Restaurant Business Plan Sample

Executive Summary

Concept

Every dish needs a taste test. At Taste Test Kitchen, we combine Cajun food culture with the farm-to-table movement that has captured Northern Virginia. Owner Ronda Brooks and Executive Chef Heather Caffery are excited to bring an experimental casual dining experience to the community. We want to recreate the third spaces that combine food, beverages, and good company that are littered around New Orleans for the people of Old Town, Alexandria.

Mission Statement

Taste Test Kitchen’s mission is to create a sustainable and accessible Cajun food community in Alexandria, Virginia. Cajun food culture is about using what’s available from the land and making them taste delicious with the imported flavors of the Global South. The company’s values are Community, Consistency, and Compassion.

Menu

Taste Test Kitchen will feature staples such as Cajun-style dark-roux gumbo and rotisserie chicken alongside inventive small plates. Seasonal menus will feature ingredients from the farms and gardens of Northern Virginia. Family-sized takeout and delivery will let guests enjoy homestyle cooking in the comfort of their homes. Behind the bar, guests will find a wide selection of beers from South Louisiana breweries.

Market

Old Town Alexandria is a growing urban center that retains some of the appeals of small-town life. Situated across the Potomac River from Washington D.C., Old Town Alexandria captures some of the feeling of the New Orleans riverfront with walkable neighborhoods and a bustling business district. Home to 158,000 residents and accessible to Northern Virginia’s 3.16 million, Alexandria offers lots of opportunities for new business ventures.

Financing

The restaurant’s founders will invest in the restaurant’s success, but they will also have to seek SBA loans, outside investments, and business lines of credit to bring this vision to life.

Company Overview

Restaurant Concept

Taste Test Kitchen is a casual restaurant concept that focuses on seasonal, local ingredients. The menu builds from the Cajun cooking methods and flavor profiles that have captured the national imagination. Our executive chef will develop four seasonal menus a year. The menu will also feature a handful of signature dishes and cocktails that are offered year-round. 

Taste Test Kitchen will make experimental, farm-to-table dining accessible to less-adventurous middle-income eaters. Cajun food cultures value both taste and sustainability, using what is available to make delicious, simple meals. 

The farm-to-table model isn’t revolutionary, but we will stand out from the competition with an approachable ethos that invites everyone to the table. The take-out and delivery menu will be unique from the in-house menu to marry quality and convenience while capturing the growing off-premises dining market.

Restaurant Service Model

A continued service model is necessary for Taste Test Kitchen’s family style small-plates and sharable entrees. Handheld point-of-sale technology will enable guests and servers to work together to create a relaxed and memorable dining experience. Servers will work as a team to provide guests with attentive yet casual service that allows each party to connect and build community over meals. The bar will offer a place for smaller parties to build connections with staff and discuss the craft of food and beverages.

Sample Menu

• Healthy small plates highlighting local ingredients

• Rich stews like Gumbo and Etoufee

• Cajun rice dishes like Jumbalaya

• Rotisserie Chicken

• Cajun-inspired seafood mains

• Creative veggie-based mains for the vegetarian and vegan community

• House-made french loaves

• South Louisiana Brews and Classic New Orleans cocktails

• Family-sized and individual takeout meals

Design and Layout

The Taste Test Kitchen will have a combination of large booths, some big enough for parties of six, that line the perimeter of the restaurant. The dining room floor will be mostly small tables with a few options for larger parties. During the day, large picture windows will let lots of natural light into the restaurant. That will allow us to decorate with real plants. 

The staff will all wear heavy-duty grey aprons over branded, blue t-shirts with white lettering, black denim pants, and slip-resistant shoes. The kitchen staff will wear white coats, but the uniform for prep staff will be flexible.

The kitchen will open into the dining room at the back of the restaurant with a large service window to invite guests to experience some of the action.

Management Team

Owner - Ronda Brooks – 20 years of industry experience, including 10 years in New Orleans. Responsibilities include financing, administration, hiring, and marketing. She will work with an accountant on financial planning.

Executive Chef - Heather Caffrey – 15 years of experience managing kitchens across South Louisiana, including farm-to-table concepts. Responsibilities include recipe research and development, control over the seasonal menu, shopping, hiring kitchen staff, and menu pricing.

