Restaurant Business Plan

Mediterranean Restaurant Business Plan

On The Water

Executive Summary
On the Water is a new Mediterranean restaurant on the Sunset Strip. On the Water will target both fun-seeking as well as sophisticated diners looking for good food in a fascinating atmosphere. On the Water will seek to earn 85% gross margins through an innovative setting, a wonderful menu, and an experienced restaurateur.

The Market

On the Water will be targeting locals and tourists who are active restaurant seekers. There will be a special focus on young adults with $15K-$60K of income looking for good food and a great time. In addition to the young adults with money to spend, On the Water will also be targeting adults and tourists known to frequent Sunset Blvd. The general demographics are males and females ages 20-50 with some or all of a college education. In addition to local Hollywood area people, On the Water will also serve party animals from neighboring cities and tourists.

Historically, if there is a dip in the general economy, the restaurant industry is usually effected far less that the overall economy. To some degree this is because of people's perception that food, regardless whether it is from the grocery or a restaurant is a fundamental necessity of life and spend accordingly.

The Service and Products

One thing that is always consistent with On the Water is their impeccable service. All server staff hired have extensive experience and all go through three weeks of training, ensuring benchmarked customer service. On the Water's services are all delivered in their extraordinary atmosphere which includes a comprehensive art and culture collection from Mediterranean Europe. This provides an authentic surrounding that at times seems to distract everyone as they analyze the wealth of artifacts on display.

The menu is Lily Valdivia's pride. It is a culmination of over 20 years of cooking. The menu contains traditional favorites such as hummus, baba ganouj, and tabouli. These favorites are differentiated through the use of the freshest organic ingredients. Most people are not aware of how much better the items taste when they are prepared with the freshest ingredients and made with love. Other menu items are kebobs, chutneys, flat breads and desserts. Everything is fresh, homemade, and prepared daily.

Management

The restaurant is led by Lily Valdivia, an industry veteran. Her restaurant experience began 12 years ago as a server. She quickly moved up to fine dining serving where she perfected her formal, customer-centric serving approach. For the last five years Lily has been the manager at a European restaurant with over $2.5 million in annual sales. As mentioned earlier, Lily started cooking 20 years ago as a child in Greece. Lily came from a large family and it quickly became her responsibility to cook for the entire family. Her mother, who had three generations of traditional recipes, trained her. Lily quickly mastered these and began experimenting with her own dishes. The feedback from her family was always very positive. She knew one day she would have to parlay this skill into a business opportunity.

On the Water is forecasted to reach profitability by month two. Sales are forecasted to reach $1,785,000 by year two and grow to $2,345,000 by year three. We forecast a high net profit on these sales.
1.1 Objectives

1. Sales increasing to more than $2,345,000 by the third year.
2. Keeping gross margin at approximately 80%.
3. Improve inventory turnover to two-hundred turns next year in year two, and to 240 in year three.

1.2 Mission

On The Water is a business that envelopes fine dining of unique mediterranean taste and an excellent bar and grill atmosphere. The mission is not only to have great tasting food, but have efficient and friendly service. Our dining environment is not only welcoming and sophisticated, it is unique in design, with walls on almost all sides that are constantly wet with running water and a lush jungle ceiling that will hang from above. We concentrate on customer satisfaction and quality food that is always fresh and specially selected. We will not judge a customer on class or dress. We want the On The Water grill to be place people can enjoy a good meal and meet new friends at our tropical Mediterranean Honey bar located inside the restaurant.

Fine Dining Restaurant

Fine Dining Restaurant Business Plan

Executive Summary
Gabri's Lounge & Restaurant is a 60 seat fine-dining restaurant with a 20 seat lounge. We focus on our New American-Swedish menu with a touch of Asian influence.

We will be located in the booming, and rapidly expanding, borough of Long Branch, New Jersey 'on the shore.'

The outlook for the future of Long Branch is promising. Developers are recreating a $150 million first-class resort project. The old pier will be rebuilt with ferry service to Manhattan, New York City, beach cabanas, boardwalk and a bike path over a total of 25 acres. There will be 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, and over 700 residential units with condo and townhouses ranging from $200,000-$500,000; rentals from $1000-$2,500 a month, and a two-tier garage. The combination of these elements will provide the city with a year-round economy.

The area is in need of a warm and friendly place with excellent food. A place where you always know you will get the best of everything. Gabri's Lounge & Restaurant will feature a cozy dining room and an elegant lounge. Comfortable furnishings and decor with soothing warm tones. The lounge has comfy couches and antique love seats with a softly lit bar. It will be the perfect place to stop in for a bite to eat, for a drink or for a small business meeting. For extra comfort and to please a large group of people we will make up special hors d' oeuvre platters for customers.

The menu will be inspired from different countries' specialties and appeal to a diverse clientele. You can get Swedish specialties like herring, gravlax and meatballs, or you can go a little bit more International and choose a red curry chicken with basmati rice, or an Asian grilled shrimp with spinach, tofu and black bean sauce. We will also have a special pasta dish entree every day plus the 'all American meal' such as barbecue beef ribs and baked beans. Adding value will be an interesting business lunch menu with specialties every day. The menu will change every 3-4 months but keep the favorites. Prices will be competitive with other upscale restaurants in the area. However, it is the strategy of Gabri's Lounge & Restaurant to give a perception of higher value than its competitors, through its food, service and entertainment.

