How to Choose your Restaurant Concept

A restaurant concept refers to the overall idea or a theme that defines your restaurant. Menu design, service style, dining room decor and the style of food are some of the concepts that need to be kept in mind. Some common sources of inspiration for restaurant concepts include heritage, local ingredients, traditions, or family. Chef’s travel experience, training, or an interest in a certain area of art, science, or culture can also help to determine a good restaurant concept. Because food is, after all, a mixture of all those things.

Like the food business itself Choosing a restaurant concept entails a lot of science, math and Art. Starting from why One wants to open a restaurant ? What format of a restaurant? say a fine done vis a vis a quick service restaurant . What would work for a particular location ? What’s the competition like and what’s going to be your Unique selling proposition . What’s the core strength of the existing team ? All such questions will need to be answered . The budget too plays a vital role. The same space size for a fine dine restaurant , a bar or a food court will require different amounts of money. So there isn’t a thumb rule that will work for choosing a restaurant concept, it’s your experience that will provide you insights on what can work where . Hence it’s important to put in a credible team in place that helps you take such decision,” shares Tarun Sibal, a food and beverage consultant and owner of the company 100 proof marketing pvt ltd.

Here are some tips to keep in mind while choosing the restaurant concept:

Deciding on the Concept: If you are interested in opening a new restaurant, chances are high that you enjoy eating out. Give a careful consideration to What kinds of restaurants do you enjoy dining at? Is it a Fine dining? Or A laid back diner? Different types of restaurants require certain types of management which might  vary from each other. Great food, customer service, clean and welcome atmosphere is a necessity in restaurant business. Always keep in mind that upscale restaurants require attention to details that isn’t necessary in less formal eateries.

Make sure there is demand for your restaurant concept: Once you’ve decided on the kind of restaurant you want to open, the next step is to research about the potential  customer base. Is there a big target audience for your idea? Do the local demographics support your assumptions about who will come to your restaurant? For example, if you are targeting professionals in their 30s, you need to make sure if there really is enough of this population to support your restaurant? Or is the majority of area population very young or very old in age? Never assume there are enough people in your area to support a new restaurant.

Find the Right Location: Once you’ve decided the theme and finished the market research done, it’s time to look for the perfect location. This is one of the most crucial step in opening a new restaurant. The location alone can make or break a new restaurant. A good location can equal success, but a bad location may invite failure. There are a lot of variables to consider when looking for a new restaurant which includes size, length of lease and monthly rent or mortgage. Other considerations include fire and safety codes. Before committing to any special location, first read about how to negotiate a restaurant lease.

Put it All Together: Once you have decided your restaurant concept and found your location next step is to write a business plan, which you will need for any kind of financing. Plan your business as a road map to opening day. It will help you determine how much money your restaurant needs to make each day, to cover the overhead. It will also force you to think about potential problems and how you will deal with them.