Sports Restaurant

[youngone00]

Hi!
I am starting my own company (hence why I am on the site), and was wondering what is the best way for me to go about getting this restaurant off the ground. I figure I will start as a sole proprietorship, and then change into a LLC after I take off. The idea is for a sports-themed restaurant with gaming and a small sports store located in the facility.

I have the name and everything; I'm trying to figure out how people go about building something if they are their own general contractor. Like the different jobs and when do I contact the next job in line.

So basically any help I can get will a big help to me. Let me know any info you may have. Thanks!!

[Energie9]

what is sports theme gunna be? general sports or a specific sport? lol I can sell you sports memorabilia for the restaurant... I've got some sweet stuff.

[blundie]

My advice to you as a restaurant owner-

all I can say is, that I wouldn't personally subcontract out a commercial job. Either way, you need to have a vivid picture of exactly what you want- some comparable properties/concepts, etc...

If you work with one contractor, it'll be easier to share that vision than trying to get that message across to say, 27 different contractors who do each little part.

But on the other hand- if you're looking to save money, then Contracting yourself may be the way to go. Make sure you check your states laws reguarding the building of a commercial property without a state liscensed GC.

Hope that helps a bit-

[Sam Barona]

Following on the baove thread, have a look at the following link:
http://www.thesportscafe.net

Its a great example of a sports themed eatery. I used to frequent their London branch when it was still owned by the original South African group.

They have F-1 cars hanging from the ceilings, lots of memmorabilia, they invite sports celebs for the VIPs to meet on their birthday parties and other special occassions, etc. Oh, and their burgers are much better than Hard Rock's.

I spent thousands in that place when I was in London and miss going there. If you do it right, you could also have a great chain like theirs; they used to have very long queues for entry (only allowing people in as others left) from Thursday to Sunday, so the right athmosphere, food, friendly and attractive staff, position (central) and varied stock of fine beers have made it into a great success, despite the fact that their prices aren't particularly low.

They also have lots of screens for showing sports events (you should see how busy it gets then - you can hardly move); a dancing area for later in teh evening with great music; an indoor basketball court; car racing machines; friendly people in the toilets that dry your recently washed hands and give you after shave for a tip; dining area, two bars and a VIP room with a massive screen and its own bar.

I can certainly help you with the screens (I supplied them for their London and Manchester branches), which are phenomenally cheap (250" diagonal screen for less than a 100" plasma).

sam@izly.co.uk

[TeamGopher]

Hi youngone00,

This is going to be a very expensive undertaking. Have you considered starting smaller first? Unless you have a lot of guidance and money I wouldn't jump into this. Running a restaurant is a huge undertaking.

blundie could you tell us how you got into the business and what steps you took to running your own restaurant?

I have known many business owners who opened their restaurant doors only to shut them quickly because of a lack of capital. It can be very tough getting customers especially when you are panicking about paying your bills.