Guidelines for developing a successful café business : A case study of cafés in the Northern Border Economic Area of Thailand

Abstract

 The primary objective of this study is to identify strategies for successfully developing café businesses in the border area of Chiang Rai by extracting lessons from 30 successful cafés. The research employs both quantitative and qualitative methods, collecting primary data from 400 customers as a sample group and conducting in-depth interviews with owners of 30 successful cafés. Field data was gathered to analyze and synthesize development strategies across eight areas: overall market analysis, business model, customer data, factors influencing demand, unique strengths of café businesses, essential components for café operations, risk factors and contingency planning, and identifying success factors. The findings indicate that cafés are a potential high-demand urban business, attracting diverse customer segments that value modernity. Key success strategies for developing a café business should consider multiple factors, including café market trends, demand-influencing factors, critical success components, and essential risk factors.