Getting ready to open a new restaurant can be incredibly overwhelming. After all, there are so many different variables, tasks, and responsibilities that you need to take into account, like creating the menu, finding a location, and even picking out the perfect cutlery and napkins. Each of these tasks is equally important, so life can get pretty stressful on the lead up to your launch. Like with any other small business, there is no way to guarantee success in the restaurant world, but to give yourself a much better shot, here are five things you should really know.
Find The Perfect Location
Where you open your restaurant can really make or break your success. After all, it will influence your theme, the types of food you can cook, and how many customers you get each day. Because of this, it’s important that you take enough time to scout the local area and find somewhere that genuinely will work. This location should get a decent amount of foot traffic, have parking spaces for driving customers, and be safe and accessible for all.
Marketing Is Vital
Having confidence in your business is crucial, but that doesn’t mean that you should get cocky and just assume that customers are going to flock to your restaurant the day it opens. You need to invest time and money in your marketing. There are plenty of things that you can do to get your name out there, including posting ads in local newspapers, sending out flyers containing discount coupons, and keeping potential customers updated on your social media pages.
Negotiate The Right Price
Your restaurant may be your baby, but it is also a huge investment, so it’s vital that you save money where you can and negotiate the right price on everything from organic fruit and vegetables to tables and ovens. Of course, you should always value quality over cost, but the cheaper you can get your ingredients and equipment, you cheaper you can make the menu for your customers.
Think Twice Before Hiring
If you want your restaurant to be a success, then you need to hire people that have the same experience and passion as you do. Employing staff who are under qualified and don’t really care about your success is only ever going to cost you money. Many restaurateurs choose to hire friends and family, especially when the restaurant first opens, but it’s important that you think this decision through. The new boss and employee dynamic could put stress on your relationships.
It Isn’t Easy
As with any other small businesses, running a restaurant isn’t easy. In fact, if possible, it’s even more work. With other industries, you have a little more freedom with your hours, but if you want to be a success in the restaurant world, then you need to be open when customers want food. Unfortunately, this means lunchtimes, evenings, weekends, and holidays, like Christmas and New Year’s. If you can’t handle this workload, then you’re going to struggle.
You can never guarantee success in the restaurant world, but if you follow the advice above, then you’ll be in a much better position.
