0%

A complete how-to guide with ALL you need to know to open and run a successful restaurant.

Each month, countless new restaurants open their doors as others fail. Despite continuing industry growth, many new restaurants struggle to succeed. Even established restaurants are challenged to stay open. These businesses may have great food and amazing service, yet some still face uncertain futures. Now, help has arrived for restaurant owners and managers! Food and Beverage Magazine’s Guide to Restaurant Success is written by an industry expert who has opened numerous restaurants and provided valuable restaurateur guidance in the role of a trusted consultant.

This restaurant success guide provides vital information on how to protect the significant investment—sometimes ranging from $250,000 to $425,000—that’s required to open a restaurant and keep it running during the first six months. Author Michael Politz started his career with an ice cream business and went on to found a number of restaurants, a frozen food distribution business, a restaurant consulting service, and a respected online magazine for the food and beverage industry. Politz shares his extensive knowledge gained through both success and failure. With his indispensable guide, you can easily double-check to make sure you’re doing things right.

  • Get guidance from a restaurant owner’s handbook of what to do and not do
  • Refer to handy tips and checklists that help you launch your business
  • Discover insight into the triumphs of Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, and more
  • Gain food industry knowledge with a comprehensive restaurant how-to guide

Whether you want to open a burger joint or a fine dining restaurant, this advice-filled resource will help you cover all the details that make a difference. You’ll be better prepared before, during, and after your restaurant launch! Set your establishment up for rave reviews with Food and Beverage Magazine’s Guide to Restaurant Success.

Table of Contents

  1. COVER
  2. INTRODUCTION: WHY YOU NEED THIS BOOK
    1. The Most Important Thing to Remember
    2. My Start as an Entrepreneur
    3. Restaurateur as Entrepreneur
    4. Reality Check for Your Dreams
  3. 1 Recipe for Success
    1. Soul Searching: Is Food and Beverage Part of Your DNA?
    2. Like an Onion: Cut Through the Layers
    3. Facing the Critics, Doubters, and Naysayers
    4. Only You Can Make Your Dreams Come True
    5. Opening a Restaurant Makes Me Warm and Fuzzy
    6. The One Ingredient to Use Sparingly—Ego
    7. But My Mom Likes My Recipe
    8. How Do I Become a Great Chef or Restaurateur Above the Others?
    9. I Need a Shoulder to Cry On
    10. Show Me the Money
    11. Money Is Great, but the Value of Other Things Is Bigger and Better
    12. Can You Change With the Times?
    13. Are You Ready to Begin?
  4. 2 Taking Those First Steps
    1. Cuisine: What Do You Want to Feed Your Customers?
    2. What Do You Need Before Looking for the Right Location?
    3. Just Because It Is Open Doesn't Mean Customers Will Come
    4. Finding a Restaurant Location Is Like Finding Your Home
    5. Do Not Sign Anything Yet
    6. Now the List Is Getting Shorter
    7. Competition—What They Are Doing Right and Wrong
    8. That Costs Extra?
    9. What About Investors?
    10. What About Borrowing Money?
    11. I Am Ready to Sign My Name …
    12. Final Thought
  5. 3 Red Tape
    1. See Your Name … on Many Legal Docs
    2. The Health Department Is Your Friend
    3. The Final Decision—Location—Is Approaching
    4. Ready for a Drink?
    5. Protection Equals Insurance
    6. Music Can Add to Appetites and Legal Problems
    7. What's Your Sign?
    8. Selling Merch and Offering Entertainment
    9. This Is a Special Time
  6. 4 The Dream Becomes Reality
    1. Put a Signature on It
    2. I Now Pronounce You Restaurant and Restaurateur
    3. Pleasing to the Eye and Appetite
    4. Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder and License Holder
    5. A Menu Is More Than a List
    6. Tempt the Appetite with the Menu
    7. Dress to Tempt Those Taste Buds
    8. How to Take an Order
    9. Everyone Has an Opinion
    10. Walking Through the Fire
    11. See Your Vision
  7. 5 Your Restaurant Is a Stage
    1. Now Create That Vision as a Reality
    2. The Auditions
    3. Training Your Staff
    4. Delete the Word “Versus”!
    5. Why Would Anyone Want to Leave Me?
    6. In the End
  8. 6 The Main Course
    1. This Is Not a Trip to the Grocery Store
    2. Living Off the Land
    3. A Well-Stocked Pantry
    4. Good Flavor Can Be Worth the Extra Expense
    5. Be Consistent with Every Dish Every Time
    6. Never Leave Your Shelves Empty
    7. Time to Start Rehearsing
    8. How Much Is Too Much?
    9. Use One Meal to Market the Next Meal
    10. Pour Me Another One
    11. Dress Rehearsal
  9. 7 Learn From Reviews and Opinions
    1. The “F” Word
    2. Don't Take It Personally
    3. Make a Note of What Customers Like
    4. Embracing 1- to 5-Star Ratings
    5. The Power of Turning a Negative Around
    6. There Are Times You Should Ask for Help
    7. Only Good Things to Say
    8. Don't Believe the Hype
    9. The Chef Who Set the Bar on Class
    10. Time for You to Shine
  10. 8 Getting the Word Out that You're Open for Business
    1. The Big Reveal: Who Should You Invite to Your Restaurant?
    2. Putting Your Restaurant's Name Out There through Social Media and the Media
    3. Money Can Buy You Love for Your Restaurant
    4. Mention My Restaurant's Name, Please
    5. Answering the Final Question
  11. 9 So You Have $25,000 to Spend
    1. The Answer Is …
    2. Where Should I Buy My Food?
    3. Build It, but Will Customers Come?
    4. Considering Other Types of Restaurants
    5. $25,000
  12. 10 Persevering Through the Tough Times
    1. Develop a Thick Skin
    2. Are You Dreaming of Expanding?
    3. The Space Next Door Just Opened Up
    4. If There Are Problems, Don't Close, Scale Down
    5. It Really Is a Roller Coaster Ride
  13. FINAL THOUGHTS
    1. Would I Like to Write a Book?
    2. Now It is Up to You
  14. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  15. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  16. INDEX
  17. END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
3.15.229.164