Target Audience and Location

I made a primary research with a focus group that included my peers and other students aged between 17 and 32, and I asked if they knew what Kazakh cuisine was and if they would like to try it, if a new Kazakh restaurant opened up. The statistics show, that 14 out of 20 people asked, said they do not know what Kazakh cuisine was, but would try the food if it opened in their city. 4 out of 20 said they do not like trying new food and would rather go to somewhere familiar and only 2 said that they know Kazakh cuisine and would like to eat at a new Kazakh restaurant. 

Graph made by me

This meant that there is a demand in a concept like mine among students. I searched statistics of cities in England and found that Oxford is a very student populated city which is also high in satisfaction levels(Summary of 2022 Student Barometer, 2022). I also found reviews (EF Blog, n.d.) on Oxford city about how cultured it is about restaurants and cafes.

According to Oxford city council and the 2021 Census, the Oxford city concludes 73% of Adults of working age(16-64 years) and it was estimated that 30% of Oxford's population was aged 18-29 years, and the city has the second youngest median age 31 years of any location in England and Wales. 

Graph by Tweedle, data from Census 2021

Since my project is targeted towards students (millennials and young adults, age range estimate 20-45 years), I researched most student visited places in Oxford and found Oxford Westgate Shopping Centre which had lots to let owned by Landsec and The Crown Estate. 

L39 Castle Street, Oxford, OX1 1TR, owners Landsec and The Crown Estate

It has a size of 2,037 sq ft, which fits under use class E(commercial use like shop, restaurant, office etc.)  restaurant size regulations (1,076 to 3,767 sq ft informed by Haenraets (2023)) which is perfect for my restaurant concept.

References:

EF Blog. (n.d.). 10 reasons why Oxford is the best place to study - EF Academy Blog. [online] Available at: https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/efacademyblog/10-reasons-oxford-best-place-study/  [Accessed 20 Feb. 2024].

‌OXFORD STUDENT BAROMETER 2022 How have satisfaction levels changed over the last ten years? (2022). Available at: https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/field/field_document/Summary%20of%202022%20Student%20Barometer.pdf  [Accessed 20 Feb. 2024].

Council, O.C. (n.d.). Oxford’s population statistics. [online] Oxford City Council. Available at: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/population-statistics/oxfords-population [Accessed 20 Feb. 2024]

‌Haenraets, B. (2023). Viqal Blog | Restaurant size and table density. [online] www.viqal.com. Available at: https://www.viqal.com/blog/restaurant-size-and-table-density#:~:text=These%20establishments%20typically%20range%20from [Accessed 20 Feb. 2024].