Where are you going to put your new restaurant? Some important things to think about that may help your business become a success are:
Traffic : Foot and motor traffic counts and surveys are an important start. You can get traffic counts from a real
estate firm, demographic firm, planning commission, or highway department.
You will want to pick a location that has high traffic counts at the
peak times you serve your food. One way is access this is to park at
the site at different times of the day, including week-ends and get some
figures for yourself.
If you are in a downtown area you will need to access the foot traffic.
The type of foot traffic will also have a bearing on the concept you
choose.
Visibility - If potential customers can't see you, they may not stop.
A corner location is great. And even better is a free-standing building
on a corner lot! If you choose a strip mall, a location at the end is
best.
Sign age also increases visibility. Especially, a sign with a readaboard
that allows you to advertise your menu. If you are in a downtown location,
a curb sight gives you more visibility.
Readily Accessible Parking - This is a must, customers need to be able
to find a place to park or they may consider it to be more hassle than
it's worth, especially if they are in a hurry.
Strong population back-up - near a high school, college, university,
office buildings, dense residential areas or high traffic commercial
areas.
Accessibility - Customers
need to be able to get to your business with ease. Median strips that
don't allow for a left-hand turn make it hard for your customers to
get to your business. Highly congested traffic areas may also discourage
them.
Size - Will the site handle the projected amount of customers your are
planning on having?
Price - Make sure the price of the site or lease amount fits your projected
break-even or you may just be buying a lot of work with no pay.
Condition of the
site - How much money will it take to build there or
if it is an existing building, how much money will it take to remodel
or repair?
Road Construction - Always check with the highway department and local agencies to see what
improvements or changes are planned for the ares. We bought an existing
restaurant only to have all access roads torn-up for improvements and
lost 3 months of sales.
Crime - Another thing to consider is whether or not this is a high crime area,
people may not stop if they don't feel safe. Destruction of property,
robbery and employee safety are other considerations.
