Food Franchise Business · Getting Started

3 Ways to Avoid Common Pitfalls and Problems

Getting Started with a Food Franchise

Make your restaurant business a huge success by avoiding common problems that sink other businesses! When you're operating your own restaurant it's important that you have all the tips and advice that you can get from other successful restaurant owners. There are four common mistakes that you can avoid if you know about them ahead of time.

Many restaurant owners agree that one of the best ways that you can assure the success of your own restaurant is by working in someone else's first. This is the first pitfall: not having the experience that you need to operate your own business.

Rich Melman, the chair of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc. in Chicago says:

"You'll learn a lot about things you never thought about. There are hundreds of little things, each not being of great consequence as a single issue, but of big consequence when you put them together."

The second pitfall is choosing the wrong location for your restaurant is one pitfall that any people fall into. It's important that you have the ideal location so that you draw in your customers and provide them with ample parking.

• Anticipated sales volume. How will the location contribute to your sales volume.
• Traffic. Consider foot and vehicle traffic. How many pedestrians and cars go by daily? How accessible is the location to passers-by?
• Area demographics. Do the people who live and work in the vicinity fit the profile of your target market?
• Restrictive ordinances. You may encounter unusually restrictive ordinances that make an otherwise strong site less than ideal, such as limitations on the hours of the day that trucks can legally load or unload.
• Customer parking facilities. The site should provide convenient, adequate parking as well as easy access for customers.
• Proximity to other businesses. Neighboring businesses may influence your store's volume, and their presence can work for you or against you.
• History of the site. Find out the recent history of each site under consideration before you make a final selection. Who were the previous tenants, and why are they no longer there?
• Future development. Check with the local planning board to see if anything, such as additional buildings or road construction, is in the works."

The third pitfall of not having a successful restaurant is having the wrong layout for the dining area. Entrepreneur Magazine says:

"Dining area. This is where you'll be making the bulk of your money, so don't cut corners when designing your dining room. Visit restaurants in your area and analyze the décor. Watch the diners; do they react positively to the décor? Is it comfortable, or are people shifting in their seats throughout their meals? Note what works well and what doesn't.

Much of your dining room design will depend on your concept. It will help you to know that studies indicate that 40 to 50 percent of all sit-down customers arrive in pairs; 30 percent come alone or in parties of three; and 20 percent come in groups of four or more."

Good luck finding the perfect food franchise opportunity!

PS - We'd like to hear from you!
Got a suggestion for a story, article, or hot trend? Do you have questions about buying a food franchise, or about this website? Let us know. john@foodfranchisebusiness.com