Has anyone ever opened or operated a restaurant before?
08-01-2002, 09:57 PM
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Has anyone ever opened or operated a restaurant before?
I'm seriously contemplating opening a restaurant next year when my father/mother in law moves here. One reason is to keep them busy 
but the other is that my father and mother in law have some recipes that would make me drool, and some of you know how much I'm into food.
I have the basics thought out, but I was wondering if there are any pointers from fellow members?
BTW, it's not going to be a typical Chinese restaurant. My goal is to franchise the operation in the long run. I'm going to make Panda a run for its money
but the other is that my father and mother in law have some recipes that would make me drool, and some of you know how much I'm into food.I have the basics thought out, but I was wondering if there are any pointers from fellow members?
BTW, it's not going to be a typical Chinese restaurant. My goal is to franchise the operation in the long run. I'm going to make Panda a run for its money
08-02-2002, 02:31 AM
#2
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Opening a restaurant isnt that hard.. Location location location...
Being that its a family business.. and usually CASH business.. you would be needed a trusted person handling the cash every night. I spent about 2 weeks with a DOTBOMBER figuring the ins and outs of a restaurant..
Its a lot of work... Expect to be there from Open-Close
Its not a part time thing...
Just time and dedication will be the recipe for success..
Being that its a family business.. and usually CASH business.. you would be needed a trusted person handling the cash every night. I spent about 2 weeks with a DOTBOMBER figuring the ins and outs of a restaurant..
Its a lot of work... Expect to be there from Open-Close
Its not a part time thing...
Just time and dedication will be the recipe for success..
08-02-2002, 03:14 AM
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hmmm,a topic that i know all too well. basically with over 10 yrs experience in running asian food outlets and being involved with them since before i was 5 years old, coupled with the fact that my father has been in the industry for over 40 years, i have a few thoughts on the subject.
basically u have to ask urself what u r doing it for. it seems u want to keep ur parents occupied, but what about u? u also want to franchise out, this means u need good systems, but the essential problem with asian food is that, unlike flipping burgers, it requires specialised skills that only experienced asian chefs can provide, this means u need to find them, and moreoften than not they would be unlikely to buy a franchise off u as they can simply open one independently. this is perhaps why franchised asian food outlets have never really taken off in australia, i dont know about u guys in the usa- the land of the franchises (as it seems).
other points, r they restaurants or fast food outlets, is quality of product important, because damn sure mcdonalds sucks but they have excellent systems and marketing to peddle their crap.
moreover, unique foods such as italian, greek, chinese, thai etc prosper by having a good reputation, therefore it is important to have good product. bad chinese food quickly closes down.
yeah its true that opening a restaurant is easy, so is opening any business, the trick its to keep it open.....
yeah hours r long, which is a reason why our businesses moved away from restaurants and to shopping centres, there its 9-5 so it makes it more bearable, unlike restaurants where its 10-10, and even longer.
i got a whole heap of reasons as to why u should and shouldnt, but it depends on why u want it, do u have the necessary skills, r u motivated, ur obvioulsy educated, but education doesnt cut it so much as being skilled in the nuances of running a restaurant.
shoot me a pm or email me if u want. also, if ur depending upon the skills of others for its success, what happens when those skills r no longer there, or u cant replace them, this is a dilemma we often encounter.
i guess we (our businesses, we have 4 outlets at the moment) have reached a stage where we r no longer surprised by what the competition throws at us as we have been doing it for so long, and besides, there will always be a market for asian food, whereas people often but not always grow out of "grease burgers"
basically u have to ask urself what u r doing it for. it seems u want to keep ur parents occupied, but what about u? u also want to franchise out, this means u need good systems, but the essential problem with asian food is that, unlike flipping burgers, it requires specialised skills that only experienced asian chefs can provide, this means u need to find them, and moreoften than not they would be unlikely to buy a franchise off u as they can simply open one independently. this is perhaps why franchised asian food outlets have never really taken off in australia, i dont know about u guys in the usa- the land of the franchises (as it seems).
