So You Want To Open A Restaurant

[SAMIAM]

Just finished Anthony Bourdain's book…one of the greatest chefs of all time and thought I’d share some of his observations….just for fun.

In order to own a restaurant you understand that you will be working 17 hour days. You must know all the intricacies of health codes, tax law, fire department regulations environmental protection laws, building code, occupational safety and health regulations, fair hiring practices, insurance requirements, liquor law,….also have to have knowledge of dealing with grease disposal and trash removal. You must have total understanding and knowledge of your water, electrical and fire suppression systems so you can react instantly in an emergency.
You must know how to deal with your suppliers. You will have different suppliers for meat, seafood, produce, paper products, linen and chemicals just to name a few……you must be on top of prices and quality.

Also keep in mind that all the town, state and federal agencies are not your friend. Most of the inspectors assume that you are trying to cheat the system and inspections can cause much stress as well as expensive changes.
Staffing and training are a huge challenge in this business. Turnover is a constant problem.
Now that you’ve mastered all of the above, keep in mind that there are lots of problems in this industry.
30K worth of food in your freezer….it breaks down on a 3 day weekend. Good luck getting service. Dishwasher walks out on a busy night and other staff resent covering his work. Sewerage systems are notorious for failing in restaurants. Backups always occur at the busiest times Sinks, toilets and drains failing can cause you to close.
Is your bartender over serving being lax with ID’s either of which could cause you licensing or serious legal problems.
Just trying to paint a rosy picture for the business with the number 1 failure rate…..hope I didn’t leave anything out.
One last thought….any restaurant that has been in business for 5 years or more has faced most of these problems and deserves your respect and support.

[Descant]

And never listen to the friends who say "You're a great cook. You should start a restaurant." I notice in SAMIAM's post, cooking is not one of the required skills.

[LoveLakeLife]

It seems like the riskiest of ventures, and probably even riskier if you haven’t come up the business starting as a dishwasher. I’ve always been amazed at someone who wants to work in a hot, hectic kitchen cooking food for other people. There are hundreds of thousands of people who do it, though, so the appeal that eludes me really attracts them. So much credit goes to Samiam and all the others who toil at restaurant work. There must be a great satisfaction somewhere in there.


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[Major]

The government can indiscriminately shut you down because of any willy nilly reason, such as the flu. Approximately 110,000 restaurants and bars, roughly 17% of all establishments nationwide, permanently closed during the first year of the government overreaction to the flu. To this day, restaurants and other small businesses have never really fully recovered from this show of excessive power.

[Fishy Cover]

Old saying in the restaurant industry is “How do you make a small fortune?---start with a big one and open a restaurant"

I know many owners in the hospitality business and nearly all wish that they could make as much per hour as their employees.

It is a difficult unforgiving business and only the best are successful, so those who thrive deserve our admiration

[tis]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Just finished Anthony Bourdain's book…one of the greatest chefs of all time and thought I’d share some of his observations….just for fun.

That's a big part of the reason why all independent businesses, particularly restaurants, but not just limited to restaurants, have a hard time in today's world. The government does not make it easy.

[SAMIAM]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Just finished Anthony Bourdain's book…one of the greatest chefs of all time and thought I’d share some of his observations….just for fun.

Ooopps…. Forgot one thing
Where there is food ,rodents and insects will
Be drawn
You must have professional monthly pest control before you even open the doors
Never wait till you have a problem…… probably be too late

[fatlazyless]

Anthony Bourdain, 1956-2018, age 61: On Friday night sometime, June 8, 2018, in the Hotel Chambard in Alsace, France he supposedly killed himself by hanging. Is better to walk it off with a long walk than go suicide, and live for another day, or something ........ !

[8gv]

If it were not for customers (guests?) and employees, owning a business would be easy.

[John Mercier]

They can make it easier, but they can also make it harder.

I find the yielding to bad behavior to be the biggest problem.

[SAMIAM]

Originally Posted by 8gv

If it were not for customers (guests?) and employees, owning a business would be easy.

One of my friends in the business asked by me why I didn’t include “drama”
as one of the big issues… I laughed but he is right

[BroadHopper]

Excellent example of a successful restaurant owner. 17 hours a day working is common for Alec Ray!

https://www.nhmagazine.com/meet-the-...mans-alex-ray/

[John Mercier]

Interesting research for companies and their investors...

"At the same time, the priorities and spending of wealthy consumers around the world is shifting. The report said travel, events and dining experiences are becoming more important than buying status goods for show. While luxury goods sales are expected to grow between 1% and 4%, experiences are on track for growth of between 3% and 7% this year, the report said. Bookings in dining, leisure and entertainment are up around 30% this year.

What we’re seeing across experiential luxury this year is resilience concentrated in the categories that offer something money can’t easily replicate: time, access and meaning,” said Claudia D’Arpizio, a senior partner at Bain & Co. “Luxury is increasingly about how people live rather than what they own."

They refer to them as aspirational consumers.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/25/luxu...ritourism.html

[The Real BigGuy]

I had a friend who took over a breakfast/lunch place in northeastern MA. He was in at 3:30 to 4 every morning to get things going and out at about 6 every night after doing prep for the next day and on his feet the whole time. Then he went home to do all the non-cooking paperwork stuff the business required. He loved it. Loved talking with the people and loved the cooking. The place was always packed but I’m guessing his computed hourly wage was pretty low.He ended up with a bad back, knees, & shoulders. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for his health, he lost the place to an employee who went behind his back to take over the lease on the property. The business closed for good 6 mos later.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Excellent example of a successful restaurant owner. 17 hours a day working is common for Alec Ray!

https://www.nhmagazine.com/meet-the-...mans-alex-ray/

Any business is going to require more than your normal 8 to 10 hour work day to be successful. I owned an auto repair business for over 35 years, never worked less than 50 hours per week unless there was a holiday in there. Some weeks went really well, and you made $100 an hour or more. Some weeks went to ***** and you were lucky to make $10 per hour because when things turn to ***** you have to work more to right the ship!

[SAMIAM]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Excellent example of a successful restaurant owner. 17 hours a day working is common for Alec Ray!

https://www.nhmagazine.com/meet-the-...mans-alex-ray/

You’re so right. I’ve known Alex since he started in Ashland and he never ceases to amaze me. Recently I went to Town Docks for lunch…….Alex was on the floor trying to fix a table in the dining room. Owns more than 20 restaurants and still not afraid to get his hands dirty.

[John Mercier]

An owner and anyone in management has to be like this to keep the operation performing.