Anyone ever opened their own restaurant?

dcfaithful

Anyone?

I've always had a passion for pizza. It sounds weird, I know, but I truly do...it's a food that can be done so many different ways, and can be done so well. I began working with pizza when I was 16 and it was really the only job in the food industry that I actually enjoyed. I've been to a lot of independent pizzerias and really enjoyed my experience and the different atmosphere in each one. The more I think about it, it makes me want to have my own one day...just to try it, and if it doesn't work whatever...I'll take my loss. But, I've now decided that one day, possibly not too far in the future, I want to open my own place that has a good, chill and fun atmosphere with great affordable pies and beer. A place to come and have good food and good times.

Anyway, has anyone ever tried opening their own restaurant? Out of curiousity, I'm just wondering how you'd rate the challenge, if it payed off both in profits and satisfaction, and if you enjoyed the journey. I've heard a lot about people who have started their own restaurant without any prior experience in the industry...I have prior experience working, and even assistant managing pizza restaurants...but, I've never actually had the in-depth training of owning one and dealing with a restaurants finances.

:ugeek:

eyedclaar

Hey man, if you can make a living by playing with your dough then go for it. Every man's dream right there.

peacegirl

I can't offer any advice since I've never opened a restaurant but this doesn't sound weird to me...I too worked in a pizza restauarant (although I didn't make the pizzas) when I was younger and actually really liked it...good luck if/when you go for it!

dimitrispearljam

sometimes is too difficult to open a bottle of wine..so better order a pizza

FirstExit

I made pizzas when I was a kid. I also have multiple relatives/friends who own restaurants. I can tell you more about it in my "Ask me anything" thread.

CJMST3K

All I can say is offer a Baked Ziti slice. The best thing in life is that.

dcfaithful

CJMST3K wrote:

All I can say is offer a Baked Ziti slice. The best thing in life is that.

Thanks for the idea. I'll call it the CJMST3K.

CJMST3K

dcfaithful wrote:

CJMST3K wrote:

All I can say is offer a Baked Ziti slice. The best thing in life is that.

Thanks for the idea. I'll call it the CJMST3K.

Call it "The Heart Attack Slice".

Not too much sauce, and not too tall. There's only 1 or 2 places left on Long Island that make it right. Can't wait to go back to NY to have my favorite slice!

mysticweed

Have enough capital to back yourself for at least the first six months, more if you are going to serve alcohol.

JOEJOEJOE

I have some clients who have invested in restaurants. I always advise them that in most cases, it is just for vanity, because there is little chance of recouping their investments.

Most investors will only put their money behind someone who has established themselves in the restaurant business, and, oddly enough, the established person usually doesn't use his/own money; he/she brings their expertise to the table instead of their money.

dcfaithful

JOEJOEJOE wrote:

I have some clients who have invested in restaurants. I always advise them that in most cases, it is just for vanity, because there is little chance of recouping their investments.

Most investors will only put their money behind someone who has established themselves in the restaurant business, and, oddly enough, the established person usually doesn't use his/own money; he/she brings their expertise to the table instead of their money.

I'm on the fence about your response

Would you advise against the whole of doing it? I definitely wouldn't ever really have my own money to do it, but I am confident that I have the knowledge of running the place. The only thing I'd need to brush up on would be handling the finances of the restaurant...(obviously the most important).

mookeywrench

location location location

restaurants are tough

Kitchens are expensive as all hell
Bathrooms are expensive as all hell
your inventory has a super quick shelf life that must be constantly repurchased
food health codes are over the top
and customers are at their most picky

polaris_x

i have not owned a restaurant but my advice is this:

beyond selling good pizza - your success will hinder on one thing real estate ... not only will your location matter, but how much square footage you have and what your lease deal is ... you can have the best pizza in the best location but if your lease deal sucks - you're doomed ... i do work in retail partially and this is the key ...

my suggestion is to start with as small a space as possible to keep your occupancy costs as low as possible ... offer takeout which will save you on staffing and additional capital requirements ... if it becomes a success - you can try and expand but it's much harder to contract from a larger scale operation ...

get your pizza out there first ... good luck and dare to dream!

JOEJOEJOE

dcfaithful wrote:

JOEJOEJOE wrote:

I have some clients who have invested in restaurants. I always advise them that in most cases, it is just for vanity, because there is little chance of recouping their investments.

Most investors will only put their money behind someone who has established themselves in the restaurant business, and, oddly enough, the established person usually doesn't use his/own money; he/she brings their expertise to the table instead of their money.

I'm on the fence about your response

Would you advise against the whole of doing it? I definitely wouldn't ever really have my own money to do it, but I am confident that I have the knowledge of running the place. The only thing I'd need to brush up on would be handling the finances of the restaurant...(obviously the most important).

Your decision would involve several variables:

Are you quiting a good job, or school, in order to open the restaurant? Opportunity cost is something to ponder.

Would your investors pay you a salary? You'd still have your own bills to pay, so you'd have to make sure that the investors will allow you to draw money, even if the place is losing money.

It all come down to "what the money wants", meaning, the investors will want certain terms to maximize the return on their investments, and the better the terms are for them, the worse they are for you.

