How to start restaurant business, 6 tips from award-winning restaurant owner

inc.com - Advice from a white guy in Texas who became an award-winning sushi chef and restaurant owner.

Nearly half of all adults have worked in the restaurant industry at some point, and 46 percent of restaurant employees say they would like to own a restaurant someday.

Clearly many people dream of owning a restaurant. No one dreams of owning a failed restaurant, though.

That’s why I asked Tyson Cole, one of the Food &Winemagazine’s 2005 Best New Chefs, 2011 James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest, and co-owner of the Japanese restaurants Uchi and Uchiko in Austin, Texas, for tips for would-be restaurateurs. Just keep in mind Cole’s background is varied, extensive–and unusual.

He quit one job after he was told he couldn’t make sushi because he was white; he was rehired two days later but told he had to work in the back where guests couldn’t see him. He was also fired for giving a guest a free dessert; he was rehired when the manager found out the guest was Denzel Washington.

Here's what he says, in his own words, about how to start a successful restaurant:

1. Never start without the big three.  No restaurant succeeds without a great chef, a great location, and a great concept. They all work together. Your location should fit your concept. Your chef, or “talent,” must fit your concept, otherwise you’ll constantly deal with the most common word in the restaurant business: Drama.

Some entrepreneurs say, “Well, location doesn’t matter because I’m going to create a destination restaurant.” In my experience, people say that when they have a bad location. It’s hard to become a destination if you don’t start with a great location.

Accessibility is everything. The more accessible you can make your restaurant, both in terms of location and in a broader sense, the greater your chances of success. Look at the most successful restaurants: They’re the most accessible in terms of location, brand, and price point. Fast casual restaurants are booming because they’re incredibly accessible on all levels.

2. Always overestimate your capital needs. Plan on having six to nine months of working capital from the start. You’ll be surprised by how quickly the expenditures add up and how much time it takes for a new place to grab hold and get legs/regular customers.

Many new restaurants see a major downswing in business after the opening’s initial excitement. That’s when capital is critical. When I started Uchi I brought clientele with me, but even so there was a gap after the first few months. We had to wait to see if the restaurant would really catch on.

A lot of restaurant owners start out with cash in reserve and start blowing it because they think the honeymoon phase will last forever. That’s why most restaurants go out of business. Never let initial success go to your head. Success is only determined years later.

3. Learn to love teaching. I often bring in people from different places, including interns from culinary schools. Paul Qui, a chef currently competing on Top Chef: Texas, is a great example. Paul came in eight years ago and asked to work for free. He’s worked through every station and now is the Executive Chef at Uchiko.

I don’t work in the kitchen much anymore but I do get to help teach people like Paul. That’s incredibly rewarding.

Doing something new is inspiring. Helping to shape the menu is inspiring. Everyone loves new dishes–the front of the house, the wait staff… once people love to come to work, you’re money.

4. Never be cheap where guests are concerned. The most important money you will spend is money that adds value to the guest.

I definitely made mistakes early on, especially when I tried to go cheap on certain things like equipment, valets, and even desserts. That was short sighted, because everything that touches a guest is important.

Determine a percentage of your revenue to put into improvements that affect the guest and constantly enhance their experience. At Uchi we don’t spend money on advertising or marketing but we run a very high level of comps. We give away gift cards and send a lot of complimentary dishes to tables.

Guests love when a dish comes out and the server says, “The chef wanted you to try this,” because that creates a real connection and makes the experience personal.

Make sure you spend as much money as possible on the guest experience. Spend money on the people already in your restaurant, because that’s the best way to generate genuinely positive word of mouth.

5. Focus on organization and systems of operation. Failing to put systems in place is one of the biggest mistakes an independent restaurant owner makes. I have an amazing partner, Daryl Kunik, and that was more of his realm.

Many restaurant owners don’t want to come off as corporate; to them, the “C” in the word “corporate” is like the Scarlet Letter. To embrace systems would be like selling out and becoming a chain.

I feel the opposite. There’s a reason chain restaurants thrive: Every one of them started as an individual restaurant. Each had a great chef, a great concept, and a great location, and they developed systems that enabled them to build guest demand, hold on to key people, and make money. Otherwise it would have been impossible to open two locations, much less 200.

