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Executive Summary of a Restaurant: Template & Example

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  • December 29, 2023
  • Business Plan , Executive Summary

the business plan template of a restaurant

An executive summary for a restaurant business plan is key to illustrating the vision and strategy of your dining establishment. This summary is essential in conveying the unique aspects of your restaurant, especially its location, concept, size, supply chain, etc. It should effectively communicate your restaurant’s potential in a competitive landscape , highlighting how it differentiates itself with a distinct culinary experience and service.

In the executive summary, a two-slide PowerPoint format is recommended. The first slide should focus on the restaurant’s location, size, supply chain, and operations, underlining its appeal to the target demographic. The second slide should emphasize the expertise of the management team and the financial objectives of the business, presenting a comprehensive overview of the restaurant’s potential in the dynamic FSR market.

the business plan template for a restaurant

Restaurant Business Plan

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Executive Summary: Page 1

the executive summary slide of a restaurant business plan (page 1)

Business Overview

The business overview should detail the restaurant’s specific features, such as its seating capacity, ambiance, and supply chain practices. It’s important to emphasize how the restaurant caters to its target demographic through its strategic location and operational model.

Example: “[Your Restaurant Name],” located in [specific area or neighborhood], covers [total square footage] sq ft and includes a main dining area, bar, and outdoor patio, offering a total of [number of seats] seats. The restaurant’s commitment to quality is reflected in its locally sourced produce and sustainable supply chain practices, catering to a diverse clientele.

Market Overview

This section involves analyzing the size, growth, and trends of the full-service restaurant market. It should address the industry’s digital transformation, health-conscious dining preferences, and eco-friendly practices, positioning the restaurant within the broader market context.

Example: “[Your Restaurant Name]” enters a U.S. full-service restaurant market valued at $293 billion. The restaurant’s focus on technology, healthier menu options, and sustainability aligns well with current market trends and consumer preferences, setting it apart from six main competitors in the area.

Executive Summary: Page 2

the executive summary slide of a restaurant business plan (page 2)

Management Team

Detailing the management team’s background and expertise is crucial. This section should highlight how their experience in culinary arts and restaurant management contributes to the success of the restaurant.

Example: The Executive Chef and Co-Owner of “[Your Restaurant Name]” leads menu development and kitchen operations, ensuring high-quality food preparation and presentation. The General Manager and Co-Owner manages daily operations, staff, customer service, and financial aspects, ensuring a seamless dining experience.

Financial Plan

This section should outline the restaurant’s financial goals and projections, including revenue targets and profit margins, providing a clear picture of its financial aspirations and health.

Example: “[Your Restaurant Name]” aims to achieve $2.7 million in annual revenue with an 11% EBITDA margin by 2028. This financial goal is supported by a focus on quality dining experiences, strategic marketing, and operational efficiency, positioning the restaurant for growth in the competitive full-service restaurant market.

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Restaurant Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Restaurant Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your restaurant business plan.

We have helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs and business owners with how to write a restaurant business plan to help them start or grow their restaurants.

Below is a restaurant business plan template to help you create each section of your business plan.

Restaurant Business Plan Example

Executive summary, business overview.

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse is a new restaurant and steakhouse located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The menu of Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will include bistro-type dishes that are authentically created and crafted by acclaimed Chef Peter Logan. It will be located in the trendy part of town, known as the Plaza District. The restaurant will be surrounded by classy art galleries, live theater, high-end restaurants and bars, and expensive shopping.

Owned by emerging restaurant operators Chef Peter Logan and Anastasia Gillette, Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse’s mission is to become Oklahoma City’s best, new restaurant for patrons to celebrate their next big event, have a nice date night, or gather with friends or family for a fun evening while dining over finely crafted entrees, desserts, and cocktails.

Products Served

The following are the menu items to be offered by Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse:

  • Soups & Salads
  • Gourmet sides
  • Wine, Beer & Spirits

Customer Focus

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will target adult men and women between the ages of 21 – 65 with disposable income in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Within this demographic are millennials, young professionals, newlyweds, young families, more established families, and retirees. Because of the pricing structure of the menu, the patrons will likely be upper middle class to the wealthy population of Oklahoma City.

Management Team

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse is owned and operated by fellow Oklahoma City natives and culinary enthusiasts, Chef Peter Logan and Anastasia Gillette. Both come with a unique skill set and complement each other perfectly. They formerly worked together at another OKC fine dining establishment and made a great team for serving guests delectable food and wine while ensuring the highest level of customer service.

Chef Peter will manage the kitchen operations of Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse, while Anastasia will oversee front of the house operations, maintain and ensure customer service, and manage all reservations.

Financial Highlights

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse is seeking $300,000 in debt financing to open its start-up restaurant. The funding will be dedicated for the build-out and design of the restaurant, kitchen, bar and lounge, as well as cooking supplies and equipment, working capital, three months worth of payroll expenses and opening inventory. The breakout of the funding is below:

  • Restaurant Build-Out and Design – $100,000
  • Kitchen supplies and equipment – $100,000
  • Opening inventory – $25,000
  • Working capital (to include 3 months of overhead expenses) – $25,000
  • Marketing (advertising agency) – $25,000
  • Accounting firm (3 months worth and establishment/permitting of business) – $25,000

executive summary example business plan restaurant

Company Overview

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse is a new restaurant and steakhouse located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will serve a wide variety of dishes and beverages and will cater to the upper middle class to wealthier population of Oklahoma City. The menu of Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will include bistro-type dishes that are authentically created and crafted by acclaimed Chef Peter Logan. It will be located in the trendy part of town, known as the Plaza District. The Plaza District is one of Oklahoma’s trendy neighborhoods and is considered the “it” area for newlyweds, millennials, professionals, and young singles. The restaurant will be surrounded by classy art galleries, live theater, high-end restaurants and bars, and expensive shopping.

Owned by emerging restaurant operators Chef Peter Logan and Anastasia Gillette, the restaurant’s mission statement is to become the best new steak restaurant in OKC. The following are the types of menu items Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will serve- shareables, steaks, soups, gourmet sides and salads.

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse History

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse is owned by two Oklahoma City natives, Chef Peter Logan and Anastasia Gillette. They have both worked around the country in fine dining establishments and have a combined twenty years in the restaurant industry. Upon working alongside each other at another fine dining establishment in Oklahoma City, the two of them became good friends and decided to venture into owning their own restaurant.

Chef Peter is the kitchen guru and critically acclaimed chef, while Anastasia manages the front of the house and is a certified Sommelier. Together, with both of their expertise and knowledge, Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse is destined to become Oklahoma City’s next big restaurant.

Industry Analysis

The Restaurant industry is expected to grow to over $220 billion in the next five years.

Consumer spending is projected to grow. The Consumer Confidence Index, a leading indicator of spending patterns, is expected to also grow strongly, which will boost restaurant industry growth over the next five years. The growth in consumer confidence also suggests that more consumers may opt to segment their disposable income to eating outside the home.

Additionally, an increase in the number of households earning more than $100,000 annually further contributes to the industry growth, supporting industry operators that offer more niche, higher-end products.  This group is expected to continue to grow in size over the next five years.

The urban population represents a large market for the industry. Specifically, time-strapped individuals living in urban areas will likely frequent industry establishments to save time on cooking. The urban population is expected to increase, representing a potential opportunity for the industry.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market, customer segmentation.

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will primarily target the following customer profile:

  • Upper middle class to wealthier population
  • Millennials
  • Young professionals
  • Households with an average income of at least $75k
  • Foodies and culture enthusiasts

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will be competing with other restaurants in Oklahoma City. A profile of each competitor is below. The Press Located in the trendy area known as the Plaza District, The Press has reimagined our favorite foods of the surrounding regions through the lens of home.

The menu consists of appetizers, soups, burgers and sandwiches, bowls, main dishes, sides, desserts, and a large selection of alcoholic beverages. The Press serves craft beer, domestic beer, wine spritzers, house cocktails, wine, and mimosas. They also offer brunch. The menu of The Press is affordable with the most expensive dish being $16. The wine menu is also not pretentious as the wine is sold either by the glass or bottle, with the most expensive bottle being $52 for the Gruet Sparkling Brut Rose. Oak & Ore Oak & Ore is a craft beer and restaurant in OKC’s Plaza District. They have a 36-tap beer selection and offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free dining options. Oak & Ore offers a rotating, 36-tap selection of their favorite brews from Oklahoma and around the world. Each beer is thoughtfully paired with a craft beer-inspired dining experience.

The food menu of Oak & Ore offers starters, salads, wings, fried chicken, sandwiches, tacos, banh mi, and sides. They also have a selection of kids dishes so the whole family can enjoy comfort food while sampling one of their delectable beers.

The Mule OKC The Mule is a casual, hip restaurant offering a large beer and cocktail menu plus sandwiches and more. Located in the constantly growing and buzzing hub that is the Plaza District, The Mule takes the timeless favorite and contorts it into a whole menu of wild offerings.

There is also a fantastic assortment of soups offered and The Mule shakes up a seasonal list of cocktails designed by their bar staff. During the winter months, patrons can stave off the cold with their versions of hot toddies and buttered rum. For the beer drinkers, they always have a reliable line-up of fresh cold brews on draft, as well as a wide selection of can.

Competitive Advantage

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse offers several advantages over its competition. Those advantages are:

  • Gourmet dishes elegantly prepared to the finest standard.
  • Selection of steaks sourced from local Oklahoma farms.
  • An exclusive and unique wine menu that includes a wine selection of all price points.
  • Highly sought after location: Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will be located in the trendy and attractive neighborhood known as The Plaza District.
  • Trendy, welcoming, and energetic ambiance that will be perfect for a night out or a celebration.

Marketing Plan

Promotions strategy.

The marketing strategy for Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse is as follows: Location Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse’s location is a promotions strategy in itself. The Plaza District is a destination spot for locals, tourists, and anyone looking for the trendiest food fare in Oklahoma City. The Plaza District is home to OKC’s most popular bars and restaurants, art galleries, theaters, and boutique shopping. The millennials, young professionals, and foodies will frequent Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse for the location itself.

Social Media Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will use social media to cater to the millennials and Oklahoma City residents. Chef Peter and Anastasia plan to hire an advertising agency to take professional photographs of the menu items and location to create appealing posts to reach a greater audience. The posts will include pictures of the menu items, as well as upcoming featured options. SEO Website Marketing Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse plans to invest funds into maintaining a strong SEO presence on search engines like Google and Bing. When a person types in “local fine dining restaurant” or “Oklahoma City restaurant”, Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will appear in the top three choices. The website will include the full menu, location, hours, and lots of pictures of the food, drinks, and steaks. Third Party Delivery Sites Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will maintain a presence on sites like GrubHub, Uber Eats, Doordash, and Postmates so that people looking for local food to be delivered will see Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse listed near the top.

Operations Plan

Operation functions:.

The company will hire the following:

  • 4 sous chefs
  • 2 bartenders
  • 2 hostesses
  • The company will hire an advertising agency and an accounting firm

Milestones:

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse aims to open in the next 6 months. The following are the milestones needed in order to obtain this goal.

7/1/202X – Execute lease for prime location in the Plaza District.

7/2/202X – Begin construction of restaurant build-out.

7/10/202X – Finalize menu.

7/17/202X – Hire advertising company to begin developing marketing efforts.

8/15/202X – Start of marketing campaign

8/22/202X – Final walk-thru of completed restaurant build-out.

8/25/202X – Hire team of sous chefs, servers, and bussers.

9/1/202X – Decoration and set up of restaurant.

9/15/202X – Grand Opening of Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will be owned and operated by Chef Peter Logan and Anastasia Gillette. Each will have a 50% ownership stake in the restaurant.

Chef Peter Logan, Co-Owner

Chef Peter Logan is an Oklahoma City native and has been in the restaurant industry for over ten years. He was trained in a prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy in San Francisco and has worked in some of the nation’s most prestigious fine dining restaurants. His tenure has took him from the west coast to the east coast, and now he’s back doing what he loves in his hometown of Oklahoma City.

Chef Peter will manage the kitchen operations of Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse. He will train and oversee the sous chefs, manage inventory, place food inventory orders, deal with the local food vendors, and ensure the highest customer satisfaction with the food.

Anastasia Gillette, Co-Owner

Anastasia Gillette was born and raised in Oklahoma City and has garnered over ten years in the restaurant industry as well. While in college, Anastasia worked as a hostess at one of the area’s most prestigious restaurant establishments. While there, she was eventually promoted to Front of the House Manager where she oversaw the hostesses, servers, bussers, bartenders, and reservations. Her passion always led to the beverage portion of the restaurant so she obtained her Sommelier certificate in 2019. With her wine education, Anastasia is able to cultivate an interesting and elegant wine selection for the restaurant.

Anastasia will oversee front of the house operations, maintain and ensure customer service, and manage all reservations. She will also be in charge of the bar and wine ordering, training of front of the house staff, and will manage the restaurant’s social media accounts once they are set up.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse will come from the food and drink menu items being offered daily.

The cost drivers will be the ingredients and products needed to make the menu items as well as the cooking materials. A significant cost driver is the fine dining equipment, serving dishes, and beer and wine glasses. Other cost drivers will be the overhead expenses of payroll for the employees, accounting firm, and cost of the advertising agency.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Bluehorn Restaurant & Steakhouse is seeking $300,000 in debt financing to open its start-up restaurant. The breakout of the funding is below:

Financial Projections

Income Statement

  Balance Sheet

  Cash Flow Statement

Restaurant Business Plan FAQs

What is a restaurant business plan.

A restaurant business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your restaurant business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can  easily complete your restaurant business plan using our Restaurant Business Plan Template here .

What Are the Main Types of Restaurants?

There are many types of restaurant businesses. Restaurants can range in type from fast food, fast casual, moderate casual, fine dining, and bar and restaurant types. Restaurants also come in a variety of different ethnic or themed categories, such as Mexican restaurants, Asian restaurants, American, etc.  Some restaurants also go mobile and have food trucks.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Restaurant Business Plan?

Restaurant businesses are most likely to receive funding from banks. Typically you will find a local bank and present your business plan to them. Another option for a restaurant business is to obtain a small business loan. SBA loans are a popular option as they offer longer loan terms with lower interest rates.

What are the Steps To Start a Restaurant Business?

1. Develop A Restaurant Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed restaurant business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your restaurant business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your restaurant business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Restaurant Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your restaurant business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your restaurant business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Restaurant Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your restaurant business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your restaurant business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising. 

Learn more about how to start a successful restaurant business:

  • How to Start a Restaurant Business

Where Can I Get a Restaurant Business Plan PDF?

You can download our free restaurant business plan template PDF here . This is a sample restaurant business plan template you can use in PDF format.

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How to Write a Restaurant Business Plan in 2024 (Step by Step Guide with Templates)

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A comprehensive restaurant business plan is a framework that guides you to plan and forecast every element of restaurant management and operations.

