Books/resources on opening restaurants?

December 8, 2008 5:41 AM

Book suggestions on restaurant management?

Some of my friends are planning to open a restaurant 1-2 years down the line. One of them has her birthday next week. I am looking for some books or anything else that might help her in this endeavor.

I'm short on specific info about what kind of restaurant and so on. I think they are not sure either, as of now. Any suggestion dealing with the overall picture, or any specific aspect of it, is welcome.

Thanks!

posted by swapspace to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

Best answer: I always enjoyed the point of view from this book by Daniel Miller, Starting a Small Restaurant, back when I was young and thinking of opening my own place. I have a much older version of this book, from the mid-1980s, and haven't seen this newer version.

There are many books on restaurant management, but the best teacher is to actually manage a restaurant for a while. You don't say if your friends are already in the business, but if they are not, I would suggest actually working in the type of restaurant they want to own for at least a year, in a management position if possible. That is pretty much the only real way to learn the trade.

I will say that there is an old joke in the restaurant business: "How do you make a small fortune in the restaurant business? Start with a large fortune.." It is a very tough business, good luck to your friends if they actually decide to go through with their plan.
posted by ralan at 8:07 AM on December 8, 2008

Best answer: Danny Meyer's "Setting the Table". It might seem a little grandiose, since the guy has several restaurants under his belt, but when you mention Danny Meyer's name, a huge part of his trademark is the service that you get at his restaurants. He's got a strong philosophy about hospitality and I think some people who have the notion of opening their own place sometimes forget it's not just about the food or what plates you use, but that you're offering an experience to the guest. You'll hear that from a lot of restaurateurs. The Union Square Hospitality Group isn't a chain necessarily, but a multi-unit operator, so his restaurants were added over time. He started off with one, Union Square Cafe, so even though your friends probably aren't thinking about running a restaurant empire, it'll still probably be an interesting and informative read to see how he learned and grew in the restaurant industry.
posted by kkokkodalk at 10:27 AM on December 8, 2008

The best book I've ever read on the topic of running a restaurant (from a chef's point of view) is the memoir Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain. The only problem is that it's likely to make any would-be restaurateur run screaming from the endeavor. If they know what they're getting into they would probably find it hilarious, though.
posted by bcwinters at 11:03 AM on December 8, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.
posted by swapspace at 10:39 AM on December 10, 2008