Start A Restaurant

So you want to start a restaurant?

Great! I hope you are excited. There will be many people trying to tear down your dreams when you tell them you want to start a restaurant. I am not one of them. I LOVE the restaurant business.

There will be an incredible amount of energy, time and attention to detail need when you get ready to start your restaurant. Here is a quick piece of advice from someone who's been involved in many, many restaurant startups. Opening your restaurant is actually the easy part. Keeping it open is a little tougher.

Although you will be juggling a million details in the air during your startup, you must keep focused on your priorities. Step back from the insanity of getting ready to open and ask yourself this question. "As the owner of this new restaurant, what should be my number one priority?" This is a question that most new restaurant owners don't address.

There is so much time and money spent just getting to your grand opening that you don't consider what is most vital to growing a profitable restaurant. It used to be that if you opened a nice place with good food, you could be a success. Times have changed. The large chains are doing their best to give the little guy less and less market share. However, the restaurant industry is one of the few remaining industries where ANYONE can pull of the David and Goliath story. If you start a restaurant that caters to a specific niche, and you do it really well, you can beat the big chains, and be very profitable.

However, if you spend all your energy planning for your opening, and don't spend any time prioritizing how you will STAY open, you could be headed towards becoming one of those infamous statistics.

I like to compare the way most first time restauranteurs start a restaurant to the way many brides plan their marriage. These days it's not uncommon for a bride to fuss over every detail of their wedding day, and plan for up to 2 years for that event. And then, they are surprised when they are headed for divorce court in 6 months. The wedding is only one day, focusing on nurturing the marriage should be the priority. Your restaurant opening is one day. Your future profits are based on how you grow your business every day after that.

Traditional, out-dated methods like shotgun advertising simply don't work anymore. You must be up to date with what works, and avoid the costly mistakes most rookies make, when you decide to start a restaurant

Most new restaurants close their doors within the first year. That is a horrific statistic. Too many hard working individuals are losing their money, and their dreams, due to a lack of specific information.

If you are thinking about opening your own restaurant, or struggling to make your current restaurant profitable, please read this FREE report: "The Restaurant Industry's Dirty Little Secrets.

One particular restaurant failure caused me to write down this information. I knew there was just one or two things I could have told those rookie owners that would have made a difference. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance. To read more about that incident, click here

Today's Independent Restaurant Business Tip

for . Many owners obsess with coming up with the perfect restaurant name. Unless you are politically incorrect or crude your name is not going to make or break your restaurant. However, there have been many operations open, order glasses, uniforms, menus and promotional items only to receive a nasty "cease and desist" order from a lawyer. Make sure you research your restaurant name. It is surprising how many restaurants are forced into the costly procedure of changing their name in the first few months. This costly mistake can cripple your operation. Get your lawyer to check and register your name!

Testimonial

Hi Patricia
I felt compelled to email you and thank you for your insights. I was unaware of many of the issues that you addressed. I have a new enthusiasm for my coffee/vegan shop and now see a better direction and a path to profits.
Very much appreciate
T. Lui