Why You Need a Checklist for Opening a Restaurant

open | Culinary Business Strategy Blog
photo credit: Joanie

by Deagon B. Williams

Opening a restaurant is a formidable challenge- and that’s an understatement to say the least.  Those that have opened a restaurant have seen hospitality through a new lens. It can feel like a near death experience as it’s happening, but it’s also the most exciting, amazing and inspiring way to be in the restaurant business.

Opening a new restaurant brings meaning to the phrase “Drinking from the fire hose,” but the tool that can save your sanity is actually as simple as a pen and paper, or a laptop and spreadsheet. Success for a restaurant opening lies in a great checklist because in this business success is all about planning ahead.

Thinking through every step before it happens and being ready is truly a life saver in such a situation. From years of experience and many, many times through the process, I’ve designed a checklist for opening a restaurant, and created it from top to bottom. Broad strokes to finite details. But most importantly it lays out priorities in sequential order so that when everything is  moving fast and all seems urgent you know what to do how and when.

Once a project starts it’s so easy to get caught up in putting out the next fire – but it is much easier and far more effective to have a checklist to work from before the fires start. I have one that I’ve been using for years but modify for each specific restaurant opening. Contact us (deagon@culinarybusinessstrategy.com) and we’d be happy to customize a checklist for your restaurant opening.

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