This includes anything from your restaurant's menu design, location, financials, employee training, and a lot more.

Crafting a solid business plan is important, as it helps:

  • Transform your restaurant ideas into reality.
  • Boosts entrepreneurial success by 16% (Harvard Business Study) .
  • Equips you to navigate challenges before they arise.
  • Attracts potential investors.

“You have to show any potential investor that you have an actual plan, you know what you’re talking about, it looks professional, and you’re not just screwing around.” - Charles Bililies, owner of Souvla

Planning is key to restaurant success. Without a plan, you're more likely to join the 26% of restaurants that fail within a year.

Create a business plan to set yourself up for success.

Here's how to get started. 

executive summary example business plan restaurant

A step-by-step guide to writing a restaurant business plan

Embarking on a restaurant venture is an exciting prospect filled with endless possibilities.

However, the key to transforming your culinary dreams into reality lies in the foundation of a well-crafted restaurant business plan.

This guide will walk you through creating a winning restaurant business plan , from defining your niche to seeking expert advice.

So, are you ready to cook up some success?  Let's get started. 

Essential components of a restaurant business plan

A well-structured restaurant business plan typically consists of the following key components:

  • Executive Summary

Company Description

  • Market Analysis
  • Restaurant Design
  • Market Overview
  • External help
  • Financial Analysis

Delving into each section

Now, let's take a closer look at each section of your restaurant business plan and explore the key elements to consider:

1. Executive summary

A restaurant business plan should always begin with an executive summary. Why?

  • 80% of venture capitalists say they read the executive summary first.
  • 62% of investors say they would not continue reading a business plan if the executive summary did not capture their interest.
  • A strong executive summary can increase the likelihood of securing funding by up to 40%.

An executive summary not only acts as the introduction to your restaurant business plan samples but also as a summary of the entire idea.

The main aim of an executive summary is to draw the reader (oftentimes an investor) into the rest of your business plan.

The executive summary also helps you envision the identity of your restaurant which essentially shapes the customer experience and sets you apart from competitors.

To establish a distinct identity, you need to focus on c ommon elements of an executive summary, including:

  • A mission statement  
  • Proposed concept development
  • Cuisine selection
  • The overall execution
  • The potential costs
  • Expected return on investments (ROI)

Let's take a more in-depth look at the concept development, cuisine selection, and mission statement.

Further reading

  • How to write a restaurant executive summary

Concept Development

Selecting the type of restaurant, service style, and atmosphere is the first step towards creating a unique dining experience. Whether you envision a sample menu for a:

  • cozy, intimate bistro
  • bustling quick-service deli
  • fast-casual restaurant
  • fine dining establishment

Your concept should reflect your passion and expertise in the industry.

With a broad range of options, it’s critical to scrutinize your target market and pinpoint the most suitable choice considering their preferences and your capabilities.

When planning your restaurant design, keep in mind that it should effectively complement your chosen theme and cuisine.

Additionally, consider the potential for patio seating and the involvement of your management team in making these critical decisions.

A well-thought-out concept will not only set the stage for an unforgettable dining experience but also pique the interest of potential investors.

Cuisine Selection

The cuisine you select for your restaurant can significantly influence its success.

Choosing the appropriate cuisine is vital for distinguishing your establishment from competitors and attracting your target market.

To make an informed decision, consider factors such as:

  • Market demand
  • Expertise and passion
  • Ingredient availability
  • Competition
  • Profitability
  • Cultural fit
  • Seasonality

Dietary restrictions and trends

In the highly competitive restaurant industry, keeping track of current and emerging cuisine trends can be a significant advantage.

From regional delicacies to innovative fusion dishes, understanding what’s popular and in demand can help you tailor your offerings to the desires of your target audience.

By thoroughly analyzing the market and adapting to evolving tastes, your restaurant can remain relevant and successful in the long run.

Crafting a mission statement

A well-constructed mission statement communicates the purpose, values, and goals of your restaurant to potential investors and customers alike.

A mission statement serves as a guiding light for decision-makers and employees, fueling their efforts to achieve your restaurant’s objectives.

To create an impactful mission statement, consider the following steps:

  • Identify the purpose of the restaurant.
  • Contemplate the brand’s image.
  • Account for the target audience.
  • Incorporate company values.
  • Ensure brevity and comprehensiveness.

Related content:  How to Write a Restaurant Mission Statement  

Remember, your mission statement should not only differentiate your restaurant from competitors but also resonate with your target market.

By articulating your restaurant’s unique values and vision, you’ll create a strong foundation upon which to build a thriving and successful business.

2. Company description

This is the part of the restaurant business plan where you fully introduce the company.

Start this section with the name of the restaurant you are opening along with the location, contacts, and other relevant information. 

Also, include the owner’s details and a brief overview or description of their experience.

The second part of the company description should highlight the legal standing of the restaurant and outline the restaurant’s short and long-term goals.

Provide a brief market study showing that you understand the trends in the regional food industry and why the most independent restaurant investors will succeed in this market.

Here's an example of the page layout:  

Restaurant Name: [Restaurant Name]

Location: [Restaurant Address]

Contact: [Restaurant Phone Number] | [Restaurant Email Address]

Owner: [Owner Name]

Experience: [Owner Name] has over [Number] years of experience in the restaurant industry. They have worked in various roles, including [List of Roles]. They are passionate about food and creating a memorable dining experience for their guests.

Legal Standing: [Restaurant Name] is a [Type of Legal Entity] registered in [State/Province].

Short-term Goals:

  • Generate [Amount] in revenue within the first year of operation.
  • Achieve a [Percentage] customer satisfaction rating within the first six months of operation.

Long-term Goals:

  • Expand to a second location within five years.
  • Become a recognized leader in the regional food industry.

Market Study:

The regional food industry is experiencing a number of trends, including:

  • An increasing demand for fresh,  local ingredients.
  • A growing interest in ethnic cuisine.
  • A preference for casual dining experiences.

3. Market analysis

The market analysis portion of the restaurant business plan is typically divided into three parts.

3.1 Industry analysis

What is your target market? What demographics will your restaurant cater to?

This section aims to explain your target market to investors and why you believe guests will choose your restaurant over others.

Comprehending your target market is key to customizing your restaurant offerings to their preferences and needs.

By diving into demographics, preferences, dining habits, and trends, you can fine-tune your concept and marketing strategy to reach and appeal to your target audience effectively.

An example of analyzing your target market

  Comprehending your target market is key to customizing your restaurant offerings to their preferences and needs.

Demographics and preferences

Identifying your primary target market involves considering factors such as:

For example, a neighborhood with a high concentration of families might prefer a family-friendly restaurant with a diverse menu catering to various age groups and dietary preferences.

Conversely, a trendy urban area with a predominantly young and affluent population may gravitate towards upscale dining experiences and innovative cuisine.

Cultural and ethnic backgrounds also have a significant impact on restaurant preferences, with people from different backgrounds having distinctive tastes and customs that influence their dining choices.

By thoroughly understanding the demographics and preferences of your target market, you’ll be better equipped to create a restaurant concept that resonates with them and ultimately drives success.

Dining habits and trends

As the restaurant industry continues to evolve, staying informed about dining habits and trends is crucial for adapting your offerings and attracting customers.

For example, the rise of online ordering and delivery services has significantly influenced dining habits, with many consumers seeking the convenience of having their meals delivered to their doorstep.

Health trends have also had an impact on dining habits, with an increasing number of individuals seeking healthier options when dining out.

By staying abreast of current habits and trends, you can anticipate the needs and desires of your target market and tailor your restaurant’s offerings accordingly.

This forward-thinking approach will not only help you stay competitive but also foster long-term success in the ever-changing restaurant landscape.

  • How to find your restaurant's target market

3.2 Competition analysis

It's easy to assume that everyone will visit your new restaurant first, so it is important to research your competition to make this a reality.

What restaurants have already established a customer base in the area?

Take note of everything from their prices, hours, and service style to menu design to the restaurant interior.

Then explain to your investors how your restaurant will be different.

3.3 Marketing analysis

Your investors are going to want to know how you plan to market your restaurant. How will your marketing campaigns differ from what is already being done by others in the restaurant industry?

How do you plan on securing your target market? What kind of offers will you provide your guests? Make sure to list everything.

The most important element to launching a successful restaurant is the menu . Without it, your restaurant has nothing to serve.

At this point, you probably don’t have a final version, but for a restaurant business plan, you should at least try to have a mock-up.

Add your logo to the mock-up and choose a design that you can see yourself actually using. If you are having trouble coming up with a menu design or don’t want to pay a designer, there are plenty of resources online to help.

The key element of your sample menu though should be pricing. Your prices should reflect the cost analysis you’ve done for investors. This will give them a better understanding of your restaurant’s target price point. You'll quickly see how important menu engineering can be, even early on.

5. Employees

The company description section of the restaurant business plan briefly introduces the owners of the restaurant with some information about each. This section should fully flesh out the restaurant's business plan and management team.

The investors don’t expect you to have your entire team selected at this point, but you should at least have a couple of people on board. Use the talent you have chosen thus far to highlight the combined work experience everyone is bringing to the table.

Download our free restaurant business plan  It's the only one you'll ever need. Get template now

6. Restaurant design

The design portion of your restaurant business plan is where you can really show off your thoughts and ideas to the investors. If you don’t have professional mock-ups of your restaurant rendered, that’s fine.

Instead, put together a mood board to get your vision across. Find pictures of a similar aesthetic to what you are looking for in your restaurant.

The restaurant design extends beyond aesthetics alone and should include everything from restaurant software to kitchen equipment. 

7. Location

The location you settle on for your restaurant should be well aligned with your target market (making it easier to cater to your ideal customer) and with your business plans.

At this stage in the process, its not uncommon to not have a specific location in mind - but you should at the very least have a few options to narrow down.

Tip: When you approach your investors about potential locations, make sure to include as much information as possible about each venue and why it would be ideal for your brand. Go into as much detail as possible - including everything from square footage to the demographics of the area.

Example for choosing an ideal location

Choosing the ideal location for your restaurant is a pivotal decision that can greatly influence your success. 

To make the best choice, consider factors such as foot traffic, accessibility, and neighborhood demographics.

By carefully evaluating these factors, you’ll be better equipped to maximize visibility and attract your target market.

Foot traffic and accessibility

Foot traffic and accessibility are essential factors in selecting a location that will attract customers and ensure convenience.

A high-traffic area with ample parking and public transportation options can greatly increase the likelihood of drawing in potential customers.

Additionally, making your restaurant accessible to individuals with disabilities can further broaden your customer base and promote inclusivity.

It’s also important to consider the competition in the area and assess whether your restaurant can stand out among existing establishments.

By choosing a location with strong foot traffic and accessibility, you’ll be well on your way to creating a thriving restaurant that appeals to your target market.

Neighborhood demographics

Analyzing neighborhood demographics can help you determine if your restaurant’s concept and cuisine will appeal to the local population.

Factors such as income levels, family structures, and cultural diversity can all influence dining preferences and habits.

By understanding the unique characteristics of the neighborhood, you can tailor your offerings and marketing efforts to resonate with the local community.

Conducting a market analysis can be a valuable step in this process.

To gather demographic data for a particular neighborhood, you can utilize resources such as the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and reference maps.

Armed with this information, you can make informed decisions about your restaurant’s concept, menu, and pricing, ensuring that your establishment is well-positioned for success within the community.

Conducting market research will further strengthen your understanding of the local demographic.

8. Market overview

The market overview section is heavily related to the market research and analysis portion of the restaurant business plan. In this section, go into detail about both the micro and macro conditions in the area you want to set up your restaurant.

Discuss the current economic conditions that could make opening a restaurant difficult, and how you aim to counteract that. Mention all the other restaurants that could prove to be competition and what your strategy is to set yourself apart.

9. Marketing

With restaurants opening left and ride nowadays, investors are going to want to know how you will get word of your restaurant to the world.

The next marketing strategy and publicity section should go into detail on how you plan to market your restaurant before and after opening. As well as any plans you may have to bring a PR company on board to help spread the word.

Read more: How to write a restaurant marketing plan from scratch

10. External help

To make your restaurant a reality, you are going to need a lot of help. List any external companies or software you plan on hiring to get your restaurant up and running.

This includes everything from accountants and designers to suppliers that help your restaurant perform better, like POS systems and restaurant reservation systems .

Explain to your other potential investors about the importance of each and what they will be doing for your restaurant.

11. Financial analysis

The most important part of your restaurant business plan is the financial section . We would recommend hiring professional help for this given its importance.

Hiring a trained accountant will not only help you get your own financial projections and estimates in order but also give you a realistic insight into owning a restaurant.

You should have some information prepared to make this step easier for the accountant.

He/she will want to know how many seats your restaurant has, what the check average per table will be, and how many guests you plan on seating per day.

In addition to this, doing rough food cost calculations for various menu items can help estimate your profit margin per dish. This can be achieved easily with a free food cost calculator. 

  • Important restaurant metrics to track

A well-crafted restaurant business plan serves as a roadmap to success, guiding every aspect of the venture from menu design to employee training.

By carefully considering each component of the plan, aspiring restaurateurs can increase their chances of securing funding, attracting customers, and achieving their long-term goals.

Remember, a restaurant business plan is not just a document to satisfy investors; it is a living tool that should be revisited and updated regularly as the business grows and evolves.

By staying committed to the plan and adapting it as needed, restaurateurs can ensure that their culinary dreams have a solid foundation for success.

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Saif Alnasur

Saif Alnasur used to work in his family restaurant, but now he is a food influencer and writes about the restaurant industry for Eat App.

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Restaurant Business Plan: Step-by-Step Guide + examples

Dreaming of opening a 🍴 restaurant? Passion, creativity, and delicious food are key. But for long-term success, a business plan is essential too.

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Maja Jankowska

executive summary example business plan restaurant

Are you dreaming of owning your own restaurant? Picture the sizzle of a hot skillet, the laughter of satisfied guests, and the fulfillment of sharing your culinary creations with the world. But before you dive into this flavorful adventure, there’s a crucial ingredient you can’t overlook: a winning restaurant business plan.

Restaurant business plan with step by step guide

What is a business plan for?

A business plan is a vital document for every restaurant owner. It provides a roadmap for success, helps secure funding, guides financial and operational decisions, mitigates risks, and facilitates effective communication. 

Just like any other business, a restaurant needs a well-crafted business plan to ensure its success and sustainability. Without a business plan, you risk operating in the dark, making decisions on a whim, and facing unexpected challenges that could have been avoided. 

Investing time and effort into creating a solid business plan sets your restaurant on the path to achieving your culinary dreams and exceeding customer expectations.

