Introduction

The restaurant business is an exciting one, full of challenges and opportunities. We're glad you're interested in finding out more about it, and you've definitely come to the right place to get started. Years ago, going out to eat was truly an event - reserved for weekends or special occasions. Today, however, even a Tuesday, just another day, can be an occasion to eat out, especially when busy careers and overloaded family schedules leave little time to cook. Fortunately, consumers have more restaurant choices than ever before. And opportunities in the industry have never been greater. This book can help you minimize the challenges and overcome the obstacles before they overcome you.

We've managed, worked, eaten, mopped floors, tended bars, learned to repair equipment midshift on a Saturday night, hired, fired, trained, and done inventory in some of the best (and worst) restaurants in the world. We've worked in ultrafine dining, fast food, catering, and everything in between. We've worked dining rooms that sat 30 and catered events that fed 50,000 diners in a single day. Sure, each of these situations is somewhat different, but many aspects of running a restaurant transcend restaurant size, location, or dining style and fall under the category of universal restaurant truths. We do our best to bring all that information to you in this book.

Whether you're a seasoned restaurant veteran or just out of cooking school, we believe that if you're reading this book, you have the desire to run a restaurant. After reading it, you should know whether you have a passion for it - or what we sometimes call The Sickness.

About This Book

Success in the restaurant business is the dream of many and the achievement of few. Often, would-be restaurateurs have misconceptions about what running a restaurant is really like. Some folks are quick to see the glitz and glamour without also seeing the anxiety and effort that accompany it. Others have seen the business from the inside and are sure that they can do it better than the people they've worked for, without feeling the true weight and complexity of the tasks and decisions that face The Boss everyday. On the other side of the coin, you find people who could do very well in the restaurant business but stay out because of the horror stories they've heard.

We want you to see the full picture - the good, the bad, and the absurd - so you can make an informed decision about your place in this business.

We wrote this book because no Bureau of Restaurant Operators exists to test your knowledge and skills to determine whether you have what it takes to get into the business. After you've read the pages between these gorgeous yellow and black covers, you'll have a good idea of whether this is the racket for you - and the knowledge to get started on the right foot.

Plenty of books tell you how to open a restaurant, but you don't find many on how to keep it open. This book does both. Why? Because you can never stop improving your service, evaluating your product, scoping out the competition, and researching opportunities in the marketplace. Change is the only constant in the restaurant business. To succeed, you must anticipate and act on new trends, new pressures, and whatever else the market throws your way. The spoils go to those who see opportunities before they happen.

Please don't mistake our realism for cynicism. We want you to be in the business. But we're going to make sure that you have the information you need to be a success. We show you many everyday realities that people don't always consider but should. We hope you take the information and use it to be wildly successful. You can do this, but you have to look at this business the right way. If you do, save us a table!

Conventions Used in This Book

To help you navigate through this book, we use the following conventions:

• Italic is used for emphasis and to highlight new words or terms that we define.
• Boldface indicates keywords in bulleted lists and the action parts of numbered steps.
• Monofont is used for Web addresses.

What You're Not to Read

Sidebars, which appear as text enclosed in shaded gray boxes, consist of information that's interesting but not critical to your understanding of the chapter or section topic. You can skip them if you're pressed for time. You can also bypass bonus material marked with the Technical Stuff icon.

Foolish Assumptions

Just as restaurant owners have to make assumptions about the customers who will be eating there, authors have to make assumptions about their readers. If one or more of the following descriptions hits home, you've come to the right place:

• You're thinking about opening your own restaurant, and you want practical, how-to advice to accomplish your goals.
• You've worked in the business, and now you're thinking about getting in on the ownership or management end of things.
• You've never worked in a restaurant, but you've met with success in other professional endeavors and possess skills that may be applicable to this business.
• You're fresh out of cooking school and are thinking about putting those skills to work in your own place.
• You buy every book that sports a yellow and black cover.
• You currently own or operate a restaurant, and you're seeking advice, tips, and suggestions to keep things running smoothly and successfully.

How This Book Is Organized

This book is organized into five separate parts. Here's what's on the menu.

Part 1: Getting Started

In this part, we give you a crash course in the restaurant business, including tips for getting started, understanding your options, creating your concept, and picking your name. We help you research the marketplace to determine whether your concept has a shot at success, and we provide information on how customers approach buying decisions. We take you through the critical step of writing a business plan. We also help you figure out whether you have what it takes to make it in the business.

Part 2: Putting Your Plan in Motion

In this part, we focus on acting on your idea. We go through the ins and outs of finding the right location or making an existing location work for you. We give you tips on finding financing for your new business. And we wrap up by dotting some i's and crossing some t's, including help on getting the right permits and licenses, getting up to speed on local laws, and legally protecting yourself the right way.

Part 3: Preparing to Open the Doors

Here, we detail all the tasks you need to do to get up and running. We walk you through hiring and training your staff and developing your menu and beverage program. We show you how to set up your kitchen and dining room for the best flow of food and people. We also give you concrete tips for purchasing and managing your inventory, which can take you a long way toward profitability. And finally, we cover two often-neglected areas of the business: operating your office and promoting your business.

Part 4: Keeping Your Restaurant Running Smoothly

This part is for anyone running a restaurant today or tomorrow or considering doing it in the future. We show you how to maintain and build on your current operation, including tips for managing employees, keeping your diners coming back, and handling customer service situations. We explain how to keep your place spick-and-span and ensure food safety. We show you how to get great information about what your customers want. And we wrap it up with a lesson in watching your numbers, with tips on which reports to run, how to analyze the numbers, and how to make changes to your business when necessary.

Part 5: The Part of Tens

Here, we dispel ten common myths about running a restaurant, and we give you some of our favorite only-in-the-restaurant-business stories.

Icons Used in This Book

Icons are the fancy little pictures in the margins of this book. Here's a guide to what they mean:

The Tip icon marks ideas that can make your job a bit easier. The tips are often hands-on ways to improve your business today.

The Remember icon points out ideas that sum up and reinforce the concepts we discuss. In fact, if you're in a time crunch and can't read everything, you may want to go straight to this icon.

We use the Warning icon to alert you to potential pitfalls and to give you a heads-up on mistakes to avoid. Pay particular attention when you see the lit fuse.

Think of the paragraphs marked with the Technical Stuff icon as bonus material. Usually, the info gives you some noncritical background on the subject. We think the info is interesting, so we include it, but you don't have to read it to get the essential ideas and concepts.

We use the Mock Concept icon to highlight information related to our imaginary restaurant, Urban Forge Pizza Bar, which we create in Chapter 2. We use Urban Forge as an example throughout the book to help you see in concrete, easy-to-understand terms exactly how to create sales forecasts, write marketing copy, and more.

Beyond the Book

In addition to what you're...