Posted by Dana Loewy

Usually our case studies are brief easy-to-use mini cases. Kicking Back at Café Neko is one such short scenario.

But I thought I’d also share a longer scenario, which you can use in your classrooms in a number of ways. Introducing: Starting a Cat Café: A Crazy Business Idea?

I chanced upon cat cafés when I was researching crowdfunding and openly admit that my own fixation with felines originally drew me to the topic. However, the more I learned, the more I saw that this situation might lure students to think critically and provide instructors with a rich, real-life business case.

Whether or not you love cats as I do, I hope you will find that both scenarios are interesting, challenging, and even fun activities for your students.

Cuteness aside, pets are serious business in the United States: Americans shell out more than $56 billion per year for their animal companions.

Short Assignment: Cafe Neko 
Café Neko, Vienna, the first European cat café
Cat cafés, a.k.a. cafés with cats and cake, are popular in Taiwan and Japan. Café Neko in Vienna, Austria, lends itself to a class discussion face-to-face or online guided by critical-thinking questions. The discussion could be completed orally or in writing, resulting in a short document, for example, an e-mail.

Long Assignment: Starting a Cat Café: A Crazy Business Idea? Report/Proposal/Business Plan
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium now open in London
One of the intriguing features of this venture is the owners’ social media savvy. The cat café was entirely crowdfunded and has a strong social media presence. This scenario could serve as a basis for a more complex research assignment to produce a report, proposal, or business plan.

To request detailed instructor’s notes and teaching suggestions that accompany each scenario, please drop us a line at dana@bizcommbuzz.com.

What is your opinion of a pet-themed eatery? Would you want to visit a cat café? Is it a viable business idea that would work in the United States? Please share your views with us by leaving a comment or by writing to info@bizcommbuzz.com.