Posted by sam sears, cec on September 06, 19100 at 19:23:06 :
In Reply to: Any suggestions???? posted by Lee on September 06, 19100 at 15:14:54 :
: I'm looking for some unbiased advice. My mother in law and I are thinking of starting either a catering business or a small restaurant. I worked in restaurants for years and now do event planning for large corporations. She is the BEST cook I have ever encountered (and I'm not saying that because I adore her, she really is!). What is our best bet a small restaurant or starting a catering business by renting a kitchen on an as needed basis?
First being someone who has owned a small restaurant & now owns a fairly mid sized catering firm (in biz since '58, I've owned since '88), let me say this.....a great cook or chef, does not a great restauranteur or caterer make......most all successful restaurants & catering firms are owned by great cooks/chefs or have one on staff & in reality most defunct restauranteurs & caterers are great cooks/chefs or had one.........this is a business, not play time or fun time......not trying to bust your bubble, but if you get into either line of business, be prepared to invest everything you can beg, borrow, mortgage or steal, and not make a salary at all for two years (minimum)......this is if you go into it full time....but my theory is that if you go into it "part time" one is never "hungry" enough to make it work, if possible.......if you could develope a catering business and have a plan to say do 100K first year out, and still be able to lease/rent (short term) a approved/licensed facility I guess that is the route I would go......this is a luxury that I did not have...I left a major corporation and bought this business and put everything me & my partner had, so it had to work or we would go bust...........and perserverance has paid off, but it took 10 years to make a "decent" salary/wage......hope this helps, some...email me if you have any specific questions..sam sears, cec