When you decide to open a restaurant, it often feels like there’s a countdown until the big day, so you need to get organized to meet your timeline. Restaurants are a complex business to open, and you’ll need to be on your toes, ready for any eventuality, so here are some things you need to organise in the run up to opening day.
Major equipment needs to be delivered in plenty of time
Nothing is worse than trying to sort out a restaurant opening and finding out a piece of key equipment is delayed. That’s why you should make sure the shipper uses a specialist service such as Rhenus High Tech to get your equipment to you with plenty of time to spare. You can then make sure you have everything set up before it’s time to open, so you aren’t rushing around trying to learn to use your equipment the day before.
Start recruiting people on all levels
You should make sure you assemble your team well in advance so you can get on with training and ensure you have everyone you need to make your restaurant a success.
It’s a good idea to start:
• Networking and finding potential senior members of your team
• Seeing what the recruitment landscape is like locally
• Working out budgets for staff
• Making a plan for training and ensuring your team can deliver amazing service
Recruitment can be a lengthy process, so you should keep on top of it for the sake of your business.
Marketing should be started ASAP
It’s important not to leave marketing until the last minute. Some restaurants wait until days before opening to start getting the word out, but the sooner the better, as you can start building hype and getting reservations. There are lots of ways to promote your restaurant on Facebook or online in general, as well as on Google maps show restaurant which can promote your restaurant immediately. Think about the market you’re targeting and what kind of buzz you want to build.
Researching local laws and requirements
One hurdle that can present itself to inexperienced restaurant owners is falling foul of local regulations. Whether this is on opening hours, building requirements or more. You should also make sure you’re following COVID regulations for food outlets, so you aren’t putting employees in danger or risking a fine.
When you are working on building your restaurant, you should be making sure you follow local health and safety rules and more, so that you don’t fall into problems further down the line. You should work with contractors who have restaurant experience, rather than simply choosing the cheapest ones, as they can help with the design and safety aspects.
It’s important to focus on being organised ahead of time when you open a restaurant. There’s so much to do, and you won’t want to be doing it all at the last possible second. Make sure you take some time to schedule all the important things, and spread them out where possible, so you can focus on the important stuff just before opening.