BOH manager – Responsibilities include recipe development, scheduling, ordering, inventory, BOH photography, and social media management.

Front-of-House Managers – Responsibilities include hiring, scheduling servers, expo, FOH photography, and coordinating with the BOH manager on social media management.

Industry Analysis

Located in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, Taste Test Kitchen will attract a combination of local foot traffic, visitors of Northern Virginia and D.C., and food lovers from the surrounding cities and towns in Northern Virginia.

Target Market

The population of Alexandria, Virginia is large and diverse, mostly composed of middle-income families and commuters who work in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. The population has varied tastes and demand for convenient off-premises dining is growing. We aim to attract locals who work in politics and government, technology, and the non-profit sector.w 

Many people also stay in Alexandria when visiting Washington, D.C., so there is good potential for the restaurant to attract tourists during the Spring and Summer. 

Taste Test Kitchen aims to serve customers who want a neighborhood restaurant that offers healthy, delicious meals and busy local working families who crave convenience. Because Northern Virginia is so densely populated, many are still wary of returning to in-person dining. So, our delivery menu will have options for both single and family-sized portions of restaurant-quality takeout. 

Market Positioning

There are few restaurants that serve authentic Cajun cuisine in Northern Virginia–most of them focus on elevating Cajun cuisine. Cajun food is supposed to be shared and accessible to the community, so Taste Test Kitchen aims to serve the middle-income families of Alexandria and Northern Virginia.  

In addition to serving a menu of Cajun staples and farm-to-table small plates, Taste Test Kitchen will sell packaged Cajun products that aren’t available in the area, such as jarred dark-roux and house-made andouille and boudin sausages.

Restaurants also normally offer only single portions of take-out meals or large catering portions. Taste Test Kitchen will offer family-sized (and priced) meals that can be ordered for pickup or delivery.

At the beginning of each season and to generate even more community and customer loyalty, the executive and assistant executive chef will run cooking classes featuring some of the new seasonal farm-to-table small plates. Teaching customers how to use seasonal ingredients will increase food literacy in the community and create four opportunities annually to advertise changes to the menu.

Location Analysis

Alexandria, along with the rest of Northern Virginia, is considered a high-growth region. With both traditional infrastructure and a robust public transit system, Alexandria sees a steady influx of new businesses, bringing new workers (and, thus, new customers) into the city.

Alexandria is home to 158,000 residents, many of whom commute to D.C. for work. Old Town, the area where Tase Test kitchen will be located, is home to 35,000 residents. There is a healthy mix of apartments and single-family homes in the area.

Old Town Alexandria is beautiful and walkable, and the location of Taste Test Kitchen is accessible to foot traffic. There is ample street parking in the area. Additionally, Old Town is connected to the Northern Virginia area’s public transit system, so the restaurant will be accessible to most of the area’s 3.16 million residents and residents of D.C. and Maryland.

Marketing Plan

Cajun food culture is all about community, and the Taste Test Kitchen will work to build a community of guests through customer loyalty and personable, individualized service.

Customer Database

When guests make reservations at Taste Test Kitchen, we will collect their email addresses and ask if they would like to sign up for marketing emails. Customers will also be able to sign up for promotional emails on our website and social media pages. Emails will be used to advertise seasonal menu items and cocktails.

A separate database of customers who place orders for takeout or delivery will allow us to send promotional emails to advertise the availability and pricing of family-sized takeout meals.

Loyalty Program

Each dollar spent at Taste Test Kitchen, including online orders, will be converted into a point for our loyalty system. Customers will be able to exchange every 100 points they accrue for retail items and free small plates. The loyalty system will be attached to a customer’s email address. That will allow us to collect emails for our marketing databases.

Community and Charity Involvement

At Taste Test Kitchen, we are committed to the community. That’s why we will partner with Hunger Free Alexandria, which is a community-based coalition of food and community service providers. Hunger Free Alexandria works to raise awareness of food insecurity in Alexandria. They also sponsor programs that increase reliable access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food choices.

The owner and executive chef will work in partnership with Hunger Free Alexandria to donate any food that we can’t use to avoid food waste. We will also coordinate to organize educational programs that increase food literacy and access for those facing food insecurity in Alexandria.

