If you are thinking about, or anywhere in the process of, opening a restaurant, this guide will be invaluable to you. The author embarked on a career as a restaurateur in middle age, with no prior restaurant experience and not much capital. Within four years he opened three original and quirky restaurants, each of which has become a thriving success. In this book he draws upon his experiences as a restaurateur, as well as nearly 30 years spent negotiating commercial real estate leases and sales, and a decade teaching real estate investment analysis and decision making to show you how to: -Accurately estimate the amount of capital required for your first restaurant (it's probably less than you think) and how to raise it. -Select your restaurant's ideal location and negotiate the optimal real estate lease or purchase for it.-Develop a creative, winning restaurant concept that is a natural extension of yourself and a perfect match for your customers. -Market - using low-cost, guerilla-style techniques - staff, source supplies for, grow, and continually refine your first restaurant. -Identify all the things that could doom your restaurant and avoid them.However, this book is not for everyone. It completely lacks fluff, hype, and "just believe in yourself" rah-rah encouragement. If that is what you are looking for, you won't find it here. What this book does offer is a solid framework for beginning with what is often a vague idea and proceeding, step by step, to research, plan, evaluate, open, and operate a very successful first restaurant. If you are serious about opening your dream restaurant, this is the book for you.
About the Author: Daniel Boardman received his B.A. in architecture in 1983 from the University of New Mexico. Shortly thereafter he launched a career in commercial real estate brokerage, and spent the next thirty years negotiating restaurant and other commercial property sales and leases. In the second half of his real estate career Daniel expanded his focus to include real estate education, authoring and instructing numerous accredited real estate-related courses. He was recruited by the prestigious CCIM institute of Chicago and spend a decade instructing courses in advanced real estate investment analysis and decision making in major cities throughout the US and Mexico. Seeking a new challenge, in 2011 Daniel purchased a former cleaning services building, remodeled it, and in 2012 opened his first restaurant, Tia Betty Blue's, which has enjoyed double-digit sales growth each of the last five years. Two years later Daniel opened his second restaurant Tia B's La Waffleria, which was an immediate hit . In 2016 Daniel opened his third restaurant, El Cotorro, which has enjoyed great reviews and popularity.