 Poster: A snowHead
|
I have had an ongoing "dream" for several years and have gone round and round in circles.
I cant up sticks and move to the mountains but would love to have some sort of business interest in the mountains that would require me to visit several times per year/season to keep an eye on things.
Sure I could just go skiing and forget about business but as it stands I go for around 3 weeks over 4 trips per season always skiing, drinking, hanging around. I like the idea of owning something or investing in something in the mountains that makes these trips and more more productive with more purpose.
I dont want to risk the family jewels or anything so wont be over exposing myself to risk, but prepared to have a punt.
I have considered lots of things but be interested in ideas and reasoning behind it
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Peter Leuzzi, you can buy us a chalet business if you like - you can come and swan around resort several times a season and tell everyone you own a business. How's that? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
Peter Leuzzi, there aren't enough late night kebab stalls in my opinion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| Peter Leuzzi, there aren't enough late night kebab stalls in my opinion. |
Funny you should say that...but i've always thought there would be an opportunity for someone to set up a small business selling Cornish pasties or Pies or such like.
I know it might sound daft, but at lunch time, it would be perfect for just grabbing something hot, and quick. Not too expensive either.
Can you imagine skiing down into resort and getting a whiff of freshly baked Cornish Pasties or Pies. Someone like the Cornish Pasty company or Pieminister should think about it imho. They'd make a mint.
Not Alpine at all, but good for a quick bite, then off again.
Those Crepe stalls are good little money spinners too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Peter Leuzzi, I think Lizzard, has just made you the best / most sensible / realistic offer you are likely to get. 
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Thu 5-05-11 17:21; edited 2 times in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Why not open a ski resort in the lake district?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you don't want to spend too much there was a whole ski resort in a thread recently...just €1.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you're not prepared to run the business yourself, and stay in the mountains, I think Lizzard's offer is the best you're going to get.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| spud wrote: |
| Bode Swiller wrote: |
| Peter Leuzzi, there aren't enough late night kebab stalls in my opinion. |
Funny you should say that...but i've always thought there would be an opportunity for someone to set up a small business selling Cornish pasties or Pies or such like.
I know it might sound daft, but at lunch time, it would be perfect for just grabbing something hot, and quick. Not too expensive either.
Can you imagine skiing down into resort and getting a whiff of freshly baked Cornish Pasties or Pies. Someone like the Cornish Pasty company or Pieminister should think about it imho. They'd make a mint.
Not Alpine at all, but good for a quick bite, then off again.
Those Crepe stalls are good little money spinners too. |
Spot on, alpinepasties is born (the .com is available by the way). That's exactly what you need... fast fuel in a handy tortoise-shaped crust. For this snowhead crowd you'd need to create the spag bol pasty though... that's all some of 'em know.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
How about an Indian takeaway in the Alps?
I think there is one in France somewhere 
(none of these suggestions are helpful are they!!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
e17phil, Indian takeaways don't seem to take off in France.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Noodle bar? Like Wagamama? Quick, cheap and filling and a change from spag bol! (I hate spag bol.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
why does everyone go on about spag bol?????? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
maggi, there's already one in VT,at the Knife and Fork, called Wokski.
pam w, God knows, why would you want to eat something in a resto in France that you eat at home every week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
ooooo Cornish pasties while skiing would really hit the spot! Trouble is they'd cost 15 Euros each!
Not exactly European cuisine, but then neither is spag bog (does everyone really eat that? I've never eaten spag bog in a ski resort in my entire life!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| pam w wrote: |
| why does everyone go on about spag bol?????? |
Bizarre isn't it, when all of the alpine nations have their own delicious local dishes, which are usually fairly cheap.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
why spag bol (index)? It's available across resorts in many countries, so makes a sensible choice for comparing prices, even if you don't want to eat it.
How about opening a costa coffee (costalot), never get a decent Cappuccino in the alps -not skied in Italy much though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
There used to be an Indian in Deux alpes but that shut down some time ago.
Hells Bells, while I agree about the food - for a few days anyway, there is only so much cheese, potato and pig bits you can eat in a week or so. Most of the restaurants at a reasonable price point have exactly the same dishes on them... tartiflette, fondue, pierreade, steak, crepe.. repeat ad nauseum. I have seen Thai (but not taken the plunge), Tex Mex is always popular but poorly executed. Then Burger, Pizza and Pasta reign supreme. I have heard that getting decent non-local food is tricky due to the logistics of ingredients etc, but that may be just gossip. Pasties wouldn't be a problem I'm sure...liking the idea... decent sauage rolls would go down well too.. french bangers just taste weird to us.
clarky999, I don't think I've ever found anything fairly cheap!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Set up a pasty stall at the far end of a valley (V d'I, VT etc) and see how many days you get to push piping hot pastry goodness before you wake up to find your pastry cutters blade on the pillow next to you in bed, as a little 'welcome to the valley' gift from the locals
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
I had a beef and Stilton pasty yesterday, luckily it was tasty as I had to keep tasting it throughout the day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I seriously thought about the Cornish pasty idea, a fair few years back, when i saw a company offering franchises.
The logistics and price of getting a lorry load of pre made pasties, brought up the mountain put me off. Oven ready pasties would be the ideal way to go, so you just have to bake them on site.
Pieminister of Bristol, do the best pies ever, and would go down a treat for something hot and filling on the hoof.
As Guvnor said...I also wondered about the 'locals' reaction.
And as Tiffin implied, you would definately have to dodge the moguls after a pasty...why do they repeat so much?
More of this type of food could be offered for Skiers in a rush. The Cheese, Potato and Ham thing, does get a bit too much after a while.
