Opening a new restaurant is a big step. However, a lot of intermediate steps are necessary to get the business up and running. This is because the catering industry is not an easy terrain. A restaurant business requires patience, concentration, leadership, a certain amount of healthy humor, and perseverance.
That being said, if you’ve prepared a space for the restaurant and hired people to join your team, the opening night should be a blast (to do justice to the hard work put in already). Below are a few things to note and consider before your grand opening.
1. Get the best restaurant equipment.
For your night to be successful, you need to get the required tools and equipment. However, try to opt for the best quality equipment at affordable prices. This shouldn’t be tasking if you know the right place to go. For instance, if you live in Seattle, a quick Google search for “restaurant equipment Seattle” will help.
Likely, a wide range of options will be available, including companies like The Restaurant Warehouse. They offer an extensive range of kitchen appliances and restaurant equipment at low prices. This includes glassware, dinnerware, stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, and many other types of restaurant supplies. Even better is the fact that a warranty is available for most purchases. Although they’re based in the city of Seattle, they deliver to locations all over the USA. With all this, you’ll better prepare for opening night.
2. Train your staff.
When recruiting, aim to hire only the best staff. However, it’s also worthy to note that no one steps forward with their bad foot. Everyone strives to be their best during an interview. With that in mind, we recommend offering a training session or workshop for those who successfully pass the interview stage but have little prior experience. This is so that they have a fair idea of how you run your business.
3. Stage a mock opening night.
In the same way soon as married couples have rehearsal dinners ahead of their big day, restaurants can also hold something similar before their opening night. You can have your family and a couple of friends over at your restaurant. Your staff should serve and wait on them (like you would your prospective customers).
Once the night is over, remember to ask for feedback about the service, food, drinks, and staff attitude. This will help you right some wrongs and stop you from making dangerous mistakes that could mar your restaurant’s reputation.
4. Invite your target market.
Every business has a target market, and a restaurant is no different. You should know the type of people you want to serve because it’ll ultimately help you make better marketing and publicity decisions. If your target audience is millennials, opt for marketing strategies that call out to their demographic, such as social media and flyers. You can also invite them to come for your opening night and subsequently patronize you.
5. Have a license in place.
Laws govern every enterprise. With that in mind, you need to know that you can’t decide to open a restaurant out of the blue. You need to follow the due process. So, make sure you register your business and get a license. Without a permit, you can’t operate, and your opening night will never happen.
To avoid unnecessary hassles, go through the proper channels, register your business, and get an operating permit and license. You first have to get in touch with the business license department in your city, and they will help you out. Also, be aware that many licenses and permits, such as the restaurant concession, take weeks, even months, to be approved. So, you should start with the unpopular ‘paperwork’ ahead of time.
It would be best if you aimed to sort out everything here and more before your opening night.
