How About Starting a Small Restaurant?
If you are thinking of starting a small restaurant, you may want to look into a coffee shop franchise. A Starbucks franchise may be just what you have been looking for. The over 600,000 independent restaurants in the United States with their personalized menu, advertising strategies, and special clientele, could learn something from Starbucks.
Starbucks began as a small coffee shop in Seattle, and has grown into an international phenomenon. They boast nearly $8 billion in yearly sales, and have more than 12,000 worldwide retail outlets. They do not serve flavored coffees or have other food service gimmicks. They simply serve coffee. This small restaurant keeps everything simple, the cups are even made of recycled paper.
Starbucks works hard to convey a certain image. They want people to realize that coffee isn’t simply something to wake them up, it can do a bit of good. This small restaurant does it’s part to help out in the community by volunteering their fare for local events.
The success of this small restaurant is also attributed to the proper treatment of their employees. They realize that friendly and people oriented servers are critical to the success of any business. You need to think of your employees as an extended family. Health benefits are available to any Starbucks employee who works at least 20 hours a week and has been with the company for more than the 90 day trial period.
It may not be easy to offer a health care plan, with the way health care cost keep rising. There are other ways to give perks to your employees too. Small restaurants can offer a server the chance to move up to a management position, when one becomes available. Some smaller restaurants may even offer small profit sharing opportunities to their best employees.
If employees are not happy with working conditions and pay, they will find a better job. When you want to keep those friendly, energetic, workers, you need to make sure it is worth their while to stay. Your employees are a big part of your customer base. If a customer encounters an unfriendly and snippy server, nine times out of ten they will not return to your establishment. They will also tell others about the poor service and unfriendly atmosphere. You surely can’t afford to have that happening on a regular basis.
If you would rather not open a coffee shop, there are plenty of other choices both in and out of a franchise situation. You may choose Taco Bell, Burger King, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Arby’s, or any of the franchise opportunities that offer a smaller restaurant or fast food setting. You can also open your own diner, or specialty food restaurant and keep it on a smaller level.
Let’s face facts– everybody eats, and because they do, there will always be a market for even the smallest of restaurants, as long as the food is popular to the region, and high quality. Offer incentives to your valued customers and employees and serve up something delicious. You will see your satisfied customer’s smiling faces, time and time again.
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on how to start a small restaurant checkout his recommended websites.
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