How do I open a restaurant/bar?

Question

Could someone point me in the right direction as far as good educational material on how to open a restaurant/bar? I have little experience in the food service industry and would like to know what might be the best material for learning how to start something like this.

Thanks!

Matt

Answer 1

The best routes to take are to research the process of starting a business as well as the industry you're interested in.

I recommend checking out the SBA, Entrepreneur, The Start Up Journal & Nolo. All 4 are great informational resources for the new/small business owner. I posted links for you in the source box.

Associations may be a good avenue to explore. These organizations will address many of the thoughts, questions and concerns you'll inevitably have as well as many you haven't anticipated yet. See the source box for some relevant links.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can about the industry. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

Restaurant Specific:
* The Restaurant Business Start-up Guide by Paul Daniels
* Restaurants That Work: Case Studies of the Best in the Industry by Martin E. Dorf
* Restaurant Financial Basics by Raymond S. Schmidgall
* Opening a Restaurant or Other Food Business Starter Kit: How to Prepare a Restaurant Business Plan and Feasibility Study by Sharon Fullen
* Upstart Guide Owning & Managing a Restaurant by Roy S. Alonzo
* The Restaurant Managers Handbook: How to Set Up, Operate, and Manage a Financially Successful Food Service Operation by Douglas Robert Brown

Bar Specific:
* Start and Run a Money-Making Bar by Bruce Fier
* Upstart Guide Owning & Managing Bar or Tavern by Roy S. Alonzo
* Start Your Own Bar and Tavern (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Ups) by Entrepreneur Press
* The Food Service Professionals Guide to Bar & Beverage Operation: Ensuring Maximum Success by Chris Parry

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 2

Restaurant/ Bars are the hardest businesses to open and make a profit, most end up closing. Not to rain on your parade, but without experience in the foodservice industry it makes it even tougher. You might want to look into just bank rolling someone who has the experience or partner up with someone who has the experience.

As far as educational material, I would imagine just about any general business book would help. But you also want to concentrate on your overhead as that will be your biggest burden on your profit.