Juice Bar Business Plan Sample

Executive summary

Concept

There’s nothing like nature to cure all that ails you. At Juice'd, we blend fresh fruits, vegetables, and superfoods into delicious juices and smoothies with powerful health benefits. Owner Daphne Kim is a certified nutritionist trained in holistic medicine. We want to create a third space where the people in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood can come together to enjoy the healing properties of the juice.

Mission statement

The mission of Juice'd is to foster a community in Chicago centered around health, nutrition, and, of course, good juice. We will use the best seasonal ingredients we can find to create the best-tasting juices in the city. We will work with our customers to create customized juice cleanses for the optimal juicing experience. 

Menu

Juice'd will offer juices, smoothies, and bowls made with seasonal fruits, vegetables, and assorted superfoods, plus optional nutritional boosts. We will work with customers to create custom juice cleanse programs. We will also serve assorted healthy snacks that are vegan, kosher, and halal. All food and beverages will be available to enjoy in our cafe or to take away.

Market

Rogers Park is an eclectic neighborhood on Chicago’s far north side with a diverse population of immigrants, old hippies, and students from Loyola University. Stretching along Lake Michigan, Rogers Park has many beaches and an almost tropical atmosphere in the summer. Home to 54,000 residents and accessible to Chicago’s 2.6 million, Rogers Park presents lots of opportunities for new business ventures.

Financing

The restaurant’s founders will invest in the restaurant’s success, but they will also have to seek SBA loans, outside investments, and business lines of credit to bring this vision to life.

Company overview

Juice bar concept

Juice'd is a casual juice bar that focuses on seasonal ingredients to create refreshing, healthy beverages and snacks for everyone. The menu builds from fresh fruits and vegetables, mixed with superfoods and protein boosters. Our staff will develop a selection of seasonal smoothies, cold-pressed juices, and bowls, as well as signature drinks and custom juice cleanses offered year-round.

Juice'd will make fresh fruits and vegetables accessible to less-adventurous eaters who are on a budget. We will blend them in unexpected and inventive ways to make delicious, healthy drinks.

We know that Juice bars aren’t novel. However, we will stand out from the competition with an approachable ethos that invites everyone to embrace the wonders of fresh fruit drinks, not just hardcore gym-goers. We will offer pre-bottled drinks and smoothie mixes to go to appeal to the growing off-premises market.  

Juice bar service model

Juice'd will rely on a counter-service model for in-person orders. We will also take orders for pickup and delivery on our website. Servers will work as a team to provide guests with attentive yet casual service and help them create custom drinks or juice cleanse plans.

Sample menu

• Cold-pressed juices and juice blends

• Smoothies

• Acai bowls

• Oatmeal

• Toasts topped with fruit, avocados, and other seasonal ingredients

• Custom juice cleanses

• Add-ins and supplements, including superfoods, protein blends, and CBD

• Grab-and-go juices and snacks

• Make-at-home smoothie kits

Design and layout

Juice'd will have a combination of booths, small tables, and counter seats. Large picture windows will let in plenty of sunlight during the day, which will also allow us to decorate with real plants. The dining area will offer a view of our prep kitchen so customers can watch us press our juices.

The staff will wear canvas aprons over branded t-shirts, with slip-resistant shoes.

Management team

Owner - Daphne Kim – 20 years of industry experience, including 15 years as a nutritionist. Responsibilities include financing, administration, marketing, social media management, hiring, recipe research and development, menu pricing, and shopping. She will work with an accountant on financial planning.

General Manager - Responsibilities include hiring staff, scheduling, ordering, inventory, and recipe research and development.

Industry analysis

Located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Juice'd will attract a combination of local foot traffic and visitors from other neighborhoods and the nearby town of Evanston.

Target market

The population of Rogers Park is large and diverse, composed of people of many nationalities, races, and income levels, plus a substantial student population from Loyola University. The population has varied tastes and demands for convenient, healthy, and independent alternatives to chains. We aim to attract locals from all sectors of the community.

