New business ideas. How to open a hookah bar in Russia How much do you need to invest to open your own hookah bar?

Business plan for a hookah bar: legal aspect + step-by-step opening process + necessary equipment + detailed cost calculations and income forecast.

Capital investments: from 1,010,000 rubles
Payback period: about 1 year

The anti-tobacco law, issued in 2014, prohibiting smoking in public places, gave impetus to the emergence of a new type of business for Russia - the opening of hookah bars.

People go there not only to smoke hookah, but also to relax in a cozy and calm environment.

And for this you need hookah bar business plan, in which all calculations of the costs of opening this case will be provided.

In addition, you should know a number of subtleties related to legislation, which you can find in the article.

Opening a hookah bar: legal aspect

First you need to understand the law that prohibits smoking in public places where catering establishments are located.

Consequently, the ban also affected hookah, which involves burning tobacco.

Therefore, many cafes and nightclubs offer their visitors hookahs with nicotine-free mixtures and syrups and electronic hookahs.

But a hookah bar is not an establishment where people come to eat; the emphasis here is on smoking high-quality and varied hookah.

The very concept of a hookah bar is not enshrined in legislation, therefore, when registering it, it is necessary to indicate (OKPD 2) 92.7 Other services for organizing recreation and entertainment.

In order not to violate the laws related to the ban on smoking in public places, you can:

Hookah bar business plan: planning

Drawing up a hookah bar business plan begins with planning.

In many large cities, fierce competition has already formed, so you need to carefully analyze the market and calculate the necessary costs of opening an establishment.

And after this you can begin to implement the project.

Summary for hookah bar

In the summary of the business plan for a hookah bar, you need to indicate who, where and why will open it.

Presumably this will be a large city with a population of 700 thousand people.

You also need to indicate the name of your establishment.

It should be unique and memorable.

The main goals of opening a hookah bar establishment are:

• organization of leisure facilities among the population;
• providing visitors with a wide range of hookahs;
• Receiving a profit;
• providing people with jobs.

The hookah bar will operate according to the following principles:

Organization of a closed club.

To join the club, customers must fill out a form and then receive a club card.

This can be done after providing your passport.

Schedule:

• when a separate hookah bar opens: Monday - Thursday, Sunday: 14:00-2:00;
• when opening a hookah bar on the territory of a cafe / restaurant /: coincides with the work schedule of the adjacent establishment.

1. Payment for services:

   • payment according to the amount of time spent (the maximum number of people at the table and hookahs at it is indicated);
   • payment for the quantity of hookah ordered.

2. Additional services:

   • background music;
   • themed parties;
   • Board games;
   • the ability to order food and drinks from catering establishments upon presentation of a receipt;
   • tea/coffee as a gift (will be included in the price of the hookah, so as not to contradict the legislation).

Marketing strategy in a hookah bar business plan

1. Target audience of the hookah bar.

   As a rule, hookah bars are most often visited by people with above-average income, since the price of a hookah starts from 400 rubles.

   It doesn’t matter whether they smoke cigarettes or not.

   Depending on this, you need to have an assortment of hookahs with tobacco and nicotine-free mixtures and syrups.

   Competitor analysis.

   As a rule, in most large cities there are already several hookah bars.

   It is important to analyze their concepts, work schedules and cost of services.

   Therefore, you need to come up with something new to attract customers.

   It could be:

   • hookah at reduced prices until certain opening hours;
   • loyalty program for regular customers;
   • a wider range of hookahs;
   • holding promotions and sweepstakes such as: “Bring a friend”, “Buy two hookahs, get the third as a gift”, etc.

The premises and interior of the hookah bar

If you want to open an “independent” hookah bar, then you should focus on the city center, closer to restaurants and so that after visiting them, customers will come to you.

You can also enter into a contract with a nearby establishment for the delivery of drinks and food on terms favorable to you.

Sometimes people don’t want to go somewhere on vacation, but are looking for something closer to home.

If you want to open a hookah bar in a cafe/restaurant/nightclub, you will have to negotiate with the owner of the establishment to rent a separate room.

Premises requirements:

1. • For a separate hookah bar, the best option would be a room of about 100 square meters. m, this will make it possible to divide it into sections;
   • For a hookah bar in an establishment, 20-30 sq.m. is enough. m.

2. mandatory presence of supply and exhaust ventilation

Without this system, the premises will always be filled with smoke, which will disturb employees, visitors and neighbors of the establishment.

Complaints from third parties are fraught with inspections by the sanitary and epidemiological station and the fire inspectorate.

Particular attention should be paid to the interior.

For these purposes, it is best to hire a designer who can create the appropriate environment.

Many people prefer oriental motifs, but you can beat them with modern trends.

Equipment for hookah bar

At first glance it may seem that you don’t need much, but in reality this is not the case.

The hall will accommodate 48 people.

Thus, 6 people can sit at one table and on two sofas.

Additional seating can be added using chairs or poufs.

To provide your guests with comfort and everything they need, the hookah bar business plan must include a complete list of everything necessary.

Name	Qty, things	Price per one., rub.	Price, rub.
Total:			590,000 rub.
Supply and exhaust ventilation	1	250 000	250 000
Hookahs and accessories	16	3 500	52 500
Sofas or easy chairs	16	7 000	112 000
Tables	8	3 000	24 000
Chairs (poufs)	6	2 000	12 000
TV	1	30 000	30 000
Laptop	1	20 000	20 000
Acoustic system	1	20 000	20 000
Lighting equipment	1	16 000	16 000
Reception desk	1	10 000	10 000
Wi-Fi router	1	2 500	2 500
Signaling	1	10 000	10 000
Decor	1	16 000	16 000
Other	1	15 000	15 000

Hookah bar staff

You don’t need to hire a lot of staff to operate a hookah bar.

