Starting a restaurant is not only about cooking good food, though good food makes up for a lot it is no the sole purpose of a restaurant. One of the most important this is to find good location,of course I don't need to tell you that. Now what makes your place unique, is it a different style of food, great service, or atmosphere. We would like to have all of these aspects but sometimes standing out can be a hinderance.

I started a restaurant in Virgina that was upscale vegetarian. Now, not being a vegetarian myself this was a challenge. In the area there were no vegetarian restaurants to speak of. This is also a community where that type of food was in high demand. My place satabout twenty five in order to make it an intimate experience. I had been a chef for about five years and this was my first solo venture, boy was I in for an awakening.

I had no idea about hiring practices, licenses, or dealing with vendors. I don't say this to discourage you just be prepared. Talk to other people in the area. Restraunt owners are like a club they love to get together and bat around ideas. Find out when the peak times are in your area, they will differ from region to region. What kind of food does well? What products are expensive in your region? Is there a local farming community you can obtain fresh produce on a regular basis from? These are just some questions you want to ask yourself. I made many mistakes myself by not being prepared.

The health department is a huge obstacle to overcome. There are classes and seminars that you can attend all over the country but you need to visit the local health department and see what they recommend. Most states will require you to be "Serve-Safe" certified. "Serve-Safe" is a nation wide certifaction company that will teach you food handeling procedures and regulations, and in most cases is tougher than the health department. It is a good idea to stay ahead of them as much as possible in that they can come by at any time. Please don't think of the health department as your enemy for they will become that way, it is best to use them as a learning tool. The health department is there for your saftey just as much as your guests saftey.

Now assuming you have a space that is up to code and ready to be worked in it is time to outline your restaurant. What kind of food? this is the grand-daddy of questions when opening your own place. My advice is to go around to local restaurants and see what

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