Thinking of opening a small restaurant? Some things to consider


Opening a small restaurant is the dream for some people. It’s their chance to start something that’s their very own, and if things go well, then it could grow into something even bigger. Deciding to take the plunge and open your new restaurant is a big one, and here are some things worth considering first.

Learn to delegate

One thing that restaurant owners of all levels need to learn is the ability to delegate their tasks. You might feel as though it’s going to be better and quicker if you just do some jobs yourself, but that’s only going to harm you in the long run.

You need to learn how to train your staff firstly, and once you have, you then need to be able to step back and trust them with their duties. Time for restaurant owners is a finite resource, and it’s best spent doing the most important things in the business, and leaving other tasks to your staff.

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You have to like people

If you are opening a restaurant, then it’s only going to survive if you can get people through the door. Getting them in once might be hard enough, but getting them to come back time and time again is the real key to success.

You will have to learn how to get along with people, especially your customers, because your success relies on them so much. Good small restaurant owners enjoy talking with their customers and listening to any complaints they might have.

Long nights

There’s no secret in the fact that people who work in the food industry tend to have a lot of late nights. You might only close your doors to your customers at 10 pm, but it might be gone midnight before you actually get out of there. Coping with the long hours is key to the success of your business, so don’t go in thinking you’ll be home to kiss your kids goodnight.

Working weekends

While the rest of the world is happily putting their feet up on the weekends, you will be at your busiest. Your children might be home from school at the weekends, but most of your time will be taken up in your restaurant. It’s a big commitment to open a restaurant any the strain it can place on families is often overlooked before opening the doors.

No guaranteed income

You are your own boss now, which means any money you receive comes from how successful your restaurant is. There will be good months and bad months, which makes it hard to plan too far ahead in the future.

When business slows down, you have to make sure all of your staff and suppliers are paid first, then, if there is any money left after that, you can pay yourself. Coming up with a plan to overcome these difficult times before you get into business can really help get you through.

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Enjoy the stress

Most good restaurant owners actually learn to thrive on stress, and you will have to learn that too. Things get hot in the kitchen, tempers fly, and things go wrong all the time in restaurants. Learning to be good in a crisis will help your business deal with anything that’s thrown at it, which will ultimately make it work or not.

Owning a business is tough but rewarding. You only have to answer to yourself, and you can, hopefully, watch your vision grow and blossom into something amazing.

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