Starting your own restaurant is many people’s dream. But the road to it can be tricky. Therefore, here are five tips along the way that will help you avoid the most common mistakes!
1. Start your own restaurant without forgetting anything
Whether you have previous experience in running a business or not, it can be difficult to know what you actually need to do when starting your own restaurant. But help is available – absolutely free. Do a search online at e.g. “Checklist restaurant” then you will find a kind of quiz that, after you answer it, will serve as a list for you to check off before and during the start of your café street kitchen or restaurant. Also, do not forget to register companies and formulate a business plan during the first time.
2. Start your own restaurant in the right location
One of the biggest mistakes new entrepreneurs make when starting a restaurant is not understanding the importance of the location. Will the type of restaurant you want to start fit into a specific area, on a certain street, in a certain location? Is there the target group you want to reach with your restaurant where you want to open it? Ask these questions before investing in the first best vacant premises and keep in mind that it may be better to wait a year for the perfect place.
3. Start your own restaurant with customized marketing
Another common trap for restaurant owners is to completely neglect marketing. No matter how good the food you serve, how nice the staff you have or how nice the atmosphere the local provides, you can always improve the sales figures by making sure that the right target group finds out that your restaurant is there. Is your restaurant eg a neighborhood nook? Arrange by mail to the apartments nearby. Is it a more luxurious tavern? Advertise in newspapers you think your target audience is reading. Do you have a large network of potential customers? Make an opening campaign aimed at them! Individual marketing is powerful. You can make flyers and distribute them in your neighborhoods and it can also help you get more people to visit your restaurant.
4. Start your own restaurant with patience
Patience is important in many ways when starting a restaurant. On the other hand, it is important to have a capital that allows you to endure a loss during the first period, should that happen. About 25% of all newly opened restaurants close during the first year due to bankruptcy – or because the stress and pressure are too severe. Initially, long work hours and sometimes non-existent leisure can become your everyday life. Be prepared for this, keep out and work to make things better as soon as possible.
5. Start your own restaurant with the right tools
When you start your own restaurant, you need secure and quality suppliers of both hardware and software. From ovens and raw materials to services that do some of the work for you.