I. Industry Risk Analysis

(1) Policy Risk

The policy risks currently faced by the themed café industry mainly focus on the rising compliance thresholds and stricter dynamic supervision: Rigid standards such as fire safety inspections and decoration design specifications are continuously being refined due to urban renewal policies, leading to high costs for renovation and upgrading; Themed cafes based on copyrighted themes (such as anime IPs) face the risk of being held accountable for infringement due to the strengthened protection of intellectual property rights; New local environmental protection regulations have tightened requirements for food waste disposal and restrictions on disposable items, forcing adjustments to business processes; Urban commercial space planning adjustments in some cities may lead to the demolition of storefronts or restrictions on business formats, casting doubt on the stability of leases; During the implementation of the cultural and tourism integration policy, there are significant differences in the guiding directions for the “internet celebrity economy” across different regions, posing a risk of a decline in customer attraction due to regional policy fluctuations.

(2) Economic Risk

The themed café industry currently faces multiple risks brought about by economic cycle fluctuations: During an economic downturn, consumers reduce non – essential spending, and themed cafes with relatively high customer unit prices are the first to be affected; Severe homogenization in the industry intensifies price wars during the trough of the economic cycle, continuously squeezing the profit margins of individual stores; Rent accounts for an excessively high proportion of fixed costs (usually over 35%), making it difficult to effectively adjust through flexible means such as layoffs during a recession; The payback period for heavy – asset decoration investments has been extended. The typical investment payback period for a store has increased from 2 years to 3 – 5 years; The cyclical contraction of the capital market has greatly increased the difficulty of financing for new brands. In 2023, the angel – round financing amount for the catering industry decreased by 42% year – on – year.

(3) Social Risk

The themed café industry faces the risk of a generational consumption gap. The “internet celebrity” and “pop – up” experiential consumption models pursued by Generation Z are inconsistent with the practical needs of traditional consumers. Over – reliance on sub – cultural themes such as film, television, and anime is prone to generational aesthetic fatigue. When the popularity of an IP fades or the consumption ability of young customers is squeezed by the economic cycle, customer loyalty drops sharply. Social public opinion’s doubts about “concept premium” are gradually emerging. New – generation consumers are beginning to resist the over – packaged check – in economy, while middle – aged and elderly consumers have a low willingness to pay for themed coffee with an average per – capita price of over 80 yuan. The solidification of consumer circles leads to a low repurchase rate. Entrepreneurs need to be vigilant against the risk of rapid devaluation of cultural symbols caused by generational value changes.

(4) Legal Risk

The themed café industry faces core legal risk points such as intellectual property infringement risk (using theme elements from film, television, anime, etc. without authorization can easily lead to legal disputes), food safety compliance hazards (failing to meet hygiene management standards and violating the Food Safety Law may result in high – value penalties), legal loopholes in labor relations (failing to sign labor contracts and pay social insurance premiums in a standardized manner can easily trigger labor arbitration), advertising and promotion violation risks (exaggerating theme features or food efficacy may violate the Advertising Law), and disputes over venue lease contracts (unclear special decoration terms can easily lead to legal disputes with property management).

II. Entrepreneurship Guide

(1) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Currently, entrepreneurial opportunities in the themed café industry are concentrated in differentiated experiences and precise customer group positioning. For example, creating immersive scenarios by combining local cultural characteristics (such as a nostalgic theme in an old urban area), focusing on the needs of vertically segmented customer groups (such as a space themed around anime fans, pet lovers, or environmental protection), or introducing light – asset cross – border models (such as “café + scripted murder mystery games/art exhibitions/pop – up stores”). By strengthening the social attributes and emotional resonance of the space, these cafes can build the ability to command a premium. Entrepreneurs can rely on the content dissemination on social media (such as the spread of themed scene check – ins), the operation of member communities (such as regular themed activities to enhance customer loyalty), and supply – chain innovation (such as co – branded IP limited – edition food items) to form a differentiated competition in the emotional consumption niche markets that standardized chain coffee brands cannot cover.

(2) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Resources

Themed café entrepreneurs should give priority to integrating differentiated resources. They should focus on selecting IP licensors with theme cultural genes (such as anime and film copyright holders) or local cultural institutions for in – depth cooperation. Through a co – branded revenue – sharing model, they can reduce initial investment; Adopt an order – sharing system to jointly develop exclusive food items with baking factories and local handicraft experts, and at the same time, access shared kitchen resources to save equipment investment; When negotiating with commercial real estate developers, position the café as a “traffic – driving business format” to争取 rent exemption for the first year, and introduce a revenue – sharing cooperation plan provided by immersive experience equipment suppliers; Establish a C2M customized supply chain with peripheral product developers through the member community, transforming fixed inventory costs into a revenue – sharing model; Finally, obtain traffic support policies through Douyin’s local life service providers to complete the light – asset operation closed – loop.

(3) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Teams

Themed café entrepreneurs should give priority to forming a composite team with both “theme creativity + catering operation” capabilities. The core members should include: a manager with the ability to develop theme IPs (responsible for brand tone and scene design), a partner with experience in the standardized operation of coffee and tea (controlling costs and quality), and a member proficient in new – media marketing (creating content on Xiaohongshu and Douyin and operating local traffic). It is recommended that the manager maintain a controlling stake of over 51%. Bind core talents through a partner dividend mechanism. At the same time, form a community of 10 – 20 part – time “theme experience officers” to regularly test new products and collect user feedback. Avoid over – relying on the single – point capabilities of designers or internet celebrity store managers. Establish standardized operation SOP documents to avoid risks caused by personnel turnover.

(4) Suggestions on Entrepreneurial Risks

Themed café entrepreneurs need to focus on differentiated positioning. First, conduct market research to clarify the needs of target customer groups (such as vertical fields like anime fans and pet socializing), and avoid blindly following popular IPs, which may lead to homogeneous competition; Establish a dual – driven model of “theme + product”. On the basis of a characteristic scene, ensure coffee quality, food innovation, and service standardization. A quarterly theme update mechanism can be adopted to maintain freshness; Adopt a light – asset model to control decoration costs (such as modular scene design), and reduce raw material waste through centralized supply – chain procurement and the use of pre – made and semi – finished products; Obtain fire safety permits, hygiene permits, and food business licenses in advance. Ensure that IP themes have proper copyright authorization; Use a membership system to build a private traffic pool. Monitor core indicators such as customer unit price and repurchase rate based on local life data from Meituan and Douyin, and dynamically optimize operating strategies.