Here you will find tips and advice on how to do and what to think about to succeed when starting your own restaurant.
Here’s what to start thinking about:
1. The first thing to think about when starting your restaurant is the location – where it should be located. This is often crucial to whether or not you succeed. It is not enough to take the first best vacancy.
You need to think about whether your restaurant will fit in with the surroundings, if it’s easy for customers to get there and if the right customers for your restaurant are in the area. It is better to start six months later than chopping on the first available opportunity. Other important factors are what competition there is in the area you want to start your restaurant. This does not mean that you should not start the restaurant because there are others nearby, on the contrary, it may be good to be on a known “restaurant street” but it is good if your restaurant complements and offers something different in a larger selection of restaurants. Other important things can be as simple as how nice the room can be or is and what you see from the tables. Of course, if it is a nice view, it is a plus.
2. Financing a restaurant is tough because it is a big investment.
This means that you have to take out loans or find financiers and partners. If you are going to borrow money or attract financiers, you must make a credible business plan that contains all the costs and how the development looks in different types of scenarios. You need to calculate costs such as renovation, renting of equipment, food, staff, taxes, etc.
3. You will need to find suppliers of everything needed to get the business going, and it really applies to everything from food to dishwashers and ovens.
In addition, you probably have a theme that you devised and then you may need to hire a decorator to help you.
4. Permission is required to start and run a restaurant and it is not just about customizing the premises.
It is also about the granting of licenses. These are tough demands and the best tip is to call the health authority in your municipality and get help from them.
5. Which menu should you have?
An attractive menu is key to attract – and keep customers coming back. The dishes you present should, of course, show the direction of your restaurant and the prices show which customers you are targeting. You may want a more upscale orientation and it sets completely different requirements than a regular restaurant.
6. Employees.
Your staff waiters and waitresses must be professionals. It is a bad investment to hire poor staff because good staff makes guests feel good and spend more money.
7. Marketing.
The biggest problem for restaurant owners seems to be marketing themselves. They can have fantastic staff, wonderful food, and a great location but do not understand that they have to tell the surroundings that they started their restaurant and sit and hope that people will come in. Work hard to market the restaurant. If it’s a neighborhood pub – make sure all households receive advertising and special offers all the time (not just when you open). If you run a more luxurious restaurant – advertise in the magazines you know your potential customers are reading. Work with marketing every day as a necessity for your restaurant to flourish.
