Spotlight: Goldsmiths Kitchen Mayfair
Owner Maria Goldsmith on bagels, artisan coffee and what it took to open her own deli in Mayfair.
Best bagels, artisan coffee and lot more with owner Maria Goldsmith
How did you start the business?
I worked in Mayfair for 7 years and I couldn’t find a good coffee or bagel in the area. It made me so upset I decided to buy a espresso coffee machine for the office, which led me to start my business! It took 4 years to find the perfect space in Mayfair. After a bidding war and pitching my business plan to the landlords, I got this space.
What are the most important areas to get right and succeed in your industry?
This is my first experience with a food business, I have made some mistakes but also learned a lot. For me the most important points are:
Customer service: Soon we will be the only independent small business on the street. We take pride in making this one of our most important points to focus on.
Quality: Every single supplier we have is a small cottage businesses in London and they deliver to us daily or weekly. Nothing industrial, everything is homemade in the shop.
Pricing: We have to be reasonably priced. As a small business we need to get returning customers to survive so all those 3 areas need to be right.
What makes you different from other delis/coffee shops in the area?
Being independent and very personal. If someone comes in every single day, they don’t order from the menu, they customise their lunch. Whatever the customer would like to do, whatever they ask for, we do it for them! This kind of service is simply not possible from chains.
How do you find out about the latest technology and trends in your industry?
Most of my friends in London own businesses, in this industry we talk!
I also do a lot of research on social media and find it one of the best tools to stay updated.
What is the latest piece of technology you bought?
I have added iZettle terminals to my 2 Shopwave POS terminals. It was so simple, saves money and also helps me handle the accountancy side of the business.
For someone who doesn’t know a lot about technology, this simplicity is very important.
What brings most customers to your business?
Instagram. I have people coming all the way from the other side of London because they saw us on Instagram.
Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat don’t work as well for me. Pictures disappearing doesn’t help.
What do you expect to be the biggest business challenge in the next year?
The biggest challenge in this business is finding the right staff.
I want them to treat the business and interact with customers as I do. Be nice, friendly, helpful and personal — ask customers about their day. People don’t mind a little wait if you are talking to them. I am lucky I have one amazing staff member, but I need more.
Any exciting business plans you can share with us?
I am excited to experiment with new food trends, recipes and our menu, taking inspiration from around the word. I am always searching for new things and a big part of this will be catering for vegan customers in 2018.
I also want to open at night time from Wednesday to Saturday. In Mayfair there is very little food choice after 10 pm.
Why Shopwave?
I love using Shopwave, it makes my life so easy as an owner. Updating the system, adding products, changing prices takes seconds.
It is really easy to train new staff because its very visual and intuitive. We can add pictures, improve and speed up our checkout and much more. I remember when I first logged on, I instantly knew how to work with the system and was up and running in only a few hours.
I think it’s a great system and the support is amazing. Not many POS companies will come to your shop in person to support you like Shopwave.
What’s your normal day like?
I wake up between 3:30 to open for 6am. I average 14 hours a day!
At the weekend I deal with supplies, get ready for the next week, planning what I need to do. Its 24/7, I always smell of tasty food but I’m loving it!
Every business in the beginning is really hard, nobody sees the time, effort and sacrifice that you put into it. I know where I am heading, how to get there and our customers get to enjoy the end result.
Goldsmiths Kitchen Mayfair
3 Berkeley Street
London W1J 8NE