Anybody ever run or own a restaurant?

My brother Jorge opened a seafood restaurant/cafeteria next to the pawn shop at our old location and he started from scratch putting the walkin freezer ,counter tops,stoves,ovens bathroom with fedarally required hand holds for people in wheelchairs,etc,etc,,,,,,,,,spent a bunch on just getting started.Had good friends and family working it and a decent location but he sold it after one a half years of trying to make a profit.Restaurants are very labor intensive 5-6 am prep and cleanup,work all day ,stay late for prep for next day and cleanup.Carefully do the math,and put together a business plan ,take into consideration all your expected costs,target clientele,business location,dependency on tourism,competion in the area,and expected profits vs expenses because if you get short on cash that can kill any business or venture.Dream big but please do your research and prepare yourself so you can be successful.Hope that helps -BEST OF LUCK!!!

That sounds like it would be an awesome hangout!! All you have on south beach is ridiculously pricey art deco places, same with Lincoln mall, all there is, is about 50 starbucks and no reasonable place to eat, unless you want to eat fast food! Its a great idea. But like William said, its very labor intensive. You have to be willing to sacrifice nights and weekends.

If you need anyone to help set things up once you get into that phase .. id be happy to help you with anything you need .. just lemme know if you need an extra hand.

Yep you won't have time left for sharkin, you will be a slave to your business!

Along with what Will already said, The # 1 small business rule is you will NOT make a profit in your first year.

So you will need enough capitol to make it in the business and personal cash to last over 1 year.

So if you decide to go for it, I love the idea. Just make sure your really ready for the long haul.

its hard as hell shannon, work is 24/7 no days off between papers an actually workin

i love that idea shannon i love that idea of how it would look i dont know too much about the restaurant buisness but i know every restaurant has a gimick to lure people in. weather it be mcdonalds monday and wednesday 50 cent cheeseburgers or red lobsters tasty bread or whatever it is so you would want something to lure people in if you do start with this i wish you the best of luck and hope your buisness is very sucessful

Shannon,

I just opened up a Gourment, sitdown pizza place in Baltimore. We got 60 seats and have a full array of pizzas, pastas, salads, and sandwiches. I have been opened for about 6 weeks now, and let me tell you, it is a tough business. I have had one day off total the past 6 weeks. I work from 8am-11pm just about every day. If you have any questions or need any tips/advice, let me know, i would be more than happy to help you. One piece of advice i have right off the bat is be prepared to lose money the first and maybe even second year. It will take probably 6 months to get your food and labor costs under control. Make sure you have cash reserves ready to go in case you need it. Anyway, if you have any questions let me know. Also check out my web site www.bagbypizza.com.

Blake Smith

Hey there BlaKe that looks likes a real good pizza restaurant to go eat there that you have set up i wish jou the best of luck to you and your crew. [[ Shannon i dont think you got tha fever to open a restaurant [YOURE BLOOD IT IS THAT OF BEEING THE BEST OR ONE OF THE BEST SHARK FISHERMAN OF THIS DECADE THAT IS WHERE YOURE REAL BLOOD AND FEVER IS YOU WILL SEE IN TIME YOU WOULD DO THE RIGHT THING SHARK FISHERMAN FOR EVER]] I MAY BE WRONG BUT I DONT THINK SO BUDDY GOOD LUCUK WITH WHAT EVER YOU DECIDE TO DO!!

Blake ,colby,will,adrian,mojo,meir,julio,thank you so much guys i realy do apreciate the love and support from everyone.Blake i would have to say that looks like one of the tastiest mouth watering menus ive seen. wow you got me starving at 2am on a gym night!!!!! im bout to break out the ricotta,sun dried tomatoes,and penne and get the cooking you got me so hungry!!! Blake,mojo,and willy thank you for the heads up and i have come to the understanding i may not have quite the funds to fall back on if buisness takes a year or two to pick up unfortunately. Its been a dream of mine to do this, but i guess im a bit short on funds agan and will have to wait a little bit longer as hard on me as its going to be.

I also am a bit reluctant due to facts that julio stated,about me being a die hard shark fisherman. I would be pulling my hair out come april when all you guys are fishing the hammer challenge and nailing big tigers,hammers,and bulls.
Back to Julios comment about being possible the best shark fisherman of the decade, i realy appreciate the kind words familia, and it was very humbling to read that. Thank you so so much for all the feedback everyone. maybe i will pull the trigger next year,because i do need to prepare my kid for the future and if it takes 5 years away from the world,i just may hhave to sacrifice.

Shannon,

There is a lot of money to be made in the restaurant business. If you think you have a good, sustainable concept, i would say go for it. Its a lot of fun, and will meet lots of great people. Just make sure you hire trust worthy people.

Blake