What Is Needed to Start Your Own Restaurant?
Your friends rave about your cooking. You like serving people and you think you have a head for business. If you're considering turning your passion for pasta into a business by opening a restaurant there are a few things you'll need to get going after you selected the location and the menu.
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Licensing and Registration
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The restaurant will need a business license from the state and most likely the city, as well. A sales tax, sometimes called privilege license, may be required in addition to the business license. Each one of the employees who handles food will most likely need a food handler's license. The state, and possibly city, will inspect the kitchen for cleanliness, food storage and handling facilities. If you're planning on serving wine, beer or hard liquor, an additional liquor license is necessary. Some cities may also demand special parking licenses and trash pickup.
Furnishings and Fixtures
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Preparing food in a restaurant is different than at home. The appliances are heavy duty and made to stand up to constant use. The refrigerators are bigger and calibrated to stay precisely at the approved temperatures for handling food. The freezers are typically walk in. The dishwashers are industrial sized. Since a restaurant prepares meals for dozens of people at a time, you'll need more cooking pots, utensils, blenders, food processors, cutting boards and knives.
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Tableware
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If you plan on having people eat on site, tables and chairs, dishes, glasses, cups and utensils are also required. Restaurants have more than one seating per meal. This is called turns. For example, if the restaurant serves dinner, you would plan on three turns of the table -- early diners; say around 6 p.m., mid evening around 7:30 p.m. and a late seating starting at 9 p.m. You don't want to have to wait for the dishes to be washed from the early seating to be ready for the mid-evening diners.
Food and Supplies
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Food vendors that provide the quality and type of foods in the quantities and prices you can afford are required for a profitable restaurant. Research the vendors. Consider if they charge for delivery and whether there is a minimum purchase amount. Payment terms, how long you have to pay for the food and supplies, should be a factor in your decision, as well. If you are basing your menu and advertising on locally grown organic or sustainable foods, purchase from vendors that document their products as local or organic.
Funding
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Last but certainly not least, is the funding required to get your restaurant going and keep it going until it reaches break even. There are up-front costs for equipment, first and last payment of leases, insurance and purchasing fixtures and furnishings that are required before you've even opened the doors.
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