Thinking about starting your own restaurant?

According to the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record $537 billion in 2007 and there are approximately 935,000 restaurant-and-food service outlets. With 12.8 million employees, the industry is the largest employer. Owning a restaurant can be very rewarding, but don't think you can open one and hire a manager and then forget about it. You need to be on top of training your manager and employees so that you don't lose your profits and/or your business. You also need to keep up with federal, state and local regulations.

We have designed this "How To Start a Restaurant" guide with tips and resources as a guide to help you get started. Always check with your accountant, lawyer, state, county and local officials before using this information.