Opening any business is a daunting task. It is highly rewarding as well as highly stressful. The first step when deciding to open any business is to sit down with a business consultant who can give ideas and information input.

Let us assume the decision has been made to open a full service home-style restaurant in your hometown. The very first step is to find a good location. Location is going to be a key factor in the success of your restaurant. You want to choose a location that is accessible to a wide range of customers with a good amount of traffic. You also want to decide whether to buy or build or to lease space for the restaurant. If you choose to lease the space, I suggest you possibly locate near big box stores such as Kohl’s, TJ Maxx etc. Also locating close to a movie theater can be a plus. If building your own restaurant is more your style, check property management companies. They might have properties available where you can lease the land and they will build to suit. The third option is to purchase the property outright and build.

A deciding factor in your decision may be financing. Many financing companies and banks want the business owner to lease land and building first to establish a track record.

My advice to anyone wanting to open a restaurant is to hire a good business consultant to do the research on location, cost, finance and business set-up. The consultant can give advice on incorporating or remaining a sole proprietorship.

In my next article I will talk about the equipment necessary to the running of a restaurant.

Kathy Rupert is a business consultant with more than 30 years experience in various areas of business. she has a degree in Business Administration and Management. She has owned a Mexican Restaurant in Pueblo, Colorado with her husband. She has also managed a Fazoli’s restaurant and a Subway.

Kathy currently lives in Trinity, Alabama with her husband and two cats.

A smart restaurant owner thinks before he acts. A smart restaurant owner learns from her mistakes. A smart restaurant owner knows that the customer always comes first. And most importantly, a smart restaurant owner is aware of all of the many types of business funding options and chooses the one or combination of sources that works best for him.

One type of business funding option that many restaurant owners may not be aware of is the credit card cash advance.

Do you want to expand your restaurant by adding seats or opening another location? Do you want some extra cash for a little bit of a cushion when your restaurant opens? Are you having a difficult time getting a bank loan? If you answered yes to any of these questions, getting these funds may be the smartest decision you could make.

The credit card cash advance allows a restaurant owner to get the most out his/her CC sales. This is very important as many restaurant-goers chose to pay for their restaurant bills using credit cards.

Restaurant owners have the chance to receive up to $500,000 for their businesses when they choose a credit card advance. After applying, they can get this money in as little as ten business days. What makes this method of business funding so unique is it only gets paid back when a restaurant makes sales. In other words, it is a form of business financing that encourages business and growth.

Why is the Credit Card Cash Advance a Smart Choice For Restaurant Owners?

Not only can it provide funds for already-operating restaurants, but new restaurant owners can have cash in their accounts within the first week of their restaurants’ openings.

Also, making slight adjustments to menu prices can make a restaurant owner’s advance virtually free.

According to the National Restaurant Association, “Restaurant industry sales are expected to reach $566 billion in 2009.” A portion of this $566 billion dollars can go towards repaying an advance, for those restaurant owners who choose to take advantage of the opportunity.

Franchises, family-owned restaurants, sole proprietorships, etc., may all be eligible to receive credit card cash advances. Owners must simply meet minimal requirements and they can have funds wired into their accounts in less than two weeks.

As a restaurant owner, business financing is nothing to joke about. It’s time to make a smart decision for your restaurant.

Gaston C. writes articles about Credit Card Advances for Merchant Resources International.