Restaurant Start- Up

Articles
How to Start a Restaurant
As increasing numbers of consumers want to dine out or take prepared food home, the number of food-service operations has skyrocketed from 155,000 about 30 years ago to nearly 900,000 today. But there's still room in the market for your food-service business. read more

The Secret Ingredient to Restaurant Success
Starting, a restaurant may be a dream shared by many, but success is reserved for relatively few. According to Kep Sweeney, author of The New Restaurant Entrepreneur, about 90 percent of all independently owned restaurants fail within five years. But don’t cast your dreams aside just yet. Sweeney, who boasts 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry as an investment banking analyst, restaurateur and chef, gave us some insight into how restaurateurs can beat the odds. read more

Buying a Restaurant Franchise
There are many different types of business format franchises, but when most people think of a franchise business, their first thought is of food. The success and growth of the many big brand-name fast-food franchises makes this a logical first stop in the thinking process. read more

The Main Ingredients
From poultry to pirogi, steak to grits, Americans are hungry for good food and unique dining experiences. The National Restaurant Association says that in 2005 (the latest year for which statistics are available), the average household expenditure for restaurant food was $1,054 per person, or $2,634 per household. And considering the 300 millionth American was born in late 2006, it’s clear there will be plenty of customers both today and in the future. That makes owning a restaurant a good business opportunity for aspiring food-service entrepreneurs, even during economic slowdowns and when consumer prices are rising. read more

Restaurant Industry to Continue to Be Major Driver in Nation's Economy Through Sales, Employment Growth in 2008.
(Washington, D.C.) Restaurant industry sales are expected to reach $558 billion in 2008—a 4.4 percent increase over 2007— and the industry will employ 13.1 million individuals in 945,000 restaurant-and-foodservice outlets, according to the National Restaurant Association's.

Resources
National Restaurant Association - Running Your Business!
Opening a Restaurant
How-to Series

SCORE® Counselors to Americas Small Business
http://www.score.org

More Info
Links/Resources
Buyers Guide
Checklist
Site Map

Books
The New Restaurant Entrepreneur
Kep Sweeney, 2004
Design and Equipment for Restaurants and Foodservice
Costas Katsigris and Chris Thomas, 2005
Food and Beverage Cost Control
Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated, March 2007
Restaurant: From Concept to Operation
John R. R. Walker, 2007
Opening a Restaurant or Other Food Business Starter Kit
Sharon Fullen, 2005
Design and Layout of Foodservice Facilities
John C. Birchfield, 2007
The Restaurant Manager's Handbook
Douglas Robert Brown, 2007
Hotel and Restaurant Design
Roger Yee, 2005

And of course...
Running a Restaurant for Dummies
Michael Garvey, 2004

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