Kenny Lao

Cold Pressed Juice Branding

How to build a strong cold pressed juice concept.

By Kenny Lao, Culinary Task Force

I’ve had the honor of speaking with loads of folks and companies who are interested in opening up their own restaurant concepts. I always learn just as much from them as I hope they learn from me! Recently I have seen and worked with a bunch of clients that want to add a cold-pressed juice component to their brand or to open up a stand-alone juice program. Here are some of the most common pieces of advice I give folks when they are considering opening up a restaurant or juice concept.

Think about your life and how you want to live it.

I know this sounds kind of general but this is super important to the success of your concept. While restaurants and cold-pressed juice concepts are not rocket science, they require tenacity and commitment. Think about how you can leverage your energy, commitment and passion to make your idea a success but also how you can maintain a balanced life while doing so. You don’t want to get a few years into this and not want to handle it any longer. For success you shouldn’t think about how you fit into the restaurant but instead how the restaurant fits into your life. The best thing you can do to gain insight into whether or not you enjoy the lifestyle of owning a juice concept is to get a job at a juice bar that you respect. Gaining that hourly experience will help you understand what the day to day is really like. “You only choose a logo once but you will clean the front windows all the time.”

 Timing is everything.

The most important thing that I have been able to do for my clients is to assist them in their management of the development and opening of their concept. Having a solid plan, creating a realistic (and specific) timeline for making decisions and knowing when to focus on mission critical tasks can be the difference between opening on-time and on-budget and opening late and over budget.

 Know yourself.

What do you bring to the table? Do you have a depth of experience in the restaurant field but no juice experience? Do you come from a branding background? Do you have strong financial acumen? Whatever your strengths, know what they are and know what areas you need to fill in when you are looking for a team. One of the most important things I can impart to clients is that there are so many skills and facets to running a successful juice bar concept that it is difficult to find one person who possesses all of those skills. I can help identify folks who would be able to assist you and fill out your team.

Brand and concept.

Figure out your brand on your time, not after you start paying rent on a space. Honing a brand means not just coming up with a logo and a tag line but really understanding the story behind a brand. That includes understanding why you want to do the project, understanding not just your market but where your market is headed. You want to develop your brand without time constraints and when you do find a location you want to be able to crank open as soon as possible.

If you have any questions I am happy to speak with you to discuss how Culinary Task Force can help you open a focused juice and/or food and beverage program with the highest potential for long-term success. Happy juicing and keep it cool!

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Comments

mango juice

Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing. Mango Juice Keep Posting:)

Nov 26, 2014