Do you or have you considered having your own restaurant? [General]

2010 Mar 11
Well, we are all foodies. I'm sure 99% of us have thought of the idea. Any of you run a restaurant or are considering it?

2010 Mar 11
do you mean have we considered cooking professionally? there are many professional chefs on here, some restaurants owners and a few who are chefs and restaurant owners, there are caterers and many others who do cooking on the side in a semi-professional capacity (ie. cakes only).

this has been discussed at length previously. i'll try to find the thread for you.

2010 Mar 11
here is the most recent discussion on the topic. it appears the original post has been removed, but the comments offered remain.
Forum - Thinking about making a major career change...

2010 Mar 11
i ditched my white apron for a white collar 5 years ago ;)

personally i don't think i could go back to it. it's very physically and mentally demanding, not to mention working evenings, weekends, and holidays is not my idea of a good work/life balance.

it's very hard work and i would surmise that most foodies would dread doing it. just because you have a passion for food/cooking, doesn't mean you can make it work as a career.

that being said, i found the work very fulfilling. the ones who are successful are the ones who are passionate and literally make it their life.

i would consider owning a restaurant if i had the time, financial means, and the capacity to lose my entire investment (rate of failure is astronomically high here - tough competition, capital intensive)

2010 Mar 11
I have thought about it. I LOVE food and good small restaurants. But then I remember just how much work it would be! It would consume my entire life at the beginning I think, if not forever. Then when would I have time to travel the world and eat there? :)

I am a auto tech by trade, and have thought about opening my own shop, but working 8-5 is way too appealing.

2010 Mar 12
Monty, I second everything you just said..... well I ditched my apron 10 years ago but the rest is spot on.

2010 Mar 13
I actually left the industry about 10 years ago to work for Nortel. I thought I was done with the service industry BUT the boring factory work drove me nuts & I quickly realized that I missed the interaction, the multitasking, the smiles (mostly my own) & the fun...

It's not always a bed of roses & with so many things stacked against you as a small business. All levels of Gov't seemingly WANT you to fail, the banks don't want to help & our landlord 'Snidely Whiplash' was anything but understanding through the construction period.

Our landlord in all his wisdom has posted a sign on the side of our restaurant advertising a 'Retail Space for Rent' with no address or explanation of where the space is SO for 3 days I've been trying to convince people that it's not us & the landlord is unapologetic about the confusion.

Would I do it again? Yes but I would try to buy rather than rent & if I was to rent I would check the properties group that I would be dealing with before agreeing to terms...

Aside from a few negative points all in all I love what I do, we're the luckiest guys in the world with a fantastic staff that loves working for us & our clientele are like an extended family, I feel very fortunate.