Restaurant and food business is one of the most profitable venture in the food industry.
You and I will agree that food is not an option but a necessity and the earlier we realize it with this perspective the better we can use it unto our own business advancement.
Most working class are always in a hurry to their working places, firms, companies and business ventures, so often time, during the break they look around time for close restaurant where they can get good food and delicious delicacy, if you are knowledgeable in this field you can successful make profit that will keep rolling in, if you are not knowledgeable in this field you can always learn and start!
One of the most interesting aspect of business to me, is the continually growth of the business world that puts an heavy demand on you to go back and learn more beyond whatsoever thing you think you know.
In our world today, I see different kind of restaurant coming up with specific interest in their services and production; this is very good because it will bring specific customers right on time.
Now to start with; you must know the primary aim of a restaurant to make good food, delicious delicacy of various types available to people out there, we have those who goes to restaurant because they are not yet married, others do because their wives can’t cook well enough to suit their taste, some families might want to have a nice time and they decide to come to your restaurant,, we are treating some of the reasons why people come to restaurant so that this can help you to deliver maximum customer service.
6 Steps to Starting a Restaurant
1. You must Be Specific in Your Service : This is very important, you must have a specific delivery, in the sense that while growing your business, you will need to create a brand around what you do and your brand will be based on what you deliver, I have seen bread restaurant, fruit and grocery restaurants, meat and chicken restaurants, wine and drinks, bread and snacks restaurants, the advantage of been specific is that, it helps you to deliver the best in whatsoever you’ve chosen.
When people wants specific products they will always come to you, however, you might want to produce various kind of food delicacy, which is good also so as stop have various kind of people coming into your restaurant, but you must be financially prepare to handle various delicacy, as much as it Is good to variety, it can be capital intensive, but if you can make huge budget for your restaurant business plan then you can go far in your delivery.
2. Budget Your Capital : Restaurant business is capital intensive, I means it require lots of funds to get started and so as to avoid sluggishness that can discourage your customers, you must make your capital available before you start, run a feasibility studies on how much you will spend daily to make those various food items and drinks available, the first two week or a month can be used to monitor which of the products are selling most, that will help you to understand the interest of your consumer and boost production in that direction.
So before you start your restaurant business, budget a good startup capital not by assumption but by research; carry out a rock-solid feasibility studies, reach the already existing restaurants and be observant, if need be; dialogue with the owner and get some tips from them that will empower you greatly.
3. Know Your Customers : This is very important, You must know those who takes delight in patronizing you, how do I mean? I mean, you should check what they want, which of your products are they always coming back to come and buy?
That is how you can successfully know those customers of yours, and this will help you to secure them, you might be selling fried rice, polished rice, white rice and jollof rice, but as time goes by, you might realize that there is more market for Fried rice, wisdom will tell you to produce more fried rice so as to make more sales, so it’s by the interest of what people are buying and patronizing you for that you will know your loyal customers.
4. Position Your Restaurant in a Strategic Place : This is very important in every business; the position where you are located goes a long way to determine how successful you will become in a restaurant business venture, if you situate it in a place where there are much business owners, companies, schools and there are organizations where people come often, you will then to attract them to your business and that will go a long way to help you make good profits but on the other hand, if you are located in a place that is a little kind of far from where people are; you might not make profit like you want to.
People are the asset in your business, so you must locate your restaurant where people are; I remember while I was in college, there is a close restaurant where they sells just snacks and soft drinks, after our lecture students will rush down to get chill drinks daily and by such, the restaurant where making serious money because they are located in an environment close to where people were, so you must ensure you position your restaurant in a strategic place that will help you grow and make good profits.
5. Employ The Right Hands : Every business is at the mercy of their employees that works there, you must strive to employ the right hands to work with you, this will help your growth as a business venture.
Often time, when you start something like a restaurant, so many people will come with application but from the interview you will know those who really have passion to work in a restaurant and those who are just trying to get some pay ad get out!
Your work team is very important, since you are still at the tender stage, you must checkmate them continually so that you will be sure, they are on the same goal seeking endeavors with you.
Apart from their state of mind; you must also ensure they are worthy of working in a restaurant setting, not everybody can work in a restaurant, because as a worker in a restaurant, you must be joyous, social and have good inter-personal relationship, you must be tolerant and hospitable.
So as there CEO of your restaurant business, you must watch the response of your workers to customers coming, in fact you must watch them to the extent that they are 100% effective while you are not there, you must ensure their dresses are smart and well attractive not looking dirty, weird, stinky but they must be very clean, bright and compelling so that the customers that sees them is attractive to them always.
6. Effective Marketing : You must employ a very strong marketing so that your business will strive and succeed, you just have to employ strong marketing, you must make awareness all around where you are located and let people know what you are into; one customer through words of mouth can go and bring you more than 10,000 people by just telling maybe 10 about your good service and delicious food, and those ones will come and see how true it is and they will also go out and tell more before you know it, your business is spreading like wide fire, that is how to grow a business like restaurant, you must offer a very attractive service to the people, everyone that come to your restaurant daily must be so excited at how you offered great service and from there you will secure them and they will go out to get more people coming to you.
I am sure by the time you apply this 6 steps mention above you will have great success in your restaurant business, but in case you are an investor, you have the funds and the desire to start up a restaurant, then you have two options, its either you go and learn how to cook those delicacy for as long as it will cost you or to employ professionals who will work for you while you pay them well.
So if you, start without good foundation in terms of knowledge, you might not stay long in the business, but if you employ professionals, they can start with you and while you are been trained alongside with some other people so that peradventure they are not around, your business can still continue to blossom.
Food business is large and restaurant been one of the business that start in that field requires high sanitation, you must be very clean, very neat, the cooking atmosphere must be kept clean always!
So that you don’t make people fail sick by your food and you don’t make them report your to the federal ministry of health, you must employ high level of neatness, I wish you all the best in your business.
