Chinese Cafe in Helsinki

[BowenPoi]

I have bought a Cafe in Helsinki last month.

The Cafe used to sell some easy-cooking Chinese food and salad in Lounas time.

Now, I try to plus some real Chinese dishes like Chilikana,LemonDuck and so on in the Lounas Menu.

I take traditional cooking style of Hunan,China, not the same ways like other Chinese restaurant in "Finese Style"

However,neither the new customers not come back after they ate the Chinese food, nor the old customers not come again.

I ask some Finish friend to try my dishes, all of them tell me delicious.

So, there are the problem.
Does the Finish people like Cafe with Chinese dishes lunch?

Which kind of Chinese food fit for Finish (traditional or Finese)

Should I keep going and waiting customers back or given up?

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

Why not ask your new customers for comments and improvement suggestions? They probably are the ones with the most insight (if the customers of the old restaurant aren't visiting your place). In general it would be good to offer an easy way to give feedback, from which you can learn. It could be a myriad of issues people not having visited can only guess; food quality (poorly cooked, cold, unappetizing, running out), menu (dishes not to customers' taste, not enough variety), pricing, cleanliness, atmosphere, staff,...

There are plenty of Chinese (or quasi-Chinese) restaurants offering lunch, meaning there's at least some level of interest in the cuisine, you could visit them to see what the competition is doing.

[Rosamunda]

Are you charging more than the previous owner?
Price is important for lunch time menus.
How much is your buffet?

[AldenG]

For this kind of daily dining, customers rarely appreciate innovation or art. They want the same old unoriginal stuff they're used to, which is boring for you. But that's usually where success lies.

Sometimes a whole new type of lunch restaurant can win favor, but that's more of a high-risk venture. It's harder to change the character of a place that already has a clientele. People see "Chinese" and they think and want the Finnese to which you refer.

If the old identity was successful, I would go back to the old menu but freshen the decor, the tableware, especially the loos (the worst part of most Chinese restaurants and many others, in my experience), the flooring, etc. Make it a nicer place to be, but with the food people expect. Maybe improve the look of the menu (photos, better design and construction) but with the familiar content. If you don't use table menus, apply those principles to your menu signs.

You can be much more adventurous with an evening restaurant, but it's still expensive and risky to switch over and requires the right location. And it remains difficult to overcome the clicheed expectations the minute people think "Chinese."

[AldenG]

And be sure that whoever deals directly with guests speaks the best Finnish you can hire. This is extremely important in making people feel comfortable.

If people really want your food or convenience, you can survive without that. Otherwise it usually makes a big difference.

I was surprised how well an Indian restaurant owner I spoke to was able to converse in Finnish. Sure he sounded Indian, but his language was more than good enough for the situation. It was good Finnish with a foreign accent, not the usual immigrant pidgin.

Some people just have the knack for Finnish and work hard at it. Others should pay for people who can make guests feel comfortable and understood.

[BowenPoi]

Why not ask your new customers for comments and improvement suggestions? They probably are the ones with the most insight (if the customers of the old restaurant aren't visiting your place). In general it would be good to offer an easy way to give feedback, from which you can learn. It could be a myriad of issues people not having visited can only guess; food quality (poorly cooked, cold, unappetizing, running out), menu (dishes not to customers' taste, not enough variety), pricing, cleanliness, atmosphere, staff,...

There are plenty of Chinese (or quasi-Chinese) restaurants offering lunch, meaning there's at least some level of interest in the cuisine, you could visit them to see what the competition is doing.

Not a Chinese restaurants but a Cafe with Chinese lunch. I have asked some customers, they all say Hyva. But I dont know whether it is true.

[BowenPoi]

Are you charging more than the previous owner?
Price is important for lunch time menus.
How much is your buffet?

No,not too much . The coffee and cake are the same with former owner. I cut down some salad which cost a lot of time to finish it but earn very little. Then I try to add some Chinese fast dishes in the lunch time menu. The chicken dishes cost 8.5eu Beef 9.5 eu and the shrimps are also 9.5

We are Cafe, we dont have buffet at lunch time

[tuttu]

sounds good.
i'd like to try it.
where is it?

