Are You Ready to Open a Restaurant?
The idea of owning and running a restaurant can be glamorous. You’re dressed to the nines, entertaining and conversing with customers while everything in the kitchen runs like clockwork.
The reality is far different from the dream. Running a restaurant is grueling work. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to make it successful. Before diving head first into your dream, you may want to consider a few things first.
The Type of Restaurant
What type of restaurant do you want to open? This is obviously important because the answer to this question will affect every part of business. From the food you serve to the interior design, it all depends on your restaurants theme. You’ll also need to hire a cook that specialises in the type of food you serve and you may want to hire staff that speak the language too. For example, if you’re planning on opening a high-end Italian restaurant, a few staff members that speak Italian will authenticate the theme.
Don’t Expect to Make Money Fast
A restaurant should be the last thing on your list if you’re looking for a get rich quick scheme. You’re likely to lose more money than you make in the first six months of a restaurant opening.
You have to consider expenses like rent, utilities, ingredients and much more before making a profit. When it comes to choosing premises that work for you and your business idea, you’ll need the help of commercial property solicitors.
Expect to Work
Many people that want to open a restaurant think they can leave all the work to their employees and pick up a wage at the end of the week. As a restaurant owner you will have to work in all aspects. You’ll be a cook, you’ll be a waiter, you’ll be a bar manager and you’ll be a cleaner. Wherever you’re needed, you’ll have no choice but to go.
Your Menu Needs to Change
There may be a few customer favourites that you can keep the same, but your menu will have to be forever changing. You’ll need to keep up with the times and change your food according to what’s popular among diners. A restaurant relies on people coming to eat the food, so you have to be innovative and creative.
Advertise
Many restaurant owners expect people to start eating there just because it’s open. People will only start to come once they’ve been invited. It’s up to you how you choose to advertise. Whether it’s word of mouth throughout the area, leaflets and menus posted through letterboxes or the magic of social media, you need to get your name out there.
Insurance and Licenses
You can never open a restaurant without the proper insurances and licenses. The last thing you want is for a customer to claim they had food poisoning from your restaurant and open a claim without your business having any insurance. It could be the death of your business. Find out what insurance you need here.
This post has been written for Morning Business Chat.
How do I do to start up
my own restaurant without any experience?
Hi, this was a guest post. My own personal advice is to gain as much experience as possible. I have personally seen many people try to make a success of running a restaurant because it seems like a nice business but without a basic knowledge, a dream may well not succeed. I think you need to get learn about running a business in the country you live in and fully understand things like meal costings, employment laws, food hygiene rules, etc.