In our last post, we took the opportunity to throw our two cents in about the prospect of starting a restaurant. Restaurant owners are a rare breed, make no mistake about it. You have to be a Jack (or Jill) of all trades, constantly solving whatever problems the day might present you with. You have to work long hours, costing you precious family and personal time. You have to have a solid understanding of marketing, finances, oh…and the culinary side of things as well. You have to have enough capital to make it through your first years before you hopefully become more profitable.

Wait, this post is supposed to be about the pros of starting your own restaurant, right?

Right!

We just wanted to recap a little bit, seeing as how we spent almost the entirety of our last post talking about the many challenges of being a restaurant owner. It wasn’t very fun offering up a few sobering observations, but at the same time, it’s important to know what you are getting yourself into before you get yourself into tens of thousands of dollars in debt!

That outcome is far, far from being a certainty though, as evidenced by the fact that there are so many restaurants in existence that have stood the test of time. That being said, it takes an impressive individual to be able to wear all the hats a restaurant owner is required to. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons you should start your own restaurant!

You Love Food

Let’s start with the most basic, and perhaps ubiquitous, attribute that would recommend you consider starting your own restaurant: You love food. We aren’t talking about loving eating, which just about everyone does. We mean you love all parts of the culinary experience. From sourcing the best ingredients to finding the perfect blend of spices to the presentation of a beautiful dinner, there is a good deal to be said about the ritual of a wonderfully prepared meal shared with those you love.

You Are Tired Of Making Money For Other People

It’s a fundamental reason many small business owners go into whichever field they prefer. Just like a new homeowner who is tired of paying someone else’s mortgage, you are tired of not being able to call the shots while making money for someone else.

You Are A Creative Visionary

Here’s a point you’ve probably already been thinking about. You have a particular vision for what your dining room will look like. Whether it’s a classy establishment or you’d prefer a casual, laid-back atmosphere (or something different altogether), the point is that you have the autonomy to make it how you see fit. That’s a huge “pro” for many people, especially for those with a creative side to them.

You Love Doing Something Different Every Day

No job is completely different from one day to the next, but one of the most unique, exhilarating, and challenging components of being a restaurant owner is that you never know what the day might have in store for you. You might be short-staffed, have to get creative about how to make a dish without a core ingredient, or be faced with a day where you do nothing but manage inventory and balance the books! The point is that if you love wearing different hats every day, this could be the life for you.

As restaurant owner Dan Deagan told Art of Manliness in a special interview, “This is an industry where experience trumps education (and that’s an understatement). At various times in one night, I’ll be seating customers, pouring drinks, running food, busing tables, washing dishes, etc. It makes a difference to my staff and customers that I’m willing and able to jump in and help do any job.”

You Love A Challenge

As we’ve made note of, opening your own restaurant is a challenge as it takes much more than a passion for cooking and an LLC. You have to be able to be your own bookkeeper, accountant, HR rep, therapist (for yourself and your staff, perhaps), marketer, and maybe even server, cook, or host. We’ve established this. But maybe you are the kind of person that gets excited by people telling them it’s too much work, maybe you are so committed to the idea of success that you’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. Maybe you know you were made for this, or maybe you are so convinced that your food is delicious that you’ll grow up a loyal customer base and be profitable in no time! We love that mentality here at Online Orders Now, and later on in today’s post, we’ll highlight how we can help turn that success into a reality!

You Are A Self-Starter

When people think of being their own boss, some people might get the idea that they’ll be able to take days off whenever they want, or at least largely set their own schedule. Eventually, that might turn out to be the case, once your restaurant is a finely-tuned and well-oiled machine. But becoming comfortably profitable takes a long time, and it’s not a great idea to be under the impression that you’ll be able to squeeze nine holes whenever the sun peeks its head out.

Luckily, you probably are of the ilk that doesn’t want to become their own boss just so they can take a cheeky three day weekend every now and then. On the contrary, we bet that no one will care as much about your restaurant as you will. After all, they better not; it’s yours. You’ll pour your blood, sweat, and tears into it.

But even the best of us have to face days where we just don’t want to get out of bed. We just don’t want to deal with angry, rude customers. We can’t even handle the thought of an ungrateful employee, let alone the day’s required bookkeeping, marketing, and inventory, and accounting activities. There is no boss to call you if you aren’t there. You are the boss, now. Some people like that and can handle it, while others might need to really consider if they will be able to self-motivate the way they need to be. Which are you?

You Love Being Around People

The last point we’ll address in today’s post is that you should probably like being around people a whole lot if you intend to become a restaurant owner. You’ll be surrounded by them, nearly all day and every day. Your customers, BOH staff, and FOH staff will all be buzzing around you, asking you questions while you try to get some peace and quiet so you can finish up your bookkeeping and staff scheduling for the next stretch.

And not only will you need to be able to handle being around people from a personal (maybe even mental health) perspective, but you’ll need to be able to thrive around these people. You need to be your best self around customers, being an exemplar of hospitality for your staff. Even when you aren’t in the restaurant itself, you can’t flip a switch and suddenly be a jerk, either. Being a restaurant owner means you are always representing your establishment; people recognize you, even if you can’t say the same thing of them.

Why Online Orders Now?

We can’t say that utilizing our online ordering software for restaurants is a sufficient reason in and of itself to become a restaurant owner, but it’s pretty dang close to it. We offer restaurants the ability to streamline their online ordering processes by seamlessly integrating with most POS systems. Our online food ordering system is intuitive — easy for restaurant owners (you, staff, managers all included) and wonderful to use as a customer. When you consider the fact that online orders tend to be an average of 30 percent larger than when compared to orders over the phone or counter, you start to see the advantage of having a robust online ordering system that meets customers where they are looking for you.

With core features like fixed monthly pricing no matter your order volume (whereas our competitors will charge you upwards of 30 cents of every dollar earned through their online ordering software), an easy-to-use system, and direct integration with your preferred point of sale software, there is a lot to like about Online Orders Now.

Then when you consider the fact that we’ll help you with your marketing efforts by building you a custom website that captures the essence of your brand, choosing Online Orders Now pretty much turns into a no-brainer.

So while you are doing some soul searching about your vocation and if it involves the title “restaurateur,” remember that you’ve got an ace up your sleeve in the form of Online Orders Now and our software for restaurants. Everything we do is intended to make the life of restaurant managers easier by improving inefficiencies while making you more money.

Learn more about our pricing and our Exclusive $20,000 Additional Revenue Guarantee!