Create Restaurant’s Business Plan in these 9 steps:

✔️ 1. Start with an executive summary ✔️ 2. Describe your concept ✔️ 3. Conduct Market analysis ✔️ 4. Define your management and organization ✔️ 5. Give a sample “yummy”  Menu ✔️ 6. Create design and branding ✔️ 7. Provide a Location ✔️ 8. Establish Marketing plan ✔️ 9. Define Financial plan

1. Executive summary

The executive summary is like the appetizer of your restaurant business plan – it’s the first bite that leaves a lasting impression. Its purpose is to capture the essence of your entire plan and entice time-crunched reviewers, such as potential investors and lenders, to delve deeper into your vision. It’s worth noting that the executive summary should be the final section you write.

To craft a concise and captivating summary, it’s crucial to highlight key points, including your unique concept, target market, and financial projections. Additionally, bear in mind that the executive summary sets the tone for the rest of your plan, so it’s essential to make it irresistible and leave readers yearning for more.

When it comes to the executive summary of your restaurant business plan, brevity is key . You have only one page to capture the attention of readers, but don’t worry, it’s definitely doable. Here’s what your executive summary should include:

  • Restaurant concept : What does your business do?
  • Goals and vision : What does your business want to achieve?
  • Restaurant differentiation : What makes your menu/concept different, and what sets you apart?
  • Projected financial state : What revenue do you anticipate?
  • The team : Who is involved in the business?

2. Describe your concept

In the world of restaurant business plans, there’s a section that holds immense importance. It’s the one that answers two fundamental questions: Who are you, and what do you plan to do?

This is the section where you fully introduce your company, and it deserves special attention. Share all the important details that paint a vivid picture of your unique business. Include the restaurant’s name, location, and contact information. Additionally, provide relevant details such as the chef’s background and what makes your restaurant stand out in the market.

Curious about concept creation? Watch our short video featuring a summary of an example restaurant concept below! 👇

Now is your opportunity to showcase your vision and establish a unique identity for your restaurant. Utilize this section to highlight what sets you apart and capture the reader’s imagination.

3. Market analysis

Market analysis helps you understand your potential customers, competition, and overall restaurant market trends. It’s like having a crystal ball to shape your restaurant’s success.

Target audience 

When it comes to your potential market, you want to know how many people are hungry for what you’re serving. Sounds exciting, right? To estimate this, you’ll gather data on your target customers, like their age group or preferences, and combine it with industry trends. It’s like finding the perfect recipe to satisfy their cravings.

Competition

Now, let’s tackle the competition. Every restaurant has rivals, even if they’re serving a unique dish. It’s crucial to identify direct or indirect competitors and understand what makes you stand out. Are you offering affordable prices, a one-of-a-kind experience, or catering to a specific niche? Highlight your “secret sauce” that sets you apart from the rest.

Market analysis for restaurant’s business plan

Market analysis also involves a SWOT analysis. Don’t let the jargon scare you. It simply means evaluating your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Think of it as a superhero assessment for your restaurant. Identify what you excel at, areas for improvement, potential market opportunities, and external factors that could impact your success.

example of SWOT analysis for the restaurant

Example of SWOT analysis for a restaurant

Remember, market analysis is like a compass guiding your restaurant’s journey. It helps you make informed decisions, attract investors, and stay ahead of the game. So, embrace the power of market analysis, and let it shape the destiny of your delicious dining destination.

4. Management and organization

Effective management and organization are critical for success in the restaurant sector. This section of your business plan introduces the talented individuals who will lead your restaurant to new heights.

Outline your legal structure, whether it’s an S corporation, limited partnership, or sole proprietorship, providing key information for stakeholders.

Showcase your management team using an organizational chart to highlight their roles, responsibilities, and contributions. Their expertise and guidance are crucial for seamless operations and exceptional customer experiences.

With a strong management team in place, your restaurant is poised for success. They are the driving force behind your journey to greatness. Let’s meet the key players who will make it happen!

Streamline your operations and optimize your financial performance With resOs , you can efficiently manage reservations, track inventory, analyze sales data, and streamline your overall workflow. Get your FREE plan

5. Sample “yummy” Menu 

In the restaurant industry, your menu plays a main role as the core product. Include a section in your business plan that highlights key details about your menu offerings to engage readers.

If you offer a diverse range of dishes, provide a brief overview of each category. Alternatively, if your menu focuses on specific specialties or signature dishes, provide more detailed descriptions for each item.

You can also mention any upcoming menu additions or unique culinary creations that will enhance profitability and attract customers.

6. Design and branding 

When it comes to starting a restaurant, don’t underestimate the power of design and branding. They’re the secret ingredients that can make your establishment truly stand out. Think about it – when customers walk through your front door, what do they see? The right design and branding can instantly captivate their attention and make them feel right at home.

So, take some time to envision the overall aesthetic and mood you want to create.

Do you imagine a cozy and rustic setting or a sleek and modern vibe?

Let your creativity shine through! Include captivating photos of similar restaurants that inspire you and give potential investors a glimpse of your vision.

And don’t forget about your logo! If you’ve already designed one, proudly showcase it in your business plan. It’s the visual representation of your restaurant’s personality and will help establish brand recognition.

Custom design of your restaurant booking system with resOS

resOS’ customizable interface for your booking system

Stand out in the competitive restaurant industry with resOS’ customizable booking management system . Personalize every aspect of the interface to reflect your restaurant’s unique brand identity. Seamlessly integrate your logo, colors, and visual elements, creating a cohesive and immersive experience for your guests. With resOS, you have the power to revolutionize your restaurant’s image and leave a lasting impression.

Details matter too! Share your plans for specific design elements , from the choice of furniture to the color palette that will adorn your space. The more you paint a vivid picture, the more investors and customers will be enticed by your unique ambiance.

7. Location

For a restaurant, location can make or break the business. Occasionally, a restaurant concept is so good that people go out of their way to find it. But, more realistically, your location needs to be convenient for your target market. If it’s hard for your customers to get to you, hard for them to park, and not something they notice as they drive by, they’re unlikely to check your restaurant out.

In your business plan, make sure to discuss the potential locations that you hope to occupy, assuming you haven’t already secured the location. Explain why the location is ideal for your target market and how the location will help attract customers.

Unlock the potential of your restaurant’s location and streamline reservations with resOS. Our platform offers seamless integration with Reserve With Google , allowing customers to easily discover and book tables directly from Google search results and maps. By enabling this feature, you’ll maximize your restaurant’s visibility and attract more diners with just a few clicks. Experience the power of location-based reservations with resOS .

Be sure to explain the complete costs of your location and what kinds of renovations will be necessary to open your restaurant.

8. Marketing plan

In today’s competitive restaurant industry, it’s important to showcase your marketing strategy to investors. They want to know how you’ll create buzz and keep it going before and after your grand opening.

executive summary example business plan restaurant

Create a winning business plan with a strong marketing focus. Our Restaurant Business Plan Steps Graphic (👆 see above) is your visual guide, including key marketing strategies. Download or save for later and plan your path to success.

Whether you’ve enlisted a top-notch Marketing company or have a solid ready-to-go marketing plan, highlight your chosen path. Discuss the unique strengths of your selected agency and why they stand out, including their notable clients. Alternatively, showcase your in-house plan, leveraging social media, your website, and valuable media connections.

A well-crafted marketing plan holds the key to differentiating your restaurant and attracting customers. Prepare to tantalize taste buds and offer an exceptional dining experience. Stay in tune with the latest restaurant industry trends, leverage effective marketing tools, and optimize your online presence. 

Lastly, integrate a robust restaurant booking system to streamline reservations and enhance the overall customer experience. With these strategic elements in place, success is within your reach.

9. Financial Plan

Financial analysis is a crucial part of your restaurant’s business plan. It helps investors assess the profitability of your concept and whether it’s a worthwhile investment. In this section, you’ll outline how you plan to allocate your funds in the first year and provide projections for costs and revenues.

Here are the 🔑 key components to include:

Investment Plan: Explain the initial investment costs, such as kitchen equipment, furniture, employee wages, legal fees, marketing expenses, and working capital. This shows how you’ll use your funds effectively.

Profit and Loss Projection: Estimate your restaurant’s costs and sales figures in the profit and loss statement. Consider factors like the size of your establishment, your target market, and the existing competition in your chosen location.

Break-Even Analysis: Show investors the monthly revenue you need to achieve to cover all your expenses and reach profitability. This analysis considers overhead costs, operational expenses, and factors that may affect revenue fluctuations throughout the year.

Claim your FREE plan on resOS today! Ready to revolutionize your business management? Join resos.com for FREE and take control of your operations. ✅ Seamless calendar integration ✅ Customizable booking forms ✅ Automated reminders ✅ Real-time availability updates Don’t miss out! Sign up now at resos.com and experience stress-free scheduling. Your time is valuable, so claim your FREE plan today!

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Restaurant Business Plan

Restaurant Business Plan: What To Include, Plus 8 Examples

  • Business Growth & Management , Templates & Guides

Do you want to ensure the success of your new foodservice endeavor? Write a restaurant business plan.

In this article, the experts at Sling tell you why a business plan is vital for both new and existing businesses and give you tips on what to include.

Table Of Contents

What Is A Restaurant Business Plan?

Why is a restaurant business plan important, questions to ask first, what to include in an effective restaurant business plan, how to format a restaurant business plan, efficient workforce management is essential for success.

Man looking at charts on a wall for his restaurant business plan

At its most basic, a restaurant business plan is a written document that describes your restaurant’s goals and the steps you will take to make those goals a reality.

This business plan also describes the nature of the business itself, financial projections, background information, and organizational strategies  that govern the day-to-day activity of your restaurant.

Empty fine-dining restaurant

A restaurant business plan is vital for the success of your endeavor because, without one, it is very difficult — sometimes even impossible — to obtain funding from an investor or a bank.

Without that all-important starting or operational capital, you may not be able to keep your doors open for long, if at all.

Even if funding isn’t a primary concern, a business plan provides you — the business owner or manager — with clear direction on how to translate general strategies into actionable plans  for reaching your goals.

The plan can help solidify everything from the boots-on-the-ground functional strategy  to the mid-level business strategy  all the way up to the driving-force corporate strategy .

Think of this plan as a roadmap that guides your way when things are going smoothly and, more importantly, when they aren’t.

If you want to give your restaurant the best chance for success, start by writing a business plan.

Man on laptop writing a restaurant business plan

Sitting down to write a restaurant business plan can be a daunting task.

As you’ll see in the What To Include In An Effective Restaurant Business Plan section below, you’ll need a lot of information and detail to ensure that the final document is both complete and effective.

Instead of starting with word one, it is hugely beneficial to answer a number of general questions first.

These questions will help you narrow down the information to include in your plan so the composition process feels less difficult.

The questions are:

  • What problem does the business’s product or service solve?
  • What niche will the business fill?
  • What is the business’s solution to the problem?
  • Who are the business’s customers?
  • How will the business market and sell its products to them?
  • What is the size of the market for this solution?
  • What is the business model for the business?
  • How will the business make money?
  • Who are the competitors?
  • How will the business maintain a competitive advantage?
  • How does the business plan to manage growth?
  • Who will run the business?
  • What makes those individuals qualified to do so?
  • What are the risks and threats confronting the business?
  • What can you do to mitigate those risks and threats?
  • What are the business’s capital and resource requirements?
  • What are the business’s historical and projected financial statements?

Depending on your business, some of these questions may not apply or you may not have applicable answers.

Nevertheless, it helps to think about, and try to provide details for, the whole list so your finished restaurant business plan is as complete as possible.

Once you’ve answered the questions for your business, you can transfer a large portion of that information to the business plan itself.

We’ll discuss exactly what to include in the next section.

Man mapping out a restaurant business plan

In this section, we’ll show you what to include in an effective restaurant business plan and provide a brief example of each component.

1) Executive Summary

You should always start any business plan with an executive summary. This gives the reader a brief introduction into common elements, such as:

  • Mission statement
  • Overhead costs
  • Labor costs
  • Return on investment (ROI)

This portion of your plan should pique the reader’s interest and make them want to read more.

Fanty & Mingo’s is a 50-seat fine-dining restaurant that will focus on Sweruvian (Swedish/Peruvian) fusion fare.

We will keep overhead and labor costs low thanks to simple but elegant decor , highly skilled food-prep staff, and well-trained servers.

Because of the location and surrounding booming economy, we estimate ROI at 20 percent per annum.

2) Mission Statement

A mission statement is a short description of what your business does for its customers, employees, and owners.

This is in contrast to your business’s vision statement which is a declaration of objectives that guide internal decision-making.

While the two are closely related and can be hard to distinguish, it often helps to think in terms of who, what, why, and where.

The vision statement is the where of your business — where you want your business to be and where you want your customers and community to be as a result.

The mission statement is the who , what , and why of your business — it’s an action plan that makes the vision statement a reality

Here’s an example of a mission statement for our fictional company:

Fanty and Mingo’s takes pride in making the best Sweruvian food, providing fast, friendly, and accurate service. It is our goal to be the employer of choice and offer team members opportunities for growth, advancement, and a rewarding career in a fun and safe working environment.

3) Company Description

Taking notes on restaurant business plan

In this section of your restaurant business plan, you fully introduce your company to the reader. Every business’s company description will be different and include its own pertinent information.

Useful details to include are:

  • Owner’s details
  • Brief description of their experience
  • Legal standing
  • Short-term goals
  • Long-term goals
  • Brief market study
  • An understanding of the trends in your niche
  • Why your business will succeed in these market conditions

Again, you don’t have to include all of this information in your company description. Choose the ones that are most relevant to your business and make the most sense to communicate to your readers.

Fanty & Mingo’s will start out as an LLC, owned and operated by founders Malcolm Reynolds and Zoe Washburne. Mr. Reynolds will serve as managing partner and Ms. Washburne as general manager.

We will combine atmosphere, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and menu variety to create a unique experience for our diners and to reach our goal of high value in the fusion food niche.

Our gross margin is higher than industry average, but we plan to spend more on payroll to attract the best team.

We estimate moderate growth for the first two years while word-of-mouth about our restaurant spreads through the area.

4) Market Analysis

A market analysis is a combination of three different views of the niche you want to enter:

  • The industry  as a whole
  • The competition your restaurant will face
  • The marketing  you’ll execute to bring in customers

This section should be a brief introduction to these concepts. You can expand on them in other sections of your restaurant business plan.

The restaurant industry in our chosen location is wide open thanks in large part to the revitalization of the city’s center.

A few restaurants have already staked their claim there, but most are bars and non-family-friendly offerings.

Fanty & Mingo’s will focus on both tourist and local restaurant clientele. We want to bring in people that have a desire for delicious food and an exotic atmosphere.

We break down our market into five distinct categories:

  • High-end singles
  • Businessmen and businesswomen

We will target those markets to grow our restaurant  by up to 17 percent per year.

restaurant menu board

Every restaurant needs a good menu, and this is the section within your restaurant business plan that you describe the food you’ll serve in as much detail as possible.

You may not have your menu design complete, but you’ll likely have at least a handful of dishes that serve as the foundation of your offerings.

