Realizing a Dream

Building a restaurant from the ground up requires equal parts planning and hard work. Learn how to grow your idea into a successful foodservice operation and equip yourself with knowledge for the road ahead.

Creating a Concept

Making the Decision

Opening a Restaurant - Start to Finish

Your restaurant concept defines the overall type of restaurant you run, including the appearance, menu type, service type, and overall atmosphere. Creating a concept is one of the key ingredients to a successful endeavor.

Restaurant Options

	4 Things You Should Know Before Opening an Organic Restaurant
	What is a Quick-Service Restaurant?
	What is a Fast Casual Restaurant?
	Buying an Existing Restaurant vs. Starting from Scratch
	Determining Your Restaurant’s Legal Structure
	Opening a Franchise Restaurant: A Quick Guide
	Opening a Franchise vs. Starting an Independent Restaurant
	Opening an Independent Restaurant
	Restaurants Organized as Corporations
	Restaurants Organized as Limited Liability Companies (LLC's)
	Restaurants Organized as Partnerships
	Restaurants Organized as Sole Proprietorships
	Starting a Theme Restaurant
	Top 10 Tips for Buying an Existing Restaurant

Is Running a Restaurant Right for You?

For aspiring business owners, opening a restaurant can seem like a dream come true. Running your own eatery can be rewarding and enjoyable, especially if you love people and food. The industry is not all glamour and fun, however. You should take the time to learn whether it is really for you before jumping in.

Is Running a Restaurant Right for You?

Money Talk

Opening a restaurant requires capital and financial foresight. Learn how to plan your financing.

	Funding Your New Restaurant
	Projecting Sales for Your New Restaurant

Creating a Restaurant Top to Bottom

People and Resources

Starting a restaurant from scratch requires a lot of labor. Inspectors will look at every aspect of your restaurant. Furthermore, you need to hire not only employees, but also contractors to build your restaurant or service your operation.

	A Short Guide to Restaurant Health and Safety Codes In order to successfully market your restaurant, you should always be looking around. By analyzing the local market in which you do business, you can determine the best ways to attract customers and beat your direct competition.
	Contracted Services for Your Restaurant A successful restaurant must always know what the competition is doing in order to survive in the market. Learn how to analyze your competitors and gain an edge over them.
	Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Many counties require restaurant owners to have an HACCP plan. Read more to learn how to get your HACCP plan on track and in compliance with regulations.
	Hiring a General Manager for Your Restaurant Repeat customers are your restaurant’s best resource. If you spend the majority of your marketing budget trying to attract new patrons, learn why you should switch tactics to attract the regulars.
	Hiring the Right Chef for Your Restaurant Most upscale or fine-dining establishments will have an executive chef to run every aspect of their commercial kitchen. In addition to the standard employee qualifications, you will want to make sure your chef shares your business philosophy and has the background and skill that you are looking for.
	How Commercial Kitchen Operators Can Obtain a Food Handler's Permit Food handler's permits are required by the FDA. Learn how to obtain a permit and what the permit means.
	Inspections for New Restaurants A consistent and unique design concept will increase brand awareness and recognition of your restaurant while highlighting your selling points. Learn the best ways to develop branding for your restaurant.
	Restaurant Employment Eligibility All workers must provide proof of their eligibility to work in the United States. Restaurant managers are required to verify each applicant’s eligibility.
	Restaurant Licenses and Permits In order to operate, restaurants require a number of different licenses and permits. Learn which licenses you will need in order to open a new restaurant.
	Restaurant Music Licensing Playing music in your restaurant can help increase your customers’ dining experiences. However, most restaurants will need to obtain a music license in order to avoid copyright infringement for those songs.
	The 10 Most Important Restaurant Legal Responsibilities Starting a restaurant entails more than just putting some restaurant equipment in a building and selling food to the public. There are a lot of legal responsibilities that new restaurant owners need to take into account, as well.
	The People Involved with Building a Restaurant The hardest part about restaurant marketing is knowing where to begin. Start by educating yourself and developing an actionable plan. Learn the proper steps to develop a truly successful marketing strategy.

Make Your Dream a Reality

In order for your new restaurant to succeed, before you open, you must have a marketable concept, a good location, a memorable name and eye-catching curb appeal.