Organization doesn’t kill the flow of creativity. Putting outstanding systems in place gives you the freedom to be creative.

6. Be ready to evolve, especially if you’re a chef. Many businesses are started by a craftsperson with an idea for a product. Rarely does that idea become anything unless that person partners with someone with a complementary ability, like, “You carve wooden bananas and I can sell them for you.” That’s when an idea becomes a business. I have great ideas, but without someone like Daryl, Uchi would have never succeeded.

Now as a restaurateur my focus is almost solely on people and communication. It was hard for me to say, okay, while I’ll always be a chef, I’m not going to be in my kitchen all the time. I’m going to teach and delegate instead. Once I embraced that I was able to do so much more. That was my tipping point.

Always look for people who are smarter than you. As a business owner the smartest thing you can do is partner with people who know things you don’t—and then give them a reason to care.

**source**

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Business Name, 20 Tips For Getting it Right

this article originally writen by Debbie McDowell the owner of themarketingshop.ie, she write how to choose a right business name.


if you decided to be an entrepreneur, and ready to taken all risk that might be happen in a business. You've got great ideas and plans what will do for you business. but wait!! have you thought about the business name, really thought about it?

Registering your business, be it as a sole trader, partnership or limited company is a standard process once you’ve chosen the right name but often people don’t give sufficient thought to what they’re going to trade as.  Even if your intention is to operate only as local business, if you pay due consideration to the many factors that can impact on a business name at this stage, you are leaving yourself available to opportunities at a later date.

20 Tips, How to Choose right business name that can use in Offline or Online/Digital Age:

1. List your choice of names and possible alternatives – talk to family/friends/associates and ask for feedback.
2. Does the business name describe what you do or is there room for ambiguity?
3. If you wanted to expand at a later date, does the name lend itself to this?
4. Is it snappy or memorable – short is best, but if you really need a long business name ensure it’s one that your potential customers can’t easily forget.
5. If your choice is for a personal name research thoroughly – unusual names can cause confusion whereas popular names can be overused so you may find yourself competing for visibility even amongst businesses who are not in the same industry.  The exception to using personal names is where you’ve developed a reputation in your field – if you’ve already begun the process of developing your brand, work with it.
6. Be wary of double consonants or double vowels, particularly when one word ends with the same letter as the next commences – people regularly miss one of these letters when online.
7. Be wary of geography – including your region in the business name will be restrictive and can create difficulties when growing your business.  This would particularly apply if you opt for a town or region within a country as you are potentially excluding anybody outside of your immediate catchment area by name alone.
8. Translate the business name into any languages that are likely to apply in regions you will be trading in – many international brands have been caught out when the name either cannot be pronounced, or worse has a meaning in another tongue that is totally different or even offensive!
9. Check if the business name is available – also check similar names and alternate spellings of any of the words used.
10. Take advice on intellectual property – finding a readily available name that sounds similar to a major brand might well seem clever but could cost you dearly if there’s a copyright or trademark you hadn’t considered.  And it’s your responsibility to check!
11. Google it – even if the name is available locally in your region, it may be used in your area by a company trading from overseas so you’ll be fighting for visibility from the start.
12. Use the google keyword tool to see what people are actually looking at in your niche – this may also pinpoint any weaknesses in your choice of name such as common spelling errors.
13. Is the domain available – check further that the local options, especially if your business lends itself to expansion into overseas markets and consider purchasing them even if they don’t feature in the initial plans.
14. As you’re securing the domain, consider the likely social media platforms you may use – is your name available there? If it is, secure those names also.
15. If you can include a popular keyword in the business name and domain, this will impact positively on your visibility in search engines.
16. If your choice of name includes a word such as “and”, opt for the word as opposed to the “&” symbol when purchasing  a domain.
17. Count the characters – Google Adwords permits 25 characters so a business name longer than this means having to abbreviate the name if you advertise there.  Even if you don’t plan to advertise here initially, allow for it as it tends to be one of the most cost effective ways of advertising.
18. Start looking at logos – avail of the many free software options on the web and see how your business name and logo might look in both a horizontal and square setting as many online platforms accept only a square version of a business logo.  Your logo should be unique so imitating an established brands logo should be avoided at all costs.  Remember, you don’t have to opt for a symbol either, monograms are very popular and look good too.
19. Practice saying the name out loud and on the phone – you’re going to use this name a lot, ensure it’s not long-winded and that you don’t start to abbreviate it from the get-go.
20. Consider your personal brand – you will be the face of the brand, particularly at the start-up stage so it must fit whether you’ve opted for a quirky, creative or professional business name.

