Starting, Owning and Marketing A Restaurant Blog|Starting and Owning a Restaurant - Construction, Planning, Marketing, Opening and Managing a New Restaurant

In just a short week after getting the permits, the restaurant has begun to take shape. The walls may only be metal studs, but the layout is defined. This is the point where you begin to wonder if you planned enough space in various areas. Everything looks smaller as the walls go up.

The kitchen looked very large. Now I am wondering if we may be cramming in too much equipment in the space we allowed. The restrooms look very small and the front of the house begins to close in. We must make the space more open by using decorative techniques.

Here is what has been completed to various degrees:

• All the rough plumbing for fixtures has been done. The water lines have been run through walls and ceiling structure.
• Main electric circuits have been run. Now it is a matter of running the various outlets and boxes to walls, equipment and lighting.
• Metal studs denote the walls, doorways and each separate area of the restaurant.

This week is critical to getting some major work done in order to open up before the end of the year. The hood and fireproofed ventilation requires all the trades. Electrician to run electric, hood contractor to place the hood, roofer to cut hole in the roof, fire protection company to run lines for Ansul system and plumber to run lies for automatic gas shutoff valves for gas supply.

The trick to getting all the work done is getting all the tradesmen scheduled in the proper order. That is the function of the general contractor. After each aspect has been completed, an inspection by the county is required before going to the next step. With the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, we hope to accomplish all the necessary parts in the right order.

I returned from my brief trip 2 days ago. While leaving I was advised that the lease was ready to sign from the landlord’s perspective. To bring the blog current as of today (a Sunday), this is what has occurred:

• The lease went to my attorney to do a final review. I explained I was going to drag my feet a little to get all the parties moving before the clock and costs start ticking. We will shoot for an August 1st signing date (almost a month beyond where we wanted to be!).
• The architect was contacted and told we need the drawing drafts as soon as possible.
• The contractor was called to schedule a meeting. He will call Monday or Tuesday.
• My son is doing a major part of the business plan and we touched base on the contents.
• The accountant has formed the LLC and has emailed the formal documents to me along with the Federal I.D. number.

Next week will be an important week to finalize many open issues including:

• Again calling the hood contractors for a quote.
• Getting the final numbers into the business plan.
• Exploring cost options with the contractor for various parts of the build-out and confirming a quick start date.
• Negotiating costs and time frames with the various contractors.
• Confirm amount necessary for lease signing (deposit and first month).
• Opening a checking account at the bank.

Caution again crosses my mind with the economic news, chain restaurant closings and financial results from the whole restaurant industry. I must commit within a couple of days. That is going to be a mental struggle that common sense has to rule after I examine the projections (again). Is the risk versus the reward there?