The main goal will be to find good hookah providers who understand the types of hookah and can advise visitors.

Since the hookah bar will operate on a daily basis, and the main time of the schedule is in the evening and at night, you need to draw up a staffing schedule.

Most often, in such establishments, staff work in shifts.

Waiters in the hookah bar will not be needed, since guests will bring their own food and drinks.

But you definitely need to find an administrator who will greet visitors.

Advertising to promote a hookah bar

In order for your hookah bar to have guests, you need to make yourself known.

To do this, you can use already familiar ways to attract customers:

• creation of a website with a description of services and the ability to book a table;
• creating pages on social networks;
• advertising on city banners and local newspapers;
• distributing leaflets in crowded places;
• "word of mouth" radio.

For the opening of a hookah bar, you can organize promotions and raffles, and hold a large party with the invitation of musicians or DJs.

Don’t forget that you always need to promote your establishment, and not just at first.

Therefore, organize themed evenings, competitions on social networks, and think over the optimal loyalty program for regular customers.

Also work on creating a name and logo.

This is how your establishment will be recognized.

Registration of a hookah bar

A hookah bar business plan should include registration costs.

You have two options:

• individual entrepreneur registration;

If you open a hookah bar selling food, drinks and alcohol, then you only need to register as a legal entity - LLC.

Also choose a simplified taxation system.

After registering a business, you must also obtain:

• permits from the fire service and sanitary and epidemiological station;
• licenses for the sale of tobacco and .

Business plan for a hookah bar: project implementation

Calendar plan for opening a hookah bar

With proper planning, the project will take approximately 3 months to complete.

When you find a suitable premises, choose a designer, then proceed to register your business.

At the end of the renovation, you can already look for staff and start actively promoting yourself.

Financial aspect in a hookah bar business plan

Interesting fact:
Smoking a hookah does not become a habit and does not make the smoker addicted. If a heavy smoker does not smoke for a couple of days, nothing bad will happen. Moreover, hookah smoking is the safest way to enjoy tobacco known.

Now you can do the calculations, which will include start-up costs, recurring expenses and income forecast.

Expenses for opening a hookah bar

Opening a hookah bar is not a business that requires minimal investment.

Despite the fact that essentially only smoking services will be provided, large sums will need to be invested in the interior and equipment.

Permitting costs also include the purchase of fire extinguishers.

In general, you will need to have about 1,000,000 rubles at your disposal.

Monthly expenses for a hookah bar

In order for the hookah bar to fully function, you also need to spend money within a month.

This will include rent, employee salaries, purchase of hookah supplies (tobacco, mixtures, syrups, coal, flasks, mushtuks, etc.), as well as payments to other companies that provide their services to the establishment.

Income forecast and payback period calculation

The average cost of a check is planned to be 700 rubles.

Number of checks - 20 pieces.

Then the estimated monthly income will be 420,000 rubles.

Sometimes the average cost of a check can increase to 1,500 rubles, and the number of companies per day can approach 50.

But still, at first there may be “empty” days that will only cover expenses.

Calculation of hookah bar profit:

With this progress, the investment will pay off within 12-13 months.

In the video below, the owner of a hookah bar shares his experience of successfully running this type of business:

Thus, opening a hookah bar with the right approach to business and active advertising is a profitable business with a fairly quick payback period.

You are required to provide your guests with high-quality and varied hookah, follow fashion trends in this industry, and also work on a good entertainment program to brighten up your visitors’ leisure time.

And for these purposes, a correctly compiled detailed hookah bar business plan.

Don't neglect this important point.

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To recuperate and relax from work and everyday problems, more and more people began to visit hookah bars. Here you can meet friends and smoke hookah. This type of relaxation is becoming increasingly popular.

A good way to relax

The smoking law, passed in 2014, prohibits smoking in public places. Since hookahs use tobacco, the law also affected them. And if someone wanted to open a hookah bar, after the release of this law, fear arises as to whether this type of business will be legal. This is a little different. The same law states that smoking is permitted in a specially equipped area. And that means opening a hookah bar is considered legal. And organizing a hookah bar wasn’t much more complicated.

But many articles appear on the Internet with, to put it mildly, incorrect information. They claim that a hookah bar is considered almost the simplest type of business. That there are no problems with its organization. That the costs for it are minimal, up to eighty thousand rubles, and if you wish, you can even get by with twenty. We will try to find out whether everything works out so easily in reality.

What is a hookah bar called?

This is the name of an establishment where hookahs are used for smoking aromatic tobacco on water. You can use one of two options for the hookah bar model.

1. Open a separate place.
2. Create a hookah room at a restaurant or cafe.

A separately organized hookah bar will be of interest to a certain group of people, so you can’t count on a large number of visits.

The second model is more preferable. You can get promoted much faster here. But it will be necessary to design a separate room so that restaurant visitors do not suffer from “aromatic smoke”.

There are several models here too:

• hookah bar on the street. There will be no prohibitions here. The only inconvenience is that it will only work during certain months;
• delivery of hookah to your home. The demand for this service, however, is small, because the price is quite high and unprofitable for clients;
• use of tobacco-free mixtures in hookahs. The law does not prohibit the use of such mixtures. But here there is one inconvenience: true connoisseurs of hookahs may not accept this option.

If you are considering a hookah bar as a business, you need to know where to start. And the following is necessary. Find a room and buy hookahs. Prepare supplies of coal and smoking mixtures of different contents. Find professional hookah pipers. Choose appropriate furniture. And, of course, equipment and personnel for maintenance.

