Opening a restaurant can be a very lucrative business venture. As with any new business, however, opening a restaurant requires a significant amount of preparation, planning, and organization. To help make your restaurant opening as successful as possible, and to ensure its continued success for many years to come, here are the most important things to do before opening a restaurant.
Carefully consider location
One of the most important things to do before opening a restaurant is to carefully consider its intended location. Location can make or break a business, so conduct thorough market research prior to deciding on a space for your restaurant. Try to choose a location in an area that receives a lot of natural traffic. This will help increase the footfall in your restaurant and will open you up to a larger audience.
Conducting additional market research on the purchasing patterns of your intended audience will also help you select a more beneficial location for your restaurant. Try to choose a location that is in an area that appeals to your target audience. Choosing a location that appeals to their financial status and cultural background will help you form a more loyal customer base and will increase overall traffic to your restaurant.
Review your paperwork
Paperwork is a time-consuming but necessary aspect of opening any business. Creating a concrete business plan and finalizing all paperwork well in advance of the restaurant’s opening will not only help you stay more organized throughout the process, but it can also be beneficial when applying for financing. Financers will be more likely to invest in your business when it’s backed by a detailed business plan.
Be sure to also review your lease in advance of the opening. Discussing your lease with the landlord and business manager will help you avoid falling into any potential pitfalls and will ensure that you’re not blindsided by any contract loopholes. When reviewing your paperwork, also organize and finalize all necessary licenses and certifications, including business, liquor, and food service licenses.
Focus on the food
At the end of the day, customers will flock to your restaurant not for the beautiful building or bulletproof business plan, but for the food. As such, you must invest both time and money into making your dishes the absolute best they can be. Carefully curate the menu to showcase the more unique items offered at your restaurant and take care not to overwhelm the diner with too many choices.
Prior to the opening, you may even consider hosting a taste test in order to conduct further market research. At this taste test, guests can sample prospective dishes from the menu and offer their honest feedback, allowing you to adjust the menu accordingly and provide the customers with dishes they’ll return to again and again.