	Choosing a Location for Your New Restaurant
	Choosing a Name for Your New Restaurant
	How to Create a Restaurant Concept
	Registering Your Restaurant's Name
	Restaurant Exterior Design

Building Your Commercial Kitchen

Your restaurants kitchen is the backbone of your operation. Be sure it is ergonomically designed, well-equipped and stocked with the finest and freshest ingredients.

	Commercial Kitchen Layout: Cooking Equipment
	Commercial Kitchen Layout: Dishwasher and Sinks
	Commercial Kitchen Layout: Prep Tables and Work Tables
	Commercial Kitchen Layout: Refrigerators, Freezers and Ice Machines
	Commercial Kitchen Layout: Storage and Shelving
	Commercial Kitchen Layout: Warming and Holding Equipment
	How to Design a Commercial Kitchen
	Leasing New Restaurant Equipment
	Procuring Restaurant Equipment and Supplies
	Top 10 Tips for Buying Restaurant Equipment

Design Your Restaurant's Dining Room

The atmosphere, design and layout of a dining room has a big impact on customer experience. Learn the basics of front-of-house restaurant design.

	Designing a Restaurant: Front of the House
	Dining Room and Seating Layout for Your Restaurant
	Dining Room Decor and Atmosphere in Your Restaurant

Essential Wait Staff Supplies

Supply your front-of-the-house team with the right supplies to make a positive impression on your customers. Learn about the essentials to equip your service staff for success.

	Supplying Your Wait Staff in a Fine Dining Restaurant Create the right ambiance for your fine dining restaurant with the proper server supplies for your front-of-house staff.
	Supplying Your Wait Staff: Full Service Casual Restaurants Servers in casual restaurants need a few essential supplies in order to do their jobs properly. Read more to find out what they are and what you need to know about each of them.

Planning Your Restaurant's Opening Day

After all the hard work and planning that goes into starting a restaurant, make sure that you put some thought into when and how you will open your doors to the public. Consider the time of year as well as well as the benefits of scheduling a soft opening.

	Marketing a Restaurant Grand Opening Event
	Scheduling Your Restaurant's Opening Day

Buying Used Restaurant Equipment

Buying restaurant equipment is a costly endeavor, no matter how you look at it. A lot of people, especially new restaurant owners, consider going with used. Buying used does have its advantages, but generally speaking, new restaurant equipment is the way to go.

	Buying Restaurant Equipment at Auction Learn about what to look for, how to find your desired piece of equipment and how to make a successful auction purchase.
	Buying Used Restaurant Equipment Saving money is at the heart of nearly every food service operation. Learn where to spend and where to save when purchasing restaurant equipment and supplies.
	Tips for Buying a Used Commercial Deep Fryer Used commercial deep fryers can cost over a thousand dollars less than a new unit, but if you don’t thoroughly inspect the unit, those savings could be blown away by repair costs.
	Tips for Buying a Used Commercial Dishwasher With rising food and utility costs, a used commercial dishwasher can be tempting, but you need to do your homework to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.
	Tips for Buying a Used Commercial Food Steamer A used commercial food steamer can save some money in initial purchase expenses, but if you do not thoroughly inspect the unit and call the manufacturer with any questions, the used steamer can end up costing more money than a new model in the long run.
	Tips for Buying a Used Commercial Ice Machine Buying a used commercial ice machine may seem like a great way to save money, but do your homework in order to avoid being saddled with an inefficient machine that keeps breaking down.
	Tips for Buying a Used Commercial Oven Choosing used equipment can be risky, but as long as you go with a gas-powered unit and thoroughly inspect it before buying, you could save a lot of money by purchasing a used commercial oven.
	Tips for Buying a Used Commercial Range Used commercial ranges cost less than new, and as long as you go with a gas-powered model, they can be reliable choices. However, be sure to thoroughly inspect the unit before spending the money to get the best possible result.
	Tips for Buying a Used Commercial Refrigerator You can save a lot of money by purchasing a used commercial refrigerator, but be sure to thoroughly inspect the unit before purchase to make sure you aren’t adopting someone else’s problem.