It’s ALMOST Impossible to Open and Run a Successful Restaurant with Zero Experience!

Everyone has had one of those drunken moments when they thought, “hey bro (or girlfriend), let’s open a bar. How hard can it be. It will be fun!” There is a reason that most of these epiphanies come to us in an intoxicated state more often for a reason. And that reason is because? opening and maintaining the success of a restaurant is truly one of the hardest things anyone can do. And doing it with zero experience is just freakin crazy!

In the 25 years that I have run restaurants I have rarely seen anyone successfully open a restaurant with zero experience and I can count on two hands how many have been able to stay open and scale. Bold statement but true! But, it can be done.?

Case Study

Meet the Smiths. Ethan and Jenna were high school sweethearts. They went to college, got married, and both of them became 4th grade math teachers in Lakeland, Florida. They had two beautiful kids. Then one day, Ethan sprung on Jenna that he wanted to open a restaurant. Funny thing, neither of them had any experience.

To his credit, Ethan became a student of restaurants and began studying successful restaurateurs. The Smith’s took on massive debt to chase Ethan’s dream. They hired a GM and chef with experience and the Smiths opened The Back Nine Restaurant. The restaurant struggled. But they stayed at it. They opened a second location and took on more debt.

Long story short, the GM and chef didn’t work out and both Ethan and Jenna quit teaching to run the restaurant. They closed down their first restaurant. They were paying out more money to cover debt payments than they were making from the restaurant. Jenna had to go back to teaching for the income and Ethan worked every day in the restaurant open to close to try and make it work.

The Smith’s hired a restaurant consultant and worked with him for awhile gaining some success. But it was the Smiths that kept things going. Fast forward, they stopped working with the consultant and hired me as their coach in January this year. The Smiths were determined to make this work. Everything was riding on this venture.?

We dug in! We worked on the menu. We worked on a beverage program. We put an inventory and ordering systemic place. We hired and trained great people. I say “we” because this was collaborative. The Smith’s brought a hard work ethic, passion, and determination. They are also very intelligent and were highly involved in the process. As a coach, I collaborate. I don’t just tell them what to do for three reasons.

1. I am a coach. Part of my job is to get them to take on the mindset and own their decisions. If they are my decisions the Smiths won’t buy in to them and will eventually go back to the way they did things before.
2. I believe “None of us are as smart as all of us”. We are better together.
3. I love working “with” people not "for" them or them working "for" me.

The Results this year from working together

• The Back Nine is up 60% in sales and similar growth in profit over last year.
• Their profit is more than their loan payments and they are paying down massive debt quickly
• Their people, product, and processes are stronger
• Ethan doesn’t need to stay in the restaurant from open to close everyday and can spend more time with Jenna and the kids.
• They are working more ON their business than IN it.
• We are now discussing next location as well as other concepts they would like to open
• The tremendous financial stress is almost gone and there is a feeling of relief
• I have not just a client but friends I care for and it gives me so much pleasure seeing them win.

We are still working together and have shifted to focussing on what’s next. If you are rooting for the Smiths and you want to follow their journey join my Restaurant Success Club Linked In live event this Thursday at 2pm EST as I interview Ethan Smith and share more of their story and what’s next.