How to Open a Juice Bar in 11 Steps

A juice bar is a quick and easy way to make money while helping others. This article walks through the process of opening your own juice bar business, with each step explained in detail.

You’ll need a good site, a smart business strategy, and juicing equipment to create a juice bar or shop that provides fresh-squeezed juices and smoothies. Starting expenditures vary from $20,000 to $400,000, with yearly income ranging from $100,000 to $600,000. Juice bars that succeed demand dedication, ingenuity, and a love of fresh ingredients.

The following are the top 11 stages to starting a juice bar:

1. Understand how juice bars operate.

Juice bars are places where you may get freshly prepared drinks, including cold-pressed or freshly squeezed juices and fruit smoothies. Protein drinks, vitamin-packed juice shots, and essential meal items like sandwiches and salads are also popular menu items. Before you start a juice bar, you should familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of the industry.

Working at a juice bar is the most excellent way to understand how they function. Consider working at a successful juice store before opening your own to learn how juices are made and the day-to-day responsibilities of running a juice bar.

If you can’t acquire hands-on experience at a juice bar, you’ll have to do market research from the outside. Examine the marketing campaigns and advertising efforts of popular juice bars in your region, as well as their menu items, peak periods, personnel count, and operation hours.

2. Create a financial plan

Budgeting for your company’s future will be more of an educated estimate than a precise science. Your firm will most likely not turn a profit for months, if not years, after it opens, so calculate out how much you can invest, how much outside money you’ll get, and how you’ll pay all of your expenditures. However, create specific road maps and standards to guarantee your cash flow stays healthy.

To begin, figure out how much money you’ll need to start your firm. Consider the price of a storefront, building, juicing equipment, licenses and permissions, and so on. Then figure out what your fixed and variable monthly costs are. Variable expenses, such as the cost of juicing ingredients or marketing initiatives, are more flexible.

Estimating your monthly sales after you open is the most challenging element of budgeting. Maintain as much realism as possible while also erring on the side of prudence. It’ll be wiser to put in more money than you think you’ll need than to come up short. Subtract your monthly sales from your fixed and variable expenses. That’s how much money you’re expecting to make. Again, setting aside a sizable contingency fund is preferable to cover expenditures if you don’t accomplish your sales targets right away.

3. Create a business plan

After learning how juice bars work, you’ll need a juice bar business plan. Company plans are required to get finance, such as a bank or small business loans. Furthermore, having a business plan will give you an idea of what to anticipate financially and will assist you in formulating a strategy to guarantee your company is successful.

The following are the nine components of a standard business plan:

• An executive summary is a one-paragraph explanation of your company’s purpose, objective, and reasons for success.
• Describe what demand or market hole your juice bar is addressing in the neighbourhood, who your clients will be, and the talent on your team in your business description.
• Write a market study that includes trends, what successful rivals are doing, and your strengths in the juice bar business.
• Outline who will be operating your company and what expertise your team members have in juicing, health and wellness, restaurants, or retail contexts.
• Line of products: Outline the kind of juices you’ll sell, as well as any other food or beverage products you’ll provide. Include statistics on why you’re choosing those items, such as sales trends or unique health advantages, in your study.
• Marketing and sales: Describe your overall marketing strategy and your customer acquisition and retention strategy.
• Requests for money: If you need outside funding, describe your requirements and how you intend to utilize the cash.
• Financial forecasts: Include a predicted financial timeline of at least five years in your description of how your firm will become steady and successful. If you’re taking out a loan, be sure you have a strategy in place for repaying it.
• Appendix: Include any extra details in this section, such as logo or branding designs, drawings of your juice bar, credit histories, licenses, permits, and so on.

Use the structure and tools that you are most familiar with while drafting a business plan. A typical word processor, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, is used by many individuals. You may also use PowerPoint to construct a presentation structure for your company strategy. Other software tools provide templates and coach you through creating a business plan.

Options for Juice Bar Franchises

You might opt to build a juice bar franchise location instead of starting your own company from scratch. Franchises often assist in managing day-to-day operations with defined standards and processes, as well as built-in brand recognition and national or regional marketing activities.

