Starting and Running a Restaurant For Dummies..UK Editi

Carol Godsmark & Michael Garvey & Heather Dismore & Andrew G. Dismore

ISBN: 978-0-470-51621-8
Paperback
394 pages
December 2007

RRP £15.99

Book Description

Starting & Running a Restaurant For Dummies will offer aspiring restaurateurs advice and guidance on this highly competitive industry – from attracting investors to your cause, to developing a food and beverages menu, to interior design and pricing issues – to help you keep your business venture afloat and enjoyable at the same time. If you already own a restaurant, inside you’ll find unbeatable tips and advice to keep bringing in those customers. Read this book, and help make your dream a reality!

Starting & Running a Restaurant For Dummies covers:

• Basics of the restaurant business
• Researching the marketplace and deciding what kind of restaurant to run
• Writing a business plan and finding financing
• Choosing a location
• Legalities
• Composing a menu
• Setting up and hiring staff
• Buying and managing supplies
• Marketing your restaurant
• Health and safety

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Grasping the Basics of the Restaurant Business

Getting a Feel for the Restaurant World
Laying the foundation
Setting up shop (with a little help)
Welcoming the world to your restaurant
Discovering Whether You Have What It Takes
Monitoring your motivations
Evaluating your expectations
Tracking key traits

Chapter 2: Getting Everything Done before Your Grand Opening

Working Out How Much Time You Need
T-Minus One Year or More
T-Minus Nine Months
T-Minus Seven Months
T-Minus Six Months
T-Minus Five Months
T-Minus Four Months
T-Minus Three Months
T-Minus Two Months
T-Minus Six Weeks
T-Minus Thirty Days
T-Minus Ten Days
T-Minus One Week
T-Minus Three Days
T-Minus One Day

Chapter 3: Deciding What Kind of Restaurant to Run

Working Out Where to Start
Buying into a franchise 
Taking over an existing restaurant
Becoming a partner with your current employer
Starting from scratch
Choosing the Best Type of Restaurant
Dining in style
Casual dining
Placing an order – to go!
Selecting self-service or fast-food
Running a bar – with or without food
Providing catering and banquet services
Putting It All Together
Thinking about theme and concept
Choosing a name

Chapter 4: Researching the Marketplace

Getting Your Mind Right: Profits Matter
The Buying Decision: The Big Question
Identifying and Analysing Potential Customers
Working out what you need to know
Finding resources
Keeping an Eye on the Enemy
Who do they think their customers are?
Shop till you drop
Developing Your Battle Plan
Creating a competitive analysis
Acting on your information
Maintaining Your Competitive Edge 

Chapter 5: Writing a Business Plan

Don’t Fly Blind: Understanding Why a Business Plan Matters
Laying Out a Business Plan
Expressing the concept and theme
Creating your menu now
Describing your clientele
Laying out your market analysis
The Bottom Line: Focusing on Finances
Forecasting sales 
Forecasting expenses
Breaking even
Estimating profits
Projecting cash flow
Creating a balance sheet 

Chapter 6: Show Me the Money! Finding Financing

Knowing How Much Money You Need
Calculating start-up costs
Opening with operating reserve
Looking at How You Can Contribute
Working with Investors
Seeking other outside investors
Asking family and friends to chip in
Compensating your investors
Getting a Loan
Visiting your local bank
Finding Government and Business Organisation Assistance
Business Link 
The Federation of Small Businesses 
The British Chamber of Commerce
Business Debtline
Other helpful contacts
Considering Other Ways to Increase Your Liquidity
Securing landlord investments
Relying on suppliers’ credit

Chapter 7: Choosing a Location

Looking at the Local Property Market
Examining Location Specifics 
Paying attention to traffic
Knowing which locations to avoid
Looking at other businesses in the area
Considering security
Factoring In Cost Considerations

Chapter 8: Paying Attention to the Legalities

Identifying the Help You Need
Cross-examining solicitors
Auditing accountants
Ensuring your insurance agent
Setting Up Shop on Legal Grounds
Going it alone: Sole proprietorships
Teaming up: Partnerships
Almost teaming up: Limited partnerships
Playing it safe: The business entity
Knowing Your Law 
Making the joint legal: obtaining a premises licence
Getting personal: Perusing personal licences
Getting stuck in to registering food premises
Playing along with music licences 
No smoking? Not joking
Paying attention to building regulations
Notification of accidents
Finding out about fire certification
Taking up trademarks
Buying the Insurance You Need

Chapter 9: Composing a Menu

Making Some Initial Decisions
Matching your menu to your concept
Thinking about whom you want to feed
Tapping into the links between your kitchen and menu
Cutting Your Chef (If You Have One) In on the Action 
Working Out How Much to Charge
Deciding on your menu price points
Looking at food cost percentage
Creating dishes and recipes and then costing them
Dealing with price fluctuations
Mixing your menu
Deciding When to Change Your Menu
Staying flexible when you first open
Reassessing your menu later on
Paying attention to specials
Laying Out Your Menu
Choosing your main menu options
Considering additional presentations
Selling the Hot Spots
Menu engineering
Menu language that sells

Chapter 10: Setting Up the Front of the House

Digging into Design
Identifying pros who can help
Finding out about potential pros
Thinking Outside the Box – the Exterior
Laying Out the Interior
Allowing space for the flow
Building your floor plan
Creating space to wait
Keeping Service Support Close
Service station 
POS station
Table settings
Setting Up a Reservation System 
Talking toilets
Providing public facilities
Earmarking areas for employees

