One of the keys to a successful restaurant business is strong financial management. This volume in the Wiley Restaurant Basics Series provides restaurateurs with the tools necessary to manage their food-based operation by explaining basic accounting principles such as pricing, budgeting, cost control, payroll, and cash flow.

This one-stop guide to opening a restaurant from an accountant-turned-restaurateur shows aspiring proprietors how to succeed in the crucial first year and beyond. The majority of restaurants fail, and those that succeed happened upon that mysterious X factor, right? Wrong! Roger Fields--money-guy, restaurant owner, and restaurant consultant--shows how eateries can get past that challenging first year and keep diners coming back for more. The only restaurant start-up guide written by a certified accountant, this book gives readers an edge when making key decisions about funding, location, hiring, menu-making, number-crunching, and turning a profit--complete with sample sales forecasts and operating budgets. This updated edition also includes strategies for capitalizing on the latest food, drink, and technology trends. Opening a restaurant isn't easy, but this realistic dreamer's guide helps set the table for lasting success.

Around 90% of all new restaurants fail in the first year of operation. Many owners think they have the perfect idea, but they have terrible business plans, location, or other issues. Idiot's Guides: Starting and Running a Restaurant shows budding restauranteurs the basics of honing in on a concept to gathering start-up capital to building a solid business plan. You will also learn how to choose a great restaurant location, select an appealing design, compose a fantastic menu, and hire reliable managers and staff. In this book, you get: • Introduction to basic requirements of starting a restaurant such as time management, recognizing your competition, choosing your restaurant concept, and making it legal. • Information on building a solid business foundation such as a solid business plan, a perfect location, where to find investors, and securing loans. • Suggestions on how to compose the perfect menu, laying out the front and back of house and bar, and choosing the must-have necessities such as security alarms and fire prevention. • Techniques on how to hire and train your staff, purchasing or renting supplies, understanding costs and setting up your financial office, and using social media as a marketing tool. • Secrets for keeping your customers returning, running a safe restaurant, managing employees, and building your PR sales plan. • Pre-opening checklists to ensure everything is ready by opening day. Operational checklists and forms a successful restaurateur will need to manage their restaurant.

The easy way to successfully run a profitable restaurant Millions of Americans dream of owning and running their own restaurant — because they want to be their own boss, because their cooking always draws raves, or just because they love food. Running a Restaurant For Dummies covers every aspect of getting started for aspiring restaurateurs. From setting up a business plan and finding financing, to designing a menu and dining room, you'll find all the advice you need to start and run a successful restaurant. Even if you don't know anything about cooking or running a business, you might still have a great idea for a restaurant — and this handy guide will show you how to make your dream a reality. If you already own a restaurant, but want to see it get more successful, Running a Restaurant For Dummies offers unbeatable tips and advice for bringing in hungry customers. From start to finish, you'll learn everything you need to know to succeed. New information on designing, re-designing, and equipping a restaurant with all the essentials—from the back of the house to the front of the house Determining whether to rent or buy restaurant property Updated information on setting up a bar and managing the wine list Profitable pointers on improving the bottom line The latest and greatest marketing and publicity options in a social-media world Managing and retaining key staff New and updated information on menu creation and the implementation of Federal labeling (when applicable), as well as infusing local, healthy, alternative cuisine to menu planning Running a Restaurant For Dummies gives you the scoop on the latest trends that chefs and restaurant operators can implement in their new or existing restaurants.

DON’T LET YOUR FEAR OF FINANCE GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR SUCCESS Can you prepare a breakeven analysis? Do you know the difference between an income statement and a balance sheet? Or understand why a business that’s profitable can still go belly-up? Has your grasp of your company’s numbers helped—or hurt—your career? Whether you’re new to finance or you just need a refresher, this go-to guide will give you the tools and confidence you need to master the fundamentals, as all good managers must. The HBR Guide to Finance Basics for Managers will help you: Learn the language of finance Compare your firm’s financials with rivals’ Shift your team’s focus from revenues to profits Assess your vulnerability to industry downturns Use financial data to defend budget requests Invest smartly through cost/benefit analysis

Accompanying CD-ROM contains copies of all forms contained within the text.

Ninety percent of all restaurants fail, and those that succeed happened upon that mysterious X factor, right? Wrong! A man of many hats: money-guy, restaurant owner, and restaurant consultant-Roger Fields shows how a restaurant can survive its first year, based on far more than luck, and keep diners coming back for many years to come. Featuring real-life restaurant start-up stories (including some of the author's own), this comprehensive how-to walks readers through the logistics of opening a restaurant: creating the concept, choosing a location, designing the menu, establishing ambiance, hiring staff, and, most important, turning a profit. Opening a restaurant isn't easy, but this realistic dreamer's guide helps set the table for lasting success. From the Trade Paperback edition.