Big Mistakes Restaurant Owners Nearly Always Make

So, you’re thinking of starting up your business, something that has been your dream since you could handle a frying pan; your very own restaurant. Hold fire for a second though; it’ll help you to be aware of some of the big mistakes that restaurant owners tend to make. Take a look and see what you need to avoid if you want your restaurant to be a roaring success:
You Don’t Have A Unique Selling Point
If you think you can just build it and they’ll come, you’re wrong. This is one of the biggest mistakes new restaurant owners make. If you don’t have a unique selling point, you’re not going to get very far. Great food and great service are not unique selling points. They are a given. So, think about how you can diversify your food/restaurant atmosphere so that people actually want to come to you.
Your Menu Is Too Large
If you’ve ever watched an episode of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, you’ll know that this is one of Gordon Ramsay’s pet hates. A menu that is too large is a huge killer of independent restaurants. You’ll get pressure from customers to have certain items on your menu, but that doesn’t mean you should. You can’t please everybody, so trying to is futile. When you have a long menu, you’ll lack focus, it’ll take longer to order, and you’ll require more items in your inventory. You’ll also have longer ticket times and more equipment will need to be purchased. Be smart about this and be very selective!
You Don’t Have Enough Cooks In The Kitchen
Early on, you need to hire significantly more people than you think you need. This might sound crazy, and you might feel like you’re going to be hiring people just to stand around, but hear us out; a third of the people you hire up front will likely bail on you within the first two weeks. Another third you’ll see weren't actually good hires in the first place, so you can let them go. The remaining third will form your core team and stay on. Even if you think you’ve done a great job of hiring, you’ll probably experience problems. Don’t forget to ensure your cooks are properly equipped with the right skills/experience, and remember that chefs clothing promotes hygiene standards, so this is a must. You really mustn't forget that owning a restaurant is not just about food. You need to know how to run a business, too, so don’t expect to leave your new hires to it.
You Have A Poor Pricing Strategy
You must have a method for your menu. You need to have a pricing strategy that takes your unique financial situation into account – you can’t just look at your competitors and copy them.
These are the big mistakes that restaurant owners nearly always make. Pay attention to what we’ve said, and set some time aside to come up with a plan to avoid these pitfalls. Good luck!