81

put together a business plan

use high quality ingredients.

don't skimp on service

make a quality pie

don't skimp on customer service

you make a good pie, and i'll be back.

i think the hardest part would be getting people to try your pie. i'm set in my ways and only get Lou Malnalti's and Little Ceasers. i couldn't tell you if a new place has opened in the area since i've moved into the house.

dcfaithful

81 wrote:

put together a business plan

use high quality ingredients.

don't skimp on service

make a quality pie

don't skimp on customer service

you make a good pie, and i'll be back.

i think the hardest part would be getting people to try your pie. i'm set in my ways and only get Lou Malnalti's and Little Ceasers. i couldn't tell you if a new place has opened in the area since i've moved into the house.

Trust me, i can make a mean pie.

Funny, I developed my skill at Little Caesars...then perfected it at some hole in the wall pizza place in Farmington, UT where I was manager.

I actually miss making pizzas for a living. :oops:

If I had my own place, it would be nothing but the best ingredients. I always used to emphasis great customer service...it's a main priority of mine.

Like I said, running the joint I'm not afraid of. It's the legalities, finances, and all that shit about investors that I don't understand yet....and I'm wondering where/how I can find out.

CJMST3K

I make pizza at home using Trader Joe's raw pizza dough (it's a ball like it should be) and the only problem I'm having is that the bottom always has too much flour on it, but I use flour to keep if from sticking to my hands. Should I be using something different? ...I also use cornmeal to help slide it off of the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Any advice?


P.s. My sister works for a printing company which targets restaurants. She just returned from a trip to Vegas where there was a huge pizza trade show. Have you thought of going to one of those?

dcfaithful

CJMST3K wrote:

I make pizza at home using Trader Joe's raw pizza dough (it's a ball like it should be) and the only problem I'm having is that the bottom always has too much flour on it, but I use flour to keep if from sticking to my hands. Should I be using something different? ...I also use cornmeal to help slide it off of the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Any advice?


P.s. My sister works for a printing company which targets restaurants. She just returned from a trip to Vegas where there was a huge pizza trade show. Have you thought of going to one of those?

It sounds like you might be using too much flour if it is in excess even after being cooked. I personally don't prefer cornmeal, but I've used it in the past...it works, but I don't like it on my crust. Anyway, what I normally do is you know, you take your ball of dough and I normally just drop it in some flower, top, bottom, then you're done. Knead it out, or flatten it..whatever....then roll it out with a pin (assuming you don't have a sheeter). Little Caesars obviously makes pies in mass quantity, so they use sheeters...but I much more enjoyed pizzas that are given TLC...I like to toss the dough, but you have to be careful and get your technique down...or else it'll be quite uneven. Then go ahead and put it on whatever it is that you bake it on (a stone, a pizza sheet).

The stone I have at home, I usually brush it with a small amount of olive oil before I put the pie on it...just to ensure it doesn't get stuck or burnt.

I know I went into detail, but I hope maybe I answered your question.

A pizza trade show? To be honest, I've never considered it? What is it, just people bringing in their own pie styles and having a huge and amazing pizza convention?

craigb

It also costs quite a bit for a liquor license. I know it set my Mom back quite a bit when she bought a license for her restaurant (a dinner house).

But maybe its different outside of California.

dcfaithful

craigb wrote:

It also costs quite a bit for a liquor license. I know it set my Mom back quite a bit when she bought a license for her restaurant (a dinner house).

But maybe its different outside of California.

Well, I'm in SLC, Utah...which has some of the most bogus alcohol laws you'll ever come across. But, would it be a different license if you're only serving beer and wine as opposed to liquors?

I honestly don't know where to begin with setting this up, lol. Granted I'm certainly not ready to open anything soon...I'd like to start figurin things out so I can maybe have a chance at getting this to work.

dcfaithful

craigb wrote:

It also costs quite a bit for a liquor license. I know it set my Mom back quite a bit when she bought a license for her restaurant (a dinner house).

But maybe its different outside of California.

What is your mom's outlook on her restaurant? Was it a struggle for her? Was it worth it? After the initially rebounding period of opening up, has she been successful and been making some profit?

Any info can help me at this point.

CJMST3K

dcfaithful wrote:

CJMST3K wrote:

I make pizza at home using Trader Joe's raw pizza dough (it's a ball like it should be) and the only problem I'm having is that the bottom always has too much flour on it, but I use flour to keep if from sticking to my hands. Should I be using something different? ...I also use cornmeal to help slide it off of the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Any advice?


P.s. My sister works for a printing company which targets restaurants. She just returned from a trip to Vegas where there was a huge pizza trade show. Have you thought of going to one of those?

It sounds like you might be using too much flour if it is in excess even after being cooked. I personally don't prefer cornmeal, but I've used it in the past...it works, but I don't like it on my crust. Anyway, what I normally do is you know, you take your ball of dough and I normally just drop it in some flower, top, bottom, then you're done. Knead it out, or flatten it..whatever....then roll it out with a pin (assuming you don't have a sheeter). Little Caesars obviously makes pies in mass quantity, so they use sheeters...but I much more enjoyed pizzas that are given TLC...I like to toss the dough, but you have to be careful and get your technique down...or else it'll be quite uneven. Then go ahead and put it on whatever it is that you bake it on (a stone, a pizza sheet).

