Haga clic aquí para leer esto en español
Click here to read the previous article in this series
Editor’s Note: This is the second edition of a new regular column on www.elrestaurante.com. Pepe Stepensky, a veteran restaurateur and a long-time member of the el Restaurante Advisory Panel, is offering his advice to any el Restaurante reader with a question. When he does not have a specific question to answer, he will write about the steps to opening and running a restaurant. Click here to email him a question.
First things first.
If we have decided that we want to open a restaurant, we must begin by drawing a path with clear objectives and goals. Opening a restaurant can be an exciting and challenging venture, but it requires careful planning and attention to detail.
Nothing is more important than developing an interesting and strong “concept” that attracts the attention of our consumers.
The concept is the essence of your restaurant and can be the key to attracting and keeping loyal customers. It is crucial that you spend enough time and effort to develop a concept that reflects your interests and goals, and that appeals to your target audience.
A good restaurant concept must be unique and stand out from the competition. The choice of your concept will depend on factors such as your experience, interests and the target market. Based on my personal experience, doing your own market research and studying your competition is vital to create a solid concept.
You must visit locations of neighboring restaurants within five miles of where you plan to open your new restaurant, to see what kind of concept they created, their decoration, the length and prices of their menu, their hours and any other details that catch your attention. At the same time, collect menus from those that have the same type of food that you are going to offer and see what the constants are on all the menus.
When my wife and I develop the menu for one of our concepts, we do all this and if, for example, everyone has a California burrito as a constant, we include one on our menu with some difference that distinguishes it from the others.
As yourself these questions:
- Why are people going to come to my restaurant and not my neighbor's?
- What is different about my menu and what distinguishes it from the others?
- Would I eat here?
- Do I like the environment that I am creating?
- Is my concept broad enough that anyone can eat here?
Once you answer these questions to yourself and are convinced of your answers, show your concept to a group of friends as if you were going to ask them to invest with you and take notes and accept their feedback. Then do the same exercise with strangers; they will give you cruder comments without fear of offending you.
Do not take any criticism personally. It is a learning process and you have to take it as such.
The concept goes hand in hand with many other aspects that you should consider in order to open a successful operation and, as much as possible, have the smallest margin of error. That being said, you will always, and daily, make adjustments and create new programs and ideas that will make your concept stronger as time passes.
More to Come
In subsequent articles we will discuss in detail other topics to consider when opening your restaurant:
Location: The location of your restaurant can make or break your business. You should find a space that is easily accessible, visible, and has enough parking. You should also consider the demographics of the area to ensure that your concept appeals to potential customers.
How to negotiate your lease: What to include in your proposal and what are the vital points that you can not forget to include in the contract to be protected whether you are successful or if you need a way to get out of the commitment.
Licenses and Permits: To operate a restaurant, you will need to obtain various licenses and permits. This may include a business license, food service permit, liquor license, and health department permit.
Equipment and supplies: You will need a variety of equipment and supplies to run your restaurant, including a commercial kitchen, tables and chairs, dishes, silverware, and cooking equipment. You may also need to purchase a POS system, security cameras, and cleaning supplies.
Staff: Your restaurant will need a team of skilled and dedicated staff to provide excellent service to your customers. This includes chefs, cooks, servers, bartenders, and dishwashers, if he is. Make sure you hire staff who share your passion for the restaurant industry and have the necessary skills and experience and are willing to hire others who don't have the same qualities.
Marketing: To attract customers to your restaurant, you must develop a marketing plan. This may include creating a website, using social networks and running promotions and special events. You can also work with local media to build excitement and awareness for your restaurant.
Opening: Before opening you will have to do multiple exercises behind closed doors to make sure that the food and cooking flow properly so as not to fail once you open the doors to the public. Opening exercises include a series of tests and simulations to ensure your team is prepared to serve customers effectively. These exercises can include menu tests, customer service simulations using the collection system. Carry out these exercises before the opening of your restaurant without basics to calculate margin of error and identify and solve problems before they affect your customers and, ultimately, to the reputation of your restaurant.
Financing: Creating a budget is important since the cost of opening a restaurant must be done very carefully and with great creativity so that there is a ceiling on spending. You also require working capital to start the operation apart from the installation cost.
Remember, Pepe wants questions! Fire away: Click here to email him a question.
Pepe Stepensky has 35 years of experience as a restaurant owner. He also is a published author and a three-time Emmy winner as a documentary producer and director. He and his wife Deborah own five fast casual restaurants in San Diego, CA. Click here to email him a question.