Running a restaurant isn’t like in the movies. Often glamorised and made to look like it’s all fun and games. It involves lots of research, investing in new concepts and ideas, settling on the restaurant’s USP, receiving funding, analysing competition, hiring the right people to make a dream team, getting the right equipment, narrowing on the location, etc. It’s beyond just making good food and having an inviting atmosphere; it’s also about maintaining everything, including the kitchenware, electricity, water supply, and ensuring nothing goes out of hand.

New owners of restaurants begin their venture with grit and excitement, something that slowly fades away when they face all the difficulties involved in owning and taking care of the business and the team. That’s when a handy checklist comes into the picture, to help a new owner gather their thoughts and keep an eye on anything that warrants attention. Are you a new restaurant or cafe owner with big dreams about your project? Here’s a restaurant checklist for you to make everything a lot easier.

• Mark the location

When it comes to owning a restaurant, the site is instrumental in deciding its fate. Setting up a restaurant in an otherwise quiet area has its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, a new restaurant in a peaceful residential colony can initially do well owing to lack of competition. However, the residents may want some variety, too, so it depends on the owner to up their game or face the thought of customers looking for other options. Similarly, if a restaurant is located in a busy area, along with other competitors, they need to play on the fact that they aren’t the new ones on the block and need to stand out compared to the rest. So decide on a location and weigh out its pros and cons.

• Come up with a dream team

A new establishment relies heavily on its team and how they can make the restaurant scale up. This dream team is not only for the kitchen but for other purposes, too, such as acquiring licenses and permits, interior decor, design and layout, etc. Since everything is new, members of the dream team would be doing a bit of everything until the restaurant officially takes off.

• Ensuring there are no interruptions

It’s natural for new establishments to face some roadblocks initially. These roadblocks could be in the form of not obtaining permits or facing low voltage or limited water supply on a daily basis. While all of this is temporary, the owner needs to invest in only the best. Perhaps the most critical interruption that needs to be avoided is electricity. Invest in the best of materials, high-quality fittings, plugs, sockets, switches and attractive switchboards, wires and cables, fans, etc. Materials of superior quality will always ensure a seamless run and will help you concentrate on other factors of running the restaurant.

• Light it Right

Ever been to a restaurant that gave out dull vibes? It’s probably because of the lighting. Even when the food is excellent, and the service impressive, lighting plays an important role in setting up the mood. Proper lighting allows a customer to truly enjoy the meal and appreciate the efforts taken by the team, in addition to noticing the interior decor and telling people about it. In this day of Instagram and selfies, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when good lighting implores a customer to fish out their phone and take great pictures of their food for social media. Invest in LED lights as they are a lot more affordable, long-lasting, easy to install, and can light up any place instantly. There are numerous LED lights and colours that you can play around with to give the restaurant a more vibrant feel. In addition to that, you can invest in dimmer switches, too. Dimmer switches have a plethora of benefits, especially when it comes to mood lighting. You can personalise the brightness and change it based on your customer’s needs and requirements. For instance, on the occasion of Valentine’s Day, you set the lighting to a dim, romantic one with LED strip lights making it look like there’s love in the air. Or for Diwali, you can go for a bright, vibrant one that leaves one in a festive mood.

• Every space counts,including the bathroom

Ensure attention is paid to every aspect. Do not leave a corner neglected. While a new restaurant might look exceptional in terms of its decor and furniture, staff, and the overall ambience, it’s also important to extend this to the bathroom. If the toilet fails to live up to the restaurant’s overall theme, then you are bound to have disgruntled customers. Invest in bathroom fittings that are easy to work around and impressive to look at. Many do not realise the importance of having a good exhaust fan, especially in the bathroom. A vulnerable place like the bathroom, where bacteria can breed easily, it’s important to aerate the area and ensure the bathroom is always at its best. With a variety of exhaust fans available, invest in the right one for proper circulation and ensure it is maintained periodically. Similarly, have the option of hot water and cold water in demand, with the installation of an energy-efficient water heater making it possible. While the bathroom should include all the basics, apart from including a constant supply of water and soap, you should also keep it aesthetically pleasing good lighting and hygienic at all times.

• Prioritise on safety

If there’s one aspect that often gets neglected, it’s safety. Since the establishment will be dealing with fire, it is essential to always have a fire extinguisher nearby, in addition to installing smoke alarms in the kitchen and dining area. Safety precautions should also extend to the restaurant wiring and cables. When in doubt, always consult an expert instead of doing it yourself and exacerbating the situation more. Did you know that an efficient circuit breaker is one of the safety accessories to consider for your restaurant? If you are worried about tripping and wiring problems, invest in the right MCB or Miniature Circuit Breaker to avoid any problems. In addition to this, for safety purposes, install wires that are equipped with ‘low smoke features’ wherein their specially formulated PVC polymers reduce toxic gases and smoke, thus making it more safe and reliable for your restaurant. That way Finolex’s PVCs insulated wires and cables function on high thermal stability, thereby tolerating high operating temperatures. Safety also involves installing CCTV cameras all around. At this day and age, it’s always important to stay alert considering there’s a lot at stake here. Get to know the various types of CCTV cables and invest in one that suits your restaurant’s needs.

• Emphasize on communication

A new restaurant requires all the right equipment related to the restaurants IT requirements. Apart from setting up a great presence on social media, it is essential that you have the right Optical Fibre /LAN cables to make communication with your headquarters or other branches or even with the different departments of the same restaurant seamless. Invest in Finolex Optical Fibre /LAN cables which are known for their durability and seamless service.

It takes a while for restaurants to establish their presence and see success during the initial days. While there’s a lot of work and pressure involved, there’s a lot of excitement, too! To deliver the best, you need to invest in the best first. For high-quality wirings, cables and other products for your restaurant, head out to Finolex!