The Restaurant Dream? [Paperback]

Lee Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2006

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A must-read for anyone who plans on starting their own restaurant company. The Restaurant Dream? helps eliminate the nightmares.” --Rob Foraker, Director of Equipment Purchasing, Max & Erma’s Restaurants, Inc.

“Every person who has the dream of opening a restaurant must read this book..." --Tim Rosendahl, CEC, CCE, AAC, President - Executive Chef, Dakota Food Group

"Allows students and other would-be restaurateurs to make informed decisions about entering the restaurant business..." --Stephani Robson, Cornell University School of Hotel Management

About the Author

Lee Simon is an award winning designer, specializing in commercial foodservice and hospitality projects. A graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, he has taught Hospitality Facilities Planning and Design at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen School of Hospitality Management. He is also the author of a column on hospitality design which has been featured in dozens of publications throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates. As a practicing designer, Lee uses his operational experience on a daily basis to assist his clients with the planning of new and renovated foodservice facilities. His past projects, located in the United States and abroad, include all types of foodservice operations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Company (FL) (May 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910627835
• ISBN-13: 978-0910627832
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars View from the "back of the house", August 23, 2006

By 

Louise O'Sullivan (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Restaurant Dream? (Paperback)

Having been in the equipment side of the foodservice industry for over 25 years, I am aware of the pitfalls novice restaurateurs never anticipate. Lee Simon captures these and more in his down-to-earth, in-depth overview of restaurant development. The Restaurant Dream? should be required reading for anyone who dreams of owning his or her own restaurant -- the book serves as "boot camp" for early stage developers.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to open a restaurant? Buy this book!, August 28, 2006

By 

Janis Rodgers "book lover" (Rossville, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Restaurant Dream? (Paperback)

This book is full of real people and real examples dealing with opening your own restaurant. Most of this book is written as a chronicle of the opening of a restaurant, which makes it very interesting to read and learn from. Learning from someone else's mistakes can make your restaurant opening smoother and more profitable for you.

From dream to creating a menu to opening night, if you are considering a restaurant as your business, you will find this book to be full of timely and informative tips and hints for you to become a restaurant owner. The last chapter is great as it goes over the lessons that the author had learned through opening their own restaurant, which can help others in opening their own restaurant.

From the beginning when the restaurant is only a dream to the end when you are a restaurant owner, you will find this book helpful. I highly recommend it if you have a restaurant dream of your own.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very highly recommended and invaluable reading!, August 9, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Restaurant Dream? (Paperback)

Every year thousands of people venture into the restaurant business, either establishing their own independent restaurants or through purchasing a franchise from one of the established restaurant chains. What sets "The Restaurant Dream?: An Inside Look At Restaurant Development, From Concept To Reality" apart from the many "how to" books about starting up and operating a restaurant is that it is written in the form of a story, interweaving educational material with real-life experiences, including all the unexpected twists and turns that author and restauranteur Lee Simon personally encountered. Laid out for the reader are the aspirations, emotions, planning, deceptions, camaraderie, frustrations, risks, and lawsuits that were a part of the restaurant development and operations experience. Readers will see the strategies employed, the logic engaged, the successes and the failures that any aspiring restaurateur can learn and profit from, thereby improving their own prospects for success. Although specific to the restaurant business, The Restaurant Dream? has much to commend it to the reading lists of anyone considering an entrepreneurial venture in establishing a small business regardless of the product or services to be provided the public. Very highly recommended and invaluable reading!