Can an old style butcher shop succeed in today's supermarket culture?!
Answers: This is a business idea i've been thinking about for a while. I've been working a line for 15 years, calling myself a chef for 7 of those years. I'm not afraid of hard work and i love working with food, but i need a break from working on the line everyday before i cut somebody.
This would depend really on the kind of area you are in(?) and the kind of product you are going to sell.
If you are in high end urban or suburban setting and you can stock a lot of high quality products and you can stock organic meats along with fish and shell fish you could do very well for yourself because high end people can afford it and in fact "demand" high quality food. This usually means organic and only the highest quality. In fact people in the high end urban and suburban areas are clamoring for such a thing. Plus they are going to appreciate the serive and any cooking advice you can give them. There will be many customers who will want to establish a relationship with you as the "go to" guy for the best products and service. (You are going to really need to delivery the goods on only the highest quality products and impeckable service.)
On the other hand if you are in a small town, a rural area or a "poor" section of I big city I do not think it would work out as well. In these settings the people do not have the type of money needed to buy high end products and do not have the inclination to buy on the high end anyways. They would just assume go to the super market because costs count in these kinds of settings. (Nothing derogatory towards poor people meant.)
A friend of mine runs an old style meat market and a seperate fish market and makes a fortune! His shops are located in Santa Monica, Ca which is a high end area of Los Angeles.
So there you have it if you are in a wealthy urban or suburban area it is likely to work out well for you. If not then it might be a struggle.
Yes, it's possible, but only under the proper conditions. If you live in a relatively wealthy area where the grocery stores don't have good meat selections, and you can find a supplier that will supply you at a decent price, then you might be successful. It will really be hit or miss, and you should hire a business analyst to tell you if it's feasible or not before you put up an investment.
Yes it can! We have a shop like that here in town called the Meat Market. They do special cuts, and sell "top grade" fresh meat. I think they get a lot of business because they are right across the street from our two main grocery stores. Wal-mart and Kroger. If you could set your shop up like that, then I'm sure the shop will really take off. They also lower the prices of "seasonal" meat around this time of year to match that of the chain stores. Turkeys, hams, brisket........you get the idea. Good luck to you!
I don't see why not. Great product at a good price. People will pay for what they want.....look at the price of coffee.
First I would make sure the market is there. Are there other shops with similar items in the area? People love "one-stop-shop", but if the markets don't have what they want, they will beat down your door. Good luck.
Located in the right area and as long as you are providing a good service with good quality meats I think it's a great idea.
My sister had the same idea as you (we were both cooks/chefs; she created a home cleaning business and I am a social worker--go figure). She decided against it partly because she thought her part of the world (the south suburbs of Mpls/St Paul, MN) had enough butcher shops. I never loved meat enough to do it full-time.
I think you must go ethnic, or find a very upscale, established neighborhood. Your shop will be as much about creating relationships as it will be about the meat. So you need a shop where people like doing or need to do business this way.
Immigrant groups often have special wishes that cannot be met at the grocery store. Upscale neighborhoods are full of people with lotsa money, plenty of spare time, and a general hankering for a personal touch when they do business.
The upscale neighborhood can't be trendoid, because those kinda people don't cook so much--they would be happier with prepared foods, like a deli. It also can't be a new upscale neighborhood, like many new suburban neighborhoods, because those people are often in hock up to their eyeballs.
Cut meat, not people.
I don't have an answer except to say I really hope you succeed. And congradulations on having the guts to open your own store. Just use good advertising. Good Luck!!!
Of course, there are butcher shops all over. A lot of different cuts cannot be found in a regular supermarket.
Yes, i would visit a butcher over the supermarket any day. Only a select few supermarkets carry really high quality pieces of meat. And the advice of a butcher can be very valuable.
Yes , I believe it is a great idea. We have a wonderful butcher shop/grocery store here and people travel for miles to buy their meat there. You can check it out at www.stoneridge.com I buy my meat cuts at stoneridge because it is fresh and I get what I am paying for.No bad cuts, If I don't see what I want in the butcher case ( which isn't often ) I can ask for a different cut. Meat from the chain stores has no flavor and usually tastes old to me.