ALT-19 Nonprofit Service Sector
Starting a restaurant is not only about cooking good food, though good food makes up for a lot it is no the sole purpose of a restaurant. One of the most important this is to find good location,of course I don't need to tell you that. Now what makes your place unique, is it a different style of food, great service, or atmosphere. We would like to have all of these aspects but sometimes standing out can be a hindrance.
I started a restaurant in Virgina that was upscale vegetarian. Now, not being a vegetarian myself this was a challenge. In the area there were no vegetarian restaurants to speak of. This is also a community where that type of food was in high demand. My place sat about twenty five in order to make it an intimate experience. I had been a chef for about five years and this was my first solo venture, boy was I in for an awakening.
I had no idea about hiring practices, licenses, or dealing with vendors. I don't say this to discourage you just be prepared. Talk to other people in the area. Restaurant owners are like a club they love to get together and bat around ideas. Find out when the peak times are in your area, they will differ from region to region. What kind of food does well? What products are expensive in your region? Is there a local farming community you can obtain fresh produce on a regular basis from? These are just some questions you want to ask yourself. I made many mistakes myself by not being prepared.
The health department is a huge obstacle to overcome. There are classes and seminars that you can attend all over the country but you need to visit the local health department and see what they recommend. Most states will require you to be "Serve-Safe" certified. "Serve-Safe" is a nation wide certification company that will teach you food handling procedures and regulations, and in most cases is tougher than the health department. It is a good idea to stay ahead of them as much as possible in that they can come by at any time. Please don't think of the health department as your enemy for they will become that way, it is best to use them as a learning tool. The health department is there for your safety just as much as your guests safety.
Now assuming you have a space that is up to code and ready to be worked in it is time to outline your restaurant. What kind of food? this is the grand-daddy of questions when opening your own place. My advice is to go around to local restaurants and see what they are serving. Most restaurants serve similar items because that is what is available, inexpensive, and in demand. This doesn't mean you have to go with what they are serving but look at the style of food, it is on the menu because it sells. I went with vegetarian food because there was a need and I was confident in fulfilling that need. I had a good connection with an organic produce company so it worked out well.
We have the food so now how do we price it? There are computer programs that you can obtain from food vendors such as Sysco and U.S. Foods for free that will help you calculate your food cost based on unit prices. This is awesome if you are using an POS system (point of sale) like Squirrel or Aloha but if you are going to do it the old fashioned way there are many resources out there just ask. Your local food vendor most likely will help you do all of this free of charge because they want to be the one to sell you the product. The vendors have a lot of experience with this type of thing so don't be afraid.
Well, since we have food, a place, a vendor, and a menu we need to start getting some bodies in the place to help us pull this off. Usually finding a chef early on in the process is a good bet, and possible investor, so that they can help with this process. Like I said the restaurant business is a big club so network and you will find some really talented people looking to get to work, or looking to get in on the ground floor. Hiring for a restaurant is a long process you need to think that you are going to lose one third of your original hires. This is a transient business over hire at first and weed out the undesirables. Service and consistency with be the building blocks of your success, so hire personable and professional people to be the face of your business. This really is a hazy part of the process so consult some books and people in your area and always trust your gut.
Well when you get to this point you are on your own like everyone else and all I can say is don't be afraid to ask. Remember one out of ten restaurants succeed so be prepared and hang in there.