It’s also essential to discuss pricing and how it reflects your overall goals and operating model. This will give potential investors and partners a better understanding of your business’s target price point and profit strategy.

We don’t have room to describe a sample menu in this article, but for more information on menu engineering, menu pricing, and even a menu template, check out these helpful articles from the Sling blog:

  • Menu Engineering: What It Is And How It Can Increase Profits
  • Restaurant Menu Pricing: 7 Tips To Maximize Profitability
  • How To Design Your Menu | Free Restaurant Menu Template

6) Location

In this section, describe your potential location (or locations) so that you and your investors have a clear image of what the restaurant will look like.

Include plenty of information about the location — square footage, floor plan , design , demographics of the area, parking, etc. — to make it feel as real as possible.

We will locate Fanty & Mingo’s in the booming and rapidly expanding downtown sector of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Ideally, we will secure at least 2,000 square feet of space with a large, open-plan dining room and rich color scheme near the newly built baseball stadium to capitalize on the pre- and post-game traffic and to appeal to the young urban professionals that live in the area.

Parking will be available along side streets and in the 1,000-vehicle parking garage two blocks away.

7) Marketing

Chef working in a restaurant

The marketing section of your restaurant business plan is where you should elaborate on the information you introduced in the Market Analysis section.

Go into detail about the plans you have to introduce your restaurant to the public and keep it at the top of their mind.

Fanty & Mingo’s will employ three distinct marketing tactics to increase and maintain customer awareness:

  • Word-of-mouth/in-restaurant marketing
  • Partnering with other local businesses
  • Media exposure

We will direct each tactic at a different segment of our potential clientele in order to maximize coverage.

In the process of marketing to our target audience, we will endeavor to harness the reach of direct mail and broadcast media, the exclusivity of the VIP party, and the elegance of a highly trained sommelier and wait staff.

8) Financials

Even though the Financials section is further down in your restaurant business plan, it is one of the most important components for securing investors and bank funding.

We recommend hiring a trained accountant  to help you prepare this section so that it will be as accurate and informative as possible.

Fanty & Mingo’s needs $250,000 of capital investment over the next year and a half for the following:

  • Renovations to leased space
  • Dining room furniture
  • Kitchen and food-prep equipment
  • Liquor license

Projected profit and loss won’t jump drastically in the first year, but, over time, Fanty & Mingo’s will develop its reputation and client base. This will lead to more rapid growth toward the third and fourth years of business.

working on restaurant business plan

Most entrepreneurs starting a new business find it valuable to have multiple formats of their business plan.

The information, data, and details remain the same, but the length and how you present them will change to fit a specific set of circumstances.

Below we discuss the four most common business plan formats to cover a multitude of potential situations.

Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch is a short summary of your restaurant business plan’s executive summary.

Rather than being packed full of details, the elevator pitch is a quick teaser of sorts that you use on a short elevator ride (hence the name) to stimulate interest in potential customers, partners, and investors

As such, an effective elevator pitch is between 30 and 60 seconds and hits the high points of your restaurant business plan.

A pitch deck is a slide show and oral presentation that is designed to stimulate discussion and motivate interested parties to investigate deeper into your stakeholder plan (more on that below).

Most pitch decks are designed to cover the executive summary and include key graphs that illustrate market trends and benchmarks you used (and will use) to make decisions about your business.

Some entrepreneurs even include time and space in their pitch deck to demonstrate new products coming down the pipeline.

This won’t necessarily apply to a restaurant business plan, but, if logistics permit, you could distribute small samples of your current fare or tasting portions of new dishes you’re developing.

Stakeholder Plan (External)

A stakeholder plan is the standard written presentation that business owners use to describe the details of their business model to customers, partners, and potential investors.

The stakeholder plan can be as long as is necessary to communicate the current and future state of your business, but it must be well-written, well-formatted, and targeted at those looking at your business from the outside in.

Think of your stakeholder plan as a tool to convince others that they should get involved in making your business a reality. Write it in such a way that readers will want to partner with you to help your business grow.

Management Plan (Internal)

A management plan is a form of your restaurant business plan that describes the details that the owners and managers need to make the business run smoothly.

While the stakeholder plan is an external document, the management plan is an internal document.

Most of the details in the management plan will be of little or no interest to external stakeholders so you can write it with a higher degree of candor and informality.

Sling app for managing a restaurant business plan

After you’ve created your restaurant business plan, it’s time to take steps to make it a reality.

One of the biggest challenges in ensuring that your business runs smoothly and successfully is managing  and optimizing  your team. The Sling  app can help.

Sling not only includes powerful and intuitive artificial-intelligence-based scheduling tools but also many other features to help make your workforce management more efficient, including:

  • Time and attendance tracking
  • Built-in time clock
  • Labor cost  optimization
  • Data analysis and reporting
  • Messaging and communication
  • And much more…

Sling's scheduling feature

With Sling, you can schedule faster, communicate better, and organize and manage your work from a single, integrated platform. And when you use Sling for all of your scheduling  needs, you’ll have more time to focus on bringing your restaurant business plan to life.

For more free resources to help you manage your business better, organize and schedule your team, and track and calculate labor costs, visit GetSling.com  today.

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This content is for informational purposes and is not intended as legal, tax, HR, or any other professional advice. Please contact an attorney or other professional for specific advice.

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Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template

  • Ready-to-use, fully customizable Doc
  • Get started in seconds

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Looking to open a restaurant? The key to success is a well-crafted business plan that showcases your concept, target market, and financial projections. But where do you start? ClickUp's Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template is here to help!

With this template, you can:

  • Clearly outline your restaurant concept and unique selling proposition
  • Identify your target market and develop marketing strategies to reach them effectively
  • Provide a snapshot of your financial projections and potential profitability

Whether you're seeking investment or simply need a roadmap for your restaurant's success, this template has you covered. Start planning your dream restaurant today!

Benefits of Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template

When it comes to presenting your restaurant business plan, the executive summary is your chance to make a killer first impression. By using our Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template, you'll enjoy the following benefits:

  • Clearly communicate your restaurant concept, target market, and competitive advantage
  • Impress potential investors and lenders with a professional and well-structured summary
  • Showcase your marketing strategies to attract and retain customers
  • Provide accurate and compelling financial projections to demonstrate the profitability of your venture

Main Elements of Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template

Create a comprehensive and professional restaurant business plan with ClickUp’s Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary template.

  • Custom Statuses: Track the progress of your business plan with custom statuses such as In Progress, Final Review, and Approved.
  • Custom Fields: Input essential information about your restaurant, including target market, competitive analysis, financial projections, and marketing strategies, using custom fields to ensure all necessary details are included in your business plan.
  • Different Views: Utilize different views such as Document Outline View, Table of Contents View, and Full-Screen View to easily navigate, organize, and present your executive summary template.

How to Use Executive Summary for Restaurant Business Plan Example

If you're starting a new restaurant and need help writing your business plan, follow these steps to effectively use the Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template:

1. Understand the purpose

The executive summary is a crucial part of your restaurant business plan as it provides an overview of your entire plan and captures the attention of potential investors or lenders. It should be concise, yet compelling, highlighting the key points of your business plan and enticing readers to learn more.

Use the Docs feature in ClickUp to access the Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template and familiarize yourself with its purpose and structure.

2. Gather relevant information

Before you start writing your executive summary, gather all the necessary information about your restaurant business. This includes details about your concept, target market, competitive analysis, marketing strategies, financial projections, and any unique selling points that set your restaurant apart.

Utilize the Table View in ClickUp to organize and track all the information you need for your executive summary.

3. Write a captivating introduction

The introduction of your executive summary should grab the reader's attention and provide a clear and compelling overview of your restaurant concept. Highlight what makes your restaurant unique, such as its cuisine, atmosphere, location, or innovative business model. This section should captivate the reader and make them want to continue reading.

Use the Whiteboards feature in ClickUp to brainstorm and outline your introduction, ensuring it effectively communicates the essence of your restaurant.

4. Summarize key sections of your business plan

In this section, provide a concise summary of the key sections of your business plan. Highlight important information such as your target market analysis, competitive analysis, marketing strategies, operational plan, and financial projections. Be sure to include key metrics and highlight the potential for success.

Utilize the Milestones feature in ClickUp to break down each section of your business plan and summarize the key points in your executive summary.

By following these steps and utilizing ClickUp's features, you can effectively use the Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template to create a compelling and comprehensive executive summary for your restaurant business plan.

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Get Started with ClickUp’s Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template

Potential restaurant owners and entrepreneurs can use this Restaurant Business Plan Example Executive Summary Template to create a compelling executive summary that highlights the key aspects of their restaurant concept.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create an impactful executive summary:

  • Use the Introduction section to provide a concise overview of your restaurant concept and its unique selling points
  • In the Target Market section, describe your ideal customer demographics and explain how your restaurant meets their needs
  • Detail your competitive advantage in the Competitive Analysis section, highlighting what sets your restaurant apart from the competition
  • Lay out your marketing strategies in the Marketing Plan section, including online and offline tactics to attract customers
  • Present your financial projections in the Financial Plan section, including sales forecasts, expenses, and profitability analysis
  • Customize the template to fit your specific business model and goals
  • Review and revise the executive summary to ensure it is clear, concise, and compelling

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How to Write a Restaurant Business Plan

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Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

When starting a business—no matter what type of business that may be—a business plan is essential to map out your intentions and direction. That’s the same for a restaurant business plan, which will help you figure out where you fit in the landscape, how you’re going to differ from other establishments around you, how you’ll market your business, and even what you’re going to serve. A business plan for your restaurant can also help you later if you choose to apply for a business loan .

While opening a restaurant isn’t as risky as you’ve likely heard, you still want to ensure that you’re putting thought and research into your business venture to set it up for success. And that’s where a restaurant business plan comes in.

We’ll go through how to create a business plan for a restaurant and a few reasons why it’s so important. After you review the categories and the restaurant business plan examples, you can use the categories to make a restaurant business plan template and start your journey.

executive summary example business plan restaurant

Why you shouldn’t skip a restaurant business plan

First-time restaurateurs and industry veterans alike all need to create a business plan when opening a new restaurant . That’s because, even if you deeply understand your business and its nuances (say, seasonal menu planning or how to order correct quantities), a restaurant is more than its operations. There’s marketing, financing, the competitive landscape, and more—and each of these things is unique to each door you open.

That’s why it’s so crucial to understand how to create a business plan for a restaurant. All of these things and more will be addressed in the document—which should run about 20 or 30 pages—so you’ll not only have a go-to-market strategy, but you’ll also likely figure out some things about your business that you haven’t even thought of yet.

Additionally, if you’re planning to apply for business funding down the line, some loans—including the highly desirable SBA loan —actually require you to submit your business plan to gain approval. In other words: Don’t skip this step!

How much do you need?

with Fundera by NerdWallet

We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.

Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.

How to write a restaurant business plan: Step by step

There’s no absolute format for a restaurant business plan that you can’t stray from—some of these sections might be more important than others, for example, or you might find that there’s a logical order that makes more sense than the one in the restaurant business plan example below. However, this business plan outline will serve as a good foundation, and you can use it as a restaurant business plan template for when you write your own.

Executive summary

Your executive summary is one to two pages that kick off your business plan and explain your vision. Even though this might seem like an introduction that no one will read, that isn’t the case. In fact, some investors only ask for the executive summary. So, you’ll want to spend a lot of time perfecting it.

Your restaurant business plan executive summary should include information on:

Mission statement: Your goals and objectives

General company information: Include your founding date, team roles (i.e. executive chef, sous chefs, sommeliers), and locations

Category and offerings: What category your restaurant fits into, what you’re planning to serve (i.e. farm-to-table or Korean), and why

Context for success: Any past success you’ve had, or any current financial data that’ll support that you are on the path to success

Financial requests: If you’re searching for investment or financing, include your plans and goals here and any financing you’ve raised or borrowed thus far

Future plans: Your vision for where you’re going in the next year, three years, and five years

When you’re done with your executive summary, you should feel like you’ve provided a bird’s eye view of your entire business plan. In fact, even though this section is first, you will likely write it last so you can take the highlights from each of the subsequent sections.

And once you’re done, read it on its own: Does it give a comprehensive, high-level overview of your restaurant, its current state, and your vision for the future? Remember, this may be the only part of your business plan potential investors or partners will read, so it should be able to stand on its own and be interesting enough to make them want to read the rest of your plan.

Company overview

This is where you’ll dive into the specifics of your company, detailing the kind of restaurant you’re looking to create, who’s helping you do it, and how you’re prepared to accomplish it.

Your restaurant business plan company overview should include:

Purpose: The type of restaurant you’re opening (fine dining, fast-casual, pop-up, etc.), type of food you’re serving, goals you have, and the niche you hope to fill in the market

Area: Information on the area in which you’re opening

Customers: Whom you’re hoping to target, their demographic information

Legal structure: Your business entity (i.e. LLC, LLP, etc.) and how many owners you have

Similar to your executive summary, you won’t be going into major detail here as the sections below will get into the nitty-gritty. You’ll want to look at this as an extended tear sheet that gives someone a good grip on your restaurant or concept, where it fits into the market, and why you’re starting it.

Team and management

Barely anything is as important for a restaurant as the team that runs it. You’ll want to create a section dedicated to the members of your staff—even the ones that aren’t yet hired. This will provide a sense of who is taking care of what, and how you need to structure and build out the team to get your restaurant operating at full steam.

Your restaurant business plan team and management section should have:

Management overview: Who is running the restaurant, what their experience and qualifications are, and what duties they’ll be responsible for

Staff: Other employees you’ve brought on and their bios, as well as other spots you anticipate needing to hire for

Ownership percentage: Which individuals own what percentage of the restaurant, or if you are an employee-owned establishment

Be sure to update this section with more information as your business changes and you continue to share this business plan—especially because who is on your team will change both your business and the way people look at it.

Sample menu

You’ll also want to include a sample menu in your restaurant business plan so readers have a sense of what they can expect from your operations, as well as what your diners can expect from you when they sit down. This will also force you to consider exactly what you want to serve your diners and how your menu will stand out from similar restaurants in the area. Although a sample menu is in some ways self-explanatory, consider the following:

Service : If your brunch is as important as your dinner, provide both menus; you also might want to consider including both a-la-carte and prix fixe menus if you plan to offer them.

Beverage/wine service: If you’ll have an emphasis on specialty beverages or wine, a separate drinks list could be important.

Seasonality: If you’re a highly seasonal restaurant, you might want to consider providing menus for multiple seasons to demonstrate how your dishes (and subsequent purchasing) will change.

Market analysis

This is where you’ll begin to dive deeper. Although you’ve likely mentioned your market and the whitespace you hope to address, the market analysis section will enable you to prove your hypotheses.

Your restaurant business plan market analysis should include:

Industry information: Include a description of the restaurant industry, its size, growth trends, and other trends regarding things such as tastes, trends, demographics, structures, etc.

