Restaurant Success by the Numbers: A Money-Guy's Guide to Opening the Next Hot Spot [Paperback]

Roger Fields (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2007

Ninety percent of all restaurants fail, and those that succeed happened upon that mysterious X factor, right? Wrong! A man of many hats-money-guy, restaurant owner, and restaurant consultant-Roger Fields shows how a restaurant can survive its first year, based on far more than luck, and keep diners coming back for many years to come. Featuring real-life restaurant start-up stories (including some of the author'¬?s own), this comprehensive how-to walks readers through the logistics of opening a restaurant: creating the concept, choosing a location, designing the menu, establishing ambiance, hiring staff, and, most important, turning a profit. Opening a restaurant isn'¬?t easy, but this realistic dreamer'¬?s guide helps set the table for lasting success.

Editorial Reviews

Review

As definitive a perfectly planned guide as ever written . . . as essential to a restaurant'¬?s success as food.-Food Industry News"A must-read, not only for those thinking about opening a restaurant, but for those already in the business as well. Combining his financial and analytical expertise with his clear, casual writing style, Roger shows how to balance entrepreneurial spirit with sound business judgment. If only I'¬?d had this book before opening my own restaurant, I would have saved myself tons of time, money, and headache!"-Mary Canales, owner, Ici Ice Cream

From the Publisher

* A one-stop guide to opening a restaurant from a successful accountant-turned-restaurateur.
* Includes real-life stories from the author's experiences opening four different restaurants, as well as from thriving restaurateurs around the country.
* Walks readers through all logistics of opening a restaurant: creating a concept, choosing a location, designing a menu, establishing an ambiance, staffing, and turning a profit.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580086632
• ISBN-13: 978-1580086639
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Hospitality Businesses
  • #6 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Hospitality, Travel & Tourism
  • #14 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > New Business Enterprises

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great info for those thinking about opening an eatery or simply want to know more about the restaurant biz, September 9, 2007

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Restaurant Success by the Numbers: A Money-Guy's Guide to Opening the Next Hot Spot (Paperback)

Restaurateurs depend on the fact that we all have to eat, and we choose the restaurants that provide us what we want at prices we find attractive. Simple, huh? Far from it. This handy book provides the technical and financial materials that you will need if you are actively planning, dreaming about, or wondered about opening an eatery. I urge you to read this book before you commit yourself or your money to anything specific.

Roger Fields is a CPA who has also opened successful restaurants, sold them, and closed a couple that didn't live up to expectations. His being a numbers guy is very helpful, because most restaurant people come at it from the food and aesthetic side of things. However, this is much more than a numbers book. I don't want to scare you off. The point is, you do need to think about the numbers because the better you get at them, the easier it will be to understand what you need to tweak and measure to give your major investment the best opportunity for success.

The book's 15 chapters are divided into three parts. The first part is "Dreaming for Success" and gives you the basics on evaluating your idea for the restaurant and how to see if you dream has a chance in the real world before you fork over your life's savings. The second part takes up 6 chapters and about half of the book. It is on "Developing the Details" and takes you through the down to earth factors such as menu construction, the practical side of ambiance, what you are going to provide on the table, the bar, and staffing.

The third part is "Down to Business" and provides four chapters on getting the money to open your eatery (from scratch, buying a closed operation, or buying one that is already working), what you need to understand about getting the business open, how to let people know about it in a way that they want to check you out, and what you need to know about opening day and the months and years afterwards.

This book is also interesting for folks like me who never plan on opening a restaurant but want to know what really goes on in those places we enjoy eating at and what it takes to make them work. The book is very practically written with clear language and almost no numbers. However, it is about business and if you are going to be in business, this is material you really have to know. This is a great handbook for you and will help you support your dreams and ambitions with a practical structure.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best restaurant book I've seen, September 25, 2008

By 

remke44 (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Restaurant Success by the Numbers: A Money-Guy's Guide to Opening the Next Hot Spot (Paperback)

Roger Fields knows his stuff, and he presents it in a smart, readable way. I've looked at many books on starting a restaurant and this is the best I've read. I'm a business guy, so I appreciated the details on estimating income and expenses, and forecasting break-even. The book also has lots of great information on developing a concept, getting financing, building out your space, developing the menu, and marketing to customers. I do wish there was more info on how to properly staff -- how to manage shifts, account for no-shows, etc.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book there is on the subject!, May 15, 2010

By 

Monica Main "Monica Main" (Valencia, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Restaurant Success by the Numbers: A Money-Guy's Guide to Opening the Next Hot Spot (Paperback)

I am in the process of starting a sports bar and grille. I have every book I can get my hands on in reference to this topic (including those useless "complete idiot" and "dummy" books). Although this book is geared toward restaurants (and not bars), the book is priceless and chock full of powerful information that anyone going into the restaurant and/or bar business needs to have. The nice part about this book is that it is based off of the author's personal experience and not on a pile of theoretical clap-trap as in most other "how to" books. What I like most about this book is that it goes into detail about the author's individual "case study" experience in reference to a wide variety of directly important restaurant start-up and management topics that allow the reader of the book to use in his or her own restaurant and/or bar experience. If you can only get one book on starting a restaurant (or only have time to read one, as in my case), get this one. It's the only one you really need. It cuts to the chase, gives you the information you need based on REAL experience from the author, and quickly gets down to the nitty-gritty in helping you execute and run your own successful restaurant enterprise.