Business plan

We learned what it takes to open a hookah bar. An important point is that you need to develop a development strategy, that is, work on drawing up a business plan. He must be literate and have all the calculations. It needs to analyze the following questions in detail:

• rental of premises, its renovation and design work;
• purchasing equipment and related furniture;
• set aside amounts for the monthly purchase of consumables;
• advertising expenses;
• registration.

A properly drawn up plan will help you calculate the amount needed to open. It will also be possible to calculate how long it will take to pay for itself. You can develop a plan yourself. A hookah bar business plan with calculations can also be ordered from specialists who will not miss anything important when drawing it up.

Registration

Just as when registering various types of activities, there are two options. You choose an individual entrepreneur or LLC, and get the right to take advantage of the simplified taxation system. It will take about thirty working days and 20 thousand rubles to complete the documents. If you open a cafe and plan to sell alcoholic beverages, then you need to register an LLC.

The correct choice of classifier of economic activity is very important. If the hookah bar will be decorated separately, then OKVED-93.29 will do. This code assumes services in the field of recreation and entertainment. If you plan to open a hookah bar at a cafe or restaurant, add OKVED-56.10.11, which requires restaurant services.

In addition to registration, you also need to obtain permits. Therefore, remember what documents you will need, in addition to the registration certificate. This is a mandatory permit to open a hookah bar from the sanitary and epidemiological station and the fire inspection. This is a license giving the right to sell alcohol and tobacco products. Having collected these documents, you can open a hookah bar from scratch quite legally, and feel free to start working.

Read also: How to open your own bar from scratch: business plan

Selecting a room

When choosing a premises, you need to provide for all the nuances so that the inspection authorities do not receive complaints about your hookah bar. And for this, remember where you can’t open a hookah bar:

• permanent premises for sports activities and educational purposes;
• centers offering medical, rehabilitation and sanatorium services;
• hotels and hostels;
• premises that are allocated for trade services and household services;
• gas stations.

Hookah bar design option

I’ll immediately answer a frequently asked question: do they open hookah bars in residential buildings? If you do not want complaints from the residents of this house, it is best to choose a non-residential premises where a high-performance ventilation system is already installed. A prerequisite for opening a hookah bar is the installation of a smoke removal system, and, of course, excellent quality hood. These installations are checked by the fire inspectorate.

A large room for a hookah bar is not required. An area of ​​60-70 square meters is quite suitable. Divide it into small zones. Small companies are located as if separately. On the one hand, an atmosphere favorable for each client is created. On the other hand, legal requirements are met, because separate smoking areas are provided. Ten square meters - this size is optimal for individual zones. But in case a large company comes, select a more spacious area. The size of the entire room and the number of individual booths depends on your capabilities.

The costs of installing ventilation and smoke removal systems will also depend on the size of your room. In addition to these installations, many owners install additional devices. This could be video surveillance, air humidification and other types. For a room of one hundred square meters, installation of all additional devices will cost approximately one hundred and fifty thousand rubles.

The internal atmosphere of a hookah bar or its interior

Your hookah bar should have a special ambiance. And for this it is not necessary to recreate the atmosphere of eastern countries. The main thing is that your clients should feel comfortable and happy in your place. If a hookah bar opens on the territory of a certain restaurant or close to it, it is best to maintain the theme of the design of this restaurant - a single style unites these two separate establishments into one whole.

But most often, of course, hookah bars are decorated in the Arabic style. This is the only way hookah connoisseurs perceive such establishments. To make the inside even more attractive, take care of carpets with oriental patterns. Various paintings and figurines are very suitable for oriental style. Your clients will simply be amazed by a separate dostarkhan room, decorated with a huge number of bright pillows.

Eastern style is closer to a hookah bar

The cafe, where treats will be prepared for visitors to the hookah bar, should have oriental sweets, several types of tea, cold snacks, hot dishes and alcoholic drinks.

We remind you. To sell alcoholic beverages, you will need a license permitting such activity. Otherwise, you face high fines.

Professional designers can help you develop a plan for decorating a room in the style of your choice if your creativity is not enough. The cost of the designer's services will naturally increase the amount of your costs. But the style of establishment proposed by experts will be able to attract more visitors, which will increase your profit. The prices for designer services are approximately the same. For decorating a room of 100 square meters, designers charge about 90 thousand rubles.

But experts will help you choose furniture and decorations for your room and help you arrange everything correctly. It is quite difficult to calculate in advance how much the cost of furniture and equipment will cost. Products are offered on the market at fairly low prices. And some decorate their establishments with high-end luxury furniture. But to purchase normal furniture, audio equipment, a cash register and other auxiliary equipment, two hundred thousand rubles may be enough. But remember that this figure is very arbitrary and depends on what additional accessories you want to purchase.

Opening your own hookah bar is often not considered by many novice entrepreneurs as a good business idea, as they fear the illegality of such activities. At the same time, this type of business does not require too much investment and can quickly reach full self-sufficiency and bring in good profits. Find out how to open a hookah bar in Russia in 2017-2018 and what laws govern the activities of such establishments.

How to open a hookah bar and what is good about this business

In general, it is quite easy to start a hookah business - now in Russia this type of recreation and entertainment is becoming increasingly popular among people of all ages, but it is young people who are truly interested in hookahs. Accordingly, as a business, a hookah bar can be more than profitable - after all, demand creates supply. At the same time, you can open your own hookah bar with relatively low costs. In general, the advantages of a hookah bar can be characterized as follows:

• A popular and in-demand type of recreation;
• Low costs for opening a premises;
• The possibility of organizing related entertainment or vice versa - using a hookah bar as an additional business in addition to the main one;
• High profitability;
• Fast payback.

