The United States is home to over 1 million restaurant locations – and counting. Although the COVID-19 pandemic took the hospitality industry to the cleaners, things are gradually getting back to normal and soon enough restaurants will be thriving again.
If you had the dream of being a restaurant owner but the pandemic watered it down, now is the best time to revive it. Owning a restaurant is an ideal way to become your own boss, all while making a difference in your community, one dish at a time.
Besides the dream, though, do you have what it takes to run a successful restaurant? Read on to learn what makes a successful restaurant owner.
1. Experience in Food Service
The restaurant business isn’t restricted to people who have a specific professional background. It’s not like starting a dental practice where the owner has to be a licensed dentist.
However, while just about everyone can start a restaurant, it doesn’t mean you should. It’s super important to have plenty of experience in the industry before you can think of starting a restaurant.
If you’ve worked in a restaurant in whatever capacity, you’ll have a better understanding of how a restaurant works than someone who has never worked there. You’ll be familiar with the challenges of running these establishments.
Such hands-on experience and knowledge is invaluable and will give you an edge when you finally start your own restaurant. A crucial aspect to point out is complying with state requirements for anyone working as a food employee. There are programs that teach you best practices for food safety that will ensure you keep yourself and your customers safe from foodborne illnesses, such as a training like food handler card training.
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2. Good Business Acumen
At the end of the day, the restaurant is a business that needs to turn a profit.
You might be a top-shelf chef who whips out-of-this-world dishes, but if you cannot combine your culinary talents with good business acumen, your restaurant may not do well.
Being business savvy means knowing how to draw a restaurant business plan, choose an ideal location for the establishment, and find ways to fund it. Purchasing food industry equipment, renting a commercial space, hiring staff, and sourcing for other commercial kitchen supplies doesn’t cost a few hundred dollars. Without being business savvy, running the commercial side of the restaurant will be difficult.
3. Masterful at Customer Relations
Do you want to be a restaurant owner who works behind the scenes or you prefer being on the floor?
You probably want to be on the floor, at least until the customer is cruising on steady waters then you can retreat to the back office. This means you’ll interact with customers a lot.
You must be good at customer relations. A combination of strong communication and interpersonal skills is necessary; otherwise, you may not be able to handle your customers the way a proper restaurant owner should.
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4. Learn How to Be a Successful Restaurant Owner
Being a successful restaurant owner isn’t just about whipping up tasty meals in your commercial kitchen. There are many facets to running a restaurant, and you need to master all of them. The good thing is anyone can learn to be a successful restaurant owner.
