You’ve probably heard people say that the restaurant business is one of the hardest industries to find success in. There are quite a lot of questionable statistics about the number of restaurants that close but either way, it is a tough game to make it in. There are a couple of things that you need to get right when you’re opening a restaurant; the location is always key because nobody is going to come if you’re in the middle of nowhere.
A great chef is important too for obvious reasons, but those two things won’t guarantee a successful restaurant business. If it’s going to take off, you need to make sure you get all of the other details right as well, and that’s where a lot of people fall down. These are things that people often overlook when they’re starting a restaurant business.
Layout
People always remember to pay extra attention to the decor in a restaurant because it’s important to create a nice atmosphere but they often forget about the layout of the building. That’s so important, both in the kitchen and in front of house as well. That’s why you need to take your time choosing the right commercial builders for the job, especially if the building wasn’t a restaurant previously. You need to make sure that when you convert it, you get the layout right.
In the kitchen, it’s important that everything is in the right place so the cooking staff can move about freely without getting in each other’s way. An efficient kitchen is key to a well functioning restaurant. It’s also important that you get the layout right in the seating area as well so you can maximize the number of tables you get in there while also making sure that it’s not crowded for your diners.
Expansion Options
People often think that it’s a bit early to start thinking about this right at the beginning but the restaurant trade moves quickly. Once you start to see a bit of success, you need to capitalize on it while you’re still popular. That’s why you should start looking into some expansion options for your restaurant now. You don’t have to put anything into action yet, just start playing with some ideas. Expansion doesn’t just mean opening another location either. You could think about offering a takeaway option or writing cookbooks of your best recipes.
Till Systems
Most people think that as long as the till can print a bill and hold money, it’s fine. But if you’re using an outdated till system it’ll be difficult to do things like splitting the bill or giving discounts etc. It doesn’t seem like much but it’ll make all the difference to the customers. If you get a better till system that allows staff to take orders on a tablet which links straight to the till, you’ll make life easier for everybody and avoid any mistakes.
Finding a good location and a decent chef is just the start, you’ll never get your restaurant business off the ground if you forget these smaller details.
- This post has been written for Morning Business Chat by an outside source