Opening a franchise, on the other hand, maybe rather costly. The total cost of opening a juice bar franchise, including franchise fees, construction, and additional up-front costs, may range from $200,000 to $500,000. You’ll also have to pay royalties on the sales you pull in once you’ve opened.

The following are some of the most well-known juice bar franchises:

• Smoothie King franchise fees range from $20,000 to $30,000.
•  Jamba Juice fees range from $25,000
• Freshii fees range from $30,000
• Robeks Fresh Juice and Smoothies fees range from $25,000
• I Love Juice Bar fees range from $25,000
• Juice It Up fees range from $10,000 to $25,000
• Tropical Smoothie Cafe ees range from $25,000

The payments above are just the franchise fees. In addition to the fixed charge, you’ll have to pay application fees or additional deposit fees, as well as pay for your storefront and any building expenditures upfront, depending on the franchise. You’ll also have to pay the franchise royalty and marketing expenses regularly.

Select the Most Appropriate Legal Structure for Your Juice Bar

It’s crucial to choose a legal structure for your company since it dictates how you’ll collect and report taxes, how you’ll be paid from your company, and your degree of personal accountability. There are many other legal forms, but sole proprietorships and limited liability corporations are the two most frequent in small enterprises like juice bars (LLCs).

If you don’t file for an LLC, your firm will revert to a sole proprietorship. A sole proprietorship is utilized by sure retail company owners, although freelancers and consultants mainly employ it. Because sole proprietorships combine your personal and company funds, your business revenue is considered personal income. However, if anything goes wrong (lawsuits, bankruptcy, etc. ), your assets, such as your home and vehicle, may be jeopardized.

Because it separates your company assets from your assets and gives some personal protection in the event of bankruptcy, LLCs are the most preferred legal form for small retail and restaurant operations. LLCs are identical to sole proprietorships in terms of taxation.

Organize Your Financial Situation

Separating your personal and corporate bank accounts is crucial in beginning a business. Chase Business Checking offers affordable price structures, accessible locations, and free cash deposits to small companies. For new Chase Total Business Checking account customers, a $300 incentive is available for establishing a new account.

4. Decide where your juice bar will be located

Like any other shop, the location you pick may make or destroy your company. That type of pressure might make deciding on a site seem impossible. So, where do you begin? How can you determine which locations will bring in the most significant money? First, assess how practicable it is to limit down the geographic region. You’ll be working long hours every day when you start your juice bar, so make sure you choose a location with a reasonable commute.

Analyze the various neighborhoods after you’ve limited down a geographic radius. Here are some things to think about while picking a location:

• Health-conscious clients: Juice bar customers are often health-conscious, so seek regions that have thriving yoga studios, gyms, spas, and other wellness companies.
• High-traffic places: You’ll want to get your company in front of as many people as possible, so seek high-traffic areas like downtown districts, major roadways, and retail malls.
• Sidewalks and foot traffic: Juice bars are excellent for generating walk-in clients, particularly during the summer, so aim to locate your business in a pedestrian-friendly location.
• Parking availability: Customers who come to your shop by car will need to get in and out quickly, so make sure it is sufficient for parking.
• Other juice bars: Avoid opening a juice bar too near to an existing juice company since you’ll be at a disadvantage straight away.

Another critical factor to consider when picking a site for your juice bar is your budget. Investing in a premium, high-traffic location may be worthwhile since walk-in and impulsive consumers will account for a significant portion of your sales regardless of where your store is situated. However, as a general guideline, food and beverage establishments should not spend more than 6% of their monthly total sales on rent.

Mobile Juice shops

You don’t need a permanent location to start a juice bar company. Food trucks and other mobile companies are becoming more popular. You may bring your company to your consumers by parking at events, gyms and yoga studios, parks and beaches on hot days, and in popular downtown sites if you choose a food truck over a storefront. Furthermore, establishing a food truck company is often less costly than building a shop; however you will always have the opportunity to grow.

