Cosplay café with its own premises

Fans of anime, gaming and comics, groups of friends, students, families, and people booking birthday or fan meet-ups.

Sales of coffee, bubble tea, desserts and snacks, plus themed extras like merchandise, booked party slots, ticketed event nights and photo sessions.

• Running a café day to day
• Costume making or sourcing
• Social media and community building
• Managing and training staff
• Keeping accurate stock and cash records

• You need to register as a food business with your local council before you start trading, so check the timing rules for your area and allow plenty of time
• Check whether the unit has the right planning use for a café, and what your lease and business rates will be
• Food hygiene training, allergen information and a food safety management system based on HACCP principles are expected, so check the Food Standards Agency guidance
• Using named characters or branded costumes in your signage, menu or logo could breach copyright or trade marks, so consider an original theme
• Playing music in the café usually needs a music licence, so check with PPL PRS
• Employer's liability insurance is needed once you hire staff, and public liability cover is sensible too
• Set clear staff and customer rules on photos and touching, and think about staff comfort and safety in costume
• Alcohol is optional: only if you choose to sell it will you need a premises licence and a personal licence holder, so check with your council. Opening hot food or drink sales after 11pm may also need a licence, so check with your council

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around £25,000 to £90,000, depending on the size and condition of the unit, the fit-out, equipment and costumes. Your lease and business rates will also shape the total, so check these before committing to premises.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £8,000 to £30,000, depending on location, opening hours, menu pricing and how often you run event nights. Revenue is not profit, so allow for rent, staff, stock and other running costs.

Things to check: registering as a food business with your local council before trading, planning use for a café, food hygiene training and allergen information, a music licence via PPL PRS, and a premises licence only if you choose to sell alcohol.