What cake?

[IShitGlitter]

Me and my DH are opening a small hut. A tea and coffee stop its along a local well used walk. (Weve already checked and applied for various licensing) we are keeping things very very simple just selling tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cold drinks maybe some prepackaged biscuits and a cake of some sorts. My DH things a good flapjack were as I think and old style school sponge (nice cake with white icing and sprinkles) These will be homemade by me. What would you be more likely to buy along a walk ....any suggestions welcome I.e brownie? Coconut jam sponge? Shortbread?

Jesus, missing the point or what. As other posters have clearly explained it is actually very easy to provide gf/vegan alternatives, all brownies can be gf etc, all flapjacks can be vegan, it's not the massive "faddy" hassle you perceive it to be and you cover as many bases as possible m. There are some great pre packaged gf/vegan cereal bars etc out there which would take up very little space in your hut. As small as it might be I assume that you want to maximise your sales to make it cost effective which means looking at ways to ensure that as many potential customers as possible part with their cash. Bananas will be a nightmare, they go brown so quickly.

Will your hut have running water? If so you could look into the Refill app and enable customers to fill up their water bottles. Very popular with walkers (and actually all visitors) in my little hut like shop.

Keeping a small selection of long lasting pre-packed GF / Vegan cake bars or small dark chocolate bars or something as an alternative might be an option??

I would not buy instant coffee but would buy tea / fruit tea or hot chocolate etc to accompany a bit of cake, or a cold drink on a hot day.

Sounds great and good luck!!!

You will need choices. Something easy to eat with no rubbish? Like a tray bake/ Rocky road.

We live and walk in the Lakes .
I wouldn't buy something like a slice of Victoria sponge as it would be hard to eat on the go, or squishy if putting in rucksack . Same for anything too jammy or buttercream.
Yes to traybakes , or slab cakes such as bread pudding, rich fruit cake, cherry maderia. etc.

I think am seeing the point about gluten free, dairy free ect......
I have seen some naked choco orange cereals bars that cover all options and could sit on the "counter"
Dairy free
Gluten free
Vegan

Tea, Coffee, Hot Choc. Free Water for flasks if possible.
Cheese Scones, Traybake (rocky road), Fruit flapjack. Brownies.
Variety of whole fruit if possible.
Paper napkins. Bin.

I’d be most likely to buy a slightly different tray bake e.g. pistachio and rose or coconut chai. More likely to buy if it’s ‘healthy’ as well.

Rocky Road isn’t vegetarian (because of the gelatine in the marshmallows - it’s not kosher or halal either).

Flapjacks are probably your simplest option.

I think am seeing the point about gluten free, dairy free ect......
I have seen some naked choco orange cereals bars that cover all options and could sit on the "counter"
Dairy free
Gluten free
Vegan

Yes that would do..it’s absolutely awful to go for a hot drink and find there’s not a cake or a bit of a snack to go with your drink.

It’s like m and s have a gluten free section...but very little..if anything in the way of making their food dairy free.

Howard Middleton does some excellent gluten free baking.

I’d love not to have to do this. I really would.

I'm dairy and gluten free have been for around 12 years so it's only been v recently I've been able to eat out easily. But my usual go to was a bag of crisps or sweets. These would cover the bases but still appeal to your regular market.

Those naked bars are quite expensive and are ok tasting (not the best!) but to make a profit you would have to charge quite a bit. Sainsbury's do some lovely lemon drizzle cakes in their free from section that are wrapped in little packs similar size to Mr Kipling. Or you can get cherry Bakewell individual wrapped bars in the free from section but they are another make. Sainsbury's have a pretty large selection of free from and most actually tastes nice!! But I personally would ask a few walkers/on local Facebook page as there might not be a huge percentage of people who need gluten/dairy/vegan options. Pointless offering something that wouldn't sell.

Gluten free isn't daddy if you have celiac disease!! How rude!

It really wouldn't be hard to make the flapjacks allergy friendly, gf oats and dairy free butter.

Having something for allergy sufferers will be good for business in the long term.

Nothing stops us buying anything than a shop not catering one of our children

www.lazycatkitchen.com/spiced-plum-loaf gluten free plum cake

Rice crispy mars slices topped with mini smarties

Ginger and Guiness cake

Pistachio/Orange cake

Lemon, blueberry and poppyseed tray bake

Apricot flapjack cookies I find a cookie better than a slab of flapjack

I wouldn't come back if it was instant coffee.

The frightening thing is: people want it so cheap. They want home made, but then quibble that it's more expensive that the tasteless drivel that supermarkets churn out cheaply.

My friend lives in Bedford, commutes into London. She scoured local areas for home made cake shops, Tiffin, Rocky Road etc. Found 3. All closed now.

People want. But aren't prepared to pay.

Business wise how will you churn out a home made quality product? For a comparable cost to tasteless Tesco. You almost can't!

Naked bars are fine enough. When you have got an epipen for a severe dairy allergy you are grateful for anything you can buy to be honest (although you learn to be super organised and have a snack with you at all times).

I would buy a few boxes from the Lazy Day range vegan rocky road, lovely tiffin and millionaires shortbread.

They keep for ages in an airtight container. Mrs Crimbles macaroons are nice and gluten and dairy free as are some Eat Natural bars, the dark chocolate with cranberries and Macadamia nuts is lovely.

Food allergies can be very serious and I would make your life easier by buying things in in the beginning. You don’t want to end up harming someone and ending up in the dock!

I wouldn’t buy instant coffee either though OP.

Don't forget children.... I'm more likely to buy something for myself if I can get something for them... Even if it's just a Capri sun type thing and a cookie.

(I know you don't want complicated... But herbal teas? Easy enough to keep a box of green tea)

Lemon drizzle loaf cake and banana and date loaf cake are easy and popular. Or blueberry loaf with drizzled plain icing..adapt for seasonal fruit/cheaper.and more profit.

We have made the lemon one from a vegan receipe before-easy and delicious. No need to make two versions. I understand you want things as simple as possible but for me the delight in these places is a bit of home-made quirkiness. If it was just coffee, pre-packed biscuits and always just brownies say, I soon wouldn't bother to stop.

Also ring the changes to keep tempting people to see what you have today...and spend more with you!. Doesn't have to be loads of variety, just your regular brownies and flapjack plus one cake and one savoury that are regularly changed. Good luck!

You need volume and profit to make something like that pay. Keep it simple.

Glad you asked, OP?

I think your ideas sound great. You can always expand the selection once you hear what your actual customers are asking for. If every third person expresses disappointment that you don't have real coffee or oat milk then you can start considering adding those thing.

We plan to have a mixed box of herbal tea in a box aswell as we do drink green tea. Yes we are doing cans of pop and bottles of water and cup drinks that kids could have.

If you bake a layer of after-eight mints into a traybake of brownies you'll end up with mint brownies which are addictive AF ;) Pro tip.

Bet you wish you hadn’t asked 😀
I would happily buy instant coffee.

I wouslnt be fussed if it was hot and in cup... is this hut on it's own in the middle of the walk? Its not like people will have loads to choose from and when needs are a must and you're thirsty and needing a little snack.

There is no way I would pay money to drink instant coffee. I don't see that it is all that easier anyway - you could just get a cafe sized filter coffee machine - that I would pay for!

I think if you do it right you can create a destination for people top specifically go on that walk so they can have a nice treat along the way. I wouldn't bother with what you're planning to offer..sorry

I won't be doing GF/Vegan/new fad type cakes am afraid I will get a box of soya milk portions that's about as far as I will go. I am keeping it as simple as can be

This is a mistake imo.