Kiosks

A mall kiosk is another possibility for your juice bar location. The stalls in the mall’s core are usually available for lease in most indoor shopping malls. Many airports also rent out kiosks. Kiosks are typically rented from mall management, and during high seasons, they may cost up to a few thousand dollars per month.

5. Lease & Outfit Your Storefront

After you’ve decided on a place, you may start designing, constructing, and furnishing your juice bar. A well-designed business may help create a welcoming ambiance and increase sales, but a bad layout can make your juice bar seem packed and claustrophobic.

However, constructing a juice bar might be a bit more complex than creating a conventional retail shop due to the additional plumbing, electrical, and sanitary regulations.

• Commercial kitchens must meet specific health code criteria.
• Kitchen and juicing spaces need plumbing, electricity, and ventilation.

Put the Checkout Counter in the Right Place

The majority of juice bars succeed by placing sitting spaces in the front of the business and the ordering and payment counter in the rear. A strategically situated checkout counter will free up floor space and allow lines and waiting rooms to obstruct sitting customers. The interior right wall is your “power wall” or exhibit in classic retail shop layouts.

Customer sitting is best on the store’s left side, receiving minor foot traffic and visual attention from consumers.

“If you arrive via the main entry door, the seats and tables on your left are your lowest ticket zone. Then you line up exactly down the center and to your right to put your order (where the Menu Board IS your power wall). This is something Starbucks has nailed down to a science. While their layouts vary, the general formula of slowest, medium, and fastest set out from left to right is the reason why drive-thrus account for around 80% of their total sales.”

Create a Warm and Inviting Environment

Many juice bars, like coffee shops, encourage customers to sit and remain for a long, whether they’re working on their computers or catching up with friends. Customers will spend more money on your items if they spend more time in your shop. Make sure there is lots of comfy sitting, that you play soothing music, and that you provide free Wi-Fi.

Checkout Your Juice Bar’s POS

To handle your orders, sales, and inventory, you’ll need to install a point-of-sale (POS) system after your counter is in place. Using a POS saves time and allows you to understand better your sales, inventory, customers, and employees. Many POS systems also have built-in payment processing, allowing you to deal with only one vendor.

When choosing a POS, there are several variables to consider. It’s crucial to make a wish list of the characteristics you desire before truly exploring other possibilities. The following are some of the factors we commonly use to assess POS systems:

• Price: Most POS software solutions have a monthly cost, and others have additional fees for specific functions.
• Ease of use: Take advantage of free trials to try out several systems and ensure the UI is user-friendly; furthermore, read user reviews to stay informed about any bugs or frequent issues.
• Make sure the system you’re using includes tools for ingredient-level monitoring, so your stock counts remain correct after each client purchase is completed.
• Customer management tools: While almost all POS systems offer a customer directory, they differ substantially in loyalty, marketing, and customer feedback functions.
• Ecommerce features: Some POS systems provide tools for developing websites and placing online orders.

6. Invest in juicing equipment

The special appliances you’ll need are determined by the kind of menu items you’ll be serving. However, it is critical to invest in high-quality equipment so that the tools may expand with your company and you don’t have to worry about upgrading or fixing appliances. You’ll also need to invest in high-quality juicing equipment.

Here is a list of some of the items you’ll need for your juice bar:

• Blenders for commercial use
• Juicers
• Refrigerators
• Machines that make ice
• Measuring instruments and scales
• Knives of exceptional quality
• Boards for cutting
• Containers for storage
• Juice take-out cups
• Utensils and napkins

Commercial Juicers of Various Types

Juicers are divided into three categories, each featuring and price range. You may select to use just one kind or all three for your company. The three kinds are as follows:

• Centrifugal juicer: Quickly juicing fruits and vegetables (not leafy greens). Juicers of this sort are also the most cost-effective.
• Masticating juicer: Juices all types of fruits, vegetables, and greens more slowly, generating more Juice and extracting more nutritional content from meals.
• Triturating juicer: This is the slowest yet highest-yielding juicer

Fruits and Vegetables: Where to Find Them

Fresh fruits and vegetables will also be required regularly. When feasible, try to source locally. You’ll obtain the newest products possible while avoiding the expenditures of shipping and freight. Buying directly from local farms or orchards is usually cheaper than buying from a wholesale food wholesaler.

