A new £200,000 bakery-hybrid concept is to open next year, with a further 12 openings planned throughout the UK by 2018.
CaekMafia will launch Bake n’Grape in Chelmsford, Essex as a bakery and restaurant. It will introduce technology that allows customers to pre-order, via mobile devices, before they reach the shop, in order to appeal to commuters.
The 6,000sq ft premises will contain an on-site bakery and open kitchen. It will look to employ five to six bakers, as well as run an apprenticeship scheme.
Chris Windram, managing director of the firm, previously worked in software. He said: “What struck me was that the café and restaurant sector is one of the few not affected by today’s mobile technology.
“Why can’t consumers click onto their phones and pre order their coffee? This saves the hassle of queuing. We have designed an app and a website so our customers will be able to do this.”
The bakery will work arm-in-arm with the café and the bar. It will bake breads and cakes, but will also pair breads with champagnes.
Freshness and quality
Windram continued: “We want to bring back freshness, and offer more than a par-baked loaf or pastry. All our recipes will be made from scratch, and the new bakery gives us flexibility to bring back speciality loaves and sourdoughs.”
Windram said the new venture has young professionals as its target market, especially in the evening, but hopes to attract families too. He expects to make about £250,000 in profit over the first 12 months.
The new bakery hopes to open between March and April in 2015, with ambitions for a further 12 by 2018.
Windram said he would look to places which were similar to Chelmsford and lacking in fresh bakeries, such as Brentwood. He also said the third opening would be somewhere in London, before the firm expanded back out again.
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