Chapter 11: Setting Up the Back of the House

Planning a Kitchen with the Menu in Mind
Laying Out Your Kitchen
Reviewing the basic kitchen stations
Taking control of your prep
Working with an Existing Kitchen 
Accepting the things you can’t change
Changing the things you can’t accept
Power cleaning 
Acquiring Your Kitchen Equipment
Looking at leasing
Buying – used versus new

Chapter 12: Setting Up a Bar and Drinks List

Setting Up Your Bar
Selecting equipment
Looking at your supplies
Keeping Your Bar Clean
Drawing Crowds
Promotions
Entertainment 
Bar staff
Providing Liquid Refreshment
Becoming Beer Brainy
Getting With It about Wine
Creating your list
Pricing your wine
Storing your wine
Measures and pricing
Serving Alcohol Responsibly

Chapter 13: Employing and Training Your Staff

Finding the Right People
Managing your quest for managers
Staffing the kitchen
Filling the front of the house
Staffing office functions
Interviewing the Candidates
Placing an ad and sifting through CVs
Round 1: The meet and greet
Round 2: Comparison shopping
Employing Foreign Nationals
Training Your Staff
The employee manual: Identifying your company policies
Operations manuals: Understanding specific job functions
Certification-based training
Ongoing training

Chapter 14: Buying and Managing Supplies 

Getting Started in the Stock Room
Making your lists
Considering prep time as a factor
Finding and Interviewing Potential Suppliers
Finding suppliers
Interviewing suppliers
Comparing Prices, Quality, and Service
Considering the size of suppliers 
Getting what you ask for the way you ask for it
how to negotiate pricing
Building an Efficient Stock System
Managing the stock sheets
Preventing theft
Keeping breakage under control 
Reducing waste
Eliminating spoilage

Chapter 15: Running Your Office 

Deciding Where to Put Your Office
Creating a Communications Hub
Counting on your computer
Picking up the phone 
Using e-mail and online services 
Tracking sales with a point-of-sale system
Interfacing your different systems 
Hardware (The Old-Fashioned Variety)
Preparing for Payroll
Farming it out or doing it in-house
Deciding on a payroll period
Choosing salaries or hourly wages
Choosing a method of payment
Opting for bonuses and incentive plans
Saving, Storing, and Protecting Records

Chapter 16: Getting the Word Out

Defining Your Message 
Focusing on the consumer
Communicating your concept
Keeping up with the competition
Getting tactical
Using Public Relations
Planning for the good and the bad
Going it alone
Getting some help
Creating an Advertising Plan

Chapter 17: Managing Your Employees

Selling Employees on Your Restaurant
Educating your employees
Motivating your staff
Making Staff Schedules
Adding it all up
Putting names to numbers
Setting Up Policies to Live (or Die) By 
Scheduling and attendance
Employees and smoking
Drinking or using illegal drugs
Uniforms and grooming standards
Disciplinary measures
Offering Benefits

Chapter 18: Running a Safe Restaurant

Making Sure Your Food Is Safe
Blaming bacteria
Battling illness – time and temperature
Preventing cross-contamination
Monitoring food safety outside the kitchen
Monitoring food safety outside the restaurant
Picking up other food safety tools
Implementing proper hand-washing procedures
Keeping Things Clean
Getting cleaning supplies 
Scheduling your cleaning 
Opening and closing procedures
Taking Precautions to Protect Your Customers and Staff
First aid
In the event of an emergency

Chapter 19: Building a Clientele 

Understanding Who Your Customer Is
Observing and listening
Playing on their tendencies
Meeting and Exceeding Expectations
Turning Unsatisfied Guests into Repeat Customers
Recognising unsatisfied guests
Making things right
Using Long-Term Loyalty Strategies
Hosting a diners club
Orchestrating theme dinners
Courting local businesses
Laying the foundation for a mailing list

Chapter 20: Maintaining What You’ve Created

Evaluating Financial Performance 
Daily business review
Income statement
Cash flow analysis
Evaluating Operations
Menu mix analysis
Purchasing and inventory analysis
Evaluating and Using Feedback
Paying attention to customer feedback
Listening to employee feedback

Chapter 21: Ten Myths about Running a Restaurant

Running a Restaurant Is Easy
I’ll Have a Place to Hang Out
I Can Trust My Brother-in-Law
The Neighbours Will Love Me
I’ve Been to Catering College, So I’m Ready to Run the Show
I’m Going to Be a Celebrity Chef
My Thai-spiced Fishcakes Sing, So I Should Open a Place
I Can Cut the Advertising Budget
Wraps Are Here to Stay
I’ll Be Home for the Holidays

Chapter 22: Ten Sources of Info for Restaurateurs

Keeping Your Own Logbook
Checking Out a Few Food Books
Imbibing Books About Booze 
Finding Out the Fundamentals On Front-of-the-House
Consulting Caterer and Hotelkeeper
Riffling through Restaurant
Checking Out Other Trade Magazines
Getting to Know The British Hospitality Association 
Small Business Web Sites
Recipe Web Sites

Chapter 23: Ten True Restaurant Stories

You Just Couldn’t Make Up
Déjà vu All Over Again
The Eyes Have It
Pie in the Sky
I’ll Get My Coat
Chefs Behaving Badly
He’s Got Marty Feldman Eyes
Ladies’ Night
The Drink’s on Me
Frosty the New Girl
Radio Fryer

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