Start a Restaurant

Setting up a restaurant and planning its layout is a totally different ballgame than that of setting up your home dining room. While the latter has just one table and a limited number of diners, the former has numerous dining tables to cater for as well as it has to cater to the tastes and sensibilities of a much larger group of people. It is a challenge you can well take on, however, if you have done your homework well.

This is the place where all your clients are going to spend their time. The immediate impact on entering has to be fabulous, as the saying goes “The first impression is the last impression”. So start working on it right away.

Start with the setting of the dining tables. They should be adequately spaced apart to allow movement to flow unrestrained. Waiters and guests alike should have plenty of room to move around without crashing into each other. While you would like to utilize your space to the utmost, do not neglect this important aspect. If necessary, go around and do a mock exercise to check out the problem areas.

Select a dining set to go with your overall settings. Have you chosen a theme for your bistro? Modern or classical, smart and exclusive or relaxed and luxurious, the choice has to be made as per the clientele you targeting in your business plan.

Who are you catering to? Are you targeting students interested in a quick snack and coffee, or are you planning something for the family man who wants a good time with his family in a cozy environment? You also must have a fair idea of the paying capabilities of your clientele, for that will decide your budget for setting up as well as for later actions like menu prices. You could well be catering to a purely working class clientele, in which case your settings will need to be very different from that of a family restaurant. (more…)