Some potential food concepts include: seafood, steakhouse, family-style restaurant, casual-dining restaurant, ethnic restaurant, pizzeria, sandwich shop, coffeehouse, bakery. Once you have decided on a food concept, you can begin crafting your menu. Don’t worry about pricing or exact recipes to begin with, just try to get a sense of how your menu can best reflect your chosen food concept. Some things to consider when planning a menu include: what potential competitors are offering, where you will source the required ingredients, special equipment or layout requirements for the preparation of menu items and whether any special personnel skills will be required.
Quick-service restaurants, or fast-food restaurants, are known for their low-cost menus and quick preparation. Examples include burger joints, pizza restaurants and ethnic foods. Mid-scale restaurants fall halfway between fast-food and upscale restaurants. They offer full service and good value menus. Some mid-scale restaurants include buffets and salad bars. Upscale restaurants pride themselves on providing excellent food and high quality service. Fine-dining establishments are the fanciest type of restaurant available - they offer the best quality food at the highest prices. [1] X Research source
A comprehensive description of your concept. A description of your target customers. An outline of your menu and potential pricing. As much financial information as possible. Include details on your start-up capital (how much money you have and where its coming from), as well an estimate of your long-term income and expenditure. Information on how you plan to market your restaurant. Details of your plan to hire and train employees, as well as an outline of any employee retention programs. You should also include a section which addresses how you plan to cope with the pressures and problems that you, as a restaurateur, will have to face on a daily basis. Working out a possible exit strategy in your business plan may also be helpful. [1] X Research source
Zoning laws also regulate how you intend to use the space within your property, along with any renovations or improvements you plan on making, so it is important to understand all of the ins-and-outs of the zoning laws regarding that specific property before you commit to a lease. [2] X Trustworthy Source U. S. Small Business Administration U. S. government agency focused on supporting small businesses Go to source If you intend on having a bar in your restaurant, be sure to ask about serving alcohol in that particular area as well. Some towns prohibit the sale of alcohol in certain zones. [3] X Research source
Go to the city or county office to apply for the business license. There you will be required to complete an application and pay a licensing fee. You should also contact your state’s department of revenue to determine if you are required to register your business with the state.
Most health permits will only be granted after the restaurant passes a health inspection. Therefore, it is important to understand the local requirements early in the process to ensure that any planned kitchen or dining room configuration will be in accordance with the local health department rules. If a restaurant plans to play live or recorded music (including music played on a iPod), it must obtain a copyright license from the appropriate music licensing agency. The two primary agencies are the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Your local restaurant association can often provide information about required permits and licenses.
The health inspector may check to make sure your walk-in cooler is reading the correct temperature and make sure your establishment has enough hand sinks located in the correct places. The health inspector will also check to make sure you have your food service operator’s license and any other documentation the health code requires.
Inherent risk factor. Commercial banks typically find start-up restaurants extremely risky to finance, since more than 25% of new restaurants fail within the first year of opening. Bank loans are risky for restaurant owners as well. If the restaurant business does go under, the owner is still responsible for repaying the loan. Bias against first-time owners. Lenders examine restaurant loan applications closely, and first-time owners usually confront skeptical lenders when presenting their business plans. For subsequent openings, the process becomes much easier. Lending institutions prefer applicants who can submit evidence of successful past performance. Probability of rejection. Many restaurant owners are rejected for loans the first time. Do not be afraid to try again at a different bank. With every attempt, refine your argument and perfect your business plan. It may take a while, but perseverance will usually reward you with the loan you need. [5] X Research source
You can find food service vendors online, in the Yellow Pages or by attending restaurant conferences or trade shows. Ask other restaurants in your area who they get their products from. Ask which suppliers they like in particular and why.
Look for references and contact other restaurants the supplier has worked with. Negotiate the details of food specifications, delivery times and terms of payment. Choosing a vendor with whom you can forge a good working relationship will be helpful in the long run.
A manager. Choosing a manager for your restaurant is one of the most important decisions you will have to make. A good manager will have a wealth of experience (hopefully managing a similar type of restaurant), excellent leadership skills, and an in-depth knowledge of the ins and outs of running a successful business. They should also share a similar value system to you and be enthusiastic about embodying the style and character of your restaurant. [1] X Research source Cooks. A restaurant is nothing without great food, so getting your hands on some excellent cooks should be a top priority. Local cooking schools can help point you in the right direction, and placing the ad in the paper can yield promising results. Depending on the size of your restaurant, you’ll probably need at least three cooks to begin with, one of whom will be part time. When hiring cooks, besides producing great-tasting food, you are looking for consistency and attention to detail. [1] X Research source Servers. Servers will have the most interaction with your customers, so you will need to hire friendly, capable people who can multi-task and work well under pressure. You will need to train any new servers, whether they have experience or not, to reflect the serving style of your particular restaurant. [1] X Research source To determine how many employees you will need, consider how many tables, seats and service stations you will have. Think about what your busiest hours will be and ensure they will be adequately staffed. You will also need to consider your budget, this will influence how many employees you can afford to hire and at what rate of pay.
Teens, students and young adults. This is a large and ethnically diverse market. Fast-food or quick-service restaurants are popular with this market. Families with children. Good value and a child friendly atmosphere are important here. Menus should cater to both adults and children. Empty nesters. Empty nesters consist of people aged between 50 and 65 with grown children who no longer live at home. This group tends to have a higher income and typically visits upscale restaurants. They are less concerned with price and are more focused on excellent service and outstanding food. Appeal to this group with elegant surroundings and a sophisticated ambiance. [1] X Research source Vegetarians. Restaurants catering specifically for vegetarian and vegan customers are becoming more and more popular.
Hire photographers. Make sure there is someone there to photograph your grand opening. That way, there will be pictures ready for any journalists looking to cover it. Keep in mind that the press that comes after your grand opening is just as important as the press that informs the public of your opening. Do not let up on your public relations efforts just because your grand opening is over. Invite a reviewer. If you know that your food is top notch, you will want to invite a food critic or restaurant reviewer to your grand opening. This is sure to get you some press, although there is a risk that the press might be negative. Invite a local celebrity. If you get a local politician, television host or any other local celebrity to come to your grand opening, you will be more likely to get some media coverage. Provide entertainment. By providing your customers with an enticing form of entertainment – such as a live band, DJ, dancing or contests – you will create a night that they will remember.
Free drinks for checking in to Foursquare while at the restaurant. Receive 10% off your next bill with a Yelp Review. Dessert thrown in with any entrée order with a location update in Facebook.
Make sure your waiters are asking customers whether they enjoyed their meal – this isn’t just good for feedback, it’s good customer service. Sites like tripadvisor. com are very useful when it comes to monitoring customer opinion. Don’t be afraid of negative reviews, see what you can learn from them and move on. Listening to employee feedback can help to create a better workplace for everybody. Happy employees lead to higher productivity, lower turnover of staff and satisfied customers!
