Opening an Indian restaurant might seem like a challenge, but it isn’t if you have the adequate information in hand, hence this content. If you have the money required, then you are set in the financial aspect, but if you don’t, do not worry . . . there are options.
Starting an Indian restaurant without money requires finding someone else to handle the initial costs. Purchasing or renting a building, buying equipment, and paying for marketing and promotions is costly.
Opening an Indian restaurant can cost you from $100,000.00 USD to $300,000.00 USD. However, some Indian restaurants, may have a lower initial cost. In some cases, it is possible to own a portion of the restaurant without putting any money down. This basically allows an entrepreneur to open a restaurant for free.
10 Things to consider when opening an Indian restaurant
1. Investors Can Help You
Your reputation is critical to opening a restaurant completely funded by investors. They should see you as a top business individual who will quickly return the restaurant to a profitable business. Trust your experience in this business to create a winning idea for a new Indian restaurant.
Determine how much money you need to open it based on a search, experience, and business plan. Make sure your business plan includes your objectives, market, operating expenses, projected revenues, funding sources, and marketing plan. Identify your competitors and assess their core competencies.
Find investors to put all the money it takes to open the restaurant. Identify potential investors by joining social and professional circles. Share your business plan with them while you sell them your idea. Interview them individually or in small groups.
A hundred investors contributing $500.00 USD can provide you with a total of $50,000.00 USD to start a small Indian restaurant. Your reputation, your enthusiasm, and your tenacity may be enough to make this happen.
2. Think of a Unique Name
Determine the legal structure of your business. You can operate your restaurant as a sole proprietorship, corporation, a limited liability company, and etc. If an issue ever arises in this aspect, you can always contact your Department of State.
Make up a catchy name for the business. Make sure the name is unique and no one else has the rights to it. Also make sure you do not come close to infringing the name of an established business. Obtain your federal EIN through the Internal Revenue Service. You can use an SS-4 form to apply.
You can download the application online if you’d like. It’s important to choose a location appropriate for your restaurant, and obtain a zoning and use permit.
Starting an Indian restaurant involves money and time. Starting a careful plan will make the process easier.
You have to review the basic expenses that need to be conducted, as well as the specific expenses for the type of restaurant you wish to open.
3. Property
Buying property for your Indian restaurant will probably be your biggest start up expense. Some restaurant owners begin with the purchase of an existing facility. Others buy land and build their own structure on it. This may be less expensive than purchasing an existing facility, but it can be difficult if you want your Indian restaurant in a prime location.
Even if you buy an existing structure, you will certainly need some remodeling to suit your needs and wants. You may have to install a kitchen, choose new energy-saving appliances, and etc. In addition, you may want to create a new floor plan, knocking down existing walls to create more space or building new ones.
The restaurant may also need new cooling systems, paint, flooring, pavement, lighting options, heating, and bathrooms.
4. Decoration
You will need tables and chairs in your chosen style of decoration, artwork, bar stools, potted plants, mirrors, and carpets. If you have a waiting room, it would be possible to include a comfortable sofa and chairs, if space permits.
If the restaurant has a garden, to make it look inviting and inviting, you will also want to plant flowers, trees and shrubs outside. Even if you do not have lawns, large flower pots can make your restaurant look more attractive.
5. The 411 on Employees
Before opening your restaurant, you will have to hire staff and start training employees, and also pay them. Invest in qualified chefs with experience in Indian cuisine. Remember to review their background, train them to work efficiently, and always make sure to provide customers with friendly, courteous service.
6. Promoting Your Indian Restaurant
You’ll have to spend money on advertising. Look for budgets of various ways to advertise, including placing a colorful banner on the front of the restaurant, publishing brochures in the city, and putting ads in local newspapers. You can also opt to market your restaurant business through flyers, online promotions, and on television, and radio stations. The key is to find the medium that will serve your niche market.
7. Meet Regulations to a ‘T’
Know the regulations of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Department of Business and Regulation, and the Department of Health. You will need to meet their requirements as you will be serving food to the public.
You will need to make sure that you have a steady supply of the ingredients in the dishes on the menu, so you should plan well in advance with the suppliers. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a difficult task to undertake.
Make the outline of the menu, which includes the configuration of the kitchen, labor, food costs and table shifts. This is crucial, as your customers expect something different and unique.
8. Purchasing Equipment
As previously mentioned, starting a Indian restaurant requires a lot of time and money. Purchasing kitchen equipment requires high initial costs, but you probably will not need every piece of equipment in the catalog. Sit down with your chef and head chef before you buy them, so you can use the starting money more efficiently.
Choose high-quality and durable equipment that will not fail when your business is taking off. A number of designs and ranges of ovens are available to suit the style and space needs of the kitchen. Both standard and convection ovens are considered necessary, but mixed ovens, combining elements of the two, can be useful if space is a problem.
A kitchen with space for an iron, grill, and burners should also be taken into account.A steam table to keep hot food is also needed. The quality of the size of the kitchen utensils for the volume of your restaurant is mandatory. Pots are a good place to start, along with different sizes of saucepans to saute and make sauces.
These will extremely important aspect of your kitchen, so buying the best quality will save you money in the long run. You’ll also need pans, baking trays, and molds. Other equipment may include braziers, pasta cookers, steamboats, cast iron cookware, and woks.
Having a good preparation table, shelves, and equipment that is suitable for preparing the meal will save you time and money. An industrial blender, professional blender, food processor, microwave oven, and commercial meat cutting machine are some of the highest priced items that are needed.
Other items you will need to equip your Indian restaurant include mixing bowls, cutlery, a food balance, spatulas, beaters, long handles spoons, blenders, graters, and peelers. The largest preparation equipment you will need is transport tubs, cutting boards, vegetable centrifuges, professional can opener, and containers for food storage.
Like kitchen ovens and hobs, your refrigeration and freezer capacity should be dictated by the projected volume of meals that will be served in your Indian restaurant every day, and the space available.
Many Indian restaurants use refrigerator cabins and some even use cold rooms. However, good quality standalone units are available that can be used safely and efficiently.
9. Inventory
Opening a restaurant can be a costly endeavor due to all the initial inventory requirements. Once the restaurant is up and running, the main expenses would be food and drinks. You will get your money from these two elements, so this inventory should be handled with care to prevent its deterioration or theft.
Restaurants typically manage food separately from beverages as the profit margin is higher in food. Food inventory includes fruits and vegetables, meats, poultry, sea food, frozen foods, and dry goods. The beverage inventory includes liquor, beer and wine, but can also include soft drinks, coffee, and water to offset the overall cost of beverages.
Restaurant supplies generally include disposable items such as paper towels, paper napkins, drinking straws, takeaway containers, and cleaning supplies. This is a rotating inventory that must be re-equipped when using the elements. Employee training can help eliminate waste from these disposable products.
10.Utensils
Porcelain, cutlery, and glassware are susceptible to loss due to breakage, theft, or accidental disposal. Restaurants should maintain a safety inventory as replacement shipments can take several weeks to arrive.
Inventories should include about two or three of each piece per seat and should be kept constantly to account for expected damage and to meet service standards. In a busy Indian restaurant, table rotation can be faster than washing, so you should always have clean, dry porcelain, cutlery and glassware, available at all times.
Indian restaurants require cloth napkins and tablecloths. Plan to have three napkins, and tablecloths for each seat in the restaurant. Table linen is a large initial expense, but in the long run, it may be less expensive than paper napkins.
Put Information to the Test!
If you follow the previously mentioned information, you will be well on your way to establishing a top-notch Indian restaurant that will be loved by everybody in town.
Go ahead and put it the test and see for yourself!