The stone I have at home, I usually brush it with a small amount of olive oil before I put the pie on it...just to ensure it doesn't get stuck or burnt.

I know I went into detail, but I hope maybe I answered your question.

A pizza trade show? To be honest, I've never considered it? What is it, just people bringing in their own pie styles and having a huge and amazing pizza convention?

Thanks! I thought olive oil on a 500 degree pizza stone would be a problem for the stone. I thought the drier the better. Less flour it will be.

I think the convention was probably wholesale suppliers, like different sauces, cheeses, suppliers for independent pizza shoppes to visit. I know the trade shows I go to for picture framers has suppliers for everything from frames, hooks, matboard all the way down to nitch products. I'd google "pizza trade show" and see what pops up.

dcfaithful

CJMST3K wrote:

Thanks! I thought olive oil on a 500 degree pizza stone would be a problem for the stone. I thought the drier the better. Less flour it will be.

I think the convention was probably wholesale suppliers, like different sauces, cheeses, suppliers for independent pizza shoppes to visit. I know the trade shows I go to for picture framers has suppliers for everything from frames, hooks, matboard all the way down to nitch products. I'd google "pizza trade show" and see what pops up.

Remember, only a very small amount of olive oil. Also, never wash your stone. Just rinse it with cold water.

Will do. I guess I didn't really even know the true meaning of a trade show, but that sounds cool...especially for somebody with a pizza business. I'd probably work too hard and make my own sauce for all my pizzas if I had a restaurant...My great-grandmothers recipe for a tomato sauce as made it a long way.

5th generation Italian :roll:

81

http://www.score.org/index.html

CJMST3K

Also, if you open one up, consider having vegetarian options, like veggie-pepperoni, veggie sausage, etc.

One reason I like to make my own, is I can go to Whole Foods and get veggie-pepperoni, veggie-sausage, etc to put on it. While only like 3% or 5% of people are vegetarian, if you are the only place offering options like that... you might get a dedicated group of customers, on top of regular ones.

dcfaithful

CJMST3K wrote:

Also, if you open one up, consider having vegetarian options, like veggie-pepperoni, veggie sausage, etc.

One reason I like to make my own, is I can go to Whole Foods and get veggie-pepperoni, veggie-sausage, etc to put on it. While only like 3% or 5% of people are vegetarian, if you are the only place offering options like that... you might get a dedicated group of customers, on top of regular ones.

My girlfriend and I are veggies. This has already been a huge consideration, along with some vegan pies. Ideally, I'd like to use all organic ingredients, and locally grown ones...but...just starting out, that might be a little difficult to swing. Who knows. As you can tell, I have a lot to learn about this.

81

Gordon Ramsey always says use quality LOCAL ingriedients.

dcfaithful

81 wrote:

http://www.score.org/index.html

You're a badass. Thanks!

CJMST3K

dcfaithful wrote:

CJMST3K wrote:

Also, if you open one up, consider having vegetarian options, like veggie-pepperoni, veggie sausage, etc.

One reason I like to make my own, is I can go to Whole Foods and get veggie-pepperoni, veggie-sausage, etc to put on it. While only like 3% or 5% of people are vegetarian, if you are the only place offering options like that... you might get a dedicated group of customers, on top of regular ones.

My girlfriend and I are veggies. This has already been a huge consideration, along with some vegan pies. Ideally, I'd like to use all organic ingredients, and locally grown ones...but...just starting out, that might be a little difficult to swing. Who knows. As you can tell, I have a lot to learn about this.

There's some all-organic pizzeria that opened up about a year or so ago nearby. It's always empty, and in a high rent area. I think it's called Pizza Fusion. You might want to search that to see what you can find out.

dcfaithful

81 wrote:

Gordon Ramsey always says use quality LOCAL ingriedients.

Anything to keep that guy off my back.

I'd rather have Henry Rollins screaming in my face.

dcfaithful

CJMST3K wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

CJMST3K wrote:

Also, if you open one up, consider having vegetarian options, like veggie-pepperoni, veggie sausage, etc.

One reason I like to make my own, is I can go to Whole Foods and get veggie-pepperoni, veggie-sausage, etc to put on it. While only like 3% or 5% of people are vegetarian, if you are the only place offering options like that... you might get a dedicated group of customers, on top of regular ones.

My girlfriend and I are veggies. This has already been a huge consideration, along with some vegan pies. Ideally, I'd like to use all organic ingredients, and locally grown ones...but...just starting out, that might be a little difficult to swing. Who knows. As you can tell, I have a lot to learn about this.

There's some all-organic pizzeria that opened up about a year or so ago nearby. It's always empty, and in a high rent area. I think it's called Pizza Fusion. You might want to search that to see what you can find out.

Always empty? That's not a good sign. Is this high-rent area a bad location for a pizza place?

Just googled this place...looks like it's a chain, right?