A New Restaurant

At heart, I am an entrepreneur. I’ve known this about myself for quite a while, it’s just taken me this long to do anything serious about it. I’ve played the good employee, trading my hours for dollars in someone else’s business, all the while wishing I was doing it for myself.

When I finished my MBA, jobs were rather scarce. I reached a point where my credit limits couldn’t stretch much farther, and when a job offer finally came, I had no choice but to take it. Even before I said “Yes” I knew that it wasn’t a good fit. So there I was, an Master’s Degree, a job that didn’t give me much satisfaction, making less money than before I went back to school. If that didn’t get my attention nothing would.

I remember the evening my wife approached me and said that she realized the only way I would ever be happy was to follow my dream and own my own restaurant. I still have to work while I’m pulling everything together, but I needed to be working on a business plan for my own place. It was like a huge weight was taken off my chest. Not that this is going to be easy, but I’m used to working long hard hours. The difference is, this time it’s for me.

I started looking for information that was written specifically for starting a new restaurant. I have a lot of experience in the Food Service industry, so I already know most of what I need to know, but I was looking for some confirmation that I was on the right track. I was very disappointed to see that most of the information was either for sale, outdated, or so generic that it was basically useless.

I decided that I would share my journey as I write my business plan, open up my new restaurant, and achieve the success I’ve always dreamed of. I can provide practical advice; let you see how I work through the process; share my triumphs and shortcomings; and hopefully give you the tools you need to open your own restaurant.

With nearly 30 years of food service experience and over 15 years in management, I do have some opinions on how it should be done. In those years, I’ve also seen a lot of what not to do.

Set your bookmark so you can come back often and see how things are progressing. Maybe you can give me some advice along the way.