I'm sure seasonaires would love 'em too after a night out. I know when i did seasons, we were cooking currys and Chinese by the 3rd month, as you can only take so much of alpine food.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowhouse, Indian, pasties, fish 'n' chips, bacon butties ................ a business model which caters exclusively for only a small percentage of the resort's total visitor numbers isn't your best long term bet really.
Guvnor, oh absolutely. That's why all the numerous Brit-run bars and restaurants all over ski resorts have machine gun nests on the roof. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
Lizzard, I bow to your ex-pat superiority once more. Do you bottle your sheer awesomeness and sell it to fund your indulgences?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Guvnor, no, I share it freely in the hopes that eventually people will stop making ridiculous sweeping generalisations like that one on the basis of little or no experience. I admit that it's not working very well so far though.
And I'm an immigrant, not an 'expat'.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Lizzard, So you are suggesting that there is no local protectionism? And you suggest I have little or no experience?
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
| Lizzard wrote: |
snowhouse, Indian, pasties, fish 'n' chips, bacon butties ................ a business model which caters exclusively for only a small percentage of the resort's total visitor numbers isn't your best long term bet really.
|
Interesting... I can understand Indian and Chinese restaurants not being embraced in certain Alpine resorts.
But the 'pasty' idea, surely would have some legs, especially in resorts where there are a lot of British visitors and Seasonaires?
People are looking to do Ski holidays on a budget these days, and more often than not, it is the lunch time stop that breaks into a large proportion of the budget.
In the evening, Seasonaires, Tourists and even the locals are often found forming a long queue at Panini outlets in resorts after a 'Session'. A cheap hot alternative would be most welcome in some resorts don't you think?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
spud, nothing wrong with cheap hot food, but I wouldn't want to be confining myself to a product familiar to only a small proportion of the potential market and really quite alien to the rest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| Lizzard wrote: |
| spud, nothing wrong with cheap hot food, but I wouldn't want to be confining myself to a product familiar to only a small proportion of the potential market and really quite alien to the rest. |
Yes...I understand your way of thinking. But from my experience, there seems to be an awful lot of Brits in certain resorts, both visiting and working, that would more than justify opening such a premise, and successfully make a living. Or am i being over optimistic in my observations?
Is there a website, that gives figures of the percentage of nationalities that visit resorts?
A Beetroot Soup stall, would go down a storm in Courcheval 
Edit...just had a quick look. As an example 37% of visitors to Meribel are Brits.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
spud, Indeed. But why start a food business which only appeals to 37% of your potential market? And why start a business in a French resort which is heavily reliant on the economic situation in the UK? I might well do pasties (for example) but I'd spread a) the risk and b) the sales potential by selling other stuff as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| Lizzard wrote: |
| spud, Indeed. But why start a food business which only appeals to 37% of your potential market? And why start a business in a French resort which is heavily reliant on the economic situation in the UK? I might well do pasties (for example) but I'd spread a) the risk and b) the sales potential by selling other stuff as well. |
True, but the logistics, expense and competition from other shops selling such like, all come into the equation. At least with a niche commodity you have a greater amount of control.
As for the recession, i'm sure i read somewhere, that holidays were the last thing effected, as people still want to get away from their 'real world'.
Also, I know, Bakery's and pasty shops in the UK have thrived during the recession, as people are giving themselves a tasty 'cheap' treat, over going out to restaurants.
Food for thought, so to speak...pardon the pun, i guess there is a risk with any business in the Alps though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
most of the Brits in Meribel would think that the pasties were empanadas
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
Arno, and perhaps that would be the key to marketing to other nations too ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Quote: |
makes a sensible choice for comparing prices
|
not really, because as frequently mentioned on these pages, restaurants seem to "up the price" of spag bol because people (goodness knows why) will pay silly prices for what they are familiar with. A "plat de jour", glass of house wine and coffee comparison would be better. Spag bol is not available in most of the restaurants I eat in in France, but they generally have a "plat du jour".
I wouldn't fancy a pasty very often, especially if I had to stand in the cold and eat it. I will very occasionally eat a pasty but few are really good. Most are sheer clog of the gob and a waste of calories. We can buy slices of pizza, pissaladiere and quiches "to go" at very reasonable prices from the boulangerie and we can buy bags of hot chips "to go" from the butchers for 2.70 euro but we would only do that in warm spring weather. We prefer to sit inside with a generous plate of chips and wings for 5.70. 8.30 if you add a small beer.
In fact we mostly lunch in the apartment, being there so long we can't afford to eat many lunches out. When we do we generally go for a "plat du jour" in a cosy restaurant on the mountain, preferably with a fire. One advantage of a "piste side" apartment is being able to get warm, good, food and drink for very little money on all the other days.
Anyone skiing in France (or in my brief experience of it, Italy) at a busy time of year is well advised to ski through lunchtime anyway, when restaurants are busy and pistes quiet.
Judging by posts on Snowheads there are some gaps in the market for top quality child care. But it's a highly regulated business.
I reckon Lizzard's chalet is the best bet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Spag bol flovoured pasties aside, almost any business idea that's seasonal and dependent on mother nature is flawed from the get go.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bode Swiller,
| Quote: |
seasonal and dependent on mother nature is flawed
|
Yep quite correct
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
so........
Cornish Pasties for the Brit's,
Pasty "Savoyard" for the French
Pasty Bolognese for the Italians (& Brit's)
Sausage Rolls (Wurtz) for the German's & Austrians
and
Pasty "Chocolate Sprinkles" for the Dutch 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
spyder_pig, WURST not wurtz
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
How about a Pedant Pasty?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
