This just kind of fell into my lap

[tinknal]

I've had a tough couple of years. I'll spare the gory details. Any way, after a year or so of unemployment and marginal employment, this thing just kind of happened. The local VFW has a fully licensed commercial kitchen that it doesn't use on a regular basis. The manager told me that they would like to find someone to lease it and serve food on the premises. One thing lead to another and now it appears that I'm going to be able to add "restaurateur" to my resume. The lease is dirt cheap, everything I need is there, and they have an established customer base. I'm going to offer simple home cooking. Any advise or comments?

[Jalopy]

Sounds like a good oppurtunity. Just watch your expenses and keepwaste to a minimum and enjoy. Good luck

[Alice In TX/MO]

Portion control is a must. We had friends who had a restaurant, and they served generous portions. At the end of the first year, when the accountant did their bookkeeping they had made a profit of exactly $.05. Yup, five cents.

[Prismseed]

Network with local businesses as best as possible, local food, butchers, stuff like that. Local crafts for decoration. Community community community.

If you have the space add something to get people to hang around. Checker board, card table, stuff like that. Around here the most reliable business is the retired old timers that hang around the gas station eateries every morning shooting the bull breeze. People are more likely to stop in and stay for a bite if they think they'll run into a friendly face.

Supplying your own stock of food would cut costs, but you have to be carefull and consult with local food departments and such, which can be anything from a breeze to a major headache. Research is very handy in this area.

Consider the extent of 'gimmicks' if any you want to use. In the 'big city' near here the bars draw in customers with stuff like team trivia and karaoke nights. Perhaps there is some local pastimes that can be incorporated.

Good luck and have fun with it!

[FarmersDaughter]

Congratulations on the opportunity. The advice I have for you is to not overlook good service. If your food is great, but the wait staff is not friendly or efficient, or the wait is too long between the order being placed and the food being served, you'll have a tough time being successful.

I'd start with a fairly limited menu of items that you know you cook well and that can be prepared quickly. You can always expand your menu later when you are comfortable with the timing, the kitchen set-up, and the wait staff.

Best of luck to you.

[Itsme]

I'll give you a couple of things to chew on.
A good friend of mine complains that there is no place around here that sells really good pie. As in gong out for a piece of pie and a cup of coffee.....shrug, not important so much to me, but it is to him and perhaps others too? Also, When I think of restraunts around here in my neck of the woods a few stand out....why? because they have "something" that they are really known for. Sallys has the best breakfast, mainstreeter serves the best rueben sandwhich, the bowling alley hands down has the best burgers......see what I mean? and nobody has good homemade pie

[Mid Tn Mama]

Our VFW is known for being the best steak dinner around. Simple: steak, baked potato and salad! The place is PACKED on weekends and there is a wait to get in.

When growing up, the local VFW was a place for families to go to a dance every friday night. It was a fun, family place.

Congratulations! I'll add this news to my growing list of happy Christmas stories.

[Ken Scharabok]

Some thoughts:

If they are like the local Eagle's Club they have regularly scheduled activities. Food is supplemental to it. One hand washes the other. Club manager doesn't have the kitchen responsibilities and food draws in folks for the bar and such.

One local pizza place is only open M-F. Owner has a farm and needs the weekends free (plus with family). They have largely gone with disposable plates and tableware to severely cut back on dishwashing. Buffet/salad bar (without many fixings) and then a theme night being either deep fried (but limited) seafood and okra, catfish or pizza. Nice in that if they are running low on pizza you can make a request of anything they offer and that is the next one up. Also, they don't put out french fries on the buffet. If you request them they will be cooked and brought to your table so they are hot and fresh - about nothing worse than a cold, soggy french fry.

I suspect it is the same in MN but a lot of local family restaurants are the meat and three type. Just good basic food at a reasonable price. Nothinig fancy. For example, salad bowl, meatload with sauce or gravy, mashed potatoes with either butter or gravy and string beans.

(OK, joke time: Medical students goes in an all-night diner about 3AM. Waitress comes over scratching her butt. He asked, "Do has hemorrioids (sp?)". She replied, "No special orders after 11PM".)

I don't know how much training you have had or what your financial situation is. However, working in the kitchen of both a small restaurant and pizza place for several months each might be excellent training. At the least go to several of each and ask for a take-out menu. Will give you a good idea on pricing.

How will you split out waiter tips? At some places some percent of the tips go to the kitchen staff as they are responsible for the quality of the food. Waiter only takes order and delivers.

From what I understand lots of restaurant supplies are now pre-cooked. You just heat them up in bulk or in a microwave. For example, steaks may come already cooked between medium and rare.

From what I read breakfast is the most per plate profit followed by lunch. Dinner/supper (depending on where you are) is last by far. Plus, if you offer all three you pretty well need two shifts.

As noted above, use the KISS concept.

You might also order some of the Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmares series if they are available on DVD. Also watch the XXX Paradise programs. One place sold deep fried hot dogs about as fast as they could be cooked. Another deep fried hamburgers in grease which hadn't been changed in something like 70 years - just more added to it.

While more costly can you advertise you grind your own hamburger rather than buying packaged and frozen ones?

Question though: Why did the previous kitchen shut down?

Don't go on a hand shake. Written agreement which clearly specifies what portion of the utility bills the kitchen will be responsible for. For example, look at copies of the utility bills for when there was a kitchen open vs when it hasn't been. Difference (as a percentage of the bill to adjust to cost increases) should be about what you should agree to. Also what about equipment maintenance/replacement?

Do you have to dispose of used cooking grease or can you find someone making bio-diesel in the area which will take it off your hands for free?

