How to open a restaurant | KRG Hospitality

KRG Hospitality 2024 Bar & Restaurant 500-point Start-up Checklist

January 10, 2024by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

2024 500-point Start-up Checklist

2024 KRG Hospitality 500-point Bar & Restaurant Start-up Checklist

by David Klemt

Opening a bar or restaurant is a daunting undertaking, with projects requiring the completion of 500 unique tasks within four phases before welcoming guests.

It takes strategic clarity along with a strong supportive team around you to ensure your dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare. To help you get ahead and start 2024 with the strongest opportunity for success, we’re giving you access to a number of free resources.

First, our 2024 Bar & Restaurant Start-up Costs Guide. If you haven’t already, download this informative guide today. And now, our 2024 500-point Bar & Restaurant Start-up Checklist.

KRG Hospitality’s feasibility studies, concept and brand development, and programming are unique and customized to every client. However, the journey from idea to grand opening is a well-worn path dotted by hundreds of waypoints.

There’s a reason we call our project plans Roadmaps to Success: we’re here to help guide our clients to and through each point on the map.

Below you’ll find 32—only six percent—of the 500 unique tasks we at KRG believe you must complete before your grand opening. Just these tasks alone should provide an idea of the enormity that is taking your concept from idea to brick and mortar.

To download your free copy of our 2024 500-point Bar & Restaurant Start-up Checklist, click here. As you’ll see once you open this checklist, it’s interactive. You can easily check off items as you complete them, and the document will save your progress.

Opening a bar or restaurant is challenging. We’re here to help make it easier.

Planning Phase

Self-assessment

Mindset assessment
Support network assessment

Feasibility Study

Market viability study
Technical viability study

Brand Strategy

Vision statemet
Frame of reference

Tech-stack Plan

Service technology plan
Payment processing technology

Project Set-up Phase

Job Scopes for Project

Landlord presentation
Equipment vendor presentation

Project Support Team Plan

Industry consultant
Legal Advisor

Menu Testing

Final flavor profile creation
Theoretical costing, food

Interior Design

Final choice in furniture
Final choice for millwork design

Operational Set-up Phase

Operational Vendors

Bar and kitchen smallware vendor
Refrigeration tech vendor
Hood cleaning vendor
Grease trap cleaning vendor

SOP Procedures/System

Finalize hourly operations plan
Application forms
Food safety quiz
Leadership team manual

Launch Phase

Marketing Execution

Creation of media package
Search engine optimization

Tech-stack execution

Point-of-sale systems
Menu management systems

Team Onboarding

Leadership team onboard
Team-building exercises

Soft Opening

Menu timing
Menu feedback

To download your free copy of our 2024 500-point Bar & Restaurant Start-up Checklist, click here now!

Image: KRG Hospitality

December 20, 2022by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

The Major Milestones You Must Reach

The Major Milestones You Must Reach to Open a Restaurant

by David Klemt

Opening a restaurant is no small task, with projects requiring the completion of 500 unique tasks before welcoming guests.

KRG Hospitality president Doug Radkey identified these tasks several years ago. The commitment to systematically accomplish these tasks is a cornerstone of our approach to all projects.

Our feasibility studies, branding, concept and brand development, and programming are unique and customized to every client. However, the journey from idea to grand opening is a path dotted by hundreds of waypoints.

There’s a reason we call our project plans Roadmaps to Success: we’re here to help guide our clients to and through each waypoint on the map.

Below you’ll find just 50—just a tenth—of the unique tasks we at KRG believe you must complete before your grand opening. You’ll find more than 80 tasks in the brand-new 2023 KRG Hospitality Restaurant Start-up Cost Report + Checklist.

Both the list below and the checklist included in our free Restaurant Start-up Cost Report download will give you an idea of what we work on with each of our clients. These tasks should also highlight the enormity that is taking your concept from idea to brick and mortar.

To download your free copy of our 2023 Restaurant Start-up Cost Report + Checklist, click here.

Planning & Admin Tasks

Complete your project feasibility study.
Develop your concept and brand plan.
Develop and test a layout/drawing.
Complete a strategic business plan.
Complete a marketing and tech stack plan.
Finalize your start-up budget.
Analyze and secure necessary funding.

The Support Team Tasks

You’ll need to secure:

Business insurance broker
Business and liquor license attorney
Restaurant and bar consultant
Project manager
General contractor and trades
Mentor or coach

Site Development Tasks

When it comes to these tasks, you may have an idea of roughly what to expect.

For example, one necessary task is…securing your property of choice. Another task to cross off or set a check next to? Signing the lease.

But there are other tasks you may not anticipate or think of when planning to open a restaurant:

Submit drawings to municipality.
Start and manage project renovations.
Set a SMART opening date proposal.
Set up and submit deposits for utilities.
Develop your service sequence (flow).