The lounge and restaurant will be open seven days a week. We will offer special theme nights to attract new customers to Gabri's. The restaurant will be fine dining in a cozy atmosphere. Warm colors, fresh flowers, soft music, candles and amazing artwork from some of the areas most notable new artists. This will contribute to a sense of community and give new artists a chance to show their work for a diverse clientele. During the busy summer months you can also sit outside on our patio and we will offer a special summer menu, featuring lighter fare, exotic drinks, as well as non-alcoholic offerings. The patio and garden setting will be a fun and casual atmosphere for the summer crowd.

The service will be relaxed, very friendly and correct. We will hire the best people available, training, motivating and encourage them, and thereby retaining the friendliest most efficient staff possible. Our management team is comprised of individuals whose backgrounds consist of 50 years experience in food, restaurant and hotel, catering, management, finance, marketing, art and motion pictures.

Catering will be a major part of the business. "Leave it to Linda Catering" already has an established clientele and we are growing each and every day. We feel in today's hectic work schedule customers don't always have time to set up that birthday party or other event that we all need and want. Now customers can leave it to pros and get the finest, most memorable party or dinner ever. We have years of experience in the catering business and know what an important client wants and needs. We will have a large International menu for customers to select from, and we will offer full catering service providing everything from table settings to the dessert. We anticipate our total sales allocation to be 85% restaurant sales and 15% catering sales. The combined cost of sales will be 33% producing a gross profit of 67% on total sales.

Most important to us is our financial success and we believe this will be achieved by offering high-quality service and excellent food with an interesting twist. We have created financial projections based on our experience and knowledge of the area. With a start-up expenditure of $385,000 we can generate $1,085,465 in sales by the end of year two, and produce good net profits by the end of year three.

We are seeking an SBA 7(A) loan guaranty for $200,000 with a 7% interest rate. We are investing $60,000 of our own capital and seeking to raise an additional $125,000 from investors. Our preferred instrument will be five year subordinated notes with an attractive coupon rate of 12% for the first two years and 15% for the remaining three years. At the end of five years the investors' notes will have matured and original principal plus a 2% premium and the final interest payment will be made. Our investor philosophy is conservative. Since restaurant start-ups are so speculative our belief and commitment to our investors will be to pay a generous, predictable rate of return while not strangling our operational cash flow. As our business becomes more established and reliable, our ability to pay an improved return of capital will be evidenced by an increased coupon rate of 15% of original principal. At maturity we feel it proper to retire the notes with a 2% premium to original principal invested.
1.1 Mission

Gabri's is a great place to eat, combining an intriguing atmosphere with excellent, interesting food. The mission is not only to have great tasting food, but have efficient and friendly service because customer satisfaction is paramount. We want to be the restaurant choice for all families and singles, young and old, male or female. Employee welfare will be equally important to our success. Everyone will be treated fairly and with the utmost respect. We want our employees to feel a part of the success of Gabri's Lounge and Restaurant. Happy employees make happy guests.

We will combine menu variety, atmosphere, ambiance, special theme nights and a friendly staff to create a sense of 'place' in order to reach our goal of over all value in the dining/entertainment experience. We want fair profits for the owners, and a rewarding place to work for the employees.
1.2 Objectives

Gabri's Lounge & Restaurant's objectives for the first three years of operation includes:

* Keeping food cost under 35% revenue.
* Keeping employee labor cost between 24-29% of revenue.
* Stay as a small restaurant with excellent food and service.
* Averaging sales between $1,000,000-1,500,000 per year.
* Promote and expand Leave it to Linda Catering in New Jersey & New York City.
* Expand our marketing and advertising in New Jersey and New York.
* Achieve 12% return on investment to investors for the first two years and 15% for the next three years.

1.3 Keys to Success

* The creation of a unique and innovative fine dining atmosphere will differentiate us from the competition. The restaurant will stand out from the other restaurants in the area because of the unique design and decor. We will offer a fine dining experience in a cozy atmosphere.
* Product quality. Not only great food but great service and atmosphere.
* The menu will appeal to a wide and varied clientele. It is International with an interesting twist.
* We will have special theme nights like restaurant nights, local artist's openings, Easter dinners, Swedish Midsummer party, Fourth of July celebration, Labor Day weekend, wine tasting dinners, special ethnic food nights, and Swedish smörgåsbord. All this will attract a varied clientele to Gabri's.
* Leave it to Linda Catering already has an established clientele in the area.
* Controlling costs at all times without exception.

Due to intense competition, restauranteurs must look for ways to differentiate their place of business in order to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage. The founders of Gabri's realize this. With the re-development of Long Branch, it needs a place that will fit into the 'new look' of the community that is sophisticated and entertaining. The fact that no other restaurants in the area has this concept and atmosphere presents us with a window of opportunity and an entrance into a profitable niche in the market.