Idiot’s Guides: Starting and Running a Restaurant

Around 90% of all new restaurants fail in the first year of operation. Many owners think they have the perfect idea, but they have terrible business plans, location, or other issues. Idiot’s Guides: Starting and Running a Restaurant shows budding restauranteurs the basics of honing in on a concept to gathering start-up capital to building a solid business plan. You will also learn how to choose a great restaurant location, select an appealing design, compose a fantastic menu, and hire reliable managers and staff. In this book, you get:

• Introduction to basic requirements of starting a restaurant such as time management, recognizing your competition, choosing your restaurant concept, and making it legal.
• Information on building a solid business foundation such as a solid business plan, a perfect location, where to find investors, and securing loans.
• Suggestions on how to compose the perfect menu, laying out the front and back of house and bar, and choosing the must-have necessities such as security alarms and fire prevention.
• Techniques on how to hire and train your staff, purchasing or renting supplies, understanding costs and setting up your financial office, and using social media as a marketing tool.
• Secrets for keeping your customers returning, running a safe restaurant, managing employees, and building your PR sales plan.
• Pre-opening checklists to ensure everything is ready by opening day. Operational checklists and forms a successful restaurateur will need to manage their restaurant.

Table of Contents

Part 1: An Introduction to the Restaurant Business
Chapter 1 Why Open a Restaurant?
Chapter 2 Defining Your Market Relevancy
Chapter 3 Distilling Your Concept
Chapter 4 Licenses and Legalities

Part 2: Building Your Restaurant’s Foundation
Chapter 5 Creating a Solid Business Plan
Chapter 6 Choosing a Location
Chapter 7 Negotiating Your Lease
Chapter 8 Finding Your Cash

Part 3: Setting Up Your Restaurant
Chapter 9 Composing Your Menu
Chapter 10 Designing the Front of the House
Chapter 11 Setting Up Your Bar and Beverage Systems
Chapter 12 Laying Out the Back of the House
Chapter 13 Restaurant Maintenance

Part 4: An Owner’s Role in Management
Chapter 14 Hiring Your Staff
Chapter 15 Purchasing Supplies
Chapter 16 Running Your Office
Chapter 17 Understanding Costs
Chapter 18 Beginning Your Marketing Blitz

Part 5: Running Your Restaurant
Chapter 19 Fostering a Culture of Hospitality
Chapter 20 Running a Safe Restaurant
Chapter 21 Managing and Training Your Employees
Chapter 22 Growing Your Business

Appendix A Glossary
Appendix B Resources
Appendix C Preopening Checklists: The Critical Path
Appendix D Operational Checklists and Forms