A restaurant is an establishment where different meals and refreshments may be served to the public, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. At the same time, a café is a small establishment where small meals and drinking services are provided with a limited menu. Following that logic, all cafés are restaurants, but all restaurants are not cafés.
How to start a restaurant?
Starting a restaurant requires some careful planning and is more manageable when broken down into steps which are given below:
- Choose a restaurant concept and brand
- Create your menu
- Design layout
- Write a detailed business plan
- Choose a location and get the required licenses and permits
- Find equipment and food supplier
- Hire the right staff
- Advertise your restaurants
- Host a soft opening
Types of restaurants
Restaurants are primarily classified into three categories;
- Quick service
- Midscale
- Upscale
Quick service
Quick service restaurants are also known as fast-food restaurants. They offer limited menu items that can be prepared quickly and sold at relatively low expense. They usually provide drive-thru windows and take-out services.
Midscale restaurants
Mid-scale restaurants offer full meals but charge prices customers perceive as providing good value. Customers place and receive their orders at their tables in a full-service restaurant. While in a limited-service operation, customers order their food at the counter and then receive their meals at their table.
Upscale restaurants
Upscale restaurants offer full table service, and they specifically focus on the quality of their cuisine. They charge the highest price as they are the highest-rated fine-dining establishment.
Carving your niche
Before you start any serious business planning, you first decide what segment of the food industry you want to enter. There is much overlap in the knowledge and skill to be successful; your own personality and preferences will be dedicated to whether you choose to open a bakery, a coffee cart, or a fine-dining restaurant. For example, night owls are going to be dragged to the hours required for bar and grill type of restaurants.
Funding your business
The money required for starting the business depends on the type of business, facility, equipment, inventory, marketing, and operational capital. It’s easy to spend thousands of dollars on starting a business, but it is not essential. Some suggestions of where to raise your starting fund include your own resources, from family and friends, making partners to help in your venture and other government programs, etc.
Choosing a location
Depending on how much money you have to invest in the food-service business, it depends on your facility’s location.
Layout
The layout of your restaurant is a major factor in your restaurant’s success. Typically restaurants allot 45 to 65 percent of their space to the dining area, approx—35 percent to the kitchen, and the remaining to office and storage.
Hiring employees
Qualified labor is one of the biggest challenges in the face of all industries. Finding qualified workers and rising labor costs are two key concerns for food-service business owners.
