Dining in Rochester

The Restaurant Dream?

Description

Each and every year, countless numbers of individuals act on their life-long dreams and decide to open a restaurant. Many of these aspiring restaurateurs are engaging in this activity for the first time, and unfortunately they are at a greater risk for making mistakes that could unnecessarily doom their fledgling business from the start. Many of these mistakes, however, are avoidable. The shelves are full of books about restaurants. Some offer advice on operations and menu planning. Some contain inspiring photographs of interior and exterior spaces. Others share the details behind one concept or individual’s success story. But comprehensive information available on the restaurant development process is limited. The establishment of a new restaurant concept is full of emotion, surprise, frustration, risk, and satisfaction that simply cannot be conveyed in a textbook format. The Restaurant Dream? is based on a true account of one team’s efforts to develop a restaurant concept from the ground up. All aspects of the development process, from initial ideation through design, construction, opening, and the first months of operations, are covered. It is written in the form of a story, which interweaves educational material with real-life events and the unexpected twists and turns that seemed to exist around almost every corner. From elation to deception and camaraderie to lawsuits, this book shows that the surreal components of opening a restaurant are not uncommon—they are just not frequently shared. The Restaurant Dream? shares strategies, logic, successes, and failures so that the aspiring restaurateur may learn from this effort and improve their own likelihood for success.

Reviews

Rating: 2 / 5
Date: 2010-09-03
Summary: "not exactly what I was looking for"

I was hoping to find some numbers and relevant tips (for example, how to maximize table turnover) but the book is rather qualitative.

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2010-07-27
Summary: "Not a DIY guide"

I recently finished reading my copy of The Restaurant Dream?, and it's not quite the book I was looking for. I am considering opening a restaurant in a few years, which is why I purchased this book. According to the project description, "The shelves are full of books about restaurants. ... Others share the details behind one concept or individual's success story. But comprehensive information available on the restaurant development process is limited."

In my experience, this book is not a source for comprehensive information and it does, in fact, share only the details of this one concept restaurant. The restaurant in question was started by a group of people, most of whom are professionals in the cooking world. Some of them even teach at culinary schools, and the author of the book has a strong background in restaurant design. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the book focuses so much on the design and construction phase of opening a restaurant. Although he also touches on creating the concept, the logo and the menu, the rest of the book is all about selecting the site, designing the interior, dealing with the contractors, problems with the construction schedule, etc.

I think this book has some value, but would not recommend it to anyone looking for information about the business side of starting a restaurant. This book essentially ends when the construction is complete.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-04-09
Summary: "Hands down the BEST place to start!"

I am not much of a reader but I can honestly say that this book was incredibly difficult to put down. If you're like me, and you've had a life-long dream of opening a restaurant...take a look. We've all heard that the restaurant biz is "a lot of work" and "not as glamorous as you think." But we're different, right? Our concept is too good to be unsuccessful, right? Not so fast! At least not without a good understanding of what it really takes. Sure, a good concept, good food, and good location are crucial. But what about the not-so-glamorous details, like dealing with contractors and landlords, kitchen layout, food inspection, etc..? The list goes on and on and what Mr. Simon brilliantly does is give you a very honest and detailed description of the trials and tribulations of such a venture. He takes you through his emotions and tasks from concept through development of a restaurant venture he and his team took on and does it in a way that is easy for anyone to comprehend. Mr. Simon doesn't encourage you nor does he discourage you from your dream. He merely educates you on what is essential to know before beginning the pursuit. This is certainly a MUST-READ for any entrepreneur or aspiring restaurateur.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-02-24
Summary: "Great Resource"

I've started and owned 4 restaurants and I found this book to be very interesting. It is really easy reading and covers several areas that I wish I had known more about when I started my restaurants. The lease and building chapters I found hugely helpful. I'm looking to open a new one and will definitely be using the author's suggestions to help things along. If you are interested in opening a restaurant, this will DEFINITELY help you in a lot of important areas. Absolutely buy it.

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2008-01-21
Summary: "Good but Not Great..."

This book provides a good overview of the challenges [...] faced in opening the restaurant. However, I was looking for something that was more instructional and specific...