“As soon as a piece of product is picked, it begins to lose nutrients. If it is produced locally, restaurants have a far higher chance of obtaining it closer to that point than if it is transported in from other areas of the nation or the globe. Because the local product has a shorter period between harvesting and being utilized in meals, it tastes fresher. It also doesn’t need to be waxed to keep it fresh, therefore it doesn’t taste as good. Furthermore, you are helping your local farmers, community, and environment.”

―Samantha Eaton, Certified Nutrition & Eating Psychology Coach, www.HealthyEaton.com

7. Design Your Recipes & Menu

You’ll also need to create a menu and juice recipes before establishing your juice bar. Make sure you do your homework on popular ingredients and combinations and have friends and family try out your recipes to get feedback. Finding the suitable recipes and ingredient amounts might take some trial and error if you’re new to juicing.

The following are some of the most popular juice ingredients and trends:

• Juice from celery
• Juices made from carrots
• Blends of citrus fruits
• Ginger
• Lemon

Many juice bars also provide small meals such as yogurt parfaits, salads, and sandwiches. If you wish to do this in your juice bar, make sure your kitchen is ready and up to local health code standards for food, not simply Juice.

8. Create a Juice Bar Marketing Plan

You’ll need to Design a logo, color scheme, and marketing strategy to attract clients to your company. You’ll also need a branding strategy and a marketing plan to start a juice bar effectively. Effective marketing techniques for most local businesses include online and offline methods. However, the fundamentals involve producing a logo and a website.

Design a logo

First, you’ll need to design a logo for your business. Your logo should be distinctive, versatile, and graphic. In other words, it shouldn’t be too text-heavy. Instead, try to develop a concept or symbol that is a good representative of your juice bar. Keep in mind you will use your logo on your website, on your menus, on to-go cups, on your store signage, and more.

The good news is that creating a logo does not need being a Photoshop wizard or a professional designer. Several websites provide free logo-creation tools. Canva, LogoJoy, and LogoCrisp are all popular choices.

Create a Website

Having a website as a company owner is essential. It will aid prospective clients in finding your company when they do a Google search. Creating your website from the ground up is not as difficult as it may seem. There are several low-cost or no-cost options for creating a company website. All you need is a domain name and a web hosting provider.

Squarespace is a popular and cost-effective website-building platform for small businesses. The simple platform comes with various stylish layouts to help you establish a professional-looking website that promotes your Juice. Squarespace also works with online ordering platforms like ChowNow to bring the liquid to your clients’ doors.

9. Hire & Train Employees

You’ll need to recruit a group of excellent staff to act as the front lines of your company before you open your juice bar to the public. It might be challenging to navigate the hiring process if you have never done it before. Make sure you go through a new hire checklist that lays down all of the details, such as acquiring an Employer Identification Number (EIN), registering for state and local taxes, and so on.

Write appealing and convincing job descriptions to begin the recruiting process. Determine the jobs you need to fill (manager, shift supervisor, associate, and so on) as well as the attributes you want in a candidate. Remember that you’ll teach your personnel how to juice and deliver excellent customer service. As a result, choose applicants who possess attributes you can’t lead, such as work ethic. Finally, describe your business and why potential workers like working at your juice bar.

Employees are the face of your company, and their ability to provide excellent customer service may make or break sales.

It’s critical to begin training as soon as your team is recruited, long before opening your juice bar. Juicing and customer service are two examples of talents that benefit from the practice. When your business opens, you want your employees to be ready to provide excellent service to your clients. To do so, host a paid training “boot camp” where you may practice customer service skills, go through recipes, lay out expectations, and educate your employees about your store’s goods and menu items. To keep the training interesting, find methods to add games and competitions.

You’ll need an HR management application to handle things like payroll, benefits, and time tracking after your team has been employed.