However, like every business, a hookah bar can have a number of disadvantages. These include:

• The uncertain legal status of hookahs and hookah bars, as well as their possible ban on the territory of the Russian Federation in 2017-2018 in connection with the consideration of new bills;
• High demands on staff professionalism;
• The need to provide an attractive design of the room;
• Limited demand in small towns.

Important fact

As of October 2017, the activities of hookah bars are completely legal. However, there are a large number of nuances that you should know before starting to open such a business.

The general procedure for opening a hookah bar may generally look like this:

1. Choosing a hookah bar format.
2. Assessment of target audience and geographic location.
3. Writing a hookah bar business plan.
4. State registration of hookah bar.
5. Calculation and search of starting capital.
6. Search and arrangement of premises.
7. Purchase of equipment.
8. Recruitment and training of personnel.
9. Marketing and advertising of a hookah bar.

In general, it should be remembered that the above plan is not mandatory to follow, but only demonstrates an approximate procedure. If necessary, these actions can be carried out in a different order - for example, the search for start-up capital can begin before state registration, as well as drawing up a business plan, and personnel training can include exclusively the work of the entrepreneur himself and also does not require additional effort and actions during the immediate opening of the establishment.

Choosing a hookah bar operating format

One of the main obstacles that a hookah business may face is the current anti-tobacco law - Federal Law No. 15 of February 23, 2013. This law, in particular, limits the consumption of tobacco and tobacco-containing products in public catering establishments.

At the same time, the provisions of this law do not distinguish between different tobacco-containing products, equating cigarettes to cigars, hookahs, and even chewing or snuff. It is in connection with the effect of this law that many entrepreneurs prefer not to consider the hookah business, fearing that it will be considered illegal.

Of course, many hookah bars today operate in an illegal or semi-legal legal field. Such establishments are usually closed after the first violation, or continue to operate due to component activities and bribes, which ultimately only increases the degree of possible liability of the creators and owners of such establishments, as well as their staff. However, this article will only consider methods and formats of activity that provide for the absolutely legal opening of a hookah bar in accordance with the law without possible claims from law enforcement or supervisory authorities and violations of current legislation.

First of all, in order to open a hookah bar according to the law in 2017-2018, you need to choose an activity format. The entire activity of the hookah bar, its legality, profitability, the required start-up capital, the required equipment and marketing will depend on the chosen format. So, the main formats for organizing a hookah bar can be the following options:

1. 
   Hookah bar as part of a restaurant. In this case, in order to comply with anti-tobacco legislation, it is necessary that smoking takes place on the summer area or terrace. At the same time, it is not allowed for the hookah bar to be located in an adjacent room or in a closed extension. This method is suitable only for owners of operating cafes and restaurants in warm regions of Russia, or for those entrepreneurs for whom the presence of a hookah bar and the ability to provide hookahs to visitors is not the main way of earning money, but only additional income. However, now it is possible to create a year-round outdoor terrace through the use of directed infrared heaters.
2. Hookah bar at a cafe or restaurant, as a separate business entity. A very common way to organize a hookah bar in cafes or restaurants is in such a way that, from a legal point of view, its premises belong to another business entity that rents or is the owner of the adjacent premises to the cafe or restaurant itself. In this case, all payments with a hookah bar are carried out, most often, directly on its premises, and the owners of both establishments in no way violate the law, subject to certain nuances. One of them is the presence of one room between the restaurant premises and the actual hookah smoking area - just a small corridor or hallway will be enough. Another nuance is that drinks or food should not be sold in the hookah bar itself.
3. Tobacco-free hookahs or vapes. This method of organizing a hookah bar allows you to bypass the prohibitions proposed by anti-tobacco legislation. Today, there are a large number of mixtures and refills for hookahs that are completely tobacco-free. And, as a result, such hookahs, as well as electronic cigarettes and vapes, are not subject to the requirements of the anti-tobacco law 15-FZ, which was discussed earlier. However, it should be remembered that inspections may require the seizure of such substances for examination. In addition, the Ministry of Health plans to classify vapes with hookahs as tobacco products in 2018 - the corresponding bill has not yet been adopted, but its adoption is very likely. At the same time, a hookah bar of this format can be organized as a separate establishment serving drinks or dishes, or simply be part of an existing cafe or restaurant.
4. A full-fledged hookah bar without providing catering services. The most common way to organize individual hookah establishments is to use the modern “anti-cafe” format. Moreover, if this anti-cafe does not provide catering services, hookah smoking there may be permitted subject to compliance with current fire safety and sanitary-epidemiological standards. However, it is necessary to provide additional legal protection in order to prevent minors from smoking hookah and inform consumers about the possible harm of hookah and their consent. Often such hookah bars can be organized in the form of closed clubs and establishments, which can only be accessed by prior arrangement or by invitation.
5. Delivery of hookah to your home. This format of activity may be the most economical, since its organization will not require the acquisition and arrangement of premises. However, marketing and advertising costs will be higher in any case. In addition, you will also need professional staff and, possibly, transport for the delivery of hookahs and employees. This method of work is also characterized by a high risk of property damage from consumers, so a deposit will be required for each hookah. Also, hookah delivery can be practiced in almost any other format of doing business.
6. hookah bar Working under another franchise can involve almost any format of hookah bar activity, however, at the moment, the most common are franchises of individual hookah bars. At the same time, the advantages of such activity lie in a ready-made, well-functioning mechanism for legal regulation of the work of a hookah bar - when working under a franchise, there are guaranteed to be no problems with regulatory authorities. Also, the franchise provides for direct contacts with suppliers, ready-made requirements for hookah recipes, arrangement of the premises and professionalism of the staff, provides good advertising and, in some cases, provides ready-made advertising products. The disadvantages of a franchise are both increased costs at the initial stage of the business due to the payment of a lump sum fee, and ongoing costs in the form of royalties, as well as the need to follow strict internal rules established by the franchisor. The most famous hookah bar franchises in Russia are “MINT”, “THE OFFICE NARGILIA LOUNGE”, “Hookah place” and others.

note

Regardless of the chosen format of the hookah bar, with the exception of delivery, you should remember that certain requirements must be met in terms of legislation on the arrangement of the premises. For example, it doesn’t matter whether the hookah is tobacco-free or not - in any case, it is necessary to ensure ventilation of the room, which must necessarily be vented above the ridge of the roof of the building, regardless of the location of the hookah bar itself in such a building.