Target market: Zoom in on the area and neighborhood in which you’re opening your restaurant as well as the type of cuisine you’re serving.

Target market characteristics: Describe your customers and their needs, how/if their needs are currently being served, other important pieces about your specific location and customers.

Target market size and growth: Include a data-driven section on the size of your market, trends in its growth, how your target market fits into the industry as a whole, projected growth of your market, etc.

Market share potential: Share how much potential there is in the market, how much your presence will change the market, and how much your specific restaurant or restaurant locations can own of the open market; also touch on any barriers to growth or entry you might see.

Market pricing: Explain how you’ll be pricing your menu and where you’ll fall relative to your competitors or other restaurants in the market.

Competitive research: Include research on your closest competitors, how they are both succeeding and failing, how customers view them, etc.

If this section seems like it might be long, it should—it’s going to outline one of the most important parts of your strategy, and should feel comprehensive. Lack of demand is the number one reason why new businesses fail, so the goal of this section should be to prove that there is demand for your restaurant and show how you’ll capitalize on it.

Additionally, if market research isn’t your forte, don’t be shy to reach out to market research experts to help you compile the data, or at least read deeply on how to conduct effective research.

Marketing and sales

Your marketing and sales section should feel like a logical extension of your market analysis section, since all of the decisions you’ll make in this section should follow the data of the prior section.

The marketing and sales sections of your restaurant business plan should include:

Positioning: How you’ll describe your restaurant to potential customers, the brand identity and visuals you’ll use to do it, and how you’ll stand out in the market based on the brand you’re building

Promotion: The tools, tactics, and platforms you’ll use to market your business

Sales: How you’ll convert on certain items, and who/how you will facilitate any additional revenue streams (i.e. catering)

It’s likely that you’ll only have concepts for some of these elements, especially if you’re not yet open. Still, get to paper all of the ideas you have, and you can (and should) always update them later as your restaurant business becomes more fully formed.

Business operations

The business operations section should get to the heart of how you plan to run your business. It will highlight both internal factors as well as external forces that will dictate how you run the ship.

The business operations section should include:

Management team: Your management structure and hierarchy, and who is responsible for what

Hours: Your hours and days of operation

Location: What’s special about your location that will get people through the door

Relationships: Any advantageous relationships you have with fellow restaurateurs, places for sourcing and buying, business organizations, or consultants on your team

Add here anything you think could be helpful for illustrating how you’re going to do business and what will affect it.

Here, you’ll detail the current state of your business finances and project where you hope to be in a year, three years, and five years. You’ll want to detail what you’ve spent, what you will spend, where you’ll get the money, costs you might incur, and returns you’ll hope to see—including when you can expect to break even and turn a profit.

Financial statements: If you’ve been in business for any amount of time, include existing financial statements (i.e. profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, etc.)

Budget: Your current budget or a general startup budget

Projections: Include revenue, cash flow, projected profit and loss, and other costs

Debt: Include liabilities if the business has any outstanding debt or loans

Funding request: If you’re requesting a loan or an investment, lay out how much capital you’re looking for, your company’s valuation (if applicable), and the purpose of the funding

Above all, as you’re putting your financials together, be realistic—even conservative. You want to give any potential investors a realistic picture of your business.

Feel like there are other important components but they don't quite fit in any of the other categories (or make them run too long)? That’s what the restaurant business plan appendix section is for. And although in, say, a book, an appendix can feel like an afterthought, don’t ignore it—this is another opportunity for you to include crucial information that can give anyone reading your plan some context. You may include additional data, graphs, marketing collateral (like logo mockups), and more.

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The bottom line

Whether you’re writing a restaurant business plan for investors, lenders, or simply for yourself and your team, the most important thing to do is make sure your document is comprehensive. A good business plan for a restaurant will take time—and maybe a little sweat—to complete fully and correctly.

One other crucial thing to remember: a business plan is not a document set in stone. You should often look to it to make sure you’re keeping your vision and mission on track, but you should also feel prepared to update its components as you learn more about your business and individual restaurant.

This article originally appeared on JustBusiness, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

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Fine Dining Restaurant Business Plan

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Gabri's Restaurant & Lounge

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">, opportunity.

The rapidly expanding borough of Long Branch, New Jersey ‘on the shore’ is in need of a warm and friendly place with excellent food. A place where you always know you will get the best of everything. 

More opportunity than problem, actually … unless it’s dinnertime and you’re in Long Branch. 

Gabri’s Lounge & Restaurant will feature a cozy dining room and an elegant lounge. Comfortable furnishings and decor with soothing warm tones. The lounge has comfy couches and antique love seats with a softly lit bar. It will be the perfect place to stop in for a bite to eat, for a drink or for a small business meeting. For extra comfort and to please a large group of people we will make up special hors d’ oeuvre platters for customers.

The outlook for the future of Long Branch is promising. Developers are recreating a $150 million first-class resort project. The old pier will be rebuilt with ferry service to Manhattan, New York City, beach cabanas, boardwalk and a bike path over a total of 25 acres. There will be 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, and over 700 residential units with condo and townhouses ranging from $200,000-$500,000; rentals from $1000-$2,500 a month, and a two-tier garage. The combination of these elements will provide the city with a year-round economy.

Competition

Our biggest competition is the town next to Long Branch, called Red Bank which has a large selection of restaurants. Currently, many people who live in Long Branch drive seven miles to Red Bank to dine out. With the redevelopment in Long Branch and with Gabri’s Lounge & Restaurant, we will convince these people to stay in Long Branch and eat at our restaurant.

Gabri’s is a great place to eat, combining an intriguing atmosphere with excellent, interesting food. The mission is not only to have great tasting food, but have efficient and friendly service because customer satisfaction is paramount. We want to be the restaurant choice for all families and singles, young and old, male or female. Employee welfare will be equally important to our success. Everyone will be treated fairly and with the utmost respect. We want our employees to feel a part of the success of Gabri’s Lounge and Restaurant. Happy employees make happy guests.

We will combine menu variety, atmosphere, ambiance, special theme nights and a friendly staff to create a sense of ‘place’ in order to reach our goal of over all value in the dining/entertainment experience. We want fair profits for the owners, and a rewarding place to work for the employees.

Expectations

The most important assumption in the Projected Profit and Loss statement is the gross margin, higher than industry averages. We are also planning to spend more on payroll than the industry average.

We do see moderate growth over the first three years, because restaurants depend on word of mouth and we’ll be able to meet capacity requirements to grow as shown here. 

Financial Highlights by Year

Financing needed.

$465,000 of funding is needed to finance $300K startup expense (in detail in company section) plus $85K of startup cash reserve and $80K non-cash assets at launch. We plan to put in $225K owner investment and land a $240K long-term SBA loan. 

Problem & Solution

Problem worth solving.

The area is in need of a warm and friendly place with excellent food. A place where you always know you will get the best of everything. The residents need a food place in long branch that has great food and fits their needs. They currently need to drive 7 miles for the closest "local" spot. 

Our Solution

Target Market

Market Size & Segments

615,301 people live in Monmouth County, 50% between 25-55 years old. That is the age group that dines out two to three times a week and spends an average $795 a month on food and drinks.

There are 224,447 households in Monmouth County and an average 2.7 persons per household. The median family income in Monmouth County averages, $64,271/year. There are 636 registered businesses in Long Branch with 7,885 employees. 

We mention that there are over 200,000 Scandinavians living in New Jersey and most of them live within 30 miles of Long Branch. We will be serving some Swedish cuisine as there is no Scandinavian restaurant in New Jersey.

Our primary customer base is from Long Branch, West Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Rumson, Little Silver, Middletown, Red Bank, Shrewsbury, Deal, Eatontown, Freehold, Oceanport, Allenhurst, & Asbury Park.

Between they have combined population of 100,000 people with median income of $70K

Gabri’s focuses on local and tourist restaurant seekers. People that have a desire for good food and a fascinating atmosphere.

Long Branch is located 50 miles south of New York City and 75 miles north of Atlantic City on the ‘Jersey shore.’ The city of Long Branch is in the process of revitalizing. In 2003, the city will be developing a new look and will be attracting a larger community of affluent residents.

Long Branch tomorrow:  The ocean front district includes five sectors which are identified as:

  • Pier/Village Center (mixed commercial, entertainment & residential),
  • Beach Front North (residential & entertainment),
  • Beach Front South (residential),
  • Hotel Campus (office & hotel) and
  • Broadway Gateway (mixed commercial).

The boundaries for Pier Village are Melrose Terrace to Laird Street, and from Ocean Avenue to Ocean Boulevard. The developer has broken ground to build 420 residential units, including a two-tier garage, 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, beach cabanas and a restoration of the boardwalk.

Beach Front North is located above the Hotel Campus and just south of Seven Presidents Park. It will have 350 residential units, 1,100 parking spaces, and a bike path over an area of 25 acres. This project, along with Pier Village, will change the face of the city’s ocean front for the next hundred years and provide a major economic boost to the city of Long Branch. 

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The new, 600-foot pier offers ferry service to Manhattan, New York City. The hotel facility now hosts 60,000 guests a year and is planning to add a tower with 250 more rooms.

As the city of Long Branch is re-developing, we can see that a fine dining establishment like Gabri’s  is needed here. The city will have much to offer and the people that it draws expect a place where they will get the best of everything. Gabri’s Lounge and Restaurant will offer a new fine dining concept to the area. The elegant atmosphere, our excellent food and our friendly staff will stand out and make a name in Long Branch and Monmouth County. We will succeed by giving people a combination of excellent and interesting food in an environment that attracts successful people that want to get a little bit more out of life than just the ordinary!

Market Segmentation

Gabri’s Lounge & Restaurant intends to cater to a wide group of people. We want everyone to feel welcome and relaxed in a cozy atmosphere with a wide and varied menu. It is our goal to have "something for everyone" everyday on our menu. In looking at our market analysis, we have defined the following groups as targeted segments. 

The Business Man: They work hard all day and often stay overnight in a strange city. He needs a competent establishment that helps impress his clients and prospects. Afterward, they want to relax and use the money they are making. They are the people that spend the most on drinks, food and tips.

Happy Couples: The restaurant will have an intimate, romantic, sophisticated atmosphere that encourages people to bring dates and to have couples arrive. Gabri’s wants to be a search place where people meet each other and develop a network. These young couples are generally very successful but balanced and won’t be spending as much on drinks.

The Family: The perfect place for a family dinner. Families will come for the accommodative menu and friendly service. The excellent value in their meals will keep Gabri’s in favor with the parents. 

High-end Singles: We will attract them with our decor and layout. Our international menu, striking artwork, wine tasting evenings and events, excellent service and engaging clientele will confirm the feeling of being in "the coolest place" in Monmouth County.

Tourists: Long Branch is a city that attracts many vacationers during the summer months of May through September. Gabri’s will be a destination with its attractive atmosphere, international menu, and outdoor patio.

Gabri’s Lounge & Restaurant will focus on attracting a wide and diverse clientele ages 25-60 with an annual income of at least $30,000.

We want the business man, happy couples, high-end singles, families, tourists with money, wealthy image seekers and compulsive spenders. We focus on these specific groups because these are the types of people who frequent other restaurants and bars in the area. They are the ones that are willing to spend their money on good dining and service at a value price. We generally know the characteristics of our clientele with the available demographics.

Our demographics include people from the local Long Branch area, restaurant patrons from neighboring cities, and tourists from other cities and states. The characteristics of our clientele will be people who are creative, entertaining and sophisticated diners.

Current Alternatives

There are three restaurants in Long Branch that are similar to Gabri’s. These are also the three most popular places in Long Branch. Each of these restaurants will be important to us. We feel the clientele they have is the class of clientele that Gabri’s will appeal to.

  • The first place is an 80 seat restaurant, open six days a week and serves lunch and dinner located uptown on Broadway. It is very busy for lunch as well as at dinner time. Their price range is $7-$15 for lunch and $12-$29 for dinner entrees. 
  • The second is an upscale lounge/food bar with a small menu. It is located in the West End district two blocks away from the ocean. They are only open for dinner. The small items on there menu range from $8-$15 and a mixed drink is $8-$10. 
  • The third place is an upscale Contemporary American restaurant at the Ocean. They are open seven days a week, dinner for two without wine averages $100.

Everyone that sells prepared meals is our competition though because we all compete for the same home meal replacement dollar. However, there are two segments of the restaurant industry that are our main competition: the casual dining restaurant concept and the fine dining value restaurant. If the value of the food and price and service is better at a fine dining restaurant than a casual restaurant, where will is a customer more likely to go?

The key is to deliver the best food at the best price with the highest level of service. This is the very definition of value. This concept is at the heart of Gabri’s Restaurant & Lounge.

Our Advantages

People will choose us for: 

 Location – they can walk to our place instead of driving 7 miles of traffic to our competitor red bank. This matters to locals, they don’t have a neighborhood place to eat. 

Hours – We will be open Monday night for "Restaurant Night" where owners and staff of other restaurants can come in and enjoy a meal on their nights off. This is special since bars and restaurants in the area are closed Mondays. 

Special Evenings – these are mostly Wine Tastings which are a five-course meal featuring new wines sponsored by our distributors. Customers can come and learn more about wine and food! Other special evenings at Gabri’s are Easter dinner, Swedish Midsummer, our famous Smörgåsbord, Fourth of July celebrations, Labor Day weekend and Christmas dinners.

A place with a "little extra" – They can have business meetings here, a place for a quiet conversation, or for a special occasion. We will make up special hors d’oeuvre platters or full-course meals for customers’ special occasions.

Keys to Success

  • The creation of a unique and innovative fine dining atmosphere will differentiate us from the competition. The restaurant will stand out from the other restaurants in the area because of the unique design and decor. We will offer a fine dining experience in a cozy atmosphere.
  • Product quality. Not only great food but great service and atmosphere.
  • The menu will appeal to a wide and varied clientele. It is International with an interesting twist.
  • We will have special theme nights like restaurant nights, local artist’s openings, Easter dinners, Swedish Midsummer party, Fourth of July celebration, Labor Day weekend, wine tasting dinners, special ethnic food nights, and Swedish smörgåsbord. All this will attract a varied clientele to Gabri’s.
  • Leave it to Linda Catering already has an established clientele in the area.
  • Controlling costs at all times without exception.

Marketing & Sales

Marketing plan.

We will employ three different marketing tactics to increase customer awareness of Gabri’s Lounge & Restaurant. Our most important tactic will be social media word-of-mouth/in-store marketing. This will be by far the cheapest and most effective of our marketing programs.

