Free flow what. Free-flo: new Russian catering

Similar restaurants They are quite democratic, but at the same time they are designed for a wide middle class, from students to families with children. This segment of restaurant services is currently in great demand, since even with high traffic, long queues can be avoided.

However, achieving high traffic is impossible if you don’t think everything through from the very beginning. That's why free flow restaurant project should be left to professionals.

General concept and design restaurant must correspond to the menu that will be served in it. And the set, in turn, should provide the ability to prepare dishes from this menu. Therefore, the main set of dishes on the menu needs to be thought out even before the start of the free-flo format.

Choice

First of all, such a project will require a smart choice for both the food preparation area and the distribution line. These two zones will be in full view of restaurant guests, which means they should be not only compact, but also “photogenic”.

The second factor is compactness - after all, the cooking area for each type of dish should correspond in length to the length of the distribution area for these dishes. And here the question of having designer reliable supplier. And even better - when designer and he himself is such a supplier, like our company “Industrial Nutrition”.

The third factor is correct design ventilation. You can't go wrong here. When the cooking area is directly adjacent to the guest area, it is important to ensure air circulation so that excess odors from the kitchen do not penetrate to the guests' tables.

Additional issues to consider when designing a free flow restaurant

Restaurant This type of restaurant can be positioned both as a student place and as a weekend establishment for families with children. Depending on this, the design and various additional functional areas are selected.

In case of free flow restaurant, which serves as a student canteen, it is important that the establishment cope with the flow of hungry young people and look modern. If the positioning is aimed at married couples, then it makes sense to organize a children's area where the playful young generation can play while the parents relax.

In any case, market experts predict restaurants, built on the concept free flow success with the public, provided that restaurant it will be competent designed. In this case, there is always the opportunity to include the visitor in the process, making the establishment fashionable and interactive. This niche, according to analysts, is currently only 10% filled even in Moscow.

So, our team, staffed by technologists with extensive experience, is ready to fulfill your order for free-flo systems for any number of seats. We will also supply you with everything you need, carry out its installation and ensure timely delivery in the future.

It’s been a long time since I told you anything on the topic of the restaurant business, and, by the way, this area is one of the most popular and profitable in our country. And no one has yet canceled the population’s love for public catering establishments. Therefore, today you will learn about how to open a cafe in your city with an interesting and quite popular format - free flow (translated from English as “free flow”). I am sure that many of you have not even heard of this term, but the most interesting thing is that many of you have visited such establishments.

The main feature of free-flow establishments is the free movement of visitors and prepared dishes. Similar cafes and restaurants appeared in France, but gained the greatest popularity in the United States. Such cafes operate a self-service system, and dishes are prepared right in front of the client. The cooking process is not interrupted throughout the working day. The visitor comes with a tray to the display case with ready-made dishes, picks up everything he wants, pays on the spot and goes to any table he likes. One example of free-flo is the restaurant "Rake" as well as the network of catering establishments "Mu-Mu".

Plastic, glass or earthenware plates and mugs are used as tableware. The cutlery used is inexpensive forks, spoons and knives made of stainless steel. Also, in a free-flo cafe, paper napkins are a must.

If you want to open a free flow in your city, then the first thing you should think about is choosing a suitable location. After all, success ultimately depends on him. This should be a busy, crowded place with a traffic volume of 500-700 (preferably 1000) people per day or more. This is a mandatory point, since only such traffic can ensure a normal flow of target customers, without whom it is impossible to count on high profits from your future establishment. The thing is that prices in free-flo are, traditionally, affordable, which means that only a large number of clients can provide a normal monthly income.

The next important point is a large room that can simultaneously accommodate several hundred people (at least 100 people). Otherwise, the above rule about prices and final profit applies. In addition, for constant continuous cooking you will need expensive kitchen equipment - ovens, ovens, microwaves, etc.

Considering the huge attendance of free-flo establishments, get ready to take care of the cleanliness of the interior. You need to constantly keep several cleaners on staff who will keep your cafe in perfect sanitary condition.

Particular attention should be paid to the interior design of your cafe. Experts recommend using inexpensive decorations and finishing materials. In free-flo establishments there is no place for the atmosphere of expensive elite restaurants, where people come not only to eat, but also to sit, gossip, discuss business and relax. The task of free-flo is to feed the client and begin serving the next one. And so on all day. People come here for the primary purpose - to satisfy their hunger and have a snack.

