Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Thinking Of Opening A Restaurant

There are a lot of decisions to make when you open a restaurant. Choosing items for the menu is one of the most important decisions you will make. The type of food you offer is just as important as how well it is cooked. You don't necessarily have to offer a wide range of foods to be successful. Sometimes fewer items makes better business sense. It will cut down on the amount of inventory and it will be less confusing for your customers. By offering a few choices that are proven favorites with diners, it is hard to go wrong.
Sandwiches are usually popular. Vegetarian options are also a good idea today. Of course, everyone's favorite is pizza. Selling pizza in your restaurant is a great idea because it is inexpensive to make, easy to prepare, and it is a favorite food of many. You can add your own personal twist to pizza such as unique topping combinations or dough recipes and create a signature pizza for your restaurant.
Once you decide upon a menu, you have to equip your restaurant so you can prepare the meals. For instance, you will need to look at pizza ovens if you intend to sell pizza. Wood fired pizza ovens are ideal. They add a great atmosphere to the restaurant. Plus, they are fun for guests to watch. They also bake great pizzas. They get much hotter than traditional ovens so you can get crusts that are super crispy and the pizzas cook much quicker too. Also, the wood imparts a nice smoky flavor to whatever you cook in the oven. By the way, you can use the wood fired oven to cook roasts, bread, and plenty of other foods besides pizza.
In addition to choosing the menu items and equipping your kitchen, you will need to outfit your dining area so it is attractive and enjoyable for your customers. The décor you select will reflect upon your business, so choose wisely. You probably don't want something that looks dated and shabby. On the other hand, you don't want to be so cutting edge that you alienate traditional diners.
All that is left is choosing your staff. Unless you plan to be in your restaurant every day, cooking every meal, you will need people you trust. Once you have selected your cooks and your staff, trust them to do a good job. Your trust in them will motivate them to do a good job. A happy staff is good for business. They not only prepare and serve meals they are ambassadors of goodwill. If your customers have a great time, they will return and tell their friends about you too. Word-of-mouth recommendation is the best form of advertising in the restaurant business.
Although it is a lot of work to get a restaurant off the ground and even more to keep it running successfully, it is well worth it. There is no feeling quite as good as making a success out of feeding people good food.