The time has come. You’re finally ready to open your restaurant. But do you know what it takes to turn your ambitions into a reality? There are many steps on the road to owning a successful eatery, and knowing what they are is crucial. Before you jump into the details, you need to step back, look at the big picture, and get a sense of how to plan for your future success.
If you’re ready to start the process of opening your restaurant, here’s an overview of the steps you can expect to take…
Get mentally prepared
There’s no denying that the restaurant business can be tough. A lot of eateries don’t make it. Those that do are successful in part because the people who own them are incredibly dedicated. For this reason, you should make sure you’re ready to pour all of your time and energy into an eatery before taking any further action.
Create your business plan
Feeling confident? Now it’s time to start your business plan. That means hammering out all those ideas that have been floating around in your head. While you’re busy defining your concept, you should also be performing market research, looking closely at your competitors, and even thinking about your marketing. Remember: your business plan is a living, breathing document—one that may change many times before investors see it.
Find the perfect space
Your location could make or break your restaurant. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right one. From foot traffic to local demographics to size and layout, there’s no shortage of things to consider during the selection process. Step one is finding an agent with restaurant industry expertise and local market knowledge—someone who can clearly see your vision and help you find just the right place where it can unfold.
Understand the rules & regulations
It may not be as exciting as putting together your menu, but knowing your provincial and city regulations couldn’t be more critical. From food preparation to waste disposal to liquor laws, make sure all your bases are covered. Ensure that the space you choose is up to code (if not, double check that it’s within your budget to get it there). Lastly, be aware of the most common compliance issues—like incomplete record-keeping or employee break violations —so you can avoid them.
Focus on set-up
Once you have all the essential ingredients of a great restaurant, it’s time to start bringing them together. If the location you’ve chosen needs to be renovated, you’ll have to begin dealing with contractors. If you haven’t nailed down your menu yet, now is the time to start choosing the dishes that will impress your patrons. From your layout to the vendors you’ll be relying on, make a list of all the major logistics that need to be taken care of (and tweak your business plan as you move forward).
Staff (and train) for success
You’re only as good as your people, and finding the right ones should be a top priority. Start by determining the positions you’ll need to fill for your front and back of house. Next, begin crafting interview questions that will help you find qualified candidates—and create helpful, step-by-step training materials. Throughout the process, make sure you know your obligations and the safety standards that must be met.
Pull the details together!
It’s finally time to bring your eatery to life. By this point, you should have a fairly solid marketing plan in place. Now it’s just a matter of finalizing the details. Make sure all of your equipment is in good working order, get everything in place for your grand opening, and start that social media marketing push.
There’s no sugarcoating it. Opening a restaurant is incredibly hard work. Fortunately, by breaking the process down into steps—and setting a timeline for getting them done—you’ll be well on your way to building a loyal customer base!
Ready to start your hunt for the ideal restaurant space? Reach out to learn how I can help you make the smartest purchase possible!
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Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