Target audience of the hookah bar and geographical location

The main target audience of hookah establishments are people aged 18 to 35 years. Of course, one way or another, this hobby is also beginning to spread beyond this group - especially in regions with a predominantly Muslim population, where hookah smoking has been a tradition dating back centuries. But in general, most establishments, especially those opening as hookah bars, and not offering hookah as an additional service, are focused specifically on the above-mentioned age segment.

At the same time, although the main age group of visitors is quite clearly defined for any hookah bar, there is also a need to independently determine other characteristics of a potential visitor when organizing your own hookah bar. For example, the solvency of the main customers and the pricing policy of the enterprise. If minimum fixed costs are planned, reducing the cost of visiting a hookah bar to attract a large number of customers can be very effective.

However, if the fixed costs of renting premises, staff work are high, and the level of service is appropriate, on the contrary, targeting the category of VIP clients with high solvency may be more justified.

The geographical location of the hookah bar is extremely important - with the exception of home delivery of hookah. In other cases, the most effective location of the hookah bar is in the city center, where night and evening entertainment is most common. At the same time, you should also evaluate the level of competition in such an environment - opening a hookah bar near an already existing establishment of this format will not be profitable.

It should also be taken into account that a hookah bar, as a separate establishment, and not as an additional option for services in a cafe or restaurant, can only be effective if it is opened in cities with a population exceeding 100 thousand people - these are the requirements put forward by almost all successful hookah bar franchises .

Important fact

When choosing a location for a hookah bar, you can inquire about the possibility of forming partnerships with nearby establishments, primarily nightclubs and restaurants. Often, such cooperation can have high mutual benefits, which can be obtained at the initial stage before opening a business.

Business plan for a hookah bar

Similar to any other type of entrepreneurial activity, opening your own hookah bar necessarily requires drawing up a business plan. This document will carry out all the necessary calculations, outline step-by-step methods for opening and developing a business, provide justification for the required start-up capital, and calculate approximate indicators of the profitability and payback of the enterprise and the feasibility of opening it. This information is important, first of all, not for third parties, but for the entrepreneur himself.

note

Most hookah bar franchises provide their own business plans or help with the preparation of the relevant document on an individual basis. Considering the cost of purchasing ready-made business plans with calculations, cooperation with a franchisor in such a situation can be a very profitable solution, if it is impossible to draw up a business plan yourself.

In general, a business plan should have the following paragraphs in its structure:

• Analysis of the market and the situation on it;
• General description of the proposed services of the enterprise;
• Start-up capital and initial opportunities;
• Marketing plan;
• Organizational plan;
• Financial plan and corresponding cost and profit calculations;
• SWOT analysis of the enterprise;
• Possible risks and ways to neutralize them.

Of course, there are no strict requirements for business plans, so this document can be drawn up in any form and with any content. But you can also resort to global business plan formats, mainly implemented by large audit organizations such as KPMG. Having a business plan as a whole is practically necessary for concluding agreements on possible partnerships with other enterprises or for obtaining a loan or attracting an investor to implement a finished project.

Important fact

Particular attention in business planning for a hookah bar should be paid to the chosen format of activity and ensuring the legality of the enterprise, since it is the legal side of the hookah business that is the most “problematic” point.

How to register a hookah bar

State registration is a mandatory stage for any business entity - hookah bars are no exception if their creator wants to operate in the Russian legal framework and conduct his activities on a legal basis. First of all, when setting up a hookah bar, you need to choose the organizational and legal form of the business. For such activities, it is possible to choose either the format of doing business as an unincorporated legal entity, or as a limited liability company. Next, we will consider the main advantages and disadvantages of each of these organizational forms for a hookah bar:

• Individual entrepreneur. Such registration of a business, including a hookah bar, will require minimal initial costs. It is much easier for an individual entrepreneur to obtain loans for business development, since he bears full responsibility for his obligations. However, the individual entrepreneur format does not allow organizing the sale of alcohol in a hookah bar; its financial responsibility is an additional risk factor, and organizing a business with several founders in this format of activity will simply be impossible. However, for the delivery of hookahs or a small mini-hookah bar at home in the form of a closed club, this format of activity will be optimal, taking into account the minimum costs required to organize a business.
• Limited Liability Company. An LLC for a hookah bar will require more expenses than opening a business as an individual entrepreneur. This applies to both a larger state duty and an additional requirement for the presence of an authorized capital in an amount of no less than 10 thousand rubles. However, the LLC will be liable exclusively within the framework of its property (except for cases provided for by law), and will allow several founders to be involved in organizing the business on different or equal rights, depending on the Charter of the enterprise and their shares. In addition, the LLC also allows you to implement any hookah bar format, including the possibility of selling alcohol.

After determining the organizational and legal form, you will need to contact the Federal Tax Service to register a business entity with a package of documents, depending on the chosen registration method. Thus, such a package includes an application, a decision of the sole founder or minutes of the meeting of founders for an LLC, a receipt for payment of the state fee for registration, as well as identification documents of the individual entrepreneur or founders of the LLC.