Juice'd aims to serve customers who want a welcoming third place and busy commuters who want healthy, delicious beverages and snacks on the go. Because Chicago is so densely populated, many are still wary of returning to in-person dining. So we will offer pre-made grab-and-go options and make-at-home smoothie kits. 

Market positioning

There are numerous juice bars in Chicago, but almost none as far north as Rogers Park. Juice'd strives to give the people of Rogers Park the same access to good juice that people in other neighborhoods have.

In addition to serving custom drinks, Juice'd will also offer make-at-home smoothies available for pickup or delivery, an option unavailable in most other juice bars.

All Juice'd employees will be trained in nutrition and able to work with customers to create custom juice cleanse programs.

Location analysis

Rogers Park was recently ranked by Money magazine as one of the top five places to live in the U.S. A tight-knit, friendly neighborhood, Rogers Park supports independent businesses and - with access to Chicago’s public transportation system - it draws many new residents.

Rogers Park is home to 54,000 residents, many of whom work from home. There is a healthy mix of apartments and single-family homes in the neighborhood.

Rogers Park is beautiful and walkable. The location of Juice'd’s is therefore accessible to foot traffic and even to Lake Michigan beaches. It is also located on the CTA red line and several bus lines, so Juice'd will be reachable for most of the city’s 2.6 million residents, plus the 77,000 in nearby Evanston.

Competitive analysis

Marketing plan

Juice'd will work to build a community of guests through customer loyalty and personable, individualized service.

Customer database

When guests order through our website, we will collect their email addresses and ask if they would like to sign up for marketing emails. Customers will also be able to sign up for promotional emails on our website and social media pages, along with in person at the juice bar. Emails will be used to advertise new menu items and special deals.

Loyalty program

Each dollar spent at Juice’d, including online orders, will be converted into a point for our loyalty system. Customers will be able to exchange points for free drinks or add-ons. The loyalty system will be attached to a customer’s email address. That will allow us to collect emails for our marketing databases.

Community and charity involvement

At Juice’d, we are committed to the community. That’s why we will partner with A Just Harvest, a local community group that fights poverty in Rogers Park by providing nutritious meals and cultivating community and economic development. Juice’d will work in partnership with A Just Harvest to donate any food we can’t use to avoid food waste. In addition, we will also make a point of hiring our staff from within the community.

Public relations

Rogers Park has a robust economic development plan, and the Rogers Park Business Alliance hosts a website - rpba.org - that features local restaurants and events in the neighborhood. The owner has developed a relationship with the Business Alliance and the neighborhood’s alderwoman. The opening of Juice’d will be featured on rpba.org and listed on the site’s restaurant page.

Juice’d will also participate in the weekly farmer’s market and the Glenwood Avenue Arts Festival, where hundreds of artists from around the country show and sell their work. Juice’d will operate a booth that sells bottled juices and generate brand recognition.

Advertising and social media

Juice’d is a juice bar of the 21st century. While our priority is building a local community of fruit and vegetable lovers, we will also use social media to advertise and generate interest in the restaurant. Our restaurant space will be bright with natural light during the day, complimented by its earthy decor and natural plants to create a picture-perfect setting. Our Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok pages will be filled with curated photos of our juices, smoothies, and bowls to amass a local and worldwide following, generating new customers.

Additionally, we will rely on local word-of-mouth marketing and consistent foot traffic in Rogers Park. Our service will be uniquely personable and the staff will be trained to build community rather than just making sales to attract and retain a regular customer base. Our customers will be encouraged to grow the community by sharing their experiences on Yelp, Google, and Instagram.

Operations plan

Staffing and training

There are three critical roles to fill in Juice’d: the general manager and three shift managers. We will also hire about 15 counter servers.

Staff training will take place in the months leading up to the restaurant’s opening. The owner and general manager will conduct interviews to hire the shift managers and counter servers, at least half of whom will come from the neighborhood.

Recruitment

To recruit skilled staff members, we will use Indeed.com, Ziprecruiter.com, and the Rogers Park online job board and Facebook page. Our hiring process will be selective; we want every member of the team to be committed to building community in the restaurant.