Word-of-mouth/In-store Marketing

  •  V.I.P. Party – We will host a V.I.P. Dinner before the ‘Grand Opening.’ This will serve the dual purpose of training our staff and introducing ourselves to the community. The list of individuals we will invite comes from the Chamber of Commerce. We will also include a raffle on Facebook allowing some lucky members of the public to participate in the opening night. 
  • Grand Opening celebration.
  • Once a month invite a new local artist to show their work in the lounge. Social media outlets will be employed to get people interested with "surprise musical guest" or "local love". Good for the artists, and good for us. 
  • "Restaurant Night" –  Every Monday night we will have a special evening for restaurant people. A perfect night for the local area’s restaurant owners and staff to get together on a night off!
  • Valentine’s Day.
  • Easter dinner.
  • Swedish Midsummer party.
  • Fourth of July celebration.
  • Labor Day weekend party.
  • Wine tasting dinner.
  • Swedish Smörgåsbord.
  • New Years Eve party.
  • Special ethnic food nights.
  • Memorial Day.

Local Store Marketing

  • Make a brochure for the large hotels and popular bed & breakfast establishments in town to provide to their guests, containing interior pictures of our restaurant, menus and prices.
  • There are several nursing homes in the city of Long Branch. We will approach them to sponsor meals for the elderly. This will offer us higher visibility to a group that may not be as mobile and we’ll be contributing to the community in a material way. Word-of-mouth referral is very powerful and particularly amongst the elderly to both their peers and their extended families.

Local Media

  • Direct mail piece – Containing interior pictures of our restaurant, our menu, "Theme Nights," catering and an explanation of our concept.
  • Target social media campaign to market directly to businesses for regular business lunch and dinner entertaining.

Our sales plan is to establish and maintain position with our local customers. The strategy is to build more customers in order to increase revenue. Sales in our business is client service. It is repeat business. We will focus on making all our customers happy with our food, service and entertainment options.

Our strategy in the restaurant is to have an experienced staff that know the food, wine and liquor. We will train every new employee so they will fit in with Gabri’s concept, which is "Wonderful food, reasonably-priced wine and knowledgeable service in an outstanding atmosphere."

Locations & Facilities

We are looking for a restaurant space approximately 2,000 – 2,500 sq. ft. in Long Branch, New Jersey. We will open Gabri’s in March 2003. We will be open 7 days a week. Serving lunch Monday – Friday 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM. Dinner Sunday – Thursday, between 5 PM – 10 PM. Friday and Saturday Dinner 5 PM – 11 PM. The lounge will be open until 2 AM Friday and Saturday. Sunday – Thursday the lounge will stay open till 12 AM. Saturday and Sunday we will serve brunch between 11 AM – 3 PM. We will be closed on New Years Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. We will be open on large holidays such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekend. These are three big weekends ‘down the shore’ that brings many tourists to the area.

Milestones & Metrics

Milestones table, key metrics.

Key Metrics 

  • Sales, gross margin, expenses, and profits, obviously. 
  • We need to watch sales per customer, sales per table, sales per square foot
  • Meals served per month
  • Drinks served per meal
  • Drinks served per month
  • Total customer traffic
  • Catering sales
  • Catering leads and closes. 

Ownership & Structure

Ownership and Structure

The restaurant will start out as a LLC corporation, owned by its founders Linda Andersson and John Billeci. Ms. Andersson will function as the General Manager and Mr. Billeci as managing partner.

Mission Statement

Specific plan objectives

Gabri’s Lounge & Restaurant’s objectives for the first three years of operation includes:

  • Keeping food cost under 35% revenue.
  • Keeping employee labor cost between 24-29% of revenue.
  • Stay as a small restaurant with excellent food and service.
  • Averaging sales between $1,000,000-1,500,000 per year.
  • Promote and expand Leave it to Linda Catering in New Jersey & New York City.
  • Expand our marketing and advertising in New Jersey and New York.
  • Achieve 12% return on investment to investors for the first two years and 15% for the next three years.

Management Team

Personnel table, financial plan investor-ready personnel plan .">, key assumptions.

Our financial plan depends on important assumptions, most of which are shown in the following table as annual figures. The key underlying assumptions are:

  • We assume a slow-growth economy, without major recession. This means our customer’s have money to pay for a meal out. 
  • We assume that there are no unforseen changes in the expectancy in the popularity of our restaurant. 
  • We assume access to investments and financing are sufficient to maintain and fulfill our financial plan as shown in the tables.

Revenue by Month

Expenses by month, net profit (or loss) by year, use of funds.

We plan on using the funds we receive will be used for: equipment, furniture, painting, reconstruction, rent, start-up labor, liquor license, six months operating cash, and legal and consulting costs associated with opening our restaurant. We plan on making our location look like new, and upgrade so we can service our restaurant customers as well as our catering customers 

Startup Expenses

Startup expenses of $300K break down as follows:

executive summary example business plan restaurant

They appear on our balance sheet as a negative $300K retained earnings at launch. 

Startup Assets

As indicated on the balance sheet, our startup assets include $85K cash reserves, plus $50K long-term assets (mostly kitchen and furniture), $30K inventory, and $1K other current assets. 

Sources of Funds

We are personally committing $225,000 of owner investment (which appears as paid-in capital in the balance sheet at launch) plus a $240,000 long-term loan from our local bank with SBA loan guarantee. 

Projected Profit & Loss

Projected balance sheet, projected cash flow statement.

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Restaurant Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

how-to-start-a-restaurant (1)

If you want to start a restaurant or expand your current one, you need a business plan.

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 5,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their restaurants. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a restaurant business plan step-by-step so you can create your restaurant’s business plan today.

Download our Ultimate Restaurant Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Restaurant Business Plan?

A restaurant business plan provides a snapshot of your restaurant business as it stands today, and lays out your projected growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research, information about your target market, and a sample menu to support your winning restaurant business plan.

Why You Need a Restaurant Business Plan

If you’re looking to start a restaurant or grow the existing restaurant you need a business plan. A restaurant business plan will help you secure funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your restaurant in order to improve your chances of success. Your restaurant business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Restaurants

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a restaurant are bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your restaurant business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest.

To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable. But they will want to see a professional restaurant business plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

The second most common form of funding for a restaurant is angel investors. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding or, like a bank, they will give you a loan. Private equity groups are also a good source of funding for restaurant chains looking to expand further.

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How to write a restaurant business plan.

Use the following restaurant business plan template which includes the 10 key elements for how to write a restaurant business plan that will help you start, grow, and/or secure funding for your business.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your restaurant business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your business plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of restaurant business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a restaurant that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of restaurants?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your business plan. For example, give a brief overview of the restaurant industry. Discuss the type of restaurant you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer a financial analysis of your business.

Company Overview

In your company analysis, you will provide a brief description of the type of restaurant you are operating.

For example, are you writing a small restaurant business plan or a business plan for a restaurant franchise. Further, you might operate one of the following types:

  • Fine Dining : characterized by the fancy decor, a dress code, and high prices
  • Casual Dining : offers waiter/waitress service in a nice (but not overly fancy) atmosphere with moderate prices
  • Fast Casual : characterized by quality food (close to the quality of casual dining) but no waiter/waitress service in an accessible atmosphere
  • Fast Food : quick service style provided at the counter or via a drive-through. Lowest quality food and lowest prices
  • Steak Restaurant : focuses on steak entrees and is usually a higher priced and fancier restaurant
  • Buffet Restaurant : may or may not offer waiter/waitress service. Patrons serve themselves from buffet food selection
  • Ethnic Restaurant : focuses on a specific ethnic cuisine such as Indian food, Mexican food, or Moroccan cuisine.

Within these types of restaurants, there are also ethnic food specialties such as American, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, etc.

In addition to explaining the type of restaurant you operate, the Company Analysis section of your restaurant business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

  • When and why did you start the business?
  • Your mission statement and how it connects to your restaurant’s brand.
  • What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include sales goals you’ve reached, new restaurant openings, etc.
  • Your legal business structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, also called a Market Analysis, you need to provide a market overview and an overview of the industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the restaurant industry educates you. It helps you understand the target market in which you are operating.

Secondly, research can improve your strategy particularly if your research identifies market trends. For example, if there was a trend towards speedy restaurant services, it would be helpful to ensure your business plan calls for take-out or other quick-service options.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your business plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your restaurant business plan:

  • How big is the restaurant business (in dollars)?
  • Is the market declining or increasing?
  • Who are the key competitors in the market?
  • Who are the key suppliers in the market?
  • What trends are affecting the industry?
  • What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
  • What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your restaurant? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your restaurant business plan must detail the customer base or target market you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: business executives, college students, sports enthusiasts, soccer moms, techies, teens, baby boomers, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of restaurant you operate. Clearly, baby boomers would want a different atmosphere, pricing and sample menu options, and would respond to different marketing promotions than teens.

Try to break out your customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to diner demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and average income levels of the new customers you seek to serve. Because most restaurants primarily serve customers living in the same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. This should also include how your customers choose where they should eat, their dining habits, and how much they are willing to spend on a meal.

The answers to the following questions should be included in your customer analysis:

  • Who is your target market?
  • What are their needs and wants?
  • How do they make dining decisions?
  • What motivates them to choose one restaurant over another?

The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and building customer loyalty.

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Competitive Analysis

This competitive research should help you identify the direct and indirect competitors that your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other restaurants.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from you that aren’t directly competing. This includes restaurants, supermarkets, and customers preparing dishes for themselves at home. You need to mention such competition to show you understand that not everyone frequents a restaurant each day.

With regards to direct competition, you want to detail the other restaurants with which you compete. Your greatest competitors will be restaurants located very close to your specific location, who are of the same type (e.g., fine dining, casual dining, etc.) and who offer the same cuisine (Japanese, Italian, etc.).

For each such competitor, provide an overview of the other businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

  • What types of repeat customers do they serve?
  • What menu items do they offer?
  • What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
  • What are they good at?
  • What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the existing customers’ perspective. And don’t hesitate to find out this information from customers by reviewing your competitors’ Yelp listings and other review pages.

The final part of this section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

  • Will you provide superior food items?
  • Will you provide menu items that your competitors don’t offer?
  • Will you make it easier or faster for customers to acquire your meals?
  • Will you provide better customer service?
  • Will you offer better pricing?

Think about your unique selling points that will help you outperform your competition and document them in this section of your business plan.

    Finish Your Business Plan Today!

Marketing plan.

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a restaurant business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : in the product section you should reiterate the type of restaurant that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific menu items you offer/will offer.

Price : Document the prices. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the menu items you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your restaurant. Perform a location analysis and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your restaurant located next to a heavily populated office building, or gym? Discuss how your location might provide a steady stream of customers. Also, if you operate or plan to operate food trucks, detail the locations where the trucks will operate.

Promotions : the final part of your restaurant marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

  • Making your restaurant’s front store extra appealing to attract passing customers
  • Search engine marketing and optimization
  • Social media posting/advertising
  • Advertising in local papers and magazines
  • Reaching out to local bloggers and websites
  • Local radio advertising
  • Banner ads at local venues

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your restaurant business plan explained your goals, your operational plan describes how you will meet them.

This section of your restaurant business plan should have two key elements as follows:

  • Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your restaurant such as serving customers, procuring supplies, keeping the restaurant clean, etc.
  • Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to serve your 1,000th customer, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect to hire your Xth employee or launch a new location.

Management Team

To demonstrate your restaurant’s ability to succeed as a business, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in the restaurant business. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience operating restaurants and/or successfully running small businesses.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements.

Pro-Forma Profit & Loss Statement / Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows how much revenue you expect to earn or have earned, and then subtracts your costs to show your actual or projected profit.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you serve 100 customers per day or 200? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Pro-Forma Balance Sheets

While balance sheets include much information, to simplify them to the key items you need to know about, balance sheets show your assets and liabilities.

For instance, if you spend $250,000 on building out your restaurant, that will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $100.000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Pro-Forma Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

For example, let’s say a company approached you with a massive $100,000 catering contract, that would cost you $50,000 to fulfill. Well, in most cases, you would have to pay that $50,000 now for ingredients, supplies, equipment rentals, employee salaries, etc. But let’s say the company didn’t pay you for 180 days. During that 180-day period, you could run out of money.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a restaurant:

  • Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
  • Cost of equipment like stoves, refrigerators, blenders
  • Cost of ingredients and maintaining an adequate amount of supplies
  • Payroll or salaries paid to staff
  • Business insurance
  • Taxes and permits
  • Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections, detailed cost analysis and/or break-even analysis in the appendix of your business plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your store design blueprint, location lease, or initial menu design.

Taking the time to write your own restaurant business plan for your business is a worthwhile endeavor. It will help you communicate your ideas and provide potential investors with the information they need to make an informed decision about investing in your restaurant.

A well-crafted business plan will also give you a road map for growing your business and achieving your long-term goals. So, while it may take some time to put together, it will be well worth the effort in the end.

If you follow the restaurant business plan template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the restaurant business, your competition, and your existing customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful restaurant concept.

Want more tips? Check out our related articles:

  • How to Start a Restaurant
  • Restaurant Startup Costs: How Much Does It Cost To Start a Restaurant?
  • How To Write a Restaurant Marketing Plan + Template & Examples
  • How To Get Funding To Start and/or Grow Your Restaurant

Restaurant Business Plan Template FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my restaurant business plan.

Growthink’s Ultimate Restaurant Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your restaurant business plan.

Where Can I Download a Free Restaurant Business Plan PDF?

You can download our restaurant business plan PDF template here . This is a restaurant business plan template you can use in PDF format.

Where Can I Find a Small Restaurant Business Plan PDF?

Our small restaurant business plan PDF is a free resource to to help you get started on your own small restaurant business plan.

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Restaurant Executive Summary Example

Restaurant Executive Summary Example

A restaurant executive summary example is the solution to business plan problems this template is perfect whether you are trying to attract investors, sell your business, or produce financial reports..

  • Design Style : vintage, retro
  • Colors : dark
  • Size : 816 x 1843px
  • Plan : business

Planning to open your own restaurant or eatery? This restaurant executive summary template will give you all the details you need to know before embarking on this exciting journey. Use it as a reference sheet while looking for investors, communicating with a potential partner, or writing up an effective business plan. This template is for a coffee shop executive summary that can be used for writing about any restaurant or eatery. It provides a great foundation for your restaurant, including important aspects like location, opening hours, and special features. A coffee shop executive summary is written in an investor-friendly tone. It includes information such as the restaurant's description, financial performance, marketing, and future plans. The template can be customized to fit any type of restaurant and can play an important role in investment decisions. The restaurant executive summary is a great place for a business plan writer to start, as it provides a template that can be referenced and then greatly expanded by including the history of the eatery and its unique qualities. At the same time, this table quickly summarizes financial information

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  • Business Plans Handbook
  • Business Plans - Volume 07
  • Restaurant Business Plan

BUSINESS PLAN     BUTCHER HOLLOW BAR BQ

1020 Allen Ave. St. Louis, Missouri 63104

The proprietors of this new restaurant plan to take advantage of their market research, which indicates there is a great interest and very little competition in a specific area of St. Louis for a barbecue restaurant.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  • THE COMPANY—PRESENT SITUATION

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Market analysis—customers, competition, marketing strategy—advertising, promotion & public relations.

