Question
this question is to anyone who has ever started their own venue, restaurant and or bookstore?
I was at a BBQ this past Saturday and a friend and I had come up with this pipe dream idea of creating a vegan/vegetarian restaurant and bookstore with a stage. The menu would be made up of mostly vegetarian dishes, (there would be absolutely no meat, no beef, chicken or fish on the menu), but dairy would be an option. The kitchen would be split in two, and the vegan food would be prepared on the opposite side. Please read my list of ideas below and if you could answer a few questions for me. What do you think about my ideas so far? What were/are some issues that you have had in running your own business? How hard is it to start your own business? Do you feel like it was all worth it? Forget the cost of space, (I know it has to do with location), but what are the costs of the permits, or any other legal "mumbo-jumbo"? Obviously I have not researched this yet, and it's still just a dream. But I want to know if this all sounds doable. Here is how I imagine it: You walk in the door and you can already tell that this is a place where creativity thrives. The walls are plastered with paintings and photographs donated by local artists. To your left there are a number of tall shelves packed with a large variety of books. In that corner you will also find four or five large and relaxing chairs pinning an area rug to the wood floor, and beanbag chairs scattered about the area. It would be a place that you could come to and relax on a Saturday afternoon. Grab a cup of coffee and a good book and waste a rainy evening sitting snug in an oversized beanbag chair. Beyond that you will see a stage where local bands can showcase their talents. (I also imagine the stage being used for book readings, poetry slams, and small plays.) And around it would be a spacious dance floor. If when you first came in you had walked to your right, you would find the dining room. I would like for the style to be tasteful and somewhat classy, but I don't want it to frighten away the everyday folks. So there would probably be tables and booths, because I think booths create a more comfortable atmosphere. The prices would be slightly more expensive than a trip to Mc Donald's, but not as costly as an upscale restaurant. (Imagine Panera Bread for price.) There would be two separate menus, (one vegan, and one vegetarian). Also, (and I think I would be the first to do this), I would like to create a book and make it available to any customer who is concerned, that lists the every ingredient that goes into our meals. I know that vegans have a very strict diet that they abide by, and I want to assure them that I have prepared their meals around their very specific interests. I would also make a "cereal bar" available. (I saw the movie FLAKES recently, and I love the idea!) There would be free WiFi available for paying customers, and I also thought of creating a sound proof room for local college students to utilize for studying. The restaurant could host a number of fun activities to keep the community active and creative. A few examples could be: family nights- once a month we could show a kid friendly movie on an overhead projector screen. Fright nights- Once a month we could show a corn syrupy massacre on an overhead projector screen =) I love a good horror flick Beginner’s yoga classes Writing classes/sessions Still life drawing sessions Karaoke nights of course We could host themed dances Book signings Wine tasting Student film screenings Clothing swaps- Trade in your gently used threads for some new style An art gallery- One weekend a month we could turn the dance floor/bookstore portion into a gallery where local artists can display their art. Holiday parties Game nights- We could host teen lock-ins they could
5 months ago - 2 answers
Best Answer
Chosen by Asker
I have opened many restaurants. Here are some things to really think about. I answered for someone else once, my thought, depends on your aread, vege only is really limiting your base. What kind of experience do you have? What will your menu look like? What do you think your food cost will be? How will you train your staff? Where will you hire them from? Where is the stores location? What if the traffic like in that area? What will the equipment package cost? What willl your intial inventory cost? What level of operating captial will you need? What vendors will you purchase your supplies from? What will be their payment terms? What is your marketing plan? Will you take credit cards? Who will process those transactions and what are the associated cost? Where are your proforma income and expense statements? What will be your average check? What are you projecting as your customer count? What type of contigency plan will you have if your average check and customer count are not met? Who will get certified as a sanatarian so you are in compliance with health department? Have you thought about the insurances you need? ie customer falls, get sick, store burns down? What will you sinage package look like? What will be the hours of operation? What systems will you use to control labor cost? What systems will you use to control food cost? What will be your breakeven sales cost? Who will fix your equipment? Now, i have not gotten into if you can cook or train people to cook, or if you know anything about even operating a restaurant. There is a lot to think of and this is no where near complete. now you see why so many fail - people failed to plan. my advice, go work in one at every station, manage one - learn from someone who has done it, copy the good toss the bad. I hope this helps, sorry i did not spell check
by got it
5 months ago
Asker's Rating: 
Other Answers
First I want to say that I love the idea because I am a vegetarian and there aren't many specifically vegetarian restraunts around. As for your ideas, they sound really great but I think that you have too many themes for one place. You need to stick with a few that all work together so people won't be confused as to what your business is about. Your place immediately targets vegans & vegetarians because of the food. If you are looking for people that also like to lounge around and read a good book that is another target group. Then you have college students and an area for studying, then you have people that do yoga, wine tastings and teen gatherings. You need to focus on one main idea and stick with it. If you have teen parties and wine tasting events they clash with each other. Also, what about people who just want to come to eat? If you are hosting a teenagers night in or a yoga class, people probably won't want to come in and eat. The whole point of business is to get people to come in and for you to make money. By having to many different themes going on, your going to confuse people and probably scare them away. Keeping it more simple and fun will work better. Try doing a different activity on the weekends or a few times a month but keep it pretty simple so you have repeat customers.
by DLBD- 5 months ago