other points, r they restaurants or fast food outlets, is quality of product important, because damn sure mcdonalds sucks but they have excellent systems and marketing to peddle their crap.
moreover, unique foods such as italian, greek, chinese, thai etc prosper by having a good reputation, therefore it is important to have good product. bad chinese food quickly closes down.
yeah its true that opening a restaurant is easy, so is opening any business, the trick its to keep it open.....
yeah hours r long, which is a reason why our businesses moved away from restaurants and to shopping centres, there its 9-5 so it makes it more bearable, unlike restaurants where its 10-10, and even longer.
i got a whole heap of reasons as to why u should and shouldnt, but it depends on why u want it, do u have the necessary skills, r u motivated, ur obvioulsy educated, but education doesnt cut it so much as being skilled in the nuances of running a restaurant.
shoot me a pm or email me if u want. also, if ur depending upon the skills of others for its success, what happens when those skills r no longer there, or u cant replace them, this is a dilemma we often encounter.
i guess we (our businesses, we have 4 outlets at the moment) have reached a stage where we r no longer surprised by what the competition throws at us as we have been doing it for so long, and besides, there will always be a market for asian food, whereas people often but not always grow out of "grease burgers"
08-02-2002, 04:25 AM
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now mingster, u mention that it's not going to be a typical chinese restaurant so i'm assuming its still an asian influenced eating restaurant/cafe/eating house.
in oz the statistics show that a large majority of recently made redundant middle-management/IT services/whatever other industry apart from retail people do not make it in the food retail industry.
the reason is simple, they do not see the extra hours required to make a business successful. most outsiders see a person standing behind the counter/register collecting and counting the money (that's the response that i've received) and they blurt out comments like "fcuk, i've got to get into the noodle business" or "he makes a fcuking motza (loads of moolah) and all he does is dish up food". the sad reality is that me and my brother blacks2k do make a shitload of money however we work unbelievable amount of hours (it is not uncommon for me to clock up 90+ hrs a week, 7days and 5 nights) so having any social life right now is a pipe dream.
now in the US with the advantage of a larger population u have a much larger captured market (if all the ingredients stack up ie right location, right product, little or no competitors either directly or indirectly, greedy landlords screwing u, etc)
remember don't just jump into it because u see some guy runnign a cafe making loads of money and it appears as if it is easy coz it ain't.
i did some time in an office (finance industry) and i've always been in food retail and i will say now that i will never put on a shirt and tie ever again for work related issues, there are no benefits and it takes too long to get where u want to be.
in oz the statistics show that a large majority of recently made redundant middle-management/IT services/whatever other industry apart from retail people do not make it in the food retail industry.
the reason is simple, they do not see the extra hours required to make a business successful. most outsiders see a person standing behind the counter/register collecting and counting the money (that's the response that i've received) and they blurt out comments like "fcuk, i've got to get into the noodle business" or "he makes a fcuking motza (loads of moolah) and all he does is dish up food". the sad reality is that me and my brother blacks2k do make a shitload of money however we work unbelievable amount of hours (it is not uncommon for me to clock up 90+ hrs a week, 7days and 5 nights) so having any social life right now is a pipe dream.
now in the US with the advantage of a larger population u have a much larger captured market (if all the ingredients stack up ie right location, right product, little or no competitors either directly or indirectly, greedy landlords screwing u, etc)
remember don't just jump into it because u see some guy runnign a cafe making loads of money and it appears as if it is easy coz it ain't.
i did some time in an office (finance industry) and i've always been in food retail and i will say now that i will never put on a shirt and tie ever again for work related issues, there are no benefits and it takes too long to get where u want to be.
08-02-2002, 07:44 AM
#6
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Hehe, I just got through reading your thread where you reminisced about telling us all goodbye when you started your MBA 2 years ago. I hate to be the voice of pessimism, but get ready to do that again if you open a restaurant! It's beyond a fulltime job; my former father in law opened a restaurant in 1993, and as of 2 years ago, he had taken one 1-week vacation and worked 6 days a week for the remainder of it. We rarely saw him, and he even went so far as to put a bed in his office, since coming home meant time he didn't get to rest when he wasn't working. Restauranteering is a lifestyle you adopt as much as it is a job. Think hard, and enlist people you REALLY trust to help you run it, and delegate!
