What You Need to Open Your Own Restaurant

Independent restaurants, cafes and eateries are growing in popularity all the time. In some ways, this is great and makes the dream of opening your own place a realistic option. But, it also means that there is a lot of competition from both larger chains and from other small businesses. This means it’s more important than ever to get in right from the beginning. Here’s a look at what you need if you hope to open your own restaurant.

An Idea

Firstly, you need to decide what kind of restaurant you want. Do you want to fit into a theme or niche? Is there a type of cuisine you want to sell? Think about what you like eating, and cooking, but also what’s likely to sell. For example, if you like meat you might want to consider opening a barbeque restaurant. If the theme is something you like, chances are your venture will  fare much better. So try not to just follow the pack. Niches come and go with food, just like fashion trends. You can have variety of unique gimmicks like Axe Throwing, band playing or eat all you can promo. So, try to find something that will withstand the test of time and not be a passing fad.

A Plan

Once you have your idea, you need to plan. First, do some comprehensive market research to assess how viable your idea is. Look at your competition and make sure your target market has an appetite for your idea. Then, once you have completed your market research, write a business plan. The idea of writing a business plan can be daunting, but there are lots of resources out there to help you.

Premises

Getting your premises will be what makes it all seem real, like you are finally on your way, even though there is still a lot of work to do. Make a list of all the things you need from your premises. How much space you need, whether you want an open or separate kitchen, storage space similar to this cold storage warehouse, how much you want to spend, and any locations you like. Then, contact a realtor and start your search. If you are able to purchase an old building or commercial space, you may hire a commercial renovations contractor or a commercial builder company to transform the place based on your plan and design. If you need more space to store your supplies and/or equipment, you may rent a business storage unit nearby.

A restaurant hood installation may be one of the first few tasks you’ll accomplish in your list. Your commercial lighting should be chosen carefully. A good commercial lighting can contribute to the overall appeal of your restaurant. If the commercial roofing system of your restaurant needs repair, there are commercial roofing companies that can fix it in no time. Add a commercial hvac system to give the place a good ventilation. The installation of wiring, outlets and any other electrical work must be performed by a commercial electrician so you are assured of the safety of the restaurant. Keep your power systems running smoothly through vertiv ups systems.  

Equipment

To run any kind of catering business, you need reliable, high quality, professional kitchen equipment. You can add a Spiral freezer and ice machines and even this 5 gallon food safe buckets for your cold menu items as well as preparing foods for storage. Pre-owned equipment such as a Used Stainless Steel Three Door Commercial Freezer may also be considered for extra savings instead of buying a brand new one. Different butchering meat saws are also essential in handling and preparing meat. If burgers are included in your menu, you may also need a Hamburger moulder equipment. Once the kitchen is set up, think about customer areas, make a list of everything you need, from tables, to sauce bottles. Then get shopping.

You may also consider your financial equipment like having a modern automatic currency counter that can help you count your cash and eliminate counterfeit worries. You should also invest in a POS system, which you can find at sites like https://revelsystems.com/pos-systems/type/restaurant-pos/.

Licenses

There are certain legal requirements you need to meet to open a restaurant. These will vary depending on your business and location, but can include, liquor licensing, music licensing and a food hygiene certification. Ensure you have come up with a vent hood cleaning schedule that you can maintain. By doing so, you can prevent kitchen fires from happening in the future.

Staff

The staff you need will depend on how large your restaurant is, and how much you want to do yourself. But, you’ll need to recruit at least a few people to help. You will need the help of a credible recruiting agency like Betts Recruiting to hire the best people to grow your organization,

Marketing

You can have the best food in the world, but it won’t work if no one knows about it. Marketing, and getting the word out, is one of the most important ways to ensure you have a successful start. Make sure people know about your restaurant before it opens.

Prioritize the safety of your restaurant and crew, it is recommended to invest in a panic button alarm for hospitality staff.

You will also need to look for several suppliers and a propane gas delivery company.

Opening your own restaurant is an exciting challenge. Get all these steps in place, and then start enjoying running your own business and preparing fantastic food.