Home
>
Strategic Planning
>
Restaurant Startup - Part 1: Market Research ? What are Potential Competitors Doing?

Restaurant Startup - Part 1: Market Research ? What are Potential Competitors Doing?

The first step in starting a restaurant is proper planning. One must lay out a plan complete with goals, priorities, and the tasks that he will need to complete in order to achieve these goals. The biggest mistake first time restaurant owners make is improper planning. Ambition, while absolutely required, is simply not enough to succeed in the highly competitive food service industry.

If you've always wanted to run a Cajun restaurant, and you live in an area that already has five, do you have to relocate to accomplish your dream? Not necessarily! It's now time to engage in a bit of opposition research. Drive by each of the locations during varying parts of the day. Are there many cars in the parking lots? At what times? Are many people standing in the lobbies? If so, then this restaurant is doing something people like, and these patrons are thanking the restaurant owner with their wallets. If you see that a particular restaurant is more popular than others, discover why by visiting their establishment during peak hours. Dine in, have the waiter recommend their best dish. Pay attention to every aspect of the experience.

The food should be an area of concentration of course, but there are several other factors that can turn wonderful food into a wonderful experience. How do the servers present themselves? How spaced out are the tables? What type of centerpiece is on your table? All of these factors are vital, and are what makes or breaks a new restaurant. By no means should you overlook the atmosphere of your dining area while planning your restaurant.

This may seem obvious to most, but while you're there, you should also pay attention to the menu. Do they have something for everyone? People generally don't dine out alone, so if you're only appealing to a one taste, you're going to lose a vast amount of potential customers. Carefully study how the successful restaurants handle this. Of course if you're a Cajun restaurant, you're not going to serve an Italian dish, but you can surely meet everybody's tastes. Look at husband-wife pairs to see what they order. Don't just concentrate on the main dishes, but the entire meal. Sometimes, one of a pair might really enjoy your Chicken Rochambeau, but the other doesn't like Cajun at all. Notice what these people order, as they're just as important as their partners who enjoy Cajun immensely. These items will often blend into the menu quite well as soups or salads, and will most times be a compliment to your main courses. A great fast food example is McDonalds. They realized early on that not everyone wants to eat just hamburgers. They poured massive amounts of money into marketing, and obtaining the best quality potatoes for their fries of any of the fast food chains. Of course today, you can get just about anything at McDonalds, but early on they were first to scream, "We don't just have burgers!" and it has worked out well for them. To summarize, find your niche of course, but also cater to as many people as possible, because your niche diners have friends and they want to eat as well!

Finally, do not lose heart because there are already five successful restaurants in your area. Remember, when the fifth started there were already four, and so on. Find what they don't do well, that you know you can make your specialty, and you are well on your way to a successful restaurant.

Jeremy is a consultant for ACityDiscount, an online restaurant equipment dealer based out of Atlanta, Georgia.

Mercedes Benz s500 rentals Salem ..

In The News:

Streaming giant Roku has recently been targeted by a pair of cyberattacks, and the company confirmed over a half million Roku accounts were compromised.

The Land Aircraft Carrier combines an all-terrain, six-wheeled vehicle with a two-seat aircraft, which features electric vertical takeoff and landing.

The European Union has sent TikTok a "request for information" on the video sharing platform's newest app, TikTok Lite, under the Digital Services Act, with the aim to clean up social media.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The FBI is warning the public about a recent phishing scam via text that claims its targets owe money in Pennsylvania for unpaid road toll charges.

Your Apple Music settings may be revealing to your contacts what you're listening to. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains the process to change those settings.

Learn how to secure social media accounts, implement legacy contacts, and create a digital estate plan to protect your online assets from 'ghost hackers' after your death.

A ported phone number scam is leading to more people having their identities stolen by sophisticated scammers. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson tells you what you need to know.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast marine debris vortex, is being tackled by The Ocean Cleanup’s innovative technologies. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explains.

Discover easy solutions to tame autocorrect frustration on iOS and Android devices. Turn off, customize and add personal touches to your typing experience.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals the six top things to do right now before it’s too late: Tech and life choices that can keep your safer on and offline.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you some simple steps to discreetly hide apps or an entire app page on your iPhone for decluttering or confidentiality.

The ambient light sensors on smartphones may be turned into cameras, according to researches at MIT. This could pose a threat to people's privacy.

The Autonomous Road Repair System from tech firm Robotiz3d uses artificial intelligence technology to locate potholes and promptly seal them.

Scammers have stooped to using artificial intelligence to scan obituary websites to create fake obituary websites to target the grieving.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing factory in Hungary is using humanoid robots to help with human staffing shortages on the factory floor.

Some video games act like unregulated banks, according to CFPB, which has begun monitoring the situation. The agency says children may be most at risk.

Ascender the robot is capable of climbing stairs with heights up to 8.7 inches, and it can give every corner of your home a deep cleaning.

Tax-return scams are on the rise, and one tax expert from a cybersecurity firm says filing your taxes on time is one way to avoid tax scams.

The innovative XPENG Robot Unicorn is inspired by the mythical unicorn, and you may forget the robot is not actually a living creature.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The Federal Trade Commission, the federal agency to report scams to, is being impersonated as part of a new sophisticated phone scam.

Eatrenalin is a restaurant in Germany with a Floating Chair innovation that makes the 17,000-square-foot venue feel like an amusement park.

U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall met with the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday and said he plans to ride in an autonomously-operated aircraft this Spring.

Restaurant Startup - Part 1: Market Research ? What are Potential Competitors Doing?

Strategic Planning