One of the most exciting business ventures to get into happens to be the restaurant and catering business. It can be a very rewarding business model, but it can also be one of the toughest to crack. There are certain fundamental things you need to overcome or do well in order to be a success. As it can be quite a lucrative business, I thought I would share with you some if the things you need to think about before deicing upon opening a restaurant. I hope it gives you a good platform to take your journey to the next level.
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The location
First of all, you need to think about the location. The location of your restaurant is really important. It needs to be visible, so that you can obtain a good level of footfall and direct advertising opportunities. However, high street areas can be pricey in terms of leases, so you may want to try and find the next best possible option. This may be a little outside of town, or down a side street. You could then use marketing options like your website and social media to ensure that you can advertise your restaurant correctly. You may also want to consider accessibility inside and in terms of parking if you are going to be reached by car.
The equipment you will need
There is a lot of equipment to consider when it comes to having a restaurant, and more specifically and industrial kitchen. It isn’t like you would find in your standard homely kitchen, with much more advanced things to consider such as fish processing equipment for descaling and filleting, a mincer to create your own mince, meat slicer for perfect portions or simply bigger ovens and hob areas so that you have the option to be able to cook multiple meals at once. Not to mention the larger size fridge and freezers you will need to store the ingredients.
The focus on the menu and brand
Once you have the location and the set up all sorted, you need to consider you menu and your brand. What will your restaurant stand for? Will you pride yourself on a select menu only using locally sourced ingredients? Are you going to specialize in cuisine? Will you cater for families or larger parties? This can help you to develop things like your menu and your branding, which can then be incorporated into your marketing campaigns.
The customer service and staff
Finally, you need to consider the customer service and the staff side of things. This is going to be just as important as your set up and your restaurant because if customers don’t get the experience they want or something they enjoy, they simply won’t be back or help spread the word about how great you are. Good staff and equally considering the experience of the customer are valuable attributes to your upcoming restaurant business.
I hope that these things help you have the right platform to launch your restaurant business.