Is Restaurant Ownership For You?

There is much more to restaurant ownership than meets the eye. Becoming a successful restaurateur takes a specific skill set and personality type.

As with any other business, there is always risk involved. The owner has to be willing to invest time, energy and money. It is also important that they know how to delegate responsibility. When a restaurant, or any business, really gets off the ground, the tasks become too numerous for one person to handle alone. Hiring employees and assistants is important, and there is also a risk factor with that, too.

Restaurant Ownership Priorities

It is more than just the quality of the food that is important. One responsibility that comes with restaurant ownership is marketing. Developing an effective strategy that serves the purpose of getting people to walk into the building is crucial to success. People want to have good food in a nice atmosphere with quality service. The owner has control over whether or not these elements are there for those people to enjoy.

Another priority of restaurant ownership is health and safety. Any place where food is handled needs to be clean. There are various health codes that need to be adhered to. The kitchen, as well as the dining area, should be kept extremely sanitary. Workers that handle the food, like chefs and the wait staff, should have clean hands, gloves and/or hair nets.

Property taxes and general building up-keep are some of the less glamorous aspects of owning a restaurant. However, such tasks are vital to building a successful and profitable restaurant business.

One way that you can tell that the restaurant ownership is good is if the workers are happy. If the wait staff is full of energy, you can tell that it is under good management. Not only were the right employees hired, but they are treated well.

It is not an easy task to run a restaurant, and I commend anyone who does. Just like the American Express Card commercial says, “Restaurant Ownership Has It’s Privileges!”