  • PRICING & PROFITABILITY

SUMMARY & USE OF FUNDING

Financial projections.

Butcher Hollow Bar BQ will be an eat-in, carry-out restaurant, specializing in evening and weekend leisure dining. St. Louis is recognized as one of the prime barbecue markets in the country. The Soulard neighborhood, future home of Butcher Hollow, is known as one of our area's most popular and successful nightlife hubs.

What makes Butcher Hollow Bar BQ special as a business proposition? New restaurant openings are known to be risky. What have we done to neutralize these risks and assure success?

First, we have identified an unfulfilled market for our exceptional product. Careful research has demonstrated a 66% positive response by a representative sampling of our primary and secondary geographical markets. We have learned that people living in Soulard and Lafayette Square, or within reasonable driving distance, would patronize a good eat-in or carry-out Bar BQ restaurant in Soulard if one were available. Further research of the population demographics of this area reveals a lifestyle most conducive to eating out often, as frequently as three times per week.

Management has also identified a very viable commuting market that frequents the Soulard area, availing themselves of the many attractive restaurants, bars, and bistros. These customers travel there from downtown employment, stadium events, and other entertainment centers such as Union Station, Laclede's Landing, and Kiel Auditorium. Many look forward to a stop in historic Soulard. Butcher Hollow Bar BQ will be a welcome addition to this ambiance, offering to the area a delectable barbecue fare not currently available.

Many thousands of people also work in an near the Soulard area and often unwind after work at one of the many bistros. Butcher Hollow intends to be part and parcel of this scene, offering superb Bar BQ, frosted steins of beer, along with convenient carry-out. Relaxed patio dining is also planned for use during pleasant weather.

Tom and Helen Carter bring both experience and formal training to the food service field. Tom operated the successful Tom's Cafeteria in the garment district for some eight years. Both he and Helen have a wealth of experience in food service and hospitality management.

Butcher Hollow Bar BQ also has a sound marketing plan directed at our three identified markets. Viable market, good promotion, and an excellent product, backed up by sound and experienced management will go a long way to assuring success of the business venture.

Our anticipated capitalization consists of a budget of $45,000, including $15,000 owner's equity along with $30,000 borrowed capital. Owner's equity derives from joint savings of Mr. and Mrs. Carter.

The operating plan provides for proprietor withdrawals of $1,000 per month for the first 12 months of operation. Mrs. Carter will continue her employment as Assistant Front Desk Manager at the Crest Downtown Hotel.

Careful and conservative projections anticipate a first year net of $12,000 on sales of $113,000. It should be noted that the first year P/L reflects certain initial sales promotional activities that, while burdensome during that period, are expected to yield long-term results.

Our second year projected profit is $30,500 on sales of $146,000 yielding a 38.1% return on investment.

THE COMPANY— PRESENT SITUATION

Butcher Hollow Bar BQ, a proprietorship, will be a husband and wife operated business. Both Tom and Helen Carter will bring with them experience in food service and related hospitality fields. The concept of Butcher Hollow Bar BQ is to offer a limited but highly popular menu, aimed at a clearly defined market. It is expected that at least 50% of the business will be carryout. An outside beer garden facility is also planned for nice weather. Barbecue will, of course, be prominent, but other dishes known to have great appeal in the area will also be featured.

The business will be situated in the Soulard neighborhood. This is a high profile rehabbed community with a high concentration of residential units occupied by young professionals as well as established neighborhood blue-collar workers. The Soulard neighborhood is well known for its social scene consisting of many small bars, restaurants, and bistros. The focal point is Soulard Market, an open-air produce market some 200 years old and a national historic landmark. Many people are attracted to the area for its ambiance, and its establishments cater not only to neighborhood people but to customers commuting to suburbia from downtown employment and stadium events.

Mr. and Mrs. Carter's start-up capital consists of $15,000 derived from savings. Mrs. Carter will continue her present employment as assistant front desk manager at the Crest Downtown Hotel, and will work weekends at Butcher Hollow. Mr. Carter will be employed full-time from start-up and has resigned his job as food and beverage manager of Holiday Inn Southtown.

Butcher Hollow Bar BQ will originally target the leisure and recreational dining market. This will heavily emphasize Friday, Saturday, and Sunday business. For the first 12-month period, it is expected that the business will remain closed on Monday, opening from 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM Tuesday through Thursday, 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM Friday and Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM on Sunday. In addition to the local trade, these hours allow us to capture the afterwork commuter as well as those stopping off after the ballgame for barbecue and a beer.

Fridays present a special market. In addition to the normal influx of Friday evening business, Butcher Hollow will be catering to the known habit of working people to treat themselves special for lunch on Friday. Featured dishes will be the soon-to-be-famous Butcher Hollow Bar BQ or the special Jack salmon and spaghetti platter available only on Friday. The latter is known to be very popular for lunch or dinner in South St. Louis, and along with the Butcher Hollow special sauces, can attract a great deal of business.

Saturdays and Sundays, both afternoons and evenings, present great opportunities for the leisure dining trade, and our menu and carry-out promotions will be designed to maximize these opportunities.

The Soulard area also is known as a great business lunch community. While barbecue is not a good lead item for business lunch, other speciality items can be added at a future time when the lunch trade is targeted. Initially, we do not intend to compete for lunch business except on Friday when most Soulard restaurants are hopelessly overloaded. A special luncheon menu is presently being refined for possible inclusion with an expansion of hours during our second year.

Tom Carter will head the husband and wife team of Tom and Helen Carter, as he devotes fulltime to the planning, installation, and start-up of Butcher Hollow Bar BQ. Tom, 43, holds an Associate Degree in Food Service Management from Forest Park Junior College. Upon graduation, he entered his chosen field as assistant chef at Bevo Mill under the original management of Chef Ulrich. He stayed at Bevo for 8 years, gaining experience in all phases of experience in food preparation and kitchen management. When Bevo Mill closed in 1975, Mr. Carter, using a small inheritance coupled with an SBA loan, acquired an existing cafeteria in the St. Louis garment district. He renamed the operation Tom's Cafeteria and operated it for 8 years until 1983. Tom's Cafeteria specialized in breakfast and lunch for workers in the garment and shoe trade along Washington Avenue just west of downtown St. Louis. Mr. Carter was hands-on in all phases of the business management. This business prospered and he was able to retire the SBA loan in the allotted five-year period. However, due to a decline in the garment and shoe business in the immediate area, the building in which Tom's Cafeteria was located closed down, and Tom lost his lease. Because of the decline in the area, he did not seek to relocate but obtained employment as assistant food and beverage manager at the Holiday Inn Southtown. The close-down of Tom's Cafeteria was orderly and all debt was retired as agreed.

After eighteen months at Holiday Inn Southtown, Tom was promoted to manager of food and beverage, a position he held until he recently resigned to devote full-time to Butcher Hollow Bar BQ.

Helen Carter, 38, also has extensive experience in food service and hospitality fields. As a young person, she started working in fast-food operations, and while attending the University of Denver, School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, she worked in a variety of food and beverage service capacities, usually as waitress or hostess, and on one occasion for about a year in food preparation. Circumstances did not permit her to obtain her degree, and she returned to St. Louis. She obtained employment at the Crest Downtown Hotel and is presently assistant front desk manager.

Tom and Helen Carter have been married for 14 years. Tom is working full-time to start up Butcher Hollow Bar BQ. Helen is assisting in her off-duty hours and will work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday upon opening. This will not conflict with her present employment, and she intends to continue on at Crest Downtown until Butcher Hollow Bar BQ has reached the point of requiring and being able to support her full-time services.

Barbecue is, of course, the lead item at Butcher Hollow Bar BQ. The Butcher Hollow Bar BQ comes as the result of many years of experimenting and refining different recipes and techniques. The sauce is a special recipe that has been lovingly developed by the proprietors and tested hundreds of times on willing guests, both at home and at food establishments where the Carters have presided. The technique itself is also special, calling for extra effort, but yielding terrific results. The Butcher Hollow Bar BQ people know how to put out production volume without losing any of the delightful, delectable texture and tastes that will bring the customers back time and again.

Our plan calls for opening with a fairly limited menu, featuring barbecue ribs, barbecue pork steaks and barbecue chicken halves. Also offered will be Jack Salmon (Whiting) with spaghetti. These will be available as plates, which will include entree and two side dishes, or as sandwiches. The Jack Salmon will be offered with our delicious barbecue sauce on the side.

Another speciality of wide appeal will be our meatball and spaghetti platter, served with a knockout garlic cheese bread. All of our sauces are homemade—the spaghetti sauce a private Old World recipe, and the meat balls, our own sensational mix of meat and spices.

Another offering will be a side dish of golden parmesan potatoes, a delicious accompaniment to barbecue that has received many raves. Some people like to make a meal of them by themselves. We also have special recipes for potato salad and slaw. Our intent is to bring as much effort and expertise to our side dishes and sauces as we do our entrees. This will make the food at Butcher Hollow Bar BQ extra special and keep the customers coming back for more. Nothing mundane or ordinary will be served.

We also have a nice array of entrees that we are holding in reserve, or that we may feature as weekly specials, one at a time. These recipes come from a special private collection that have been refined over many years by the Carters.

The Setting

Butcher Hollow Bar BQ will not be served in an ostentatious setting. The Soulard neighborhood lends itself to nice, storefront cafes, and in this type of setting, barbecue can be best enjoyed. Checkered tablecloths and pitchers of beer set the scene for good times, good food, and enjoyable surroundings. A bricked patio with picnic tables and yellow lights permit a beer garden annex in pleasant weather and, of course, carry-out customers are made especially welcome in a comfortable alcove. We expect a significant part of our business to be carry-out because barbecue is traditionally eaten at home.

Soft drinks, wine coolers, and draft beer are the beverages of choice at Butcher Hollow. We anticipate eight tables for four, four tables for two, four booths accommodating four to six, and two tables for six, for total seating of eighty-four.

The name Butcher Hollow is intended to conjure up a relaxed, rustic mood, nothing fancy, and not associated with a specific theme. Our decor will generally be mixed and matched chairs and furnishings with a goodly amount of Americana thrown in. Much of this will be derived from the near-antique collectables that the Carters have been accumulating over the years in anticipation of this type of establishment.

Butcher Hollow Bar BQ has identified four distinct target markets which will comprise our customers. They consist of:

  • Primary residential population of the Soulard and Lafayette Square neighborhoods.
  • Secondary residential population of the Near South Side and South St. Louis proper sections.
  • Commuting population that works downtown and travels through Soulard, often stopping for a refreshment on the way home. Accesses to highways 40, 44, and 55 are found in our immediate area and lend themselves for easy access. Additionally, spin-off crowds from stadium events and Kiel Auditorium also are markets that will avail themselves of post game or post concert recreational dining or carry-out. The planned new arena and downtown football stadium complex can only add to the customer mix. The near proximity of Union Station and Laclede's Landing also provide traffic through our area, which we intend to entice with our delectable Butcher Hollow Bar BQ.
  • Another market is the working population of the Near Southside, which offer great opportunities for Friday lunch and after-work gatherings. Anheuser-Busch, Monsanto Chemical, and Ralston Purina are three of many large employers having upscale workers with disposable income for leisure activities.

Market Survey

To obtain consumer feedback for our idea, a telemarketing survey was instituted in the fall of 1995 for the purpose of polling the primary and secondary residential population to learn their reaction to an eat-in and carry-out barbecue-style restaurant. Twelve hundred complete conversations were conducted by telephone in the zip codes of 63104, 63118, 63110, and 63116. Among the key questions asked were: If there were a good barbecue restaurant in the Soulard neighborhood, would you patronize it either for eat-in or carry-out? Sixty-six percent responded affirmatively, and their answers were further tabulated as follows:

22% once a month or more frequently 56% every couple of months 12% a couple times per year 10% about once a year

About 75% indicated a preference for carry-out.

Profile of Customer Base

The demographics of the four zip codes comprising the residential population of our primary geographic target market reveal characteristics very supportive of a viable customer base for Butcher Hollow Bar BQ. Our primary area consists of some 52,500 households, with a median adult age of 42 years. Approximately 22% have incomes of over $50,000, with 36% having income of $30,000 to $49,000. Statistics published in the July 1995 edition of Eating Out , a leading trade journal, reveal that families with median incomes of over $30,000 and median ages over 40 eat out two to three time per week, among the highest in any category.

With approximately 50% of our primary residential target market falling within this profile, and coupled with the response to our in-house survey revealing 66% of those surveyed indicating a predisposition to patronize a good barbecue-style eat-in or carry-out restaurant, we feel that we have identified a location that is most amenable to the product that we will be providing.

Additionally, 25% of our business is expected to come from persons commuting from downtown employment, shopping, cultural and sports activities. While en route their residences in South County and West County, many people often stop in Soulard and the adjoining neighborhood of Lafayette Square to partake of the local amenities.

Another 25% is expected to come from people employed in the immediate area but living elsewhere. Some of the larger employers are:

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Many workers from these firms are known to frequent the establishments of Soulard after working hours, with Fridays being a high point in the week.

St. Louis is known as one of the major barbecue consuming areas of the country. Indeed, we lead the nation in the per capita consumption of prepackaged barbecue sauce sold at the retail level. Barbecue restaurants have traditionally been very popular in St. Louis as well. Two of the most popular are situated in the Affton area, just outside of what we consider our secondary market.

One of these restaurants, Phil's Bar BQ, is a second-generation establishment, tracing its roots back to North St. Louis with some fifty years of continuous operation. Roscoe McCrary reigns supreme in North St. Louis, a distinct market in itself, with Mr. McCrary's Bar BQ being both well known and highly sought by consumers from all over the metro region. McCrary's Bar BQ is often preferred fare in the post game St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse and is widely regarded as being among the best.

Suburban St. Louis County has become home for several very popular barbecue restaurants. Charlotte's Rib attracts a large following in the Ballwin/Manchester area and Damons for Ribs, a national chain, has recently opened a second location to complement its Crestwood restaurant.

KC Masterpiece Bar BQ has expanded its sphere of influence all the way from Kansas City to our own West County suburbs. Reports are that the initial store is doing excellent business with customers waiting on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Without a doubt, barbecue is popular in St. Louis. But, until the arrival of Butcher Hollow Bar BQ, South St. Louis and the Near South Side have had no convenient purveyor.

The closest place is a church-sponsored barbecue carry-out operation of long standing in the six hundred block of South Broadway that is open 24 hours a day, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only, and does a land-office business, although offering no amenities.

During the annual Mardi Gras Festival and the St. Patrick Day celebrations, many of the restaurants and bars of Soulard erect temporary barbecue pits to cater to the heavy foot traffic. It is easy to observe that these are among the most popular stops with the celebrants. Often people congregate 3 and 4 deep around the stands, clamoring for service, as the delectable smoke and fragrance waft into the surrounding air. Butcher Hollow Bar BQ feels there is a demonstrated need for a good barbecue eat-in or carry-out restaurant in Soulard, and we intend to fill that need.

