How to Start a Board Game Cafe

Start a board game cafe by following these 10 steps:

1. Plan your Board Game Cafe
2. Form your Board Game Cafe into a Legal Entity
3. Register your Board Game Cafe for Taxes
4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
5. Set up Accounting for your Board Game Cafe
6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Board Game Cafe
7. Get Board Game Cafe Insurance
8. Define your Board Game Cafe Brand
9. Create your Board Game Cafe Website
10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your board game cafe. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out othersmall business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

• What will you name your business?
• What are the startup and ongoing costs?
• Who is your target market?
• How much can you charge customers?

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit ourHow to Name a Businessguide or get help brainstorming a name with ourBoard Game Cafe Name Generator

If you operate asole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit ourDBAguide to learn more.

Whenregistering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

• Your state's business records
• Federal and state trademark records
• Social media platforms
• Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

What are the costs involved in opening a board game cafe?

The start-up costs for a board game cafe business are manageable. The main expenses include:

• Leasing a space for the cafe
• Build-out and furniture costs
• Purchasing games for the cafe
• Food preparation and serving equipment (if serving food)

保持最初的费用尽可能低,business owners can begin with a basic cafe that doesn’t serve food. This will eliminate the need to purchase food-related equipment, and the remaining expenses can be kept low. Business owners can:

• Lease an inexpensive space that doesn’t need to be modified
• Purchase furniture at garage sales or second-hand stores
• Start with a small library of games

As a business grows, business owners can invest in nicer furniture, more games and food-related equipment.

What are the ongoing expenses for a board game cafe?

The ongoing expenses for a board game cafe business are low. They include rent, utilities and employees’ wages. Occasionally replacing a game might be necessary.

Who is the target market?

Board game cafe businesses appeal to both children and adults. As3 & Upexplains, a cafe may see a lot of children and families during the day. In the evening, the clientele is mostly adults.

How does a board game cafe make money?

A board game cafe makes money by charging customers for playing games. AsMike Leeexplains, fee structures are similar to those of bowling alleys. Customers may pay by the visit, hour or game. Many cafes also have private rooms that customers can rent out.

Like bowling alleys, board game cafes may form leagues or tournaments around specific games. Customers who participate in these pay a flat entry fee. The winner may be awarded a gift certificate or another prize that’s funded with part of the entry fees.

How much can you charge customers?

Board game cafe businesses generally charge people a few dollars per visit. For example, 3 & Up charges $5 for 90 minutes of play.

How much profit can a board game cafe make?

How much a board game cafe business earns depends directly on how many customers it attracts. A busy cafe may bring in tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. After all, an 8-player game will net a cafe $40 if it charges $5 per person. It takes just seven 8-player games per day to reach $100,000 in annual sales.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Many board game cafe businesses increase their revenue by offering a variety of high-quality snacks and drinks. This increases your business' total revenue, and it also helps keep customers coming back for more food, drink and gaming.

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most commonbusiness structuretypes are thesole proprietorship,partnership,118bet金博宝 , andcorporation.

Establishing a legal business entity such as anLLCorcorporationprotects you from being held personally liable if your board game cafe is sued.

You can金宝搏188是什么公司yourself and pay only the minimal stateLLC costsor hire one of the118金宝app for a small, additional fee.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more aboutstate sales taxand franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to aspiercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

• Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
• Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Get a business credit card

Getting abusiness credit cardhelps you:

• Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
• Build your company's credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with ourLLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a board game cafe. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visitingSBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.

In particular, if you want to offer alcohol at your business, you will need a liquor permit, the specificities of which vary locally.

If you plan to sell food at your board game cafe , you will need licensing from a local health department. All establishments serving food are required to pass a health inspection.Tips for faring well on a health inspection can be found here.

Certificate of Occupancy

Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require aCertificate of Occupancy(CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.

If you plan to lease a location:

• It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
• Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a board game cafe business.
• After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening,it is recommendedto include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.

If you plan to purchase or build a location:

• You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
• Review all building codes and zoning requirements for your business’ location to ensure your board game cafe business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully.Business Insuranceprotects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face,begin withGeneral Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need isWorkers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

Is this Business Right For You?

Someone who is passionate about board games and enjoys talking to people may like running a board game cafe business. Business owners need to be familiar with many different board games, and they need to be able to connect with others who like these games.

What happens during a typical day at a board game cafe?

Running a board game business involves a lot of interaction with customers. In a typical day, employees:

• Welcome customers
• Recommend games to customers who ask
• Explain the gameplay and rules of new games
• Give games to customers
• Collect games when customers are done playing

不与客户交流时,员工spend time organizing games and cleaning the cafe.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful board game cafe?

Learning games themselves isn’t difficult, as games generally come with instructions. A knowledge of games isn’t all that business owners need to run a board game cafe, though.

Business owners also need to be familiar with basic business practices. For example, they need to know how to market their business, how to manage any employees they have and how to handle the business’ finances.

Business owners who don’t have a background in business can gain these skills by taking one or more business courses. It isn’t necessary to earn an MBA, but business owners might want to enroll in a business class at a local community college or take an online course.Coursera,Open CultureandHarvard Business School有许多在线商业课程。

What is the growth potential for a board game cafe?

Most board game businesses operate just a single location. A successful business, however, could franchise and open numerous branches in other locations.