Blé Noir - This is how a French chef became started selling crêpes in Denmark

One spring day in 2017, chef Jean-Marc Girard stopped by Cosina's office to hear about our crêpe machines from Krampouz. It became a project where we helped Jean-Marc get started with, among other things, a website, logo, Facebook, and equipment for his crêpe stand.

Ble noir pancake stand

Only a few months later I was able to visit Jean-Marc at Trøjborg in Aarhus, where he was fully engaged in making galettes and sweet crêpes for the many customers who constantly joined the queue about an hour and a half after he was supposed to be closed.

"I have many years of experience as a chef both in France and in Denmark, and I want to communicate my great passion for the good taste experience to my customers!"
 Jean-Marc Girard

Jean-Marc had arranged for a food truck and a van himself, but was missing almost everything else - crêpe machines, a hot chocolate warmer and accessories, as well as marketing material in the form of a logo, business cards, signs, a website and a Facebook page.

We helped him get started with everything so that he could concentrate on the business and the challenge of finding the right places for his crêpe stall.

About Jean-Marc

The story of Blé Noir is very much also the story of the man behind the company.

Jean-Marc is a friendly and down-to-earth Frenchman who has lived in Denmark for many years. He has a fantastic family and can look back on a successful career as a chef and sous chef in various places in Aarhus.

Now it was time to live out the dream of his very own business. The business model was simple, but solid and authentic. He wanted to make original French pancakes, also known as crêpes, with original recipes and ingredients from the crêpe's homeland, Brittany.

The company's name, Blé Noir, even means buckwheat in French, and is the main ingredient in the classic galette pancake.

Times change, and especially in the restaurant industry, we often see new and exciting food concepts. Some are only popular for a few years, such as frozen yogurt and bubble tea, but we also see concepts that endure because there is a certain depth and tradition to the concept.

For example, sushi is here to stay and many of the new Mexican restaurants will probably also be here in 10 and 20 years.

The last few years have seen a boom in crêperies and mobile crêpe carts, especially in Copenhagen, but also in the small towns on the outskirts of Denmark.

Whether this is the industry's new bubble tea or the new sushi, time will tell. However, my assessment is that this is an undervalued market that Denmark has been slow to develop.

The advantage of selling crêpes

The advantage of crêpes, as a concept, is that there are a lot of opportunities to differentiate.

You can choose to Danish it as we know it from home, where we have been making pancakes for many years.

You can do just like Jean-Marc and follow the original French style.

And finally, you can create a fusion concept where you cross the French pancake with fillings from completely different cuisines.

Finally, there is also the great advantage of being able to sell galettes as a filling meal and sweet crêpes as a snack. And it works for all meals of the day.

How do you get started?

If you want to start a real crêperie, i.e. like a restaurant/café, you need a larger setup. And that's neither an easy task nor a cheap solution.

That's why many people, like Jean-Marc, choose to build a mobile crepe cart. It's faster and cheaper to get started, and you have more flexibility in finding the right location. Once you've chosen a restaurant, you can't just move it.

  • There are many challenges when you decide to follow your dream and become independent.
  • The biggest challenge for me has been the paperwork with accounting and marketing - I don't know that and I spend a lot of time on it.
  • Of course, you need to have a good idea and believe in it. But, in addition, you can take an entrepreneurship course to prepare yourself for the practical things.

Jean-Marc Girard, Owner of Blé Noir

  • It's hard to be independent, especially in the beginning when customers don't rush into the store.
  • That's why it's important to have savings that you're ready to spend. Without it, you'll feel pressured and make some bad decisions.
  • Spend your time on what you're good at, and invest in an accountant or marketing agency instead. You'll be glad you did.

Mark Andersen, Partner in Cosina

The frames must be in order

First, you need to find a food truck or cart. This is by far the largest investment, and therefore the most important. Make sure there is enough space and enough power in the cart to run all the machines. Please contact Cosina to learn more about the requirements.

The right equipment

It is important that you find the right equipment if you want to be successful in the long term.

It is tempting for many people to save on equipment by buying cheaper machines or by buying it in, for example, Germany, where you can often find the same machines a few hundred kroner cheaper.

We have learned that many have been in trouble because the delivery was not met or later when the machines broke down and they could not be repaired.

Cheaper machines, often made in China, usually don't last as long as Krampouz machines , and temperatures aren't always maintained at the stable high levels needed.

We always recommend investing in the luxury range machines from Krampouz - a company that produces and tests all machines manually at the factory in Brittany.

In addition to the crepe machines, you will also need the following:

How does a crêpe stall become a success?

Are you considering starting a crêpe stand like Jean Marc? It takes hard work and a bit of patience, but if you have that, it's definitely doable. Who knows, you might end up with a franchise concept in a few years.

There are two parameters that must be met for you to be successful:

One is that you develop a good product and keep the quality high, even when it's not all new and exciting anymore. Jean-Marc's business is proof that with a good product it's much easier to attract other customers. In just a few months, Blé Noir has received 14 five-star reviews!

The second is that you find one or more good locations where there is good customer potential. Be careful not to tie yourself to one place for a long time, where you have to pay a high "rent" month after month. Try a few different places, decide on some permanent places where you can build a regular clientele.

If you have these two things under control, you will be successful. And it is only the details that determine how big this success is.

Also think about the following.

Digital marketing

Become a master of social media. Be active daily with fun and personal videos and photos. Blé Noir's Facebook page is very active with questions and comments, and this is because Jean-Marc himself is active with updates and answers, despite not even being on Facebook personally.

Get a handle on Google and make sure your customers can find your website and contact information. And also make sure you respond to reviews and comments.

Call Mark Andersen on 28158015 and get help with marketing. We've tried it all several times before.

Costs

Many restaurateurs have to close because they can't keep costs down. Fortunately, there are not nearly as many costs with a crêpe stand as there are in a restaurant, but you can turn a mediocre business into a good business by optimizing costs.

One of the best tips for keeping costs down is to keep the menu simple. Offer one or two different types of pancakes, and vary it with 3-4 different toppings. That's all you need.

Some will throw themselves into making waffles, churros, espresso, etc. But the more things you have on the menu, the more ingredients you need and the more hours you will spend on preparation and cleaning. Spend your time on what you are good at and leave all the other stuff to others.

Do you need a sparring partner to start a crêpe stand, or would you like to hear more about what machines and tools you need to get started? Then don't hesitate to call us on 42613995.

Written by Mark AC Andersen, Owner and Partner