You are starting a new restaurant, pray do your own home work. One of the simple things is that you can attend trade shows exhibitions. Currently, there is Hosts. HOSTS 2011 is being held at Bombay Exhibition Center at Goreagon, Mumbai from Jan 31st 2011 to 3rd Feb 2011.
The exhibition will give empower you to make better decision with your food service consultant or restaurant consultant.
Its a request to everyone out there, do not select a site and then plan your kitchen and your menu. Its quite easy to set up kitchen but without thought you may overpay for one. And even then, it may not what you would be looking for.
Make a business plan, make a Capital Budget, Restaurant P & L, your menu, test your menu in a test kitchen, make a dummy kitchen layout and then look for a site. Its a slow process but will give you the space to remove the risks in starting and managing your restaurant.
Say the magic word “I’m starting a restaurant” and people will roll out the red carpet for you. Hear them but beware they will consult to sell you their goods.
Clarity in thought is important. Attending trade show is one of things that a new restaurant start-up must do before the first brick is laid down.
Don’t depend on your chef and don’t depend on your restaurant consultant. No one is a messiah. An effective consultancy is when when the client actively participates. You are responsible for the results you get. By participating you will empower yourself to engage your consultant better, evaluate the choices he presents or at least I hope he does. There is no one way of doing things.
If you are in Mumbai, this week, attend HOSTS.
HOSTS, India’s first and today’s largest hospitality trade-show, since its inception in 1992, has made business sense to focused hospitality buyers and sellers offering a perfect environment for the whole industry to meet face-to-face and develop real business opportunities.