EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Company Description
Green Leaf is a fast-casual style restaurant that offers the best quality and healthiest
ingredients to its customers. Green Leaf attracts particularly to vegans and
vegetarians, but also offers items that are appealing to those with a traditional diet.

Products & Services

Green Leaf offers a wide array of menu items complemented by a high level of
customization that is unmatched by its competitors. This combination is highly
attractive to our customers, who are often limited by their diets and menu options
at competing restaurants.

Target Market
Green Leaf operates in the greater Cincinnati area, with a target market of
approximately 223,113 vegans, vegetarians, and vegetarian-inclined. A majority of
these customers are vegetarian-inclined, which is why Green Lead offers meat and
dairy products in addition to our plant-based menu.

The Competition
Green Leafs main competitors are fast food chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill
and Subway, which offer a similar experience to Green Leaf and have a large
presence in the Cincinnati area. More direct competitors are smaller restaurants that
focus particularly on their designated niche.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

Green Leaf will communicate to its target market through online marketing and
through exposure in the local community. Through its slogan Its now easy being
green, Green Leaf is portrayed as a restaurant that makes it easy to live green,
wether that be a healthy lifestyle or reducing your carbon footprint.

Operations
Green Leaf will initially operate in Cincinnatis Over the Rhine district, providing easy
access as well as the opportunity to obtain fresh ingredients from Findlay Market.
Green Leaf also hopes to implement iPads and other technologies into the
restaurant to enhance the customers experience.

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COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Company Name & Location
Green Leaf Cafe, LLC is an Ohio-based restaurant operating under the name
"Green Leaf." The first restaurant will be located near downtown Cincinnati, Ohio in
the Over The Rhine district.

Products
Green Leaf offers a highly-customizable menu that appeals to a wide range on
consumers, particularly vegans, vegetarians, and those who are vegetarian-inclined.
Most items are organic and GMO-free, and have vegan-substitutes as well.
Although Green Leaf only serves during lunch and dinner hours, we are hoping to
enter the breakfast market in the coming years.

Industry Development & Trends

Given it's fast-casual style, Green Leaf identifies itself as a fast food restaurant, but
with a twist. Due to the increased growth of the vegan/vegetarian population, Green
Leaf will provide these customers with food options that are both healthy and
delicious, while also attracting to those who don't identify themselves as vegan or
vegetarian. Although some restaurants have become more and more tailored
toward this growing market, there has yet to be named an industry leader. Green
Leaf will attract these customers more aggressively than any of its competitors.

Funding To Date & Funds Sought

Green Leaf is seeking an investment in excess of $100,000 for startup costs as well
as initial running expenses.

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TARGET MARKET
Target Market Location
Green Leaf operates in the greater Cincinnati area, spanning across southwest
Ohio, southeast Indiana, and northern Kentucky. The area is primarily urban and
suburban, with a few rural areas on the outskirts.

Target Customer Characteristics

Green Leaf primarily targets vegans, vegetarians, and
the vegetarian-inclined. Recent market research has
found the following on these groups:
59% Female, 41% Male
42% Gen. Y/Millennials (18-34)
40.7% Gen. X (35-54)
17.3% Baby Boomers (55+)

55+
18-34
35-54

Customer Motivations & Purchasing Patterns

Despite the increased price of Green Leaf's menu, Green Leaf's target market
views this as an investment in various ways. Target customers cite the following
reasons for their diets:
60
45
30
15
0

Animal welfare
Improve overall health
Environmental concerns
Natural approaches to wellness
Food safety concerns
Weight loss

Market Size
According to 2010 Census Data, the Cincinnati metropolitan area has a population
of 2,214,954 people, averaging 496 people per square mile. Based off of national
averages, there are 7,174 vegans, 52,371 vegetarians, and 163,568 vegetarianinclined in the greater Cincinnati area. That totals a target market of 223,113
potential customers.

Market Trends
The greater Cincinnati area has seen growth of 8.1% in the last decade. The data
below shows that while the majority of customers have had their diet for a long
time, there is significant growth in the "plant strong" community.
14.1% 2 years or less
10.8% 2-5 years
18% 5-10 years
57.1% 10+ years
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THE COMPETITION
Types of Competition
Competing with Green Leaf to supply fast and/or healthy food include:
vegan/vegetarian restaurants
organic restaurants
restaurants offering vegetarian options
fast food restaurants
dine-in restaurants

Specific Competitors
Chipotle Mexican Grill is a national chain consisting of more than 1,600 locations
nationwide, 30 of which in the greater Cincinnati area. Chipotle uses naturally and
locally raised ingredients and offers a highly flexible menu that is very attractive to its
customers, very similar to Green Leaf's model but specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Subway is the largest of Green Leaf's competitors, with over 40,000 restaurants
across the globe and over 100 locations in the greater Cincinnati area. Subway
specializes in customized subs, serving fresh ingredients on its famous "$5
footlong." Some locations offer sales and pizzas as well.
The Loving Hut is the largest international chain of vegan restaurants, with over 200
locations worldwide and 20 restaurants across the United States. The Cincinnati
location is a caf style restaurant and is located between Kenwood and Norwood
on Montgomery Road. The Loving Hut specializes in vegan cuisine and features a
variety of entres, salads, soups, and other specialties based on location.