10. Arrange for a grand opening.

When starting a new local company, you want to create a big impression so that the community notices you. A spectacular opening is an ideal approach to attract a lot of attention. Make sure your event is well-attended by enlisting the help of friends and family, as well as beginning your marketing efforts as soon as you’ve set a date. Prepare a press release to distribute to local media outlets and businesses in the area.

Make use of the Chamber of Commerce in your area.

Become a member of your local Chamber of Commerce. They’ve done a lot of big openings before and can help you plan yours. The Chamber of Commerce shares insights and best practices and has an extensive network of community contacts and other company owners. They’ll almost certainly assist you in publicizing the event and perhaps help you get a few other local companies to come and show their support.

Some chambers of commerce make arrangements with local newspapers or government officials to have them attend company openings. Having your event included in the local newspaper is a fantastic way to raise awareness.

11. Get the word out about your juice bar.

The job doesn’t stop once your company is up and running. You’ll need to keep promoting your juice bar and drawing clients up to date. Your internet reputation may influence whether or not a consumer chooses to try your company.

Manage your online reputation.

For small companies, managing internet reviews is critical. You want to know what others are saying about you on the internet so you can figure out what they enjoy and what you need to improve. Responding to reviews also demonstrates to prospective consumers that you care about their experience and value their opinion.

Yelp! is used by millions of people to locate local businesses, particularly restaurants and cafés, and juice bars. You can react to reviews, submit photographs, update your company information, and more by creating a Yelp account!

Make use of social media.

Although Yelp! is a valuable tool, it is not the only social media network you should utilize to promote your company. In addition to handling client feedback and advertising your company, Facebook and Instagram are essential tools. Create a Facebook Business Page for your company, complete with opening hours, contact information, and a link to your website. Post frequently to promote new juices, specials, and events. You may also build a Facebook ad to reach thousands of prospective clients for only a few bucks each day.

Create a Google account for your juice bar.

Another crucial step in marketing your company is to register it with Google. Google My Company is a free tool for business owners to establish a profile that will display in search results when someone Googles their business or looks for juice bars in their neighbourhood. You’ll be able to specify business hours, contact information, and even offer promotional material. When you register your company with Google, your juice bar will display on Google Maps.

How to Start a Juice Bar

It takes a lot of work to open a juice bar. You may employ various tactics after your doors are open to assist raise sales and keep clients coming back for more.

Take Advantage of Current Events

Healthy food trends are constantly changing. A few years ago, ginger juices and juice shots were trendy. Now, Juice from celery and turmeric shots is all the rage. Pay attention to industry trends and add or alter menu items accordingly to make sure you’re always offering what your customers are looking for.

Offer Programs & Cleanses

Consider offering pre-made kits or programs in addition to individual made-to-order juices. Cleanses are particularly popular in the spring and summer and in January when people make New Year’s health goals. Others love drinking fresh or cold-pressed Juice every day and want to purchase a pack to take home with them. Offering packs and cleanses made to order or bundled in a display refrigerator may help you increase sales.

Establish a Loyalty Program

Traditional punch-card loyalty programs can work, but digital loyalty programs allow you to track customer usage and engagement and send messages to customers about rewards or promotions. Many POS systems, such as Lightspeed, establish a Loyalty Program feature. Consider adding this to your store to help drive repeat visits and repeat sales.

 Consider Seasonal Variations

Juice bars are associated with fresh ingredients by customers. Consider creating seasonal juice blends that take into account the fruits and vegetables currently in season. Limited-edition menu items and seasonal menu items may also assist boost sales.

Conclusion

Opening a juice bar may be a fun and lucrative venture with careful planning, intelligent recipes, and a solid juice bar business plan. The juicing business is valued at $9 billion globally, including $2.2 billion in the United States. The market for juice bars in the United States continues to expand at a rate of roughly 7% each year. So, if you’ve been considering launching a juice bar, now is the best moment to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is needed to open a juice bar?

A: Due to the specific nature of a juice bar, it is recommended that you have at least $5-$10k in your bank account.

How much does it cost to set up a juice bar?

A: The cost of a juice bar varies depending on what you are looking for, but generally, it costs around $30K to install.