It must be said that such fast food establishments are the most promising in the restaurant business. You have the opportunity to independently choose the most suitable kitchen (or several), create your own interior design and set affordable prices that will attract the majority of the population of your city. I wish you successful restaurant business!

What is free flow? “Free flow” or free flow means “free movement”. In the case of restaurants, this is free movement of both visitors (guests) and food. Signs of the concept: - Cooking dishes in front of guests; - Lack of waiters; - Availability of an open kitchen; - Large and varied assortment. Today the idea of ​​democratic restaurant service is very popular - the concept of “free float”; its embodiment is: Autogrill chain - Italy Casino chain - France Lido chain - Latvia Movenpick chain - Sweden Restaurant "Rake", restaurant "Mu- mu" - Moscow, etc. The essence of the free flow concept is to work with the guest as democratically as possible. Ideally, it gives the guest the opportunity to decide on their food, choose a place, sit down, and feel at ease and relaxed. This is all ensured by the principle of “separate islands”. This feature makes such a restaurant as democratic as possible, attracting customers from various social classes, since it can satisfy a wide variety of tastes. There are “islands” here: a coffee shop, a beer hall, a line of hot dishes - a self-service food system, and next to it is a restaurant - orders through waiters (self-service does not work). Naturally, a quick lunch is several times cheaper than a restaurant dinner. The success of an establishment is determined largely by the atmosphere of the establishment and the quality of its products. It is necessary to think through everything: design, styling, technical equipment, space planning. The advantage of this establishment is that you don’t have to wait for your order. Restaurants operating under the “free access” system could have appeared here a little earlier than actually happened. But our market was somewhat unprepared. The new system of working with customers - an open kitchen, free movement of visitors from counter to counter, the ability to choose products for preparing a dish - has only become relevant now. The ancestor of the concept can be called Morche Movenpick. Businessman Ueli Prager, who came up with the concept, conceived the restaurant as a meeting place for business people, where they could quickly drop in and still have a delicious meal. The establishment turned out to be successful. Restaurant guests walk past colorful, mouth-watering food stands and watch the food being prepared. There is no closed kitchen, everything is in full view of the guests. The ingredients are laid out on counters, and visitors themselves can choose the pieces from which the dish will be prepared. Counters are usually divided according to the type of products offered: grill, seafood, soups, salad bar, oriental cuisine, pasta-pizza, fruit, bar, wine bar, confectionery. Some people elevate the principle of “free movement” to an absolute, others make restrictions. But in general, of course, a way of organizing space that corresponds to the idea is necessary. Some restaurants promote their complex, including as a restaurant for families with children: there are playgrounds for children at the restaurant, thanks to this the restaurant is also perceived as a popular leisure center, which ensures a constant influx of visitors. It is believed that any restaurant of this concept is doomed to success. Firstly, the concept is democratic, and secondly, it is a kind of interactive show, when the client becomes part of the atmosphere, the process.

It’s an amazing thing - the fly-infested canteens of the Soviet era have a new, beautiful child. Or, rather, one of the relatives - the roots are foreign. And the reputation is completely different - free float catering is very popular and profitable on a global scale. In fact, this is again a conveyor belt - the same tray, the same portioned plates, chosen independently. But there is almost no queue, the tables are polished to a shine, decorated with napkins, and the selection of dishes is worthy of a buffet in an elite restaurant.

Perhaps, a catering establishment in the free-flo format embodies all the dreams of a visitor - tasty, varied, traditionally inexpensive. Self-service is not boring. And the main thing is freedom, free flow is translated as free movement, swimming. Are you interested in what format free flow can be in? A fast food restaurant, a fast food cafe, a free flow pub, or even a corporate cafeteria.

In Russia, as in many countries, establishments of this type are practically doomed to success, because it is known that a crisis and other problems whet the appetite. Affordable prices and proven free-flo techniques allow you to conduct business with great profits. If your time is valuable, you have start-up capital, and you agree to adhere to network standards, you can take a ready-made free flow franchise. For example, the “Rake” chain, with an initial payment of about 2 million rubles, with an area of ​​500 sq. m. m. and payback of 2.5 years.

Advantages of free flow

Healthy, tasty, affordable, fast. Characterized by fresh, high-quality food, cooked in front of visitors, and mainly from natural products. Proven free-flo technology allows you to maintain the pace of service even during peak hours. The prices are reasonable, the average bill is no more than 200-300 rubles.