It is best to determine a suitable taxation scheme at the registration stage, since changing the taxation regime may subsequently require waiting for up to a year.

note

Finding OKVED codes for a hookah bar can be very difficult. The most suitable codes will be for catering establishments if the hookah bar does not use tobacco and provides drinks or food. If it is opened as a separate institution, you can use the OKVED code for the hookah bar 93.29.9, which provides for the provision of services in the field of entertainment and entertainment activities.

If the hookah bar plans to sell alcohol within the same establishment, you should also worry about obtaining a license for such sale. The cost of this license for 2017 was 65 thousand rubles. At the same time, there are additional restrictions under which it is impossible to obtain a license and which should be taken into account at the business planning stage. Thus, the distance from a hookah bar with alcohol to the nearest medical, educational and sports institutions must be at least 100 meters - and it is calculated based on the extreme points of the territory of the relevant institutions, and not directly on the buildings and objects on it. In addition, the area of ​​the hookah bar itself in such a situation must be at least 50 square meters.

After choosing a tax regime and registering an enterprise, you should also obtain all the necessary supporting documents. In particular, this could be an extract of statistical codes for an LLC or TIN for an individual entrepreneur. It is also recommended to order a seal and indicate in the LLC Charter the mandatory use of it, order a cash register and open a bank account. Despite the fact that these actions are not mandatory, the presence of a cash register, a current account and a seal will significantly simplify doing business and concluding contracts with potential partners and suppliers. In addition, when selling alcohol, having an account and a machine is mandatory.

Start-up capital for a hookah bar

Sources of start-up capital and its size for a hookah bar can be very diverse. However, in general, starting such a business from scratch and without money will be quite difficult. At a minimum, a certain amount of funds will be required for state registration of a business entity. The cost of opening a hookah bar will vary depending on the chosen format of business and depend primarily on it.

So, the cheapest option would be to have your hookah delivered to your home. In this case, the cost of starting a business can be less than 100 thousand rubles, especially provided that the role of the only employee and hookah man will be played by the entrepreneur himself. In this case, the above amount will be enough for both the initial purchase of hookahs and the purchase of direct mixtures and tobacco, and other consumables, state registration and advertising expenses.

• State registration as an LLC and related procedures – 20 thousand rubles;
• Renting a premises with an area of ​​60 square meters for 3 months – 100 thousand rubles;
• Arrangement of premises and repairs - 100 thousand rubles;
• Purchase of furniture and hookahs – 150 thousand rubles;
• Payment for staff work in the first month – 30 thousand rubles;
• Advertising expenses – 50 thousand rubles.

In total, when opening an establishment, you can initially spend 500 thousand rubles. Of course, this amount may vary depending on the specific locality and its conditions. Thus, the cost of labor for a professional hookah man, as well as renting premises in the capital, is much higher than in most other cities in Russia, however, the average bill in such establishments is also quite high.

Regarding the sources of start-up capital, in many cases it is personal savings and savings or loans from relatives and friends. It should be remembered that owning premises, as well as certain equipment, can significantly reduce the initial costs of organizing a business. In addition, a very good solution for reducing initial costs can be to look for premises of former cafes and lounge areas - in this case, repairing and equipping a hookah bar will cost much less.

Raising credit funds will be very difficult for an LLC - you can get a loan to open a hookah bar only if you have a business plan, an existing business, or provide certain property as collateral. For individual entrepreneurs, it is easier to get a loan, but collateral is also most likely required.

The easiest way, if your own start-up capital is insufficient, is to find an investor or partner for the business. With a competent business plan, such a partner could be a nightclub or an already operating restaurant, next to which it is planned to install a hookah bar.

Arrangement of the hookah bar premises

The arrangement of a hookah bar depends on a number of additional factors. At the same time, it is necessary to separate the requirements for hookah bars, which are put forward by the provisions of the current legislation and regulatory documents, and which are dictated by the characteristics of the relevant market. In the first case, it will be simply impossible to avoid their implementation, since otherwise the activity will be carried out in violation of the laws, and in the second situation, these will only be recommendations, violation of which can sometimes even be useful if potential clients like it.

Mandatory requirements for hookah bars include the presence of forced supply and exhaust ventilation, as required by SanPiN standards regarding the arrangement of premises in which smoking occurs.

Such ventilation, as mentioned above, must be vented outside the building, and such venting must be carried out above its ridge, regardless of where and on what floor the hookah bar itself is located. That is why the arrangement of such establishments in basements and on ground floors often leads to significant unexpected costs specifically for the organization of ventilation. A fire alarm is also required, given the use of coals and the increased fire hazard of the hookahs themselves.

From the point of view of marketing and consumer needs, when arranging a hookah bar, special attention should be paid to the interior design and, if possible, the exterior. In particular, one of the main requirements, which are practically mandatory, is the creation of a private atmosphere - each hookah smoking area must be separated from the rest. It is not necessary to have rigid partitions, but in general, the delimitation of zones should be mandatory.

note

For a long time, the presence of an oriental interior was considered mandatory for hookah bars. However, the high-tech interior that THE OFFICE NARGILIA LOUNGE tried to use in their establishments created a real sensation among customers and demonstrated that the oriental style is by no means mandatory for hookah bars. However, in any case, the interior must be done professionally and taking into account the needs of the target audience for relaxation.

If the hookah bar does not serve drinks and food, visitors should also be given the opportunity to bring them with them or order them from third parties by delivery. In addition, an additional advantage can be the organization of all kinds of entertainment in addition to smoking a hookah - the opportunity to play consoles, watch TV, listen to live music. Based on these additional services, the requirements for the premises may also change.

