6 tips to opening a takeaway restaurant

A takeaway will be classed as somewhere that prepares food that people will collect and eat off the premises. A takeaway restaurant is somewhere that provides this service but also gives the option to eat the same food in a restaurant environment.

Running a takeaway restaurant will be exhausting with such long hours but it could very well be an extremely profitable investment if you get everything right.

So, get it right before you even start the business. Make sure you adhere to the following tips and all should run smoothly:

Choose the right type of takeaway

There are a number of takeaway options available. The main types are fish and chip shops, Indian and Chinese. These choices would be the most beneficial to you. However others alternatives could include kebab or pizza shops and even sandwich shops could prove to be just as popular.

Choose the right location and the right time

With your chosen option in mind, you must consider a location and trading times. The times that you do the most business will depend on your location.

The most beneficial locations to consider opening a takeaway restaurant would be places like an industrial area, a housing area or near pubs and nightclubs.

When considering trading in an industrial area, your target market will be the working class. It is unlikely that you will make a sale before 8.30am and after 6pm. There will be no benefit to opening evenings and weekends.

A housing area will differ from this. Most of your business will come from families and younger people, in the evenings and the weekend, 1pm to 10pm.

Trading near pubs or nightclubs will differ again. Your customers will be adults. You will undoubtedly benefit by opening late maybe 7/8pm to right up until 4 in the morning.

In any of the locations, you must check parking facilities and the competition.

Get the right Insurance

As a busy environment, it is important to cover yourself and your business sufficiently. If you are going to run a takeaway restaurant then takeaway insurance will be required. This type of policy will generally include public liability insurance, employers’ liability insurance, building insurance, stock and contents insurance and even business interruptions.

 Find somewhere already associated with food

It is advantageous to find a building for your takeaway restaurant that has had a food licence in the past. It will make everything a great deal quicker and easier for you. Changing the use of the building (by the book) can be difficult, speak to your estate agents and a solicitor to get quality advice.

You will need to learn basic food regulations like food hygiene and basic health and safety regulations, which you must know before you are given permission to trade.

Plan properly from the start

It is vital that your takeaway restaurant is all planned well from day one. Your shop, restaurant and kitchen fittings all need to be accurate before you start. Making changes can be severely costly. Work with the relevant bodies to get this right from the start. Additionally, they will be there to help if things were to go wrong.

Offer a delivering service

Offer a reliable delivery service from day 1 of trading. This is a great way of increasing the potential of your business. People will chose to have their meals delivered to their door over going out. Most people will not object to paying a small charge delivery, but remember that free is much better.

So…here are the key points to opening up and running a takeaway restaurant successfully.

In the end, the quality of your food or delivery service is what will make the final difference whether you succeed or fail. It only takes one bad experience to lose a customer for ever.