Everything is moving. Everything moves - food, plates, menu, and most importantly - visitors. This is achieved due to the fact that the distribution line is not made in one stream, as it was, for example, in the canteen of Soviet times. It is divided into thematic sections - confectionery, meat, salad and others. To introduce new dishes to the menu, just order the production of TTK for free-flo dishes. The menu for free flow is updated as necessary.

Nothing extra. Firstly, there are no annoying queues; several distribution lines are formed in the form of “separate islands” - this is the main difference. Secondly, there are no waiters and no tips. A confectionery shop and a kitchen factory can provide processed raw materials and semi-finished products to up to a dozen establishments at the same time.

At ease. There is no pathos or elitism. For example, visitors to the free flow dining room come in casual clothes and, ideally, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They feel at home and choose a comfortable place for themselves to sit and relax while eating in pleasant company. Spacious, since the area of ​​the room is from 100 to 500 square meters. m for one level and up to 2000 sq. m for a multi-level establishment.

Everything is transparent. Most dishes are prepared in the same room where they are served - the so-called “open kitchen” principle. Free flow products and semi-finished products are pre-prepared by the establishment’s kitchen or centralized network kitchen.

Abundance. A visitor to free flow catering can choose what he wants even at the preparation stage from a large assortment of all kinds of food and drinks. The list of dishes is designed to suit any, even sophisticated taste, including dishes suitable for vegetarians and children. It is enough to buy a collection of recipes for dishes for free flow to quickly create a menu; you will receive technological maps as a bonus. A fast food restaurant usually offers a variety of national cuisines. The number of seats depends on the concept of the establishment, area and design of the room, from 50 to 300.

Original. Inexpensive decorations and talented artists allow you to create any design and interior - in country style, thematic or even historical. If the street where the free flow cafe is located is picturesque and rich in attractions, panoramic windows are good.

Anywhere. You can open free float catering everywhere. In a shopping complex, office and business center, in a separate building, in the attic or ground floor of a residential building. Promising location along traffic flows - free-float cafes near the road, at train stations.

Free flo in Russian - McDonald's is resting!

So, free flow catering is a promising type of new business that is deservedly popular. It harmoniously combines innovative methods of organizing the work of a catering establishment with a reduction in the cost of servicing the sales floor, due to the minimal presence of service personnel and many other features.

Therefore, if you decide to start your own business, open your own fast food cafe, or canteen, or even a free-flo restaurant. Bring your finest hour closer! And let your competitors envy your profits in a year, because in order to achieve returns, you will have to invest a lot of money and use various methods to attract customers at first. However, do not relax, because social responsibility awaits you! You are simply obliged to provide the entire population of the areas nearby with fast, but healthy and tasty food, pushing aside McDonald's and other irrelevant foreign fast food. And of course, in the coming years, expand your business by opening several more similar establishments, because the basis of the project is simply doomed to success!

Free flow restaurants are a relatively new catering concept for Russia.

Free flow establishments are both restaurants and self-service fast food establishments. They differ from ordinary canteens in their more refined interior and varied menu, but the average bill in them is several times lower than in classic restaurants!

The first restaurants were created as places where businessmen and office employees could combine meals with business meetings. Guests here move freely around the restaurant hall, choosing the dishes they like, and pay their own bill at the checkout. The restaurant can have both self-service areas and “islands” served by waiters. Quite often such restaurants have.

According to the international classification, the free flow concept belongs to the fast casual format, which emerged relatively recently, although the first establishment saw the light back in 1948, thanks to the efforts of the Swiss Ueli Prager.

Widespread use occurred much later - at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st centuries.

Russia can also boast of successful examples of the implementation of this concept: “Mu-Mu”, “Yolki-Palki”, “Prime”, “Teaspoon”, “Rake”, “Edok”. The network of establishments covers not only Russian capitals, but also provincial cities.

The interest on the part of domestic restaurateurs in free flow is quite clear.

Given below typical restaurant project clearly shows the layout and organization of space in establishments of this concept.

Dining room of the free flow restaurant

Equipment you will need to open a free flow restaurant:

Food warmers;

Thermal showcases;

Refrigerated display cases;

Built-in refrigeration and heating elements;

Combi steamers;

Grills for chickens;

Vegetable cutters;

Deep fryers;

Contact grills;

Coffee machines;

Juicers;

Mixers and blenders;

Juice coolers and hot chocolate machine;

Dishwasher;

Refrigerators and freezers;

Stainless steel furniture (washing tubs, work tables, etc.).