Restaurants 101 – Starting Your Own
When it comes to restaurants, starting your own can be a stressful thought. Even those that have the plan, financing, and good food, can fail. The industry is one of competition, luck, patience, and hard work. In this article, we will outline a few tips when starting out.
Step 1 – Figure out what type of restaurant it will be. What types of food will be served there? Will you have a particular type of cuisine such as Chinese,
Mexican, Indian, etc? Will it be more upscale, or a family dinning establishment? Figuring this out beforehand is vital to having the process go smoothly.
Step 2 – Make sure you’re able to cook. This aspect is important even if you will not be doing much of the actual cooking. Having an idea of what goes into food preparation is always beneficial.
Step 3 – Figure out how much space will be required for your business to run efficiently. Will there be outdoor seating? A bar?
Step 4 – Once you’ve established your plans, get in touch with a real estate agent to help you find your ideal location. Find yourself a spot with good visibility and a large amount of parking. Avoid taking the corning of a strip mall based on the price difference. If you want your business to succeed, you must have a good location.
Step 5 – Decide whether you will be serving any alcohol. If you are, then what type? Make your decision and find out about obtaining a liquor license.
Step 6 – Obtain a business license and be certain that you abide by all local government rules and regulations.
Step 7 – Get in touch with your local department of health to find out exactly what will be needed in order to open your restaurant. Once you have an outline, make sure you’re up to code.
Step 8 – Sign you lease. Make sure to have a real estate attorney present to review the specifics.
Step 9 – Hire on an architect to help with the design of your property. Make up a basic plan of how you’d like the area to look and discuss your options. You’ll want to provide your customers with a place they can feel comfortable in.
Step 10 – Outline your menu and get your cooks up to date. In addition, hire your employees and train them according to how you’d like your business run.
Step 11 – Once you’ve got everything good to go, make sure you advertise. Nobody will go to a restaurant that they do not know exists. Pass out coupons, and place print ads in local publications.
Step 12 – Now get to work!