For example, if you have a kitchen or bar, the requirements for a hookah bar will be almost the same as the requirements for cafes or restaurants - at least in terms of current government regulations.

Equipment and consumables for hookah bars

When opening your own hookah bar, you must ensure that you have certain equipment and consumables. Moreover, this does not only apply to the availability of hookahs themselves - in many cases they constitute a minimal part of the costs. So, in particular, the minimum set of required items and furniture for a hookah bar with five zones can be as follows:

Additional costs will depend on the chosen format of the enterprise’s activities. So, a very good way to diversify the leisure time of visitors would be to purchase consoles and, as a result, video games for them. It may also be a good idea to offer various board games and create a full-fledged anti-cafe based on the hookah bar.

Important fact

On average, the price of one high-quality hookah is about 5-8 thousand rubles. In this case, the greatest importance is not the appearance of the hookah and its country of origin, but the material and length of the shaft and pipes. It should be noted that more expensive models are not always of higher quality - it is best to use the help of professional hookah specialists when selecting equipment.

We should not forget about consumables - foil, coals and tobacco. It is best to order them directly from world-class manufacturers - most well-known brands have the opportunity to work directly or through dealers. In this way, both high quality products and their compliance with customer expectations and legal requirements will be guaranteed. In particular, the presence of certificates for tobacco or smoking mixtures will allow you to avoid questions from inspection authorities.

How to select staff for a hookah bar

The professionalism of its employees is of great importance in the operation of a hookah bar. After all, the entire reputation of the establishment will depend on how tasty and correct the hookah turns out. Therefore, special attention should be paid to personnel selection and training. On average, the salary of one hookah worker depends on many factors and often includes a salary plus a percentage of completed orders. This format of work involves rewarding the hookah man for service and attracting a large number of clients.

However, finding professional hookah pipes may not always be easy. In small cities there may not be specialists of the required level at all. However, this does not mean that they cannot be found - a good option may be to send employees to hookah courses, which are held in almost all regional centers of Russia.

After such courses, you can get a real professional at a relatively low cost. An alternative to such courses, if there is a large number of potential employees and a large scale of the enterprise, can be to attract a specialist from the capital or regional center to conduct a training course directly at the hookah bar.

Important fact

When selecting personnel, you should also focus on the personal qualities of a potential employee. The hookah man must be polite, non-confrontational, be able to simultaneously, if necessary, carry on a conversation with visitors, and vice versa - be absolutely unobtrusive in order to maintain a private atmosphere when performing his duties, if clients are not in the mood for a conversation with strangers. It should be noted that the hookah bar is one of the few types of business where the oriental appearance of the employees is more of a plus than a minus, as it allows for the proper flavor.

Hookah bar advertising and marketing

Special attention should be devoted to the issues of advertising and marketing policy of a hookah bar - after all, it is attracting visitors that will allow you to achieve success. This business, as mentioned above, is highly profitable, so it will especially depend heavily on a constant flow of customers. In general, marketing methods in the hookah business can be divided as follows:

note

The popularity of hookah bars is growing every year. The establishments attract with their atmosphere and exoticism. Sitting on comfortable sofas in cozy rooms with dim lighting, you can have a great rest while enjoying an intimate conversation and leisurely sipping a hookah.

In such establishments, time seems to stand still, which sharply contrasts with the frantic pace of megacities. Some come to try a new taste of tobacco, some visitors are looking for a harmless alternative to smoking - hookahs made with milk or juice, others simply want to relax after a busy day at work.

From this we can conclude that such a business is in great demand, and therefore can bring its owner substantial earnings. Let's look at how to open a hookah bar as quickly and successfully as possible.

We act according to the law

Let's look at what you need to open a hookah bar. Opening a “real” hookah bar, similar to establishments in Muslim countries where this trade flourishes, is extremely difficult. This is due to the effect of the law “On Smoking” (Federal Law No. 15 of February 23, 2013). According to its provisions, smoking in public places is prohibited. At the same time, people come to a hookah bar for one purpose - to smoke.

Of course, you can argue with the law by positioning your establishment as a place specifically designated for smoking, properly decorated and operating under legal conditions.

However, this will take a lot of nerves and time. It is much easier to open a hookah lounge under the wing of a cafe or restaurant.

But there is a nuance here too. In order not to run counter to the law and not to contribute to the imposition of penalties, it is advisable to sell mixtures that do not contain nicotine. Fortunately, there are now a huge number of them (dairy, fruit, wine, herbal, etc.).

You can slowly sell tobacco to “your” clients. However, you need to be extremely careful, have a good lawyer and staff who know how to keep their mouth shut.

Registration

In this chapter we will figure out how to open a hookah bar legally. Business must be legal. Only in this case can it function legally and claim success. To open a hookah bar, registration of both an individual entrepreneur and a legal entity is suitable.

You will also need appropriate permits from the sanitary and fire services, as well as a license to sell alcohol (if the establishment provides for the sale of alcoholic beverages).

According to the law, only an LLC can trade alcohol. Therefore, if you plan to combine a hookah lounge with a bar, an individual entrepreneur will not be suitable.

So, a hookah bar can officially operate if it has the following documents:

• registration certificate;
• license to sell tobacco products;
• permission from the fire inspectorate;
• SES permission;
• permission to sell alcoholic beverages.

Do not forget that catering establishments (hookah bars are considered one of them) must be kept clean. Therefore, all workers must have health certificates.

Creating any business starts with an idea. In order to calculate how successful your idea is, you need to draw up a business plan. and necessary calculations.

