Are you looking to open your own restaurant?
You should know that 60% of restaurants close within their first year of business and 8-% do not hit their five-year milestone. But, do not let that stop you from pursuing your dream because you could end up in the top 20.
While many people will wish you luck on your venture, it actually has very little to do with your success in the restaurant business. Read on to learn how to open your own restaurant and make it successful.
Locate Your Niche
Know now that you will never please everybody. If you create an all over the place establishment that tries to, you may not please anybody.
Find your niche and revolve everything from the atmosphere to menu options around it. This will draw in more of your target market and less of the people who will leave you bad reviews.
When you find your niche, land it in a location that makes sense. Location can make you or break you, so do your research! A successful restaurant owner knows who they’re serving and where to find them.
Limit Your Options
People think they want options, but find that they really just want what they want. The Paradox of Choice Theory states that more options create more anxiety and less satisfaction in the final choice.
Big menus create more overhead costs when most menu items will get overlooked. Stick to 7 items per food category and do not overcompensate with extra divisions.
Make Service Quality a Priority
Quality service means delivering what you promise your customer. This is incredibly important for any business.
To ensure that your customers get quality service, pay attention to both praise and complaints. When something goes awry, reach out to apologize and make it right with the customer, because how you handle a mistake can make or break you.
Staff Your Restaurant Well
Take your time with the interview process to make sure that the person fits your restaurant’s vibe. Hire people you can trust to show up on time and handle the money.
When you find a good crew member, treat them well, because bad service does not allow for a successful restaurant. Make yourself a regular part of the staff, especially in the early years of business. Model how you expect your business to run and keep an eye out to see who works well.
Develop a Solid Marketing Plan
Marketing a restaurant expands your reach. It makes you visible beyond the storefront.
Develop a solid marketing strategy that shows off the personality of your restaurant and helps potential customers develop a relationship with it. People want to eat at places that are more than the food that they serve.
Offer a loyalty program, create a social media presence, develop a blog with helpful tips, and reach out into the community to give back. Looking for more? Read more marketing tips here.
Open Your Own Restaurant with Pride
Serving food to others means giving a piece of yourself for their nourishment, happiness, and wellbeing. Open your restaurant with pride by paying attention to details.
Looking for more advice? Read the latest tips of the time on our website!
