For anyone thinking of getting into the restaurant business, I offer this tidbit of advice. A large sum of money is required in the beginning stages of a restaurant. It may be one of the most costly businesses to get started in today. Fortunately, there are options out there for the hopefuls and the risk takers that offer many business loans and restaurant loans.
I meet many people who would say they would love to open up a restaurant and work for themselves. Being in the restaurant industry myself for many years I can tell you that it is not as glamorous as people would make it seem. I sometimes discount the initial enthusiasm I see in my fellow restaurateurs and get the evil eye because of it, but having been doing it for years I have a broad understanding of how difficult restaurant ownership can be. I don’t want to discourage the poor lads who think of this business as glamorous, but it is anything but, and you must be prepared to roll up your sleeves and put the hours in. Many people believe that having their own business will buy them the freedom to do what they will, but as I say, especially in the restaurant business, you are buying yourself a job. This is not a quick rich business that will make you financially free, you have to be willing to put in the sweat and tears, and be there 100% to make sure that things are constantly at a level of excellence. Your most valued publicity and prized recognition is in word of mouth and depends greatly on the quality of the food you serve and the service you provide.
Being in constant check of your employees and making sure that they are offering the ultimate in customer service should be one of your top priorities, very closely after the quality of the food you offer. Then again, you could have great food, but if you have horrible service, no one will want to eat at your restaurant. As an owner, you should not count on a manager to take on the full responsibilities of your establishment. Having a great manager can take a lot of the added stresses off of trying to do everything yourself, however finding, training and trusting the right person with your all of your hard work is not an easy task. As I said before, be prepared to roll up your sleeves and put in the hard work, because when someone calls in sick on a busy Friday night, you might have to be ready to fill in.
The restaurant industry is one of the toughest out there in terms of success rate and my heart always goes out new restaurant owners in hopes that I won’t be seeing a for lease sign up within a year. Work in restaurants, as a hostess, waiter, bartender, kitchen worker, manager and learn everything that you can before jumping in head first. Do your homework and gain as much knowledge, and make sure this is the right thing for you before you invest too much time an money into it. And ask yourself this question, can you succeed where so many other’s fail?
