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[mhogan1602]

Hello. I am a fully licensed and permitted caterer that specializes in barbeque. I am contemplating approaching restaurant owners in the northern half of my state about adding my barbecue to their menus. I want to get a restaurant owner's perspective on what would make this attractive to you from a financial standpoint. My initial thoughts are to offer this on a cost plus basis with the plus either being a set fee or a percentage of the retail value of the product that I would be cooking.

So if someone approached you about doing the same thing, what kind of financial arrangement would make you seriously consider doing it? What other non-financial issues would be of concern.

Thanks in advance for your help. Your input is valued and appreciated.

[davidson]

Hello,


There are a few key characteristics that define a good restaurant owner.

1. They like people. They enjoy chatting with their customers, and have no problem listening to complaints with a sympathetic ear.

2. They are good at multitasking. It seems like the term multitasking is everywhere these days. It is definitely in the restaurant business. As an owner you need to be able to answer the phone, take care of customers, fix broken equipment (or know who to call to fix it) track inventory and pay the vendors. And that is just in one morning!

3. They thrive on stress. If you can’t handle stress, then don’t even think about opening your own restaurant! Every job has some sort of stress, but owning a restaurant brings it to a whole new level. You find yourself worrying about everything thing that goes on in the restaurant, from the staff arguments to finding good cooks. When its busy you worry about the staff’s service, when it’s slow you worry about money. When it’s snowing, you worry about getting customers in. Worry and stress go hand in hand. A good restaurant owner knows how to handle the stress of the job and not let it consume him or her.

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