What does it take to begin a restaurant?

Question

My mom has been a waitress for eigth years, I just started wworking with her about 3 months ago, we want to start our own restaurant, she has a business plan and great ideas, we just can't seem to get off the ground. She can't get the loan b-cause of bad credit and I'm only 18 she is afraid to really get out there and try what can be do to help us with getting started and helping my mom become more aggressive for what she wants

Answer 1

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:

* 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

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

STEP 1: Clarify your concept and put all the proposed details--from decor to dessert choices--in writing. If you can't write about them, they need more thought.
STEP 2: Investigate the regulatory requirements, both city and state. Prepare for a plethora of paperwork, including byzantine building codes with regulations covering everything from kitchen exhaust systems to interior finish requirements. STEP 3: Find an ideal location. Do a demographic study of the surrounding area. Research the amount of foot traffic and the availability of easy parking. Then negotiate a lease you can afford.
STEP 4: Plan your menu early in the game. Kitchen layout and equipment purchases depend on it. Reduce your equipment costs either by purchasing used equipment or leasing new.
STEP 5: Find the funds. Write a detailed business plan and consider forming a small private corporation or starting a limited partnership. However much money you think you need, raise more. Many restaurant consultants blame the high rate of new restaurant failures on undercapitalization. STEP 6: Allocate the available space. Remember that in addition to dining and kitchen areas you'll need room for dishwashing, storage, bathrooms and administrative work. STEP 7: Plan the layout for the dining area. Remember to balance your desire for the maximum number of seats with your future customers' desire to shun tables crammed into awkward corners. Also avoid locating tables in the middle of the room like woebegone little islands. "Nestle tables--particularly two-tops--against low divider walls or other architectural features," advises restaurant owner and designer Pat Kuleto.
STEP 8: Keep the kitchen layout focused on efficient, safe food preparation. Ensure that there is sufficient light and ventilation, as well as enough space so that cooks, servers and dishwashers are not bumping into one another at the busiest times.
STEP 9: Don't neglect the graphics. From the exterior signage to the look of the menus, graphic design plays an important part in a restaurant's overall look.
STEP 10: Pay attention to lighting design. Focus dramatic light onto the tables to highlight the food, and complement it with glowing atmospheric light to make the customers look good.
STEP 11: Research and develop the menu. Taste-test the recipes repeatedly until the kitchen can achieve consistency. Remember that the food also has to look good on the plate. Plot out your menupricing strategy. Have the final menu proofread before sending it to the printer.
STEP 12: Decide whether to offer full bar service. Apply for a wine and/or liquor license.
STEP 13: Investigate insurance needs thoroughly. Restaurants are simmering stockpots of potential accidents--from fires to floods to food poisoning and a hundred other potential horrors. The National Restaurant Association (restaurant.org) is an outstanding resource for insurance-related information.
STEP 14: Select and train the staff. Look for enthusiasm as well as experience. Allow ample training time before the restaurant opens. Remember that the person running the front of the house is as important as the person running the kitchen, and great service is as important a factor in winning customer loyalty as great food.
STEP 15: Set up a bookkeeping and accounting system. Establish control over the meal checks. There are dozens of scams that dishonest servers and cashiers can pull; get some expert advice on how to prevent them.
STEP 16: Designate a core of trusted employees to supervise storage areas carefully. Stress that they must check in all deliveries and audit the food inventory frequently. STEP 17: Pass your opening inspection by a food safety specialist with your local health department, along with a plumbing inspection. You'll receive a permit to operate, which will be reviewed yearly.
STEP 18: Open your doors and welcome hungry diners.

Answer 3

95% of all new restaurants fail.

Knowing how to cook and serve are not the only requirements for success in the restaurant business.

You have to have managerial, accounting, purchasing and marketing skills, just to name a few.

Given the likelihood of success and the economic circumstances of your family, I would recommend that you do not pursue this venture at this point in your lives.

The best way for you to help your mother is to get a good education, get a good job and begin saving aggressively so that you can help finance her/your dream of owning a restaurant.

Its extremely admirable that you are thinking so earnestly of how to help your mother. Good luck and God bless.

Answer 4

Well one thing that you need is enough money to buy a place and get it opened. One way to not risk it as much is if you buy a franchise and open up a chain pizza place or somethig. Do not try and get a big name place like McDonalds because it will cost you over five million dollars to start it.