Tips for Opening a Restaurat

If you’ve ever thought about opening a restaurant or wondered what it would take to do so, then you are in the right place! Here are some tips on how to successfully open and start and build a restaurant from the ground up:

• Love what you do and do what you love; If you are starting a restaurant, you better love what you do as it is no easy feat. It takes long hours, a lot of work and a lot of money to open a restaurant. As such, in order to invest your time and money, it has to be well intentioned and something you are passionate about.
• Business plans are the big ticket; Be sure to write out a thorough and elaborate business plan. You can’t get far without one. There are lots of templates available online. This will help you plan and map out things like your plans for financials, marketing, and your goals short and long term.
• Location is number one. Above any other element, be sure to choose a location wisely. You can have the best menu, a world class chef and the best wines but without a location that draws people in or that is accessible, then you won’t have any customers. Not only is the physical location important but it has to visually fit your vision as well. For example, an old barn may not be the best place for your new Mexican food restaurant.
• Testing, trial and error; Along the way, it can be beneficial and important to tet different aspects of your concept and your restaurant. For example, test your menu on a select and representative group of people. You can test the atmosphere and concept with a soft opening. Doing these things also tests your staff to make sure that they are a good fit and can handle the volume and type of clientele your restaurant will have.
• Manage your money; make sure to create a budget as part of your business plan and if you are not qualified or comfortable doing so, have an accountant or financially savvy individual help you create a realistic budget. This budget should be a sort of bible, and you should keep your finger on the pulse of your financials. It is important to monitor and manage spending, especially early on to ensure the success and longetivity and sustainability of your restaurant.
• Be well equipped; purchasing the right equipment is an important part of starting any business, opening a restaurant is no exception. You don’t have to get all new fancy equipment, you can save some money by purchasing things like refurbished macbook for your office, using an ipod speaker system for your music and even things like POS alternatives such as Square or other mobile platforms.