Public Relations

Old Town Alexandria has a robust economic development plan, and the city hosts a website, visitalexandria.com, that features local restaurants and events in the Old Town area. The owner has developed a relationship with the president and CEO of Visit Alexandria, Patricia Washington. The opening of Taste Test Kitchen will be featured on visitalexandria.com and the business will be listed on the website’s “restaurants” page.

Taste Test Kitchen will also participate in the Portside in Old Town Summer Festival which features local vendors and restaurants. The Alexandria community gathers on the riverfront to celebrate the start of summer. Taste Test Kitchen will operate a booth that sells small plates and packaged food while generating brand recognition.

Advertising and Social Media

The Taste Test Kitchen is a restaurant of the 21st century. While our priority is building a local community of food lovers, we will also use social media to advertise and generate interest in the restaurant. Our restaurant space will be bright with natural light during lunch service, and the decor and natural plants will create a picture-perfect setting. Our Instagram and Facebook pages will be filled with curated photos of seasonal small plates and craft cocktails to amass a local and worldwide following and generate new customers.

Additionally, we will rely on local word-of-mouth marketing and consistent foot traffic in Old Town Alexandria. Our service will be uniquely personable and the staff will be trained to create community rather than just making sales in order to attract and retain a regular customer base. Our customers will be encouraged to grow the community by sharing their experiences on Yelp, Google, and Instagram.

Operations Plan

Staffing and Training

There are three critical roles to fill in Taste Test Kitchen; the BOH manager and two FOH managers. We will also hire about 25 servers, 6 bartenders, and 4 hosts for FOH staff. For kitchen staff, we will need to hire 10 line cooks and 8 prep cooks.

Training for staff will take place in the months leading up to the restaurant’s opening. The owner and executive chef will conduct interviews and hire the BOH manager and two FOH managers based on Taste Test Kitchen’s values. Then, we will work with the BOH and FOH managers to hire the remaining kitchen and FOH staff.

Recruitment

To recruit skilled BOH and FOH staff members, we will use Indeed.com, Ziprecruiter.com, and the City of Alexandria’s online job board. Our hiring process will be selective; we want every member of the team to be committed to building community in the restaurant.

Interview Questions

1. What are your career goals?

2. How would your previous employer describe you?

3. Describe how you work as part of a team. What role are you comfortable in on the team?

4. What is one of your biggest accomplishments?

5. When are you available to work?

6. What challenged you the most in your last job?

7. What is your favorite food? How would you describe it to a guest?

8. How do you handle conflict with coworkers?

9. What skills do you see as necessary for success in this role?

10. How will you enact our core values of community, consistency, and compassion?

Job Descriptions

Executive Chef: 

The executive chef is responsible for overseeing BOH operations in the restaurant. The day-to-day duties of the executive chef include hiring and training, recipe development and testing, ordering inventory, and leading the BOH staff. They are also involved in marketing campaigns. 

BOH Manager: 

The back-of-house manager works closely with the executive chef to oversee BOH operations. Their duties include hiring and training, scheduling, overseeing production, quality control, keeping track of inventory, and leading the BOH staff. They are also involved in marketing and promotion for the restaurant.

FOH Manager:

The front-of-house managers will assist the BOH manager and executive chef to ensure smooth operations throughout service. Their responsibilities include hiring and training FOH staff, running staff meetings, scheduling, supply inventory, and customer care. FOH managers will also be integral to marketing and promotional campaigns.

Prep Cook:

Prep cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients, setting up stations, making sauces and stocks, cleaning produce, butchery, and keeping workstations clean and orderly.

Line Cook:

Line cooks will be assigned to a workstation during service to execute orders. Speed and consistency are necessary skills for line cooks. They must also be able to coordinate with the team of prep and line cooks and be able to handle high-pressure environments.

Dishwasher:

Dishwashers will be responsible for cleaning and sanitizing all cookware and service wear. Additionally, they will help the rest of the staff to keep the restaurant clean and organized.

Bartender:

Our bartenders will work together to craft specialty cocktails based on New Orleans classics. They will also be responsible for prepping ingredients and fulfilling orders during service. Bartenders at Taste Test Kitchen will be encouraged to make genuine connections over food and beverage to create community with our bar guests. They should be able to answer questions about the food and cocktail menu and be knowledgeable about dietary restrictions.

