You may have spent many years dreaming of opening a restaurant before you decided to take the plunge. While you will need capital to help kickstart your new business venture, many other factors could make or break your success.
If you want to enjoy many years in hospitality, here are five key ingredients for opening a successful restaurant.
- A Unique Concept
Every restaurant must have a concept that will encourage people to book a table and return time and again. Before you fall in love with a concept, you must think about the menu you would love to produce, your target market, and your direct competition.
For instance, a fine dining restaurant might struggle to stand apart from more established venues with a similar theme in the same neighborhood. Instead, you could set your business apart by opening a family-style restaurant, bistro, buffet, or fast food concept.
Differentiating yourself from the competition could lead to queues forming around the block to step inside your restaurant to try your delicious menu.
- The Right Premises
Don’t rush into picking a location and premises, as it is integral to your restaurant’s visibility, reputation, and revenue. Ensure it is in a location that offers great footfall, and it should feature the right size and layout for your budget, concept, and financial projections. Take the time to find the best commercial property options to buy or rent from a reputable property website, such as Kenya Property Centre.
Think carefully about the best location for your restaurant and where your target market will likely spend their time. For example, a new fast food concept could enjoy greater success in the heart of the city.
- High-Quality Commercial Kitchen Equipment
Never cut corners when buying kitchen equipment. The last thing you will want is for your oven to stop working or your refrigerator to break down in the middle of a service. While high-quality equipment might cost a little extra, it could prevent you paying for essential repairs. It will ensure your business won’t lose money or customers to fix a fault or install a new item.
- A Passionate Team
Every member of staff must be passionate about delivering high-quality dishes and raising the customer service standard. If your team doesn’t have a passion for hospitality or display a negative attitude, they could tarnish productivity and the customer experience. Thoroughly vet a candidate before welcoming them onto the team and ask them questions during an interview to gain an insight into their personality.
- An Engaging Marketing Strategy
A poor marketing strategy could lead to an empty restaurant, limited brand awareness, and a small annual revenue. To ensure you aren’t forced to close weeks or months after opening, you must promote your new restaurant across the city to encourage reservations.
For example, you could advertise in a local newspaper, partner with nearby companies to encourage bookings, advertise on billboards, and create paid and organic social media campaigns to reach your target audience at your destination.
