Posted by on December 21, 2010 under Marketing, Menu items | 
When you think of setting up a restaurant, the most important thing that you need to pay attention to is the food. For that, you need a good menu. The menu is very important because it will highlight the best food items you offer and prompt the customers to choose them.
First, you will have to think about arrangement of the items and the pricing. It has been found that rounding off the prices to the nearest whole makes it easier for the people to choose. Also the must have items should be placed in such places that people see them first. Again, if you can take the emphasis off the price, say by keeping it in a continuous order with the description of the food, the diners can focus more on the food instead of being reminded about the price.
The descriptions of the food items should be such that the diners can see the picture of a tasty and sumptuous dish. Use plenty of easy adjectives so that the diners get a clear picture. Most people eating out want a good value for their money, and if you can really put that in, then that is a sure step to success.
Don’t go for menu designs that are hard to read. Try to keep it simple and effective. Keep the similar items together so that the diners find out the food items easily. Make sure that the typeface is not tiny and not in badly contrasting colors. Choose a font and color that will make the menu easily readable.
Posted by on under Caution |
A restaurant is a good business to get into for success, and if you always have been interested in culinary art, this is the line of work for you. But there are some things to consider before you start up your business. They are finance, premises and potential customers.
- Finance is the biggest issue that you will have to keep in mind while starting a restaurant. There are so many things that you will have to buy starting from kitchen utensils to uniforms for your staff. So you will have to make up a list of requirements and calculate the costs. That will give you an idea on how much you need to have. Then you can decide whether to put in all of your own resources or take a loan.
- Then start your market research. Have a look at the existing restaurants. How are they doing and which one is catering to whom? You might like some new theme, but are there enough customers for that? Why are the existing restaurants not thinking of the same theme? You should have enough knowledge of these points before you even start looking for a site for your restaurant.
- Next is your search for premise. You will have to consider what will be the best place for locating your restaurant. It should have good access to the customer base you are targeting. Also it should have parking place if you are planning for sit-down restaurant dining.
Lastly, you will need a good chef and kitchen team who will create the culinary marvels that will attract the customers to your restaurant. But it will only matter when the former three criteria are fulfilled well.
Posted by on under Nutrition, Supplies |
When you are setting up a restaurant, you will need some equipment similar to that needed in your own home’s kitchen. But this equipment needs to be of commercial quality which can handle a large amount of handling and work at one time and can be used for longer periods unlike the more delicate household varieties. The basic thing to pay attention to in any kitchen equipment is quality. Remember that failure of the equipment to deliver at the right time can cause irreparable damage to your reputation.
Some of the basic equipment that you need to start your restaurant business is bakery equipment, commercial freezers, commercial fryers, commercial steamers, commercial ovens, commercial mixers, and various kinds of knives, spatulas, ladles, spoons and a host of utensils. You will also need coffee machines, ice makers, etc. In fact, there are equipment pieces for every small need of the restaurant kitchen, but you may not need each of them.
Choosing an oven is very important. The size and type will depend on the number of customers you are prepared to handle and also on the size of your kitchen. These ovens can be both free standing and counter top types. You will have to choose according to the layout of the kitchen.
The basic types of steamers are pressure steamers and convection steamers. For a restaurant, the convection steamers are better option due to their capacity of handling larger volume of food at a time. The commercial freezers are designed to cool and freeze large amount in a short time. The size and type should be according to requirement only.
Posted by on under Bar, Catering |
If you are thinking about starting a restaurant business, then you probably know that apart from food, the other thing that attracts the diners is the décor of the restaurant. So if you want your restaurant to be successful, you need to pay equal attention to the food and ambience. So what are the ways in which you can decorate the restaurant?
- Lights are one of the factors that make a restaurant beautiful. If you can place the lights correctly then it gives a cozy feeing which keeps the diners at ease. The exterior lighting is also important as it will attract the diners in the first place.
- Color is a very important thing to get the appetite going. Make sure there is enough warmth in the restaurant as far as color goes. Brown, green and red are the most popular colors used in restaurants with red proving to be the most appetizing. Leave out blue even if it looks good.
- Don’t leave the walls empty. Decorate them with pictures or ornamentation so that the place attracts the eyes of the diners. If you have gone for a theme restaurant, then you can adorn the walls with suitable pictures and articles. Decorating with greenery is also a great idea. Greenery gives a fresh feeling. Also flowers add color and beauty to generally artificial decoration.
But one thing that you must consider before embarking on any decoration project is your budget and the clientele. So a restaurant aiming for elite, well established people will have a décor different from the one that has teenagers and young people in mind as a target crowd.
Posted by on under Environment, Food Safety |
The most important part or section of any successful restaurant is its kitchen. And the two most important things to look after in a restaurant kitchen are quality and speed of service. Since this is the place where raw materials are transformed into exquisite dishes that build the reputation of your restaurant, it is very important that the layout is made in such a way that quality and speed are not compromised. The kitchen is such a place that you can’t really afford to experiment with and get it right by trial and error, as both can be costly in terms of time and money. So it is better to hire a consultant if you don’t have enough experience. It has been seen that experienced chefs are great advisors, as they have hands-on experience at different restaurant kitchens. One of the important things to consider is the type of fuel to be used in the kitchen. The most popular fuels are electricity, natural gas, propane and steam. It is better to have more than one type of fuel and be sure that all types are properly and safely supplied in the kitchen. Chalk out a business and blueprint model plan keeping in mind smooth traffic flow, division of labor, increase in efficiency and of course, best of sanitary conditions. The other important things that naturally come along are ventilation, lighting, floor and wall covering and of course a safety system. Last of all, choose the right equipment and make sure that everything is properly placed to be used to maximum advantage.