Server:

The first priority of servers at Taste Test Kitchen is to create a sense of belonging while guests are in the restaurant. They will use handheld point-of-sale systems and work as a team to ensure all guest's needs are met in a timely manner. Responsibilities include taking orders, running food, collecting payments, and communicating between guests and the kitchen. They should be able to answer any questions about the menu and ingredients, and understand how to handle dietary restrictions.

Host:

Hosts are responsible for guests’ first impression of Taste Test Kitchen. Hosts will seat customers, manage the waitlist, answer phone calls, book reservations, and field questions about the menu.

Work Health and Safety Standards

In order to make Taste Test Kitchen as safe a working environment as possible for everyone, we will implement the following health and safety procedures.

• Everyone will wear proper protective equipment and clothing when working in the kitchen. All staff are required to wear slip-resistant footwear. BOH staff will wear pants and white coats while cooking.

• To avoid injury on the job, all staff will be trained on how to move heavy objects and boxes and how to handle the extremely hot or cold temperatures of the restaurant.

• Management staff will work to create safe practices and procedures and remove potential hazards to employees and guests.

• FOH and BOH staff will work together to communicate about guests’ dietary restrictions and avoid cross-contamination of products. 

• Staff will not be expected to work when ill and management will help to get shifts covered and keep the restaurant running smoothly so that the pressure doesn’t fall on ill employees.

• Taste Test Kitchen will follow all local health guidelines and restrictions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staffing Model

Taste Test Kitchen will operate an open-book management model where the restaurant’s finances are shared with management staff and disseminated to all employees in the restaurant. We will hold quarterly staff meetings to share information about the business’s goals. The transparent model will foster goodwill with employees. All non-management employees will be hourly employees.

• Dishwashers, line cooks, and prep cooks will all make a base hourly rate of $22/hour. 

• FOH service staff, including bartenders and servers, will be paid $9/hour plus shared tips. 

• Hosts will be paid $15/hour.

• All employees will be eligible for raises with each satisfactory employee evaluation, conducted once per quarter.

Customer Service Policies and Procedures

Three principles will guide guest service at Taste Test Kitchen:

1. Community. The first goal of customer service is to make each guest feel like part of the community while they are in the restaurant. Staff will be friendly, welcoming, and attentive to guest needs. They will offer detailed answers to questions and invite them to participate in the dining experience.

2. Consistency. The kitchen and service staff will work to provide a consistent guest experience even as our menus change seasonally. The servers will be warm, patient, and informative during every visit.

3. Compassion. All guests have different needs, and our service staff will be trained to handle different kinds of customers and various dietary needs with compassion and care. We will ask follow-up questions and make notes in our guest database about dietary restrictions. When conflicts with guests arise, servers will lead with patience and understanding to de-escalate and make the experience memorable.

Suppliers

Taste Test Kitchen will work with several local farms and producers to source seasonal produce. We will also work with local butcher shops and the farms that supply them. 

Our bar will be unique for the area; the owner has relationships with Louisiana breweries to source unique brews and spirits from across Cajun country. Breweries include Parish Brewing, Port Orleans Brewing Co, and Urban South Brewing.

For restaurant supplies, we will develop a relationship with the local restaurant supply company so that we have convenient access to the equipment and supplies that we need.

Financial Analysis and Growth Plan

Investment Plan

Owner Ronda Brooks and Executive Chef Heather Caffery will each invest personal savings of $100,000, for a total of $200,000 in initial investment. They will also seek a 7(a) Small Business Association for $300,000 and outside investments of $500,000 from business owners and entrepreneurs in the Alexandria area. Total startup funds equal $1,000,000. $300,000 will be retained for contingency funds and the remaining $700,000 will be used as startup funds.

Outside investors will be pitched a 15% return-on-investment, for a total of $75,000/annually, once the business becomes profitable. The owner and executive chef won’t take a salary until the restaurant becomes profitable, at which point they will cap their personal salaries at $90,000/year.

Business lines of credit will be sought for some expenses, such as initial orders for equipment, supplies, and ingredients. They will refuse any lines of credit above 5% interest.