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The food-service industry is a booming industry. As I stated in the first part of this series on how to start your restaurant, the food-service industry is a delicate industry that requires you to make strategic planning and execution. You have to specify your demographic, the restaurant service style, and your niche. In this article, we shall continue on how to successfully set up your restaurant business.
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Writing a Business Plan

Having a blueprint that contains the cost of establishing, running, and upscaling your business will give you the needed direction in growing a successful restaurant. Your business plan is the most critical aspect of setting up your restaurant. According to Entrepreneur, when drafting a business plan you should include: a clear definition of your concept; a description of your market; your menu and setting; comprehensive financial information, including data on your startup capital (amount and sources) and your long-term income and expense forecasts; a marketing plan; employee hiring, training and retention programs; and well-defined strategies that summarize how you’ll deal with the challenges restaurateurs face every day. Incorporating an exit plan into your strategy is also a good idea.

  • Choosing a Location

As a restaurant set up in Nigeria, location is very important. Location plays a great role in determining the growth and development of your business. There are things to look out for before choosing a location.
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They include the level of traffic in the area, amount of businesses and organizations, parking lots, capacity to pay the rent rates, history of the area, income level of residents, etc. 

  • Creating a Menu

When starting a restaurant, you have to be very careful in choosing what is on your menu. You have to observe the taste of the destination you are looking forward to serving. An ideal restaurant should be out to serve local and intercontinental dishes. It is currently a trend in the Nigerian foodservice industry that food like pizza, hamburgers, and shawarma is fast becoming a trend, especially among young people within the teenage and young adults as well as a fraction of mid-aged people. Also, smoothies, Chapman, and other hand-made drinks are fast becoming acceptable among Nigerian youths. Furthermore, many Nigerians are into ethnic-specific menus, especially African and Asian dishes. However, you have to be aware of your location and demography. These days, we have dozens of Chinese restaurants scattered all over Lagos and Abuja, and some other metropolitan areas in Nigeria.

  • Hiring Employees

Hiring the right people can be difficult. All the industries are known to man suffer from a shortage of experts. Hence, the foodservice industry is not an exemption. A food service business is not a business you can compromise on talents. It is advisable to hire those who are talented, trained, experienced, hardworking and passionate about the restaurant business.
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This is why you need the services of an HR department that can spot out talents required for your restaurant. Look out for experience and background, before hiring.

  • Marketing and Promotions

Promoting your restaurant business is diverse. You need to deploy both traditional and new media techniques to promote your business. First, your location is your first point of call, when it comes to promoting your business. Using print media such as billboards, posters, graffiti, and other outdoor advertisements is very important. You can place an advertorial in newspapers. They work wonders. On the other hand, the use of social media is extremely important. The ideal social media platforms to use are Instagram,  TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter. Each of these platforms serves different purposes. For example, Instagram is a good place to showcase your inventories – the latest and tastiest dishes – and other promotions that are highly graphical and visual. Instagram is where you flaunt the images of your restaurant’s interiors and cuisines. While Facebook is where you sell your brand story with both written and motion content. Twitter is good for directly responding to your audience as well as releasing press statements that keep your audience abreast. Featured Image Source: Bplans Blog
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This article was first published on 24th May 2022

nnaemeka-emmanuel

Nnaemeka is an academic scholar with a degree in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also a creative writer, content creator, storyteller, and social analyst.

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