[BowenPoi]

sounds good.
i'd like to try it.
where is it?

Café Truffel
Sibeliuksenkatu 5, 00250 Helsinki
open 10:00-21:00
lunch time 11:00-15:00

Welcome~

[BowenPoi]

For this kind of daily dining, customers rarely appreciate innovation or art. They want the same old unoriginal stuff they're used to, which is boring for you. But that's usually where success lies.

Sometimes a whole new type of lunch restaurant can win favor, but that's more of a high-risk venture. It's harder to change the character of a place that already has a clientele. People see "Chinese" and they think and want the Finnese to which you refer.

If the old identity was successful, I would go back to the old menu but freshen the decor, the tableware, especially the loos (the worst part of most Chinese restaurants and many others, in my experience), the flooring, etc. Make it a nicer place to be, but with the food people expect. Maybe improve the look of the menu (photos, better design and construction) but with the familiar content. If you don't use table menus, apply those principles to your menu signs.

You can be much more adventurous with an evening restaurant, but it's still expensive and risky to switch over and requires the right location. And it remains difficult to overcome the clicheed expectations the minute people think "Chinese."

Thank u for your advise. you are right.May be the people also think that my dishes cooked by Finnese way.
I will try to make more picture about our lunch dishes.
Thanks again.

[BowenPoi]

And be sure that whoever deals directly with guests speaks the best Finnish you can hire. This is extremely important in making people feel comfortable.

If people really want your food or convenience, you can survive without that. Otherwise it usually makes a big difference.

I was surprised how well an Indian restaurant owner I spoke to was able to converse in Finnish. Sure he sounded Indian, but his language was more than good enough for the situation. It was good Finnish with a foreign accent, not the usual immigrant pidgin.

Some people just have the knack for Finnish and work hard at it. Others should pay for people who can make guests feel comfortable and understood.

Yes, the waiter or waitress with Finish speaking skills is very important. I recognize that.

How much should I pay for a waiter or waitress if they working 4 or 6 hours in Helsinki? Could u give me the approximate salary about this?

Thank u

[FinnGuyHelsinki]

Yes, the waiter or waitress with Finish speaking skills is very important. I recognize that.

How much should I pay for a waiter or waitress if they working 4 or 6 hours in Helsinki? Could u give me the approximate salary about this?

Thank u

The minimum is defined by the collective agreement, there's information on the worker's union (PAM) pages: https://www.pam.fi/en/work/wages.html , as a ball-park figure, from 10€/hour upwards (for the employee, the employer pays the other legally mandated fees in addition). Since you had to ask, you definitely want to brush up on the basics of employee and employer related legislation.

[Heisenberg]

By searching on Google I have read quite nice reviews and even recommendations. Although I'm not sure if they're about your cafe or the previous one, as some posts dated back to as far as 2012. The price and unfamiliar menu seem to be the main issues. Have you tried putting on a website or a Facebook page? Virality is very important in this sector in Helsinki, especially for foreign cuisine. As a new customer, I'd like to have a look at the menu, price, and offer first before I come to the restaurant. Without being active online you can only attract the local people (and Töölö is a very competitive area and local people have a lot of choices there).

[BowenPoi]

By searching on Google I have read quite nice reviews and even recommendations. Although I'm not sure if they're about your cafe or the previous one, as some posts dated back to as far as 2012. The price and unfamiliar menu seem to be the main issues. Have you tried putting on a website or a Facebook page? Virality is very important in this sector in Helsinki, especially for foreign cuisine. As a new customer, I'd like to have a look at the menu, price, and offer first before I come to the restaurant. Without being active online you can only attract the local people (and Töölö is a very competitive area and local people have a lot of choices there).

We began from 10.4.2015.

[Rosamunda]

I agree, a good Facebook page is really important these days.

Your prices sound OK.

You asked about salaries: it is a complicated area and you need to follow the legislation. There are compulsory social security contributions that the employer must make on top of paying the employee a salary. For example, you must declare your KELA contributions (pension, health etc) at the same time as your VAT (on the same form). Failure to do this may result in heavy fines, or even criminal prosecution. Do not even consider hiring staff without declaring them officially.