Business Idea Giveaway (BIG): Shopping and Eating Out!

I have a gigantic list of ideas running through my head at any given time.  It’s not a problem and I enjoy it very much.  By the way, it’s a great idea to keep these kinds of things in an idea journal.

There is one problem, though.  I just can’t do every single one of them!  I have a “9 criteria idea evaluation matrix” (say THAT 10 times fast!) to help out.  It turns out that a good 80% of the things that come across my mind will never come to life.

This makes me sad.

I’ve decided to share a few of the ideas from time to time.  They are mostly ideas that could be used to start new businesses or create new products.  I’ll leave it up to you to figure out whether it would work or not.

Today’s topic is: Shopping and Eating out.

If your passion has to do with the food industry – this just might be your thing.  These ideas are free and yours if you like.  I only ask that you give me a free burger or something at your new restaurant. :)

4 Free Business Ideas:

1. Philippines Neighborhood / Walk-thru share food restaurant:

My wife is originally from the Philippines.  She told me that during big festivals and holidays, folks would make big batches of food and just pass it out in front of their houses.  People would walk around and take a little of whatever they want until they could eat no more.

I am imagining a buffet-style restaurant with 10 or so little mock house-fronts.  Each one has a server with a different style of food.  You walk around with your tray through this mock village and pick the things you want.  Think of it as a buffet, cafeteria, dim-sum combination.

2. Counter Grocery Store – Kiosk to order, wait/fun up front:

There is only one lobby area in this gigantic store.  Maybe 3-7 cashiers and 20-30 runners.  Each person comes in, picks out their entire shopping list on a kiosk, and the orders are fulfilled by the runners.  Coffee shop, kids’ area, and other goodies are there to make things go smoother.  The aim is for ease of service, quality product (fresh, good condition, and rotated), and less loss due to theft and inventory mishaps.

The store could ‘store’ your orders and you could just log-in, pick a shopping list, order it, and presto!  Maybe even do this from the website at home and just drive through to pick up the entire order in about an hour.

3. Night Time Doughnut Shop:

My son and I were looking for a doughnut shop one late morning.  It just so happened that they were all closed by the time we got to one.  We were upset!  It was at that point that my son felt there should be doughnuts available at ALL times of the day.

Let is be so!  Open up a night-time, doughnut franchise.  Copy what works for Starbucks, Denny’s, and Lounge clubs.  Intimacy, “out-of-home”-ness, smuggy socializing, and good refreshments.

NOTE: I’d prefer it to be called a ‘Donut’ shop, but Firefox keeps yelling at me with its red squiggly line. *sigh*

4. Fast Food Restaurant – 92 cent items ONLY (no sit down):

No sit down area, no bathrooms, no playgrounds.  92 cent food items – AND THAT’S IT!  Make it where (after tax) each item is exactly $1 to walk out of the restaurant.  Quick, easy, no change, no muss, no fuss, NO DANG CUSTOM ORDERS.  In and out – like nothing.  Have good product, great attitude, quirky marketing, but keep the eyes on QUANTITY without large variety.

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That’s it for this round of the Business Idea Giveaway (BIG)!  I hope some of these BIG ideas will help you start the next big thing!