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What do you do? How did you reach your goals? Did you go to culinary school? Any tips for a start up business? Share stories of where you are and how you got there.
Anyone in the Restaurant Business?
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What do you do? How did you reach your goals? Did you go to culinary school? Any tips for a start up business? Share stories of where you are and how you got there.
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- May 25, 2004
I start culinary school this fall. Can't wait. I work in fine dining now but I can't really tell you a whole lot on the management aspect.
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I start culinary school this fall. Can't wait. I work in fine dining now but I can't really tell you a whole lot on the management aspect.
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i would love to hear your thoughts
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i would love to hear your thoughts
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- Jan 6, 2007
My parents and cousin owned a few...just remember that if you plan to own one, it's very demanding.
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My parents and cousin owned a few...just remember that if you plan to own one, it's very demanding.
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^what kind of places were they and where?
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^what kind of places were they and where?
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From what I can tell you people will try to get over you in a high profile place. Anything from saying the Valet crashed their car to they lost teeth because there was sand in their oyster. Your lawyers need to be on point. If you own the place you basically have to live there. Chefs will not respect you unless you are in your restaurant working. I've been in the industry a long time and I'm fairly confident I will be able to open my own place one day. All your staff needs to be on point too as far as service standards go. I don't even bother meeting the new people at work because its a revolving door. But the people who can actually make it will stay for a long time. Its not easy working in fine dining. Takes a lot of experience to get if right.
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From what I can tell you people will try to get over you in a high profile place. Anything from saying the Valet crashed their car to they lost teeth because there was sand in their oyster. Your lawyers need to be on point. If you own the place you basically have to live there. Chefs will not respect you unless you are in your restaurant working. I've been in the industry a long time and I'm fairly confident I will be able to open my own place one day. All your staff needs to be on point too as far as service standards go. I don't even bother meeting the new people at work because its a revolving door. But the people who can actually make it will stay for a long time. Its not easy working in fine dining. Takes a lot of experience to get if right.
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- Mar 2, 2008
My mom is buying a Chipotle soon so ill post for later.
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My mom is buying a Chipotle soon so ill post for later.
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I'm guessing you have no restaurant experience. Opening a restaurant is very expensive and very high risk. But if you are sucessful, it can be very profitable. I'm not trying to be funny but my tip is don't open a restaurant. But let me at least ask why you are interested in the restaurant business? And what kind of restaurant you want to open? If you want to just do a mom and pop restaurant, you're prob looking at least 250k. If you're thinking fine dining, you're looking at 1-2 mil. It's not just what it cost to start it up, it's carrying cost month to month. The 2 biggest factors of whether you have a profitable resturant is labor cost and food cost. Of course that's not including the most obvious one....that people are coming through those doors to eat.
MPLS- Where are going to school in the fall?
MPLS- Where are going to school in the fall?
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I'm guessing you have no restaurant experience. Opening a restaurant is very expensive and very high risk. But if you are sucessful, it can be very profitable. I'm not trying to be funny but my tip is don't open a restaurant. But let me at least ask why you are interested in the restaurant business? And what kind of restaurant you want to open? If you want to just do a mom and pop restaurant, you're prob looking at least 250k. If you're thinking fine dining, you're looking at 1-2 mil. It's not just what it cost to start it up, it's carrying cost month to month. The 2 biggest factors of whether you have a profitable resturant is labor cost and food cost. Of course that's not including the most obvious one....that people are coming through those doors to eat.
MPLS- Where are going to school in the fall?
MPLS- Where are going to school in the fall?
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i'm just going to st paul college. one of the sous chefs i'm cool with at work just told me to go there because it's not expensive and has a good program. he knows a lot of people around here and will be able to pull some strings for me once i graduate.
if i didn't know anyone though i would def be going to art institute or maybe even the CIA. it just doesn't make sense though. i will get a job easy enough so no need to rack up 60k in student loans.
as for starting your own restaurant. do not do it. you need to be in the industry a long time and work at alot of places. you will see some of the places you work at will be a sinking ship and others will be booked to the max every day. you need to see both ends of the spectrum to get the experience to learn what works and what doesn't. after you have some knowledge then i'd do it. IMO though of course. yes fine dining is expensive has hell. my spot just spent 1.2 mil on an expansion. we are in a historical building and you wouldn't believe how much it costs just to build an exhaust system because of the the rules associated with a historical building.
i wouldn't be surprised if the owners make their money back in 6 months though. we stay insanely busy.
in my experience the guys with money who want to be cool and open a trendy spot usually fail within 5 years. while the real chefs who work in their own kitchen and see everything that goes on do fine.
if i didn't know anyone though i would def be going to art institute or maybe even the CIA. it just doesn't make sense though. i will get a job easy enough so no need to rack up 60k in student loans.
as for starting your own restaurant. do not do it. you need to be in the industry a long time and work at alot of places. you will see some of the places you work at will be a sinking ship and others will be booked to the max every day. you need to see both ends of the spectrum to get the experience to learn what works and what doesn't. after you have some knowledge then i'd do it. IMO though of course. yes fine dining is expensive has hell. my spot just spent 1.2 mil on an expansion. we are in a historical building and you wouldn't believe how much it costs just to build an exhaust system because of the the rules associated with a historical building.
i wouldn't be surprised if the owners make their money back in 6 months though. we stay insanely busy.
in my experience the guys with money who want to be cool and open a trendy spot usually fail within 5 years. while the real chefs who work in their own kitchen and see everything that goes on do fine.
- 29,748
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- May 25, 2004
i'm just going to st paul college. one of the sous chefs i'm cool with at work just told me to go there because it's not expensive and has a good program. he knows a lot of people around here and will be able to pull some strings for me once i graduate.
if i didn't know anyone though i would def be going to art institute or maybe even the CIA. it just doesn't make sense though. i will get a job easy enough so no need to rack up 60k in student loans.
as for starting your own restaurant. do not do it. you need to be in the industry a long time and work at alot of places. you will see some of the places you work at will be a sinking ship and others will be booked to the max every day. you need to see both ends of the spectrum to get the experience to learn what works and what doesn't. after you have some knowledge then i'd do it. IMO though of course. yes fine dining is expensive has hell. my spot just spent 1.2 mil on an expansion. we are in a historical building and you wouldn't believe how much it costs just to build an exhaust system because of the the rules associated with a historical building.
i wouldn't be surprised if the owners make their money back in 6 months though. we stay insanely busy.
in my experience the guys with money who want to be cool and open a trendy spot usually fail within 5 years. while the real chefs who work in their own kitchen and see everything that goes on do fine.
if i didn't know anyone though i would def be going to art institute or maybe even the CIA. it just doesn't make sense though. i will get a job easy enough so no need to rack up 60k in student loans.
as for starting your own restaurant. do not do it. you need to be in the industry a long time and work at alot of places. you will see some of the places you work at will be a sinking ship and others will be booked to the max every day. you need to see both ends of the spectrum to get the experience to learn what works and what doesn't. after you have some knowledge then i'd do it. IMO though of course. yes fine dining is expensive has hell. my spot just spent 1.2 mil on an expansion. we are in a historical building and you wouldn't believe how much it costs just to build an exhaust system because of the the rules associated with a historical building.
i wouldn't be surprised if the owners make their money back in 6 months though. we stay insanely busy.
in my experience the guys with money who want to be cool and open a trendy spot usually fail within 5 years. while the real chefs who work in their own kitchen and see everything that goes on do fine.
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- Jan 5, 2004
Read Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential
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Read Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential
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