Amore Café 2612 Milwaukee Ave.

Chicago, IL 60647
773-292-9905
Marissa Schagen
773-793-2211
Raul Jimenez
773-589-6421
Feburary 22, 2011
The information, data, and drawings embodied in this business plan are strictly confidential and are supplied on the
understanding that they will be held confidentially and not disclosed to third parties without the prior written consent of the
authors of this document.
Background Information
Amore Café will be a combination of a coffee shop and cafe style restaurant, providing local healthy and organic coffee,
sandwiches, salads and pastries in the booming Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. The main objective of Amore Café is to
provide a welcoming and warm atmosphere for people on the go or those wanting to use our free Wi-Fi for meetings, studying or
just grabbing a bite with friends. We will have a patio in the summer months and the space will be located on the bustling
Milwaukee Avenue. 
After being in food service business for the last fourteen years, I decided to partner with my current general manager Raul
Jimenez in opening a healthy cafe and all around cool place to hang out in the trendy up and coming neighborhood. Raul Jimenez
has twenty years of experience in the bar and restaurant industry, he is a chef and master mixologist, managing bars and
restaurants for the last ten years throughout Chicago. The all organic menu we have created emphasizing healthy dishes,
recognizing the trend within the restaurant industry for the demand for healthy cuisine.
 We will be opening early in morning and closing in the early evening, customers will walk up to counter order their items,
they’ll be given a number and seat themselves. We will also be providing local beer and a small South American wine list with
special brunch items on the weekends. Amore Café will be unique in Logan Square because it will have mostly all products from
Chicago. All food and produce will be purchased from local organic farmers, creating seasonal menus with constants keeping our
business fresh and changing throughout the seasons. 
What sets Amore Café apart from other businesses in the area is our casual yet sheik establishment catering to the diverse
neighborhood of young families, local hipsters and Latino residents looking for healthy alternatives. Many trendy restaurants are
sprouting up in the area such as Longman and Eagle which just received a Michelin Star (Ruby, 2010) and Lula Cafe whom
emulate the current progression of the neighborhood. 
Financial Summary
Amore Café will be invested primarily between Raul and me putting $30,000 towards the initial costs of the cafe, creating a
100% profit margin. The location we scouted on Milwaukee Avenue was previously a restaurant making our build out costs
extremely low. We plan on taking down two walls in the kitchen area creating an open space incurring $3000 in construction
costs.  The space is 1700 square feet leased at $2100 a month. The space includes a kitchen with all major appliances including
stove, oven and refrigerator. Near the sink there is an area to install our purchased dishwasher. The space has two bathrooms and
a small basement which will be used for storage. Our major goal is to build credit and we have no plans on taking out loans
because of our current economic climate. The initial costs will include all licenses and permits costing approximately $6800. All
basic kitchen and cooking items, espresso machine and coffee station essentials, cooler to present pastries and side dishes, trash
cans, storage bins, all floor basics including tables, chairs and miscellaneous bathroom items. We intend on buying all items at
cost at discount stores and participating in different aspects of the initial construction.
Benefits to the Community
 Amore Café will have a small staff  with one semi skilled chef, back of the house dishwasher/busboy and all around helper. One
to two counter girls who will help run the register as well as the assist in the overall maintenance of the floor and cleanliness of
the bathrooms. Amore Café will be 100% of a team effort and everyone will help each other do a wide array of tasks. Luckily
Chicago has a wide range of supply companies that provide restaurants with many of their basic cooking and supply needs. Our
coffee and tea will be from Intelligentsia Coffee (Intelligentsia, 2011) and our food will be provided strictly from Green City
Market which is Chicago’s year-round farmers’ market promoting local and sustainable farmers to the public (Green City
Market, 2011).
 Many of the restaurants and bars opening are aimed towards beer, whiskey and amazing pork and burger inspired dishes. Amore
Café will appeal to the increasingly popular organic food movement in our much needed simple and cozy breakfast and lunch
café in the area. The standard of living in the area has increased tremendously in the last ten years; with all the trendy restaurants
and bars the neighborhood is lacking healthy food options for the community during the day. Creating healthy options in the
Logan Square promotes an organic and healthier lifestyle which lacks in most American communities. 
 Amore Café will offer minimum wage for all back of the house employees with options to pay for a cheap insurance policy for
those with families. Our counter/barristas employees will have the options to move into management and bear more
responsibilities based on their individual performance and drive.
The Company and Industry Component
 Amore Café is a new business venture and will be a partnership with all profits split equally. Cafe style coffee shops are in high
demand throughout most large cities in the United States because of the fast paced lifestyles most residents encompass.
 According to the City of Chicago website Amore Café will require several licenses including a liquor license at $4400, outdoor
patio liquor license at $1760, retail food establishment license at $660, outdoor café license the fee will be based on square
footage and location.
The cafe will provide the customers the opportunity to serve themselves endless amounts of java with little interference from a
server waiting on them. The fact we will be providing free Wi-Fi and encouraging customers to stay and enjoy our relaxed space.
A few similar businesses in the area such as Starbucks and New Wave Cafe do not provide the same ingredients and uniqueness
our menu and space will provide. New Wave Cafe has recently opened and seems to be busy proving the need of a different style
of cafe, attracting the wide variety of local residents. 
 The low start up costs and easily accessible location will prove to be profitable within a one year span. People in the
neighborhood love to walk around and eat at new and interesting places throughout the city, our business will thrive with our
expertise. Our network of friends in the industry will easily help us promote the business.