Competitive Analysis
By far the biggest competitors to Green Leaf are Chipotle Mexican Grill and Subway
due to their size and their popularity. Both feature a high level of customization and
serve fresh ingredients, both of which are features offered by Green Leaf. However,
both feature a limited range of menu items, focusing on a specific style of cuisine.
The Loving Hut and other restaurants like it offer a wider variety of menu items than
other competitors, yet they lack the customization that Green Leaf offers. By doing
so, they fail to attract customers outside their designated niche.

Competitive Edge
Green Leaf's advantages over its competitors include:
Its wide variety of menu items, attracting customers from multiple niches.
Its high-level of customization that is unmatched by its direct competitors.
Its certification by the USDA for using local and organic ingredients.
Its welcoming and friendly environment that is attractive to guests.
Its dedication to using ethical business practices, providing fair pay and benefits
to its employees, as well as minimizing its waste and pollution will result in a
favorable response from its customers.
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MARKETING & SALES PLAN

Marketing Message
Green Leaf's slogan, "It's now easy being green," is a play off of the famous quote
by Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being green." This slogan was designed to
communicate how eating at Green Leaf is an easy way to live green, in multiple
definitions of the phrase. The most important message being communicated is how
Green Leaf offers an easy, convenient, and affordable way to live a green (healthy)
life by offering ingredients that are both healthy and delicious at a competitive price.
The slogan also communicates the greenness and sustainability of the restaurant
itself by using strictly local and organic ingredients as well as reducing its carbon
footprint in the restaurant. Green Leaf plans to rebrand its slogan to "It's easy being
green" once it has established itself as a more prominent brand.

Marketing & Sales Strategies

Green Leaf's primary marketing strategy will be through online communications,
using a combination of search engines and social networks to complement its
website. The company website will feature a description of the company and its
mission, a sample menu with allergen and dietary information, as well as Green
Leaf's locations and contact information. Internet search engines such as Google
and Yahoo! will allow our customers to find us easily through searching for phrases
like "Cincinnati vegan restaurant" or "Healthy eating Cincinnati." Every time a phrase
like this is searched, our website will be featured at the top of the page to ensure an
effective marketing strategy. Additionally, Green Leaf will be present on social
networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These sites will provide
another avenue for online advertising and allow us to communicate with those who
are already familiar with Green Leaf. Eventually, advertising can be expanded to
magazines and websites focused on healthy living, allowing us to further expand
our market.
Green Leaf will also strive to be involved in the community, providing additional
opportunities for our target market to become aware of our product. One way in
which this is done is by participating in local festivals such as the Taste of Cincinnati
and other culinary arts festivals, providing another way for potential customers to
become knowledgable about Green Leaf and serving as an additional source of
revenue. Green Leaf will also team up with companies such as Whole Foods and
Findlay Market in order to promote each other's businesses.

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OPERATIONS
Location and Facilities
Green Leaf will initially be located in the Over the Rhine district near downtown
Cincinnati. This is due to the growing popularity of the neighborhood, especially
among the younger population. OTR is also easily accessible from any part of town
due to the surrounding network of highways. Additionally, Findlay Market will
provide Green Leaf the opportunity to use fresh, local ingredients.
In the future, Green Leaf will consult with the market research firm Dunnhumby in
order to identify areas that play host to our target market, particularly on the east
side of Cincinnati.

Production & Quality Control

Green Leaf's food will largely be produced and assembled in the restaurant, which
allows for the high level of customization that consumers desire. Green Leaf also
strives to store food in refrigerators instead of freezers, providing fresher quality to
our customers.

Supply & Distribution

Green Leaf will acquire its ingredients from a variety of sources, depending on the
supply of various ingredients. First and foremost, Green Leaf strives to provide local,
organic, and naturally-raised ingredients to its customers. However, this is not
always possible with some items, and will have to settle for conventionally grown
products in the time of a shortage. Primary suppliers will be local farmers, farmers
markets, as well as retail stores such as Gordon Food Service and Whole Foods.

Equipment & Technology

Once Green Leaf has obtained enough capital, iPads will be implemented into the
ordering process. This will allow customers to have a hands-on experience with the
customization of their food, and will provide a visual of what their food will look like.
However, iPads are not intended to replace personnel, which will remain present in
order to assist and further inform customers.

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