hand as to whether the crepe business is a good one for you. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

PecheMignon said:


> I see your point, I will have some other small things like cakes & sweets on sale on the side so we'll see how it goes
> 
> THanks


Not quite.

Let me put it you another way...

Most commercial crepe griddles are around 15-16" in dia, and let's say you have three of them.

Let's say you sell a savoury crepe, say chicken & mushroom for $9.00, or maybe a dessert crepe for $7.00

You can only do three crepes in a 10 min period, say $27.00

However you could fit 4 burger patties per griddle, say you sold your burger for $7.00

12 burgers @ $7.00 = $84.00

PER ten minute period

Granted, you can jazz your savoury crepe up with a salad or some whizz-bang sauce and increase the cheque average, but you can still only do 3 crepes per 10 minute period.

Do you see where I'm getting at?


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

The griddle question's and economics aside:

In a previous post on this subject a well respected chef said that in no way were crepes good for take out unless consumed within the hour, let alone overnighting in the fridge.  Well, I think that is rather relative.

You can go into a lot of Ramen places that do not offer takeout, will not package leftovers for you, and tell you outright they frown on anyone bringing their own containers to do so.  "Our noodles must be eaten fresh or they turn into a rancid pumpkin," or some such objection.

Well I love Ramen dishes, but simply do not eat noodles in such quantities as you see in the usual bowl of ramen.  So I eventually defied the lunch staff's objections and brought a tuppy to take the noodles home in.  My wife thought they were fabulous, even after sitting in the fridge for 2 days.

So perhaps consider letting people treat crepes as most any other food for takeout, although you could warn them of the "loss of perfection" should they allow them to linger a while before consuming.

Rick


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## pechemignon (Jan 14, 2015)

foodpump said:


> Not quite.
> 
> Let me put it you another way...
> 
> ...


Yes I clearly see the limitation ! however I'm hoping that crepes will be more attracting than burgers, and hopefully the cakes etc will make up for it. We have a few more try planned then we'll start so I'll keep y'all posted !


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