Interview questions

1. What are your career goals?

2. How would your previous employer describe you?

3. Describe how you work as part of a team. What role are you comfortable in on the team?

4. What is one of your biggest accomplishments?

5. When are you available to work?

6. What challenged you the most in your last job?

7. What is your favorite smoothie? How would you describe it to a guest?

8. How do you handle conflict with coworkers?

9. How do you handle conflict with customers?

10. What skills do you see as necessary for success in this role?

Job descriptions

General manager: 

The general manager is responsible for overseeing operations in the juice bar. The day-to-day duties of the general manager include hiring and training, recipe development and testing, ordering inventory, and scheduling staff. They are also involved in marketing campaigns. 

Shift manager:

The shift manager works closely with the general manager to oversee operations. They will supervise staff when the owner and general manager are not present. Their duties include hiring, overseeing production, quality control, and customer care.

Counter server:

Our counter servers will take orders, collect payments, press juices, assemble smoothies and bowls, sanitize cookware and service ware, and keep both the food prep and dining areas clean and organized. They should be able to answer any questions about the menu and ingredients with a strong understanding of how to handle dietary restrictions.

Work health and safety standards

To make Juice’d as safe a working environment as possible for everyone, we will implement the following health and safety procedures.

• Everyone will wear proper protective equipment, clothing, and slip-resistant footwear.

• To avoid injury on the job, all staff will be trained on how to move heavy objects - like boxes - and how to handle the extremely hot or cold temperatures of the juice bar.

• Management staff will work to create safe practices and procedures, removing potential hazards to employees and guests.

• All staff will work together to communicate guests’ dietary restrictions and avoid cross-contamination of products. 

• Staff will not be expected to work when ill - management will help to get shifts covered and keep the restaurant running smoothly so that the pressure doesn’t fall on ill employees.

• Juice’d will follow all local health guidelines and restrictions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staffing model

Juice’d operates on a profit share model where a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Juice’d Community Fund, which gives money to local individuals, families, and organizations in need. This model will foster goodwill in the community. All non-management employees will be hourly employees.

• Shift managers will make a base hourly rate of $22/hour. 

• Counter servers will be paid $12/hour plus shared tips. 

• All employees will be eligible for raises with each satisfactory employee evaluation, conducted once per quarter.

Customer service policies and procedures

Three principles will guide guest service at Juice’d:

1. Community. The first goal of customer service is to make each guest feel like part of the community while they are at the juice bar. Staff will be friendly, welcoming, and attentive to guest needs. They will offer detailed answers to questions and invite customers to participate in the entire juice experience.

2. Consistency. The staff will work to provide a consistent experience for each customer. Everyone on the floor - from cashiers to juicers - will be warm, patient, and informative.

3. Compassion. All guests have different needs, and our service staff will be trained to handle different kinds of customers and various dietary needs with compassion and care. We will ask follow-up questions and make notes in our guest database about dietary restrictions. When conflicts with guests arise, servers will lead with patience and understanding to de-escalate and make the experience memorable.

Suppliers

Juice’d will work with several local farms and producers to source seasonal produce.

For restaurant supplies, we will develop a relationship with the local restaurant supply company to have convenient access to the equipment and supplies that we need.

Financial analysis and growth plan

Investment plan

Owner Daphne Kim will invest personal savings of $75,000. She will also seek a 7(a) Small Business Association for $10,000 and outside investments of $15,000 from business owners and entrepreneurs in the Rogers Park community. Total startup funds equal $100,000. $10,000 will be retained for contingency funds and the remaining $90,000 will be used as startup funds.

Outside investors will be pitched a 15% return-on-investment, for a total of $75,000/annually, once the business becomes profitable. The owner and executive chef won’t take a salary until the restaurant becomes profitable, at which point they will cap their salaries at $90,000/year.

Business lines of credit will be sought for some expenses, such as initial orders for equipment, supplies, and ingredients. The owner will refuse any lines of credit above 5% interest.