You will find out what are the advantages of opening a franchise production facility.

Perhaps the following topic will interest you. In the article you will find an example of a cafe business plan with the necessary calculations of costs and profitability.

Features of doing business

No special permits are required for such activities, as well as purchasing expensive equipment and obtaining a special license. At the same time, the profitability of an establishment directly depends on its status. A hookah business will be profitable if you concentrate your efforts on a specific target audience:

• VIP guests. A premium establishment should be “hidden” from prying eyes. It is better to form the assortment from elite varieties of tobacco and high-quality alcohol. Unique ingredients in hookahs and proprietary mixtures are welcome. The service must be impeccable, the atmosphere of the establishment must be luxurious. All this pays off at high prices.
• Ordinary guests. It makes sense to locate such establishments in walkable places with good transport links. Products should be as diverse as possible and prices should be affordable. Additionally, you can sell alcoholic cocktails, beer, and snacks. Income will be provided through high turnover.

Hookah bar interior

We solve production issues

The hookah bar starts from the premises. It is desirable that it be located in a place with convenient transport links or in the central area of ​​the city. The area of ​​the room must be over 100 m2. This volume will allow you to place 5 smoking areas, a bar counter, a small kitchen, a bathroom and a staff room.

The design must match the theme of the establishment. Furniture should be as comfortable as possible, not flashy colors (spacious sofas, soft armchairs, low compact tables). It makes sense to decorate the walls with oriental motifs. Symbolic figurines, pillows, tents are appropriate.

The musical accompaniment should also be carefully selected. It should be unobtrusive, light and soothing. Everything should feel exotic. This is what most customers go to hookah bars for.

As for equipment, you won’t need a lot of money to purchase it. It will be enough:

• hookahs;
• coal;
• smoking mixtures;
• tobacco;
• hoses;
• cups;
• tubes;
• replaceable flasks;
• forceps;
• burners;
• foil;
• dishes.

The hookah bar equipment cannot be called large-scale, however, it must be of high quality. It is not worth saving on this expense item. After all, cheap analogues are subject to a lot of wear and tear.

The establishment must have a sufficient number of fire extinguishers.

We provide quality service

Personnel must be selected carefully. You will need:

• hookah workers;
• bartenders;
• cooks;
• cleaners;
• security guards;
• accountant.

It is advisable to hire several employees, except the last one, so that they work in shifts. This is due to the operating mode. The establishment should be open around the clock, at least until 3 am. Otherwise, there are unlikely to be many visitors.

Choose employees who:

• attentive (they are the ones who can notice the fire);
• polite;
• do not talk too much;
• hardworking;
• responsible;
• clean;
• not intrusive.

Hookah bar design

In the hookah business, a lot depends on the employees. They are an important element of advertising for an establishment. After all, it is unlikely that you will be able to advertise a hookah bar using well-known methods (promotional offers, advertising around the city, bright signs, commercials on TV and radio) if you sell real tobacco. The law is on guard. The best advertising in this case is word of mouth.

Investments and income

How much does it cost to open a hookah bar? Experts say that the hookah business is highly profitable. The profitability of a point located in a popular area of ​​the city, if properly organized, is characterized at a high level. Let's try to calculate the amount of start-up capital required to open a hookah bar. Initial expenses will go towards:

• rent of suitable premises – 10-30 thousand rubles;
• equipment/components – about 35 thousand rubles;
• purchase of products (drinks, corners, mixtures, etc.) – 50-70 thousand rubles;
• design and furniture – up to 300 thousand rubles;
• advertising – from 10 thousand rubles.

Naturally, you should not forget about business registration. If you open it yourself, you will need a small amount (to pay fees, photocopies of documents, etc.). Having entrusted this matter to a specialized company, be prepared to shell out between 8-12 thousand rubles. depending on the urgency and “size” of the mediator.

The approximate amount it will cost to open a hookah bar is 400-450 thousand rubles. It is also worth taking into account monthly expenses, such as:

• replenishment of the establishment’s assortment – ​​15-20 thousand rubles;
• employee salaries – up to 100 thousand rubles;
• rental and utility payments – 20-40 thousand rubles;
• advertising – 2-3 thousand rubles;
• purchase of household chemicals and hygiene items – up to 3 thousand rubles.

The total monthly costs will be 130-165 thousand rubles. That is, the future owner of a hookah bar must have the capital to create a business and maintain it for the first time, 530-615 thousand rubles.

Hookah bar Jajir

As for the profitability of a business, much depends on its location and level of organization. In general, the average check is 1.5 thousand rubles. Daily earnings can be about 35 thousand rubles, respectively, monthly profit is about 300 thousand rubles.

The above calculations show that the profitability of the project is 50-80%, which is a very high figure. It will be possible to recoup the investment in six months, or in a “good situation” – in 3 months.

Pros and cons of opening a hookah bar

The advantages of creating your own business (hookah bar) include:

• ease of doing business due to narrow specialization;
• financial attractiveness;
• high demand.

The disadvantages include:

• availability of impressive start-up capital;
• “night” operating mode of the establishment;
• complexity of advertising caused by the Smoking Law.

At the same time, I would like to note that a high-quality hookah bar business plan, hard work and experience of predecessors will help even a novice entrepreneur create an establishment with an indescribable atmosphere that is in demand among residents and guests of the city. After all, the main incentive for organizing this tempting business with a taste of smoke is high earnings.

If you are a true fan of smoking tobacco or aromatic mixtures, and at the same time you are eager to invest money in a profitable and profitable business in a niche with little competition, then it is wise to open a hookah bar. The main component of the success of such an enterprise is to please customers without entering into friction with the authorities. If you can do this, you will get fame and good profit.