Many business men and women dream of opening a restaurant or café. It’s a wonderful aspiration to start a place that brings people together to enjoy a convivial atmosphere, great food and wine, and perhaps even entertainment. Those of us who enjoy going out often fantasize that owning a restaurant would be the ideal business opportunity.
This isn’t necessarily false, but there are a few setbacks that often come along:
- Low pay
- Long hours
- Liability
Many restaurant owners start their careers as chefs. It is the most economically feasible way, after all, since hiring a chef could be more than the finances of a typical start-up can tolerate. Whether you have been to culinary school or are a talented amateur, you will find that kitchen conditions are hot, tense, crowded, and demanding. You will also find that, if you try to get experience in another restaurant before opening your own, you may not make more than $30,000 to $35,000 per year. And that assumes 50- to 60-hour work weeks. The life of a chef is a demanding one.
The good news is that if you open your own restaurant, you may be able to find a chef to work for this low salary, but because of the pressure and stress, turnover is high. Turnover is death to any new business. So be sure to offer every perk and benefit you can to your chef to ensure that he or she stay with you and become a partner in the process of opening your dream business: a great new restaurant.