How to Start a New Restaurant

Carving your niche in the food industry doesn’t necessarily have to be an onerous affair in the first place. It’s definitely not only about zeroing in on the location, name, and theme of a restaurant. It’s about comprehending the needs of the ever-changing demographics and lifestyles and delivering in accordance.

Selecting Name and Location: Is that Enough?
Talk about the Generation Y, Generation X or even about the empty nesters. Thanks to their cubicle-bound lifestyle or their evolving food palate— they are readier than ever to experiment with food. Either they don’t have the time to cook themselves or else they are willing to try out myriad varieties. While this sounds like good news for restaurants, under no circumstances should you arbitrarily assume that you can command universal appeal with your food service operation.

You cannot have a universal appeal
And, here’s what will help you zero in on the theme for your restaurant. Generation Y (those born between 1980 and 2000) make for the primary target of food businesses. Dubbed as the boomlet generation, they have typically demonstrated an inclination towards fast food and quick service items. Baby boomers are the ones born before 1964. They are more comfortable dining out in upscale, sophisticated ambiance. Seniors – above the age of 65, who depend on fixed incomes, on the other hand, feel at home only in family-style restaurants. So, besides zeroing in on the location and name, you should have a clear idea about your target age group as well.

Technology
It doesn’t matter whether you are primarily serving empty nesters or Generation Y, selecting the right technology for your business is crucial to your growth. Employing restaurant billing software, for instance, remains a sagacious step. Some of the immediate benefits to be explored are faster billing operation, ability to access visual floor-plan to identify the status of each table while conducting business and improved inventory management.