You’ll also need to source the following:

Exhaust hood supplier
Millworker and specialty supplier
Interior and exterior signage company
Grease trap cleaning
Used oil pickup/recycling
Exhaust hood cleaning

Operations Development Tasks

Complete a kitchen workflow plan.
Complete service sequence analysis.
Source take-out container suppliers.
Secure security, sound, and video, plus applicable licenses.
Secure point-of-sale and tech Systems.
Develop recipe books for kitchen and bar.
Develop package of standard operating procedures.

Brand Development Tasks

Developing your brand involves much more than choosing a logo and colors.

Consider every design and service element a branding opportunity. Your brand development tasks will include developing:

your core statements;
graphic design/branding kit;
website and social media accounts;
a promo video strategy;
a “coming/opening soon” plan; and
your media strategy for the launch.

You’ll also need to:

complete the F&B concept stage;
complete the F&B testing stage;
source menu cover supplier (for dine-in version)
complete a photo shoot; and
plan for and execute a soft opening.

Team Development Tasks

Develop your staff hiring strategy.
Plan for and complete HR and compliance forms.
Develop onboarding manuals.
Source staff uniform suppliers.
Promote job fair or interview dates.
Hold a staff orientation night.
Execute a staff-building exercise shift.
Create a brand ambassador program.

Image: KRG Hospitality

2023 KRG Hospitality Start-up Costs Guide

December 15, 2022by krghospitality krghospitality No Comments

KRG Unveils 2023 Start-Up Guide

KRG Hospitality Unveils 2023 Restaurant Start-Up Cost Report + Checklist

KRG HOSPITALITY RELEASES FIFTH ANNUAL RESTAURANT START-UP COST REPORT + CHECKLIST

Toronto-based hospitality industry consulting firm with offices in key markets throughout Canada and the United States of America unveils their latest restaurant cost report, milestone checklist, and interactive hospitality calculator.

December 15, 2023 (TORONTO)—Today, KRG Hospitality unveils their 2023 Restaurant Start-up Cost Report + Checklist. The Toronto-based consulting firm specializes in startup restaurant and bar projects along with boutique hotels, experiential concepts, and entertainment venues. KRG also has offices in key markets throughout the United States of America.

For the past five years KRG has researched, reviewed, and published the annual start-up cost guide, one of the industry’s leading resources dedicated to restaurant project costing.

And each year this informative and transparent guide is used as a trusted budgeting tool by developers, lenders, contractors, consultants, and aspiring restaurateurs. The guide is founded upon KRG Hospitality’s proprietary database of previous project costs, which includes project data from restaurants, bars, and cafes developed over the past 24 months.

Further, this annual KRG Hospitality also includes a start-up checklist that identifies an array of crucial milestones: KRG president Doug Radkey has identified 500 unique tasks that must be completed for a successful restaurant opening.

This year’s checklist reveals a number of these crucial tasks. Updated for 2023, the guide also includes the interactive KRG Hospitality Calculator.

The costs to start a restaurant have been on a steady rise over the past 5 years. Major drivers are increases in inflation, interest, labor, construction, equipment. Of course, there are also the unique materials required to deliver a scalable, sustainable, memorable, profitable, and consistent on-premise, off-premise, or hybrid-style concept.

Drawing upon this comprehensive guide, an industry-leading expert has analyzed the information and provided a succinct and user-friendly summary of the findings for each major start-up category. This isn’t simply a couple of pages identifying a few costs. Rather, the fifth annual guide is a deep dive that provides real insight into what to expect in 2023.

The Checklist

As stated, there are 500 unique tasks an operator needs to complete over the course of developing and opening the doors to their concept.

To make it simple to navigate, the 2023 checklist is organized into sections: Planning & Admin, the Support Team, Site Development, Operations Development, Brand Development, and Team Development.

From starting off with the targeted, customized, and in-depth feasibility to planning and executing the soft opening, KRG identifies dozens of key milestones in this year’s guide.

Download your copy of the 2023 KRG Hospitality Restaurant Start-up Cost Report + Checklist today! Click here.

About KRG Hospitality

KRG Hospitality is a storied and respected agency with proven success over the past decade, delivering exceptional and award-winning concepts throughout a variety of markets found within Canada, the United States, and abroad since 2009. Specializing in startups, KRG is known for originality and innovation, rejecting cookie-cutter approaches to client projects. The agency provides clients with a clear framework tailored to their specific projects, helping to realize their vision for a scalable, sustainable, profitable, memorable, and consistent business. Learn more at KRGHospitality.com. Connect with KRG Hospitality and the Bar Hacks podcast on social: KRG Twitter, Bar Hacks Twitter, KRG Media Twitter, KRG LinkedIn.

Disclaimer

While using this guide helps develop a rough preliminary financial and strategic milestone plan, it is strongly recommended that you seek professional expert advice to provide you with a more precise, project specific estimate as each concept and market will be slightly different. KRG Hospitality Inc. is not responsible for any project that is not currently under contract within the company.