Nearly 650,000 restaurants were in the United States as of fall 2017. That sounds like a lot, but it’s actually a slight decrease from the year before. You can blame a drop in the number of independent restaurants, because an independent restaurant is harder to get up and running than an established chain with a brand name everyone recognizes. If you’re a hopeful restaurant owner, you need to be prepared for all the challenges that come with opening your own place. Here are some restaurant business do’s and don’ts to keep in mind as you start the process.
Do stand by your concept
We’ve all seen a new restaurant that serves Asian food when it opens, then switches to Italian food six months later. Six months after that, it’s a 50s-style diner serving burger and shakes. It may sound like the people running the restaurant are getting bored easily, but in reality, they’re panicking. You cannot panic in the business, not even when the kitchen is on fire (you can, however, call 911).
Take some time to create a detailed concept for the restaurant long before you have your soft opening. The theme should be a little bigger than just “food that is delicious.” Everyone wants food that is delicious, but if you’re a new kid on the restaurant block, you must do a little more to stand out. This doesn’t mean you have to design a restaurant that looks like a 15th-century feudal village in Japan, but you should have a clear idea of what makes your establishment stand apart from the crowd.
If you want to be weird, be weird organically. Don’t be strange and bizarre just for the sake of being bizarre. Being over-the-top might get you attention in the short-term, but it’s hard to sustain most gimmicks in the long term.
Don’t cheap out on supplies
The cost of restaurant supplies can add up fast, and it’s tempting to cheap out on plastic cutlery and flimsy plates. Resist the temptation, because this is a situation where going cheap in the long-term can actually cost you money in the long run.
Low-quality restaurant supplies will make people wonder about other aspects of your business, and the questions they have will not be flattering. If you’re trying to serve $20 burgers on cheap dishes that crack easily, that’s also going to be confusing. The restaurant supplies should be consistent with the image you’re trying to project to the public.
If you’re a fast-casual restaurant, you have a little more leeway than sit-down restaurants with servers, but you still need to tread lightly. You should expect to lose some dishes and silverware. It’s part of the cost of doing business. People drop plates on accident, and they sometimes even steal silverware on purpose. Look for pieces that that are appealing and also fairly easy to replace. Consider the type of food you’re serving, too, because an Italian restaurant with a lot of heavy sauces may require sturdier tablecloths than a coffee shop.
Do research your location
A restaurant across the street from a bustling movie theater is almost always a better bet than a restaurant 10 miles out of town. That said, sticking your business in a densely populated area won’t always translate into sales. Some venues seem cursed for one reason or another. It might be a self-fulfilling prophecy in some cases, but it’s still wise to stay away from a building that eight other restaurants have failed to make work for them.
An otherwise solid location with bad parking can also be a disaster in the making. Think about paid parking versus free parking as well. Restaurant diners are usually cheap. They want to pay for a meal, not a meal plus parking. If paid parking isn’t optional, look for locations near meters that take credit cards as well as coins.
Have you considered starting a restaurant?
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