Ready to Open a Second Restaurant Location?
April 13, 2019If your current restaurant is booming, it might be time to consider a second location.
Congratulations on your current success – you’ve already beaten the odds!
Opening a second location can be easier than your first one – you’ve already worked out a lot of the kinks. However, it’s not always a slam dunk. Here’s what you need to know to make sure your second commercial kitchen is as successful as your first.
Decide on the Theme
Do you want your second commercial kitchen to create the same menu as the first, or do you want a different theme? Will you keep the name the same, or change it?
You can also think about whether you’ll open a new full-time restaurant, a pop-up location, or even a food truck. There are more ways to expand your restaurant than ever before!
In order to make sure you succeed, you’ll want to think carefully about the location and theme of the second restaurant.
Think About Staffing & Management
Before you commit to opening a second location, determine who will lead the restaurant. Do you plan to step away from the first location to open the next one? If so, how will that go in your first establishment?
You want to make sure the quality of your first commercial kitchen doesn’t drop off because of your focus on the second restaurant. You want to make sure you have personnel in place at every level of the restaurant to make sure it can succeed autonomously.
Take a page out of your own book – you already have a successful business! Take a look at what makes your restaurant so high-quality now. Make sure you transfer those best practices to your new location.
Work Out the Numbers
What type of establishment you open – pop-up, food truck, or traditional restaurant kitchen – has a lot to do with what your finances look like.
It’s never worth it to overextend yourself to open a second location. There’s nothing wrong with simply enjoying success in the current situation. Before you take the plunge, make sure the numbers make sense. You’ll want to combine that with a great business plan and a strong new team.
You might consider a business partner or investor, but be sure you know them well. It’s unfortunately too common for a lot of stress to come from poor business matches – and it can leak back into your current restaurant and hurt that business as well.
Create a Great Marketing Plan
How will you get the word out about your new commercial kitchen? A great marketer, Dan Kennedy, likes to say, “You aren’t in the business of doing a thing. You’re in the business of SELLING the thing.”
What that means is that you aren’t in the restaurant business, you’re in the business of SELLING eating at your restaurant! You’re already doing this well if you’ve succeeded once. Be sure you have a great plan and keep things going strong so your new location sees similar results!
Get the Supplies Your New Commercial Kitchen Needs
Of course, we haven’t even touched on the most important element – the kitchen equipment you’ll need for your new location!
From cooking equipment to smallwares, your commercial kitchen will need to be completely outfitted. If budget is a concern, don’t shy away from high-quality used equipment. We can help you find everything you need – contact us today!
Roast: What’s Wrong With The Honeymooner’s Kitchen? Kitchen Supplies
Welcome to our new series, “Roast and Toast”! Each month we’ll feature one kitchen that we love and one that… well, could use improvements. The kitchens we feature can come from anywhere – TV, films, popular culture, you name it. We’ll talk about what we love and what...
Restaurant Supplies: The Growing Menu Role of Specialty Cheeses
As a commercial restaurant owner or manager, you might wonder what you can do to revive your menu a bit. There are a lot of fun ways to diversify your menu, but one trend you might have noticed is the growing role of specialty cheeses. We’ve all used common cheeses,...
It’s a Toast: Why We Love the “Friends” Kitchen
Welcome to our new series, “Roast and Toast!” Each month we’re going to feature one kitchen we love and one kitchen we hate. It can be from anywhere – a sitcom, a cooking show, a cartoon, a movie, or any other screen you’d see one on! We’re starting off with a toast...
The One Product to Boost Convenience Store Sales
Is there one product that can single-handedly make or break the success of your convenience store? A lot of store owners would say no. When they look at their store, they see products coming from hot dish foodservice equipment, shelves, and a variety of categories...
Restaurant Equipment Spotlight: Gas vs. Electric
Does your Little Rock restaurant use gas or electric restaurant equipment? In all likelihood you made this decision a long time ago, but it’s one that can always be reconsidered. There are benefits to both. If you’re opening a new restaurant location, it’s vital to...
Restaurant Equipment: Self-Ordering Technology
One of the biggest challenges of running a restaurant is keeping up with all the technology and restaurant equipment that is available. You might have thought when you opened your location that you could run things basically the same way for decades. While they may...
Four Tips to Opening a Successful Restaurant
Have you been dreaming about bringing your food expertise to the forefront of you life? Many people have thought about opening their own restaurant. Folks don’t follow through for a variety of reasons – money, fear, or simple inertia. You can be different, though. You...
The Case for Timeless Restaurant Décor
What’s the newest trend in restaurant décor? Evidently, people are loving “Millennial pink,” and they’re using it for everything. If you’re trying to keep up with what’s hot, you better get some new restaurant supplies right away! And remember, this isn’t just any...
Deep Fry Safely & Efficiently
When it comes to kitchen equipment, knowing how to use it correctly is vital. Not only does it keep your employees safe, it ensures that the food comes out well and that your equipment last a long time in good condition. Using a deep fryer may seem pretty simple, and...
Should You Buy Closeout Restaurant Supplies?
As a restaurant owner, you, of course, want to save money in any way possible. Restaurant margins are known for being razor-thin, so every dollar counts. Because of this, you might be tempted when you see a closeout deal for restaurant supplies. After all, you can get...
Choosing Environmentally Friendly Restaurant Supplies
There’s been a lot of controversy recently about restaurant supplies and how they affect the environment. The current focus is on plastic straws, but the same conversation has been had about Styrofoam and a variety of other materials. Can you choose environmentally...
Restaurant Supplies to Prepare Your Location for Spring
In March you can begin to feel warmer weather around the corner here in Little Rock. After all, the groundhog didn’t see its shadow this year, so we’re in for an early spring, right? As you think about how to prepare your restaurant for spring, think about getting the...
Proper Use of Cutting Boards
Food safety is vital to every restaurant – consistent inspections make sure of it! Unfortunately, the day-to-day operations can sometimes mean that safety falls through the cracks. One thing that can get overlooked in a busy kitchen is the safe use of cutting boards....
Four Myths About Food Trucks
You probably know that the food truck industry is booming – it’s grown by 7.3% in the last five years and shows no signs of slowing down. That makes it an attractive industry for anyone interested in serving food – from established restaurants to new entrepreneurs....
Kitchen Equipment: Choosing the Right Cutting Board
Every kitchen, from a food truck to a large restaurant, needs cutting boards. From vegetables to bread to meat and fish, your chefs and cooks have to chop things every day. Have you put a lot of thought into this important piece of kitchen equipment? Like many other...