In recent years, people in many parts of the world have been observing a growing trend towards setting up work-at-home arrangements. According to Entrepreneur.com, the fantastic advantages that come with staying at home for work include:
- No travel from home to the workplace and vice versa, which is quite convenient and economical
- Flexibility to switch between work and play
Meanwhile, for entrepreneurs, a work-at-home setting is the best way to go as they are starting out. It takes away the pressure of renting a commercial space, which eats up a large percentage of the operational budget and is one of the main variables behind short-lived operations, especially for restaurants.
More and more restaurants are operating at home. They have actual space for customers to dine in (but this is often “by reservation only”) and for delivery services. While this is still quite a novel setup in certain areas, a lot of people are loving it.
Therefore, if you are a struggling chef thanks to the global COVID-19 pandemic, building a home restaurant is worth looking into if you have your own home that is big enough to host guests. If you are keen on exploring this option, learn the legalities behind this business and make sure to follow the seven principles shared below.
1. Family consent is a must.
If you live in a family home, it’s imperative to make sure that everybody is on board with the idea of running a home restaurant. This is because the business is sure to affect the lives of each person in the household.
It’s crucial to be aware of your family’s points of view to understand what you’re getting into fully. This will allow you to study the business even more and present thoughtful solutions to make your home restaurant a more attractive development for your family and home.
2. Personal preparation is highly recommended.
After earning your professional knowledge and experience in food from a trusted culinary school years before, it is now essential to make other preparations so you can be ready for all that awaits you. One of the things you need to pay attention to is your transition from being an employee to a business owner. This may have been covered in culinary school, but you may want to brush up on the lesson.
Likewise, you may want to develop better leadership skills, especially if your home restaurant would be more like a family business that needs to operate like a well-oiled machine. For this, consider getting leadership training. This way, you can avoid the usual tension between bosses and employees.
3. Being a substandard restaurant is a big no-no.
Some people will think that a home restaurant is inferior to dining establishments in commercial areas. Thus, your goal is to prove that your home restaurant can operate shoulder to shoulder with longer-established and more famous restaurants.
Make it a commitment to continue learning and perfecting your menu items and other offerings. One thing you can do is to get a certificate in patisserie, so your dessert and baked goods selection will be just as enticing as your main menu items.
4. The principle of scarcity and limitation is your advantage.
Home restaurants have much to gain from upholding the principle of scarcity and limitation. It makes for a powerful marketing strategy, especially if your restaurant is as good as it claims to be. People are typically driven to act with urgency and great desire when they know that outstanding provisions are limited, and they can miss out.
Such a principle is not just a smart marketing tactic; it is also useful in ensuring the highest quality of your offerings and preventing too much pressure for your operations.
5. Small spaces need a smart setup.
Think carefully about your workplace. Make sure that areas of operations are clearly defined to avoid going into spaces dedicated to family life. Likewise, make sure that you have adequate storage because this is key in protecting the quality of your food and other offerings.
6. Focus on selling products.
Since a dine-in establishment caters to a limited audience, it can be a smart move to develop products to sell so you can build a bigger and more engaged customer base. It’s best to launch into this once you’ve opened your home restaurant and you’ve determined what your best-selling menu items are.
7. Social media is an excellent partner.
Finally, one of the best ways to compete effectively in a highly saturated hospitality industry is to use social media for marketing. Your business can expand its reach this way. Besides this, with social media, you can better define the personality of your business and appeal to your target market so much more.
Although current circumstances are unusually restrictive, they allow alternative work or business arrangements to shine. So, if you’re dealing with employment uncertainty as a chef, building a home restaurant may be the best solution. The principles shared above can provide you with a firm backbone for your action plan.
AUTHOR BIO
Shanaaz Raja is the Course Director at International Centre for Culinary Arts – ICCA Dubai.
