Restaurants located at insignificant locations are not fun at all. Seeing restaurants with great potential at crappy locations makes me sad because I think of how much goes into the running of the restaurant and how the owner might probably have ruined the growth chances of his/her restaurant because of its location. The location of a restaurant is as significant an issue as the wonderful taste and quality of food and service you’ll offer. Hence, the first decision you need to make in starting up a successful restaurant business is finding the appropriate location for it.
Here are 7 elements you need to consider when finding a perfect location for your new restaurant.
1.
Your target customers: Consider the type of restaurant you are opening and the type of people you are opening it for when you are looking for a suitable location. For example, if you are thinking of opening a restaurant that will draw the elite and working class to your door, you want to consider opening your restaurant at the Island side of Lagos and some specific Mainland parts of Lagos.
2.
Population: To draw in customers, you want your restaurant to be in the centre where your customers can easily gain access to it. Find out if there are enough people in the location you are considering. Understand that you must have enough people who live in the area or pass through the area every day to keep your restaurant running.
3.
Parking: Your goal is to provide comfort to everyone that comes through your doors and you don’t want them constantly looking through the windows, trying to figure out if their cars are safe at the distance where they have parked them. See if the location you are considering will have ample space for a parking lot and if not, it should at least be in close distance to your restaurant and have a public parking space.
4.
Safety: Is a crucial aspect you need to consider when choosing a location for your restaurant. Customers need to feel safe to bring their families and friends to your restaurant so that they can unwind, and have fun in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere. It is therefore important that you consider the crime rate of any location you may be considering for your restaurant business because the lower the level of crime in that location, the better.
5.
Visibility: When considering a location, think of how visible your restaurant will be to people living around the area and people passing by. You don’t want to build your restaurant in the middle of four sky scrapers, if you know what I mean.
6.
Accessibility: With visibility, your restaurant location should also be easily accessible for walk-ins and drive-ins. Think of a location close to the shopping mall, along a busy freeway or along major bus stops.
7.
Consider the existing restaurants in the location: Move around the area and consider other restaurants in the location you are reviewing. Are they targeting your target customers? If yes, how are they faring in their quest? If no, why? Their predicament does not have to necessarily be your predicament but a review of how restaurants are faring in that location would give you insight on the attitudes, trends, habits and patterns of customers to restaurants in that area and if you are still willing to stay, it will help you make informed decisions on how to make your restaurant business successful.
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This article was first published on 3rd September 2014
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Restaurants located at insignificant locations are not fun at all. Seeing restaurants with great potential at crappy locations makes me sad because I think of how much goes into the running of the restaurant and how the owner might probably have ruined the growth chances of his/her restaurant because of its location. The location of a restaurant is as significant an issue as the wonderful taste and quality of food and service you’ll offer. Hence, the first decision you need to make in starting up a successful restaurant business is finding the appropriate location for it.
Here are 7 elements you need to consider when finding a perfect location for your new restaurant.
1. Your target customers: Consider the type of restaurant you are opening and the type of people you are opening it for when you are looking for a suitable location. For example, if you are thinking of opening a restaurant that will draw the elite and working class to your door, you want to consider opening your restaurant at the Island side of Lagos and some specific Mainland parts of Lagos.
2. Population: To draw in customers, you want your restaurant to be in the centre where your customers can easily gain access to it. Find out if there are enough people in the location you are considering. Understand that you must have enough people who live in the area or pass through the area every day to keep your restaurant running.
3. Parking: Your goal is to provide comfort to everyone that comes through your doors and you don’t want them constantly looking through the windows, trying to figure out if their cars are safe at the distance where they have parked them. See if the location you are considering will have ample space for a parking lot and if not, it should at least be in close distance to your restaurant and have a public parking space.
4. Safety: Is a crucial aspect you need to consider when choosing a location for your restaurant. Customers need to feel safe to bring their families and friends to your restaurant so that they can unwind, and have fun in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere. It is therefore important that you consider the crime rate of any location you may be considering for your restaurant business because the lower the level of crime in that location, the better.
5. Visibility: When considering a location, think of how visible your restaurant will be to people living around the area and people passing by. You don’t want to build your restaurant in the middle of four sky scrapers, if you know what I mean.
6. Accessibility: With visibility, your restaurant location should also be easily accessible for walk-ins and drive-ins. Think of a location close to the shopping mall, along a busy freeway or along major bus stops.
7. Consider the existing restaurants in the location: Move around the area and consider other restaurants in the location you are reviewing. Are they targeting your target customers? If yes, how are they faring in their quest? If no, why? Their predicament does not have to necessarily be your predicament but a review of how restaurants are faring in that location would give you insight on the attitudes, trends, habits and patterns of customers to restaurants in that area and if you are still willing to stay, it will help you make informed decisions on how to make your restaurant business successful.