If you decide to do it, good luck to you!
If you decide to do it, good luck to you!
08-02-2002, 12:13 PM
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Dont do it bro! Not if you still want a life.
My friend who run her family's restaurant bizs (also "not typical" chinese restaurant but fusion and Asian influence) has no time to have a life, is always at the restaurant, and is constantly plagued with staffing issues. Liek someone else mentioned, you will require a certain skill set in the talent that you recruit, and unfortunatley, it usually comes with some sort of baggage (ie attitude, bad habits, ego etc...)
Combine those issues with the perceived low cost of entry into the market, competition will be endless.
So, if you and your wife want to have a life, I would recommend looking at something else.
My friend who run her family's restaurant bizs (also "not typical" chinese restaurant but fusion and Asian influence) has no time to have a life, is always at the restaurant, and is constantly plagued with staffing issues. Liek someone else mentioned, you will require a certain skill set in the talent that you recruit, and unfortunatley, it usually comes with some sort of baggage (ie attitude, bad habits, ego etc...)
Combine those issues with the perceived low cost of entry into the market, competition will be endless.
So, if you and your wife want to have a life, I would recommend looking at something else.
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08-02-2002, 03:09 PM
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What level of restaurant are you thinking of?
Panda Express, City Wok, or something fancier?
I worked in a restaurant for 5 years, and the owners definitely put a good portion of their time into it. There is a great social aspect to working in / owning a restaurant, though.
One thing you need to consider is delivery service. If you don't plan on making deliveries, get in touch with Freeway Food ( http://www.freewayfood.com/ ) or a similar service that will make the deliveries for you. Delivery service is a must in my area of L.A.
Panda Express, City Wok, or something fancier?
I worked in a restaurant for 5 years, and the owners definitely put a good portion of their time into it. There is a great social aspect to working in / owning a restaurant, though.
One thing you need to consider is delivery service. If you don't plan on making deliveries, get in touch with Freeway Food ( http://www.freewayfood.com/ ) or a similar service that will make the deliveries for you. Delivery service is a must in my area of L.A.
08-02-2002, 05:50 PM
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Great thanks to all for the input.
The idea I have has been fostering for quite some time now, and the idea is fusion for a broader based appeal. It's something I don't believe has been tried before, but if you ever get a chance to taste what myself, my wife, and my in-laws can cook up you'd ask for the recipe (as I've posted a few here)
At any rate, if I can't handle the stress from my current job, I may really consider opening one either on the west side (near UCLA/SMC) or near UCI.
I understand the hard work and long hours behind it, but the goal is to be able to develop a formula and repeat that formula all over the place without me being there (franchising). My boss knows the founder of Panda Express and maybe one of these days I'll be able to ask him about his success formula.
I'm considering taking some of the dishes out to farmers' market and do some marketing survey first...
DJ: it'll be Panda Express level with a bit of a twist. I've dreamed of high end Chinese food restaurants, but those are very difficult to maintain.
The idea I have has been fostering for quite some time now, and the idea is fusion for a broader based appeal. It's something I don't believe has been tried before, but if you ever get a chance to taste what myself, my wife, and my in-laws can cook up you'd ask for the recipe (as I've posted a few here)
At any rate, if I can't handle the stress from my current job, I may really consider opening one either on the west side (near UCLA/SMC) or near UCI.
I understand the hard work and long hours behind it, but the goal is to be able to develop a formula and repeat that formula all over the place without me being there (franchising). My boss knows the founder of Panda Express and maybe one of these days I'll be able to ask him about his success formula.
I'm considering taking some of the dishes out to farmers' market and do some marketing survey first...
DJ: it'll be Panda Express level with a bit of a twist. I've dreamed of high end Chinese food restaurants, but those are very difficult to maintain.