Looking for some consumer input!

miarosa

Good afteroon everyone....

Firstly, im new here hi! I'm in the process of looking for a venue to open my first restaurant, it's all very exciting and scary

So heres my question, I am a self thought cook, cooking mainly Italian and a little Indian as im veggie and find their cusine suits me. I fully intend on hiring a fully qualified chef, however i plan on choosing the dishes and menu, with his/her input as a professional. I was going to go with the usual Italian homely food, but then i thought, why not do what i know, vegetarian! I was thinking perhaps more refined but not ponsy vegetarian, still good portions and value for money but more elegant than the only cafe i know in dublin that does vege. Is this a bad idea? Am i alienating 80% of potential customers, or are there enought people interested in veg food to make any kind of go of my business?? Also im Ceoliac and was thinking of perhaps doing a weekly intolerance special...or daily?

Just really want peoples input, am i getting ahead of myself? Should i stick with italian and do a good veg option? sorry about all the questions, id be grateful if someone would let me know.....

Also....if this is in the wrong place, feel free to move it...i couldnt find just a general restaurant forum...another also....my food is better than my spelling

(you may see this posted somewhere else too, didnt know where to put it, apologies!)

olaola

To be honest an Indian/Italian restaurant does not sound very appealing!
But I get where you're coming from regarding the veggie side of things - they are both fabulous for tasty meals for the non-meat eaters.

Where you thinking of setting up shop!? AFAIK there are a few veggie places around town - http://www.menupages.ie/Dublin/Cuisines/Vegetarian

Personally I wouldn't have a problem going to a veggie ressie (I'm a card carrying meat lover) as long as the food was up to scratch. But I do know a LOT of people who would be very if not totally reluctant to venture in your door!!

Best of luck with it anyway - the ceoliac thing sounds great, I have two friends who would be interested in somewhere that served tasty gluten-free dishes!

miarosa

thanks for your reply! Obvisiously I will have to do a lot more research before deciding, and in my circumstances theres no rush thankfully.

Just really wanted to test the waters, It's something id love to do, but naturally as a business it would have to be lucrative too, perhaps a reg menu with lots of veg options and maybe allergy specials (will have to phrase that better doesnt sound very appealing :rolleyes: ha!)

olaola

Keep us informed of your progress anyway - It's something I'd love to do myself! ! So I'm defo interested in seeing how you get on!

Best of luck!

Minder

When opening a speciality or niche restaurant, consider your location carefully. Are you near any major transport links - train stations, bus routes etc. Are there established bars or eateries near by. If you are likely to get a lot of passing trade then the chances are that you will generate good business - your alternative to mainstream eateries will not put you in direct competition with other local restaurants. Yes - you will compete for business, but two Italians restaurants in the Street is different to an Italian and a Veggie.

But if your location is somewhat isolated, if you are relying on good advertising or word-of-mouth to generate your business, you will need to be able to cover all of your overheads for a lot longer until your trade is established.

Run some numbers to help with your decision and good luck!!

Tails142

I personally would not go near a vegetarian only restaurant for fear of catching some anti-meat disease.

WHERE'S THE BEEF?!?


Seriously though - it would appear to me that restaurants are run on very tight budgets often with low margins; you often see new restaurants/cafes open up and then shut down within months due to financial problems; and this happens with well rounded menus which cater to everyones tastes.

It also occurs to me that while you can charge €25 for a steak, or special 'catch of the day' fish (is fish vegetarian?) - people arent going to be able to swallow having to pay such large amounts for a few leaves and dressing - so even if you do get the customer base in, they may not be willing to cough up the cash, in which case your margin will be based of a lower amount.

I know very little however, maybe restaurants make all their money on wine and desserts rather than the main courses.

Minder

Tails142 wrote: »

It also occurs to me that while you can charge €25 for a steak, or special 'catch of the day' fish (is fish vegetarian?) - people arent going to be able to swallow having to pay such large amounts for a few leaves and dressing - so even if you do get the customer base in, they may not be willing to cough up the cash, in which case your margin will be based of a lower amount.

Meat & fish cost a lot more than veggies. Lower overheads = lower prices at the table.

Tails142 wrote: »

I know very little however, maybe restaurants make all their money on wine and desserts rather than the main courses.

Restaurants make huge markups on wine and beer. It is only when you get a Michelin star that the markup on wine reduces. A Chateau Petrus from the seventies will set the restauranteur back £1000. It won't sell for £3000. A 2005 Chianti will cost the restauranteur £3.50 and will sell for £10.

Tails142

My thinking was that say you're markup/profits are 10% on the cost of ingredients... well 10% of a steak would be more than 10% of a head of cabbage. But perhaps that's not how restaurants price their dishes.

miarosa

thanks for your replies, no fish isnt veggie, it's still a living thing. However saying that some veggies eat fish, but as i was brought up veg, we never ate any kind of meat.

The two places im looking at at the moment are rathgar and baggot street, one obvisiously more expense than the other, i realise it will take me a couple of years to get fully established (if i suceed) as it did with my catering company and if i go the veg option natually dishes will be less expensive however, when not using meat, i would absolutely have to make sure the products im using are of top notch quality and so may cost a little more. My idea is to create food that both veggies and meat eaters would be more than happy with. i regularly serve my other half up chicken (quorn) curry and ragu (with TVP) with out him even realising! Not that im suggesting they would be dishes on the menu, im not looking to convert anyone, just try to intice some meat eaters in now and then, for something different! And of course to serve the ever growing veg community.

Minder

Are either of the premises already a restaurant?

miarosa

both are...

YellowSheep

But the most to watch out for is your rent. Your rent (including rates and service charges) should not be more than 10% of your achievable net turnover. Its a tough business to enter. If you want some more specific advise do not hesitate to contact me, free of charge of course. I have opened over 15 restaurants here in Ireland. Regards Oliver

olaola

I was just in the Epicurean the other day - there are about 2 or 3 units empty.
It could be a good first time venue to cut your teeth on?

cookiequeen

One major thing to think of is that you will automatically lose up to 21% of your income on VAT alone. There is no or very little VAT on raw ingredients but it miraculously appears once its turned into a beautiful tasty meal. You'll need to come up with the money to pay the VAT bill yourself at the end of the year. So even if it is veggie and you don't think it'll need to be too pricey take off 20% (except for take away) and you'll have a more appropriate figure of your income!! Good luck let us know hwo you get on