Opening a new food establishment is often seen as one of the more risky business ventures because of the known high rate of failure of new restaurants. The proprietors of Butcher Hollow Bar BQ feel that we have effectively minimized these risks by careful market research and by bringing considerable food service management and entrepreneurial experience to the project.

Tom and Helen Carter are well-trained both by formal education and by many years of experience in restaurant service and management. Additionally, Mr. Carter was owneroperator of a successful restaurant for eight years in St. Louis during which he retired a $25,000 SBA loan in a timely fashion.

As this Business Plan will reflect, careful planning and preparation have gone into the concept and the execution of this plan. Positive consumer reaction, favorable demographics, and strategic location combine to assure Butcher Hollow Bar BQ a viable market.

Another risk that is effectively minimized is that of surviving what is sometimes known as the starvation period for many start-up businesses; i.e., the first six months to a year while customers become aware of your establishment. While the Business Plan calls for a proprietor's draw of $1,000 per month, this is of course contingent upon conditions. With Mrs. Carter maintaining her present position of employment and both she and Mr. Carter working at Butcher Hollow, the new business can operate with a minimum of payroll load, thus minimizing a significant cost factor for all new businesses. As she continues working at the Crest Downtown Hotel, the household living expenses can be met by her salary.

Traditional casualty risks will be covered by Business Owners' insurance, ample to cover all assets and with a $500,000 public and product liability umbrella.

Butcher Hollow Bar BQ has a three-pronged marketing strategy aimed at our three identified target markets.

As we expect 50% of our business to come from the residential population of our primary and secondary areas, we will be promoting Introductory Specials through ads in two heavily circulated community newspapers, the South St. Louis Journal and the Riverfront Times . The Journal will feature primarily family carry-out oriented ads, with coupons worth $1 off or a free 24 oz. soft drink, or similar promotions. The Riverfront Times , which has saturation distribution throughout the area, primarily in food and beverage establishments, is widely read by the young, upwardly mobile professional person, a consumer category recognized for their prominent discretionary and leisure spending habits.

The commuting traffic will be targeted with a billboard advertisement strategically positioned to capture the attention of southbound vehicles leaving downtown employment, stadium, and entertainment events. The cost of this advertisement is budgeted for $9,000 for the first 6 months and is intended to prime the pump and attract first-time customers. It is an investment in the future and is not expected to be immediately cost effective, but will pay-off for the long haul as we attract and keep customers.

Our third target group is the local employee population who we intend to attract for Friday lunch and after-work eat-in or carry-out business. For the lunch trade, we intend to initiate mailings to the various firms throughout the area.

The mailings will include menus and our fax number to make use of the proliferation of office fax machines to place lunch orders. For the larger companies, we will obtain lists of departments to facilitate these mailings reaching the workers that want to order. We also will make use of occasional Comp Cards, which are complimentary lunches when used with an order exceeding a set dollar amount. With each carry-out lunch, we will include a flyer touting Butcher Hollow Bar BQ as a great stop after work for barbecue and beer or for our splendid carry-out offerings.

The Carters intend to be members and participants in the Soulard Merchants Association, which is a group of about fifty local businesses, most of whom are in food and beverage service. The area is promoted twice each year, once with a giant Mardi Gras parade and festival and then at St. Patrick's Day. Butcher Hollow Bar BQ intends to maintain a high profile during both festivities and become a well established and popular addition to the Soulard scene.

PRICE & PROFITABILITY

The price formula to be employed at Butcher Hollow Bar BQ will be based on a food cost of 30% for most food items with a 25% food cost for soft drinks and 50% for beer and wine coolers. Retail prices are across the board, carry-out or eat-in, with the paper cost of carry-out being offset by the savings in service inherent to take-out food.

The pinnacle attraction at Butcher Hollow BQ is the full slab rib platter, priced at $13.00 and including two side dishes and bread. Many people will order half slabs at $7.50 per plate or $5.50 per sandwich. Our other entrees, Half Chickens, Pork Steaks, and Jack Salmon are priced at $7.50 per platter and $5.50 per sandwich accordingly. Meatballs and spaghetti with garlic cheese bread will be $7.50.

Both our barbecue sauce and our spaghetti sauce are special recipes and are very important to the overall delectability of the finished product. Extra sauces will be available in individual portions or by the quart, priced with a 50% food cost.

We expect our aggregate food and beverage cost to average about 44% and we will monitor this figure closely. We will be utilizing modern computer data entry on all of our food purchases. Recipes are preprogrammed to extrapolate the updated finished cost per portion, thereby enabling management to keep a constant check on food cost percentages, adjusting pricing as needs dictate.

As our financial forecast will indicate, we anticipate first-year sales of $113,000 with net operating profits of $12,300. We would find this acceptable in view of the anticipated "starvation period" that accompanies all new openings and the one-time expenditures of advertising and promotion that is booked in for the first six months. Our monthly break-even point is $6,700, a very reachable $1,500 per week.

Profits for the second year are expected to reach $30,500.

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[*For detailed derivation of these calculations, refer to Twelve Month Proforma, Financial Projections.]

In order to open Butcher Hollow Bar BQ, management has determined that capitalization of $45,000 will be required. These funds will be allocated as follows:

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Equipment & Fixtures are listed in the schedule on the following page. Our Business Plan anticipates that capitalization will be funded as follows:

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The proprietors equity is derived from savings. It is projected that borrowed capital would be drawn over a period of 60 days preceding Grand Opening, through the first 180 days of operations. Grand opening is targeted for May 1, 2000.

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This page left intentionally blank to accommodate tabular matter following.

TWELVE-MONTH PROFORMA CHART 1

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TWELVE-MONTH PROFORMA CHART II

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THREE-YEAR PROJECTED INCOME STATEMENT

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CASH FLOW PROJECTION

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BALANCE SHEET

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  • Business Plan Executive Summary Example

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executive summary example business plan restaurant

If you take a look at any business plan , the first section you will come across is the executive summary. The executive summary essentially provides an overview of the rest of the document.

It summarizes the contents of the business plan for readers, giving them a glimpse of what they should expect to find within the business plan and thereby helping them save time.

Because of this, the executive summary should be clear and concise, and interesting enough to entice the reader to dive deeper into the business plan.

Since it provides the reader with a glimpse of the rest of the business plan, the executive summary is often regarded as the most important section of a business plan.

If the executive summary fails in its purpose of capturing the reader’s attention, the reader will set aside the business plan without reading the rest of it. This would be a very great disadvantage, especially if the purpose of the business plan was to help you raise capital to start your business .

Considering that it is an overview of the rest of the business plan, the executive summary is typically the last section of the business plan to be written. Writing it last is also a lot easier. You can easily come up with an executive summary by simply reviewing and creating a summary of each section of your business plan.

Like I mentioned before, the executive summary is meant to save time for the reader, therefore it should be brief – typically, an executive summary does not exceed 2 pages.

The executive summary should end with a closing sentence or two aimed at showing the reader why the proposed business is a winning business.

Given that it is easier to learn how to do something by looking at example, below is a sample business plan executive summary that you can use as a guide as you write one for your business plan.

In the example, we are going to use a fictitious business named Pronto Lounge and Restaurant.

SECTION 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR PRONTO LOUNGE AND RESTAURANT

1.1 introduction.

The future looks promising for Queens Borough in Manhattan, particularly the Bay Terrace Neighborhood. Already, there are a number of high end commercial and residential developments coming up in the neighborhood. The development of a state of the art mixed use estate in the nearby Bayside neighborhood is also well underway.

Combined, these new developments will add over 150,000 sq. feet of commercial space and over 1000 residential units. The residential units will be sold at prices in the range of $200,000 to $500,000, while rents for the units will range from $1000 to $2500 per month. The completion of these developments will provide the Bay Terrace neighborhood with a year-round economy.

While the completion of these developments will increase the population within the neighborhood and stimulate the expansion of the economy, the area does not have a warm and friendly place where residents and visitors can enjoy some fine food. Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will provide such a place.

Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will be a fine-dining restaurant with a capacity of 50 seats and a lounge with a 20 seat capacity. The lounge and restaurant will focus on offering an American-Italian menu, with a little Moroccan influence.

The lounge and restaurant will be located in the booming Bay Terrace area in Queens, Manhattan, overlooking the ocean and Fort Totten Park along Cross Island parkway.

Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will have an elegant lounge and a cozy dining room, complete with comfortable furnishings and exquisite décor. The lounge will be fitted with antique love seats and comfortable leather couches.

On one corner of the lounge will be a softly lit bar stocked with classical drinks. Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will be the perfect place for people to get a drink or a bite, or for small business meetings.

1.2 Mission

Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will be a great place to eat, offering a combination of excellent food and an interesting, welcoming atmosphere. The mission is to be New York’s leading restaurant, with the best tasting food and the highest quality of service.

We want Pronto Lounge and Restaurant to be the restaurant of choice for all within this area, the young and the old, singles and married couples. Good treatment of our staff will be part of our success, since we believe that employee satisfaction will translate into employees who care deeply about the business and its clients.

We want the staff of Pronto Lounge and Restaurant to feel as part of the business and to give their best in ensuring the success of the business. Through a combination of excellent menu variety, great and interesting atmosphere and exceptionally friendly staff, we want to create a lounge and restaurant that will be a great place for clients to eat, a rewarding place for our staff to work, and a profitable business for its owners.

1.3 The Service And Products

The menu at Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will focus on American-Italian cuisine. It will also offer of few of the best Moroccan dishes. For those who want to please their palates with an Italian taste, there will be several specialties to choose from, such as pasta carbonara, bruschetta, mushroom risotto, osso buco alla Milanese and ribollita.

For those who choose to enjoy American dishes, there will be a wide variety, from Charleston red rice and Hawaiian haystack to Texan barbeque, baked beans, chicken nuggets, coleslaw and lobster rolls.

Every day, the menu will feature a single special Moroccan dish, such as Moroccan Seafood Bastilla, tagine, Moroccan mixed salad, eggplant zalouk and chickpea stew. The food at Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will have premium pricing to match its upscale feel. The strategy is to give Pronto Lounge and Restaurant a perception of a high end, fine dining restaurant through its food, price, entertainment and excellent service.

Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will be open on all days of the week. The restaurant will be defined by its warm and comfy atmosphere. To create such an atmosphere, the restaurant will be painted in warm colors.

On the walls will be amazing artwork by some of the world’s best contemporary artists. On each table will be a small vase with fresh flowers. Soft piped music will subtly sooth and entertain our guests. Every week, Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will have a special theme night with the aim of attracting new clients.

During summer months, the restaurant will have some extra seating on the patio where clients will get to enjoy a special summer menu. The patio setting will provide tourists with a casual atmosphere to enjoy their meal while taking in the sights of the street.

The service offered at Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will be very friendly and very relaxed. The business will hire people with a diploma in hospitality, people we can count on to provide the best service to our clients.

In addition, the business will provide continuous training for its staff and keep motivating and encouraging them to ensure they continue providing the best possible service to clients.

The management team will be comprised of professionals with several years’ experience in management, hotel and restaurant, food, catering, marketing and finance.

1.4 Management

Pronto Lounge and Restaurant has assembled a strong and able management team. The team will be led by Cameron Pryce as the general manager. Pryce has a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and an MBA.

He has extensive experience in the hotel and management industry and spent the last five years as the manager at a Las Vegas restaurant that made over $1 million in annual sales.

The financial and accounting functions of the business will be overseen by Leslie Montrose, who has over five years’ experience as a certified public accountant.

Marketing will be overseen by Frank Shields, who has a marketing degree and has formerly worked with some of the city’s best marketing agencies.

Finally, we have Everett Bracket as the senior chef. Chef Bracket has over ten years’ experience in the culinary industry. Before agreeing to join the Pronto Lounge and Restaurant team, Bracket was an assistant chef on a private yacht.

1.5 Target Market

Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will be targeting locals who live and work within Queens Borough and the greater New York and are active restaurant seekers. We will also target the tourists who flock to the many tourist attractions in Queens Borough.

We will specifically focus on young to middle aged adults with an income of $30,000 to $60,000 who are looking for excellent food and a great time.

The general demographics of our target market are males and females in the 20-50 years age bracket who have at least a college degree and are employed.

1.6 Competitive Advantages

  • Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will differentiate itself from the competition by creating a unique and exciting fine dining atmosphere. The restaurant will be set apart from other restaurants by its unique, well thought out design and its exquisite décor. Each client dining at Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will enjoy an experience that is unlike anything they’ve experienced before.
  • Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will also set itself apart through its commitment to high product quality, not only in terms of food but also through offering friendly and high quality service.
  • A unique and varied American-Italian menu with a touch of Moroccan influence.
  • Commitment to controlling and minimizing costs at all times.
  • Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will have a special theme night once each week, which will help to attract new and varied clientele to the restaurant.

1.7 Financial Projections

The most important thing for us is to ensure financial success for Pronto Lounge and Restaurant. We believe that we can achieve this by offering excellent food to our clients and maintaining a high quality of service.

Based on our knowledge and experience in the hotel and restaurant industry, we have come up with projections for the business.

Starting with an expenditure of $300,000 in the first year, we have forecasted sales of $1,200,000 and $2,000,000 for years two and three. We expect to achieve a net profit of 15% in year three.

1.8 Financing Requirements

We are seeking for an investment of $200,000 which will go towards financing Pronto Lounge and Restaurant’s first-year growth. The founders of Pronto Lounge and Restaurant have already invested $100,000 of our own capital into the business.

In exchange for their investment, investors will be given 40% equity in the business.

1.9 Objectives

In the first three years of operation, the objectives for Pronto Lounge and Restaurant will be:

  • To launch the lounge and restaurant with a highly publicized grand opening event that will coincide with the New Year celebrations.
  • To keep the costs of food under 35% of revenue.
  • To keep the labor costs below 30% of revenue.
  • To maintain a reputation of providing excellent food and high quality service.
  • To keep the average sales of the business between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 every year.
  • To expand our marketing and advertising efforts so as to attract clients from the whole of New York.
  • To achieve over 10% profit for the first two years and increase it to 15% from the third year.

There is a lot of competition in the hotel and restaurant business, and restaurateurs must find ways to make their restaurants unique if they want to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage.

Pronto Lounge and Restaurant’s founders are well aware of this. With the developments coming up in Bay Terrace and the nearby Bayside neighborhood, the area will need a pace that will fit into its sophisticated and entertaining new look.

The developments will also attract a significant population of moneyed adults into the area. Considering that no other restaurant in the area has come up with such a concept, we believe that we have a window of opportunity to enter and fill a profitable niche in the market.

There you have it. If you are in the process of writing a business plan for your business, you can use the above example as a guide to help you come up with a clear, concise and interesting executive summary for your business plan.

Business Plan Executive Summary Example

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