Once you’re trading your business will evolve and areas such as your branding will evolve over time, but updating a logo is a lot less tricky than updating a name so regardless of your industry and whether you’re trading offline, online or in multiple markets, if you take the time to come up with the right business name to start with you’ll reap the dividends over the years.

***my comment : I think there so many entrepreneurs don't thinking about their business name seriously, if we look  online store there almost have some name for their business with others. I think that make your satisfied costumer before confusing, when they forgot about your store name, they will go to google and type your name. sure they will find some name like your store. if they shop and get unsatisfied products or services for others store that have name same or almost same with your business name,  there have big possibilities customer will write negative or will tell negative about your business.

4 Things an Entrepreneur Need to do in 2012

Entrepreneur to do in 2012

under30ceo.com - As you ever heard from friend, books, or Entrepreneurship consultant, they always ask us to focus on how to build your business and live your dream in 2012, this article takes a look at what needs to go on behind the scenes in order for things to go according to plan. Building a company with staying power requires proactive measures to make sure the company’s relationships are formalized and its assets are protected. This article takes a look at four basic steps that should be on every startup’s to-do list for 2012.

1. Stop Relying on Handshakes and Promises from Your Friends

People move on, intentions get misinterpreted, and business deals go sour. These are facts of life as a CEO and entrepreneur, and it is for these reasons that contracts need to be put into writing. That handshake deal may seem like a jumping off point, but are you really sure of what you agreed to? When will the relationship end? What happens if they miss a payment, or you miss a delivery? What does an adequate “delivery” really consist of? Who owns what? If these questions aren’t answered in advance, you are exposing yourself to a whole host of contingencies, risks and potential liabilities that could (and should) be avoided.

2. Get Professional with Your Website

I am not referring to design, coding or marketing—I am quite sure that you have these handled already. What I am referring to is making sure that your website does not expose you to (again) unnecessary potential risks and liabilities. If you accept third-party content—whether through blog comments, forums or guest submissions—or if you sell pretty much anything on your site (including advertising space) you need to have custom-tailored Terms of Use and a detailed Privacy Policy that protect your interests and limit your exposure. A website audit to make sure that you aren’t violating any third-party intellectual property rights also wouldn’t be a bad idea.

3. Make Sure You’re Not Already in Trouble

Speaking of intellectual property, when was the last time you cleared a trademark or any third-party media that you incorporated into your product or promotions? If your answer is (a) Never, (b) Once back when I started the company, or (c) What does “cleared” mean?, it is time to take care of this—now.

Using a trademark that is “confusingly similar” to a pre-existing brand and using third-party content without a license are two fundamental errors that can set you back big time. Keep in mind: trademark infringement is trademark infringement regardless of whether you know you are doing it or not; and, content is not “available” or in the public domain simply because you can access it on the Internet.

4. Start Treating Your Business Like it’s Your Future

As a business owner, it is critical to step back from the day-to-day and focus on the bigger picture. Building a business is about focusing on what’s next, and from a legal perspective this requires that you take steps now so that you are in a position to seize opportunities as they arise. This means getting your ducks (read: assets and relationships) in a row—knowing what you have (and what you need to acquire), and knowing what you can rely on when the time to rely comes along. Regardless of whether you are planning to sell out, franchise, or build a personal brand that will elevate you to new heights, these tasks are part of the universal to-do list for business owners planning for long-term success in 2012.

this article writen by Jeff Fabian on under30ceo.com, you can follow Jeff Fabian at twitter @jsfabian.