[ronbre]

hmm, vfw huh? well your largest part of your clientel may be adult males then, although there are a lot of younger and female veterans, the older males are more likely to be wanting the time out and good meal.

so you might want to check out who the main clientel is before you plan your menu and find out..maybe do a survey..of what they personally would like to see on a menu.

maybe put out some surveys 2 weeks before you plan your food order..to get a feel for what they want.

i'm thinking that breakfast might not be needed, what time do people generally show up at the vfw..

does the vfw serve alcohol? If so you might be wanting things that go with that type of atmosphere like wings and pizza and stuff that will go with the beer or whatever.

i agree with most of what was said above..esp about using a lot of disposable or hand held type food to keep the dishwashing down..and there is also likely going to be little or no need of waitresses if it is a ...come up and order what you want and take it to your table..type situation..similar to fast food restaurants ..which i've seen in a lot of these type situations....probably cause it eliminates the cost overhead.

[Cabin Fever]

Congrats on the new venture! We often eat at the local VFW and American Legions. Most of them have $1 burger, $1 fries and $1 taps on one night a week, as well as, taco nights (taco salads for $3.50 & $2 margaritas)

Where is your VFW, we may just stop sometime when we're in the area!

[Terri]

at the farmers market, sweet rolls were one of my best sellers.

i made them by mixing brown sugar with cinnamon. roll out the bread dough, dribble them with melted butter, sprinkle on the sugar mix, and roll up.

sprinkle more of the brown sugar mix on the bottom of the pan, set the rolls on it, raise and bake.

turn out hot or the good stuff will stick to the pan. if the rolls stick to your teeth too badly, you did not use enough butter.

it is cheaper to make your own bread dough, but it is a lot faster to buy all save dough at the grocery, and the texture of the bread will be finer.old fashioned biscuits, rolled out and flakey, have inexpensive ingredients.

[Darren]

Because I've been through a couple of kitchen builds and have a food handler's card I'd suggest you have a sanitarian look over the premises , maybe unofficially, before you start up.

I've been amazed by the problems a sanitarian can spot, especially if the facilities are old. Even with new construction, they've found things and made some excellent suggestions. If you're looking for feedback in this area, try to talk with cooks at local schools. Because many use USDA food, around here they come under the purview of not only a county inspector but the state too.

It sounds like you've got a real opportunity. Do your homework to prevent surprises. And remember, you're in business to make money. Not to make friends. Not to do people a favor. Not to give people jobs. If you don't make a profit, you're out of business.

[Beeman]

Sounds like a great opportunity. One thing might be the hours, I'm guessing you'll be open for luch and supper. Keep it simple and good and find at least 1 specialty dish. I hate heat and eat restaurants where everything came out of a can or a freezer.
Is there a pizza oven? That's where it's at with a bar crowd if they don't eat it there they bring it home as a peace offering.

[seedspreader]

Tink, buddy, I've missed you. Glad to see you're alive!

For me... Nutritional information is the most important aspect of whether I will GO to a restaurant. Taste will bring me back.

[Hank]

Congrats! Being a cook myself I think that is great news. There is no big secret to the restaurant business, good food and good service will keep them coming back.
You must watch your overhead but never sacrifice on quality. Most people will pay more as long as the food is "better than the other guy".
As someone else said, breakfast is the biggest money maker with lunch next.
If you have good traffic flow a buffet can be a great profit. Less hired help needed to serve. At granddad's restaurant we use to do a breakfast buffet and then a menu lunch and dinner. Some days the breakfast made more profit than lunch and dinner together.
All my cooking is now on site catering with my "cowboy chuckwagon", but the principal is still the same.
Don't try to many different things. It is better to do a few things well than a lot of things poorly. Become well known for one or two items. That will bring them in and then they will try other items. My chuckwagon is well know around here for our biscuits, chicken bog and creeping cobbler.
Remember, it's a business but if you don't have fun it will never work.

Hank
http://www.doublemfarmandchuckwagon.webs.com

[poppy]

Congrats on the opportunity. Someone opened a restaurant in our Legion about 3 years ago. It is only open from 5 am till 10 am for breakfast. Good food, large portions, and reasonable prices. I eat there if I get to town early enough. It is usually pretty busy. My youngest son and I went in last Tuesday about 8 o'clock and I counted 24 people in there eating. Not bad for a small town.

[MN Gardener]

A quick post in the Veterans area of HT might give you good ideas for meals, etc. If you are in a smaller town with a large population of Scandanavoooohians (OK, WIHH spells it much better!) or Germans, etc. A ethnic special (Swedish meatballs, lefske, lutefisk, etc) once in awhile might be a great hit. Since you have a commercial kitchen, doing catering or selling jams and jellies might be a good idea too. Good luck!

[tallpines]

You have been missed!
I even tried to track you down!

Stopped to eat at the local family restaurant just out side of your town and ask to talk to a waitress who "knew everyone" in town.

Described to her everything I knew about you, but nothing set off any bells or whistles.
The only thing that she said sounded familiar was when I told her about the newspaper article about your step-daughter that you posted a few years back.

Glad you are back!

[fordy]

..............A dropdead Hostess with a big smile during the high volume times will help considerablly I'd think . You might try some creative marketing like having a friday night blue plate special called "The C-Ration" Social or whatever you feel is important . , fordy

[Harry Chickpea]

Don't be too concerned about that accountant saying that only five cents was made in a year. If anything, that is the sign of a great accountant, who knows how to expense properly and take every legal deduction. Yeah keep portion control, but don't let accountants run your business. Many years ago, I used to go to Bennegans. When their accountants got boardroom control and started getting insane on portion control while keeping prices up, I stopped and found other places to eat. Haven't been back there in years.