What things do i need to know for opening a dinner theatre/comedy club/night club?

Answer 1

Some of the other answers above are very important. Of course a liquor license is needed and the regulations vary, but one thing is sure - they take buckets of money. Not, pissing of the fire inspector is good advice. The having tradesmen and theater consultants view the place before leasing is great. I would go further and have theater design professionals and architects create a plan together and make sure it meets all building codes and the theatrical needs before hand. You may be able to get an option on a property while you invest in the design. Advance planing like that will save you bundles in the end. Speaking of planning, as stated before, writing a serious business plan is a must.

However, two things not mentioned before are sales and marketing. You need to have an aggressive marketing plan. Starting with the location, yes location is a key part. To even be remotely marketable this type of club need to be in the right place. This is one of the reasons why the Comedy Connection in Boston MA is successful. You need to budget a significant portion of your expenditures for marketing. Then you need to do direct corporate sales for executive functions and banquets. Plan on spending tons of money on these areas. Also, don't plan on a profit for a long time (two to three years). And, if you turn that profit early, plow it back in - where? - in marketing!

If you move ahead feel free to contact me via my profile. I have some experience that may be helpful to your team in start-up and marketing in entertainment. Good Luck!

Answer 2

1. Initial Investment Capital 2. Business Lawyer 3. Business Plan 4. Credit line 5. Good Business Manager 6. Business License 7. Beer and Wine License 8. Liquor License 9. A good location 10. Employees 11. Imagination and creativity 12. Hard work 13. Some Luck If you are serious about starting a Night Club, you don't need me or anybody else, to fill in the details to this short list for what you will need to go into this business. If you have the first five items on this list in place, the rest will be worked out through planning! Much luck with your business fortunes, on your new business endeavor!

Answer 3

Number one would be "don't get the fire inspector on your bad side." However this is about the most risky business proposition you could imagine. You would hopefully have worked a lot in several similar establishments to see how things run backstage, and you should have a secure line of money, because the typical lender would be foolish to lend money to a person starting one of these operations. You should know the town extremely well, join the tourist association now, make friends with hotel owners, have a strong foood prep background or the money to hire somebody that does, you should consult with a set designer who has a strong architecture background (or visa versa) before signing a lease, or better yet, while looking for a place. You need to have the potential venue checked out by both a stage electrical contractor and a regular electrical inspector before you sign a lease. You will need a serious, 30+ page business plan to be taken seriously. Liquor and food permit items as mentioned above.

Answer 4

Where to start? First off, plan the menu ahead of time. If it is a dinner theater - have two basic choices for food. Make sure that the guests choose their meal when they purchase tickets. Basically treat it as a catering job. Find a venue that has a kitchen, if not, you have to transport the food yourself. Liquor license if you are selling liquor - THIS TAKES TIME AND MONEY!!! (BYOB is best). When setting up the venue, make sure that there is enough space around the tables to allow for guests and servers to move about freely (usually 2 - 3 feet inbetween chairs, not tables, is preferred).

Answer 5

If you'll be serving alcohol, you'll need an ABC license (alcohol license.) They are VERY expensive and are difficult to acquire. They are not newly issued, they are bought from another proprietor.

Answer 6

Experience in the field is a good start.