How To Open a Restaurant in a Rural Area

Opening a restaurant in a town, provincial city, or rural area seems like a simple venture to accomplish since these areas normally have very little competition especially if you are introducing new cuisine. Yes, it does seem simple enough. Unfortunately, it is not. Starting a restaurant in a rural area requires research and study. You can’t just open any kind of restaurant and offer food that may not be affordable to your potential customers. Some experts even think that opening a restaurant in a rural area can be much more difficult than opening one in a populated and urban area. In any case, to get you started and on your way, here are some things to keep in mind before even contemplating on the venture.

Research and study. You may know how to actually start, open, and operate a restaurant in a city or urban area but opening one in a rural area is entirely different. First, you need to take into consideration the total population in the area and the type of cuisine they are used to eating. Second, you will need to look around and observe all the existing restaurants in the area. Check if there business is profitable and what kind food they serve. You will need to take note of the prices as well since this is a major factor that will affect if your restaurant will attract customers. Try to speak with people frequenting these eateries to see if they are open to trying different cuisines. For example, if the area does not have a pizza place, then ask the people there if they would appreciate being able to eat pizza once in awhile. Another aspect that you can look at is the theme of the existing restaurants. You will notice that most rural areas will have restaurant with themes to emulate the typical American diner. Keep in mind to select a theme that will differ from these. For instance, you may want to introduce a fast-paced and sophisticated Italian restaurant that can become a hip bar at later hours of the night.

Create the business plan. Once you have your research exhausted, put the data on paper and start writing your business plan. You are already familiar with the potential volume of customers you can hope to attain and the price range and limitation that you will need to adhere to. Plot it all in your business plan and project your revenues and expenses. With the business plan, you can see if the venture will be profitable. Make sure to decide on the type of cuisine and ambience your future restaurant will offer to its patrons.

Set the restaurant up. If you are decided on opening the restaurant, then all you have to do now is select a location, renovate it, hire staff, and start advertising. Look for a good location near the center of town to get the maximize customer exposure and volume. Purchase the various equipment and furniture for your restaurant. Hire waitresses and cooks. When everything is set, start distributing flyers to let everyone know when you will open and what you are offering.

Make sure to get aggressive with marketing and advertising. Run some ads in the local publications and newspapers. Radio ads can boost your marketing as well. Remember that your marketing can only do so much. Make sure to serve good food as well. This is the best assurance to ensure that people will keep coming back to your establishment.


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