Maybe you’re starting a restaurant in a new space or maybe you’re looking to update your current environment. Regardless of the reasoning, there’s always the possibility that restaurant renovations can make or break your business vision. For this reason it’s important to thoroughly understand the task at hand before you start breaking ground. To help restaurateurs, new and old, we’ve come up with a list of four must know restaurant renovation tips.
Choose Your Contractor Carefully
Your contractor will be your primary point of connection with the renovations that are taking place. They need to understand your vision and be able to implement it. If you’re unable to communicate effectively and work productively with your contractor you could end up in a whole load of trouble. Not only that, you’ll need a contractor who is able to work within an agreed upon budget and timeline while being trustworthy, skilled and credible. Choose wisely. Your business will depend on it.
Figure Out Your Budget
Once you have a contractor, you need to sit down with them and come up with a budget that works for you, the contractor and your combined vision. Take into account the income you’ll be missing while renovations are taking place and be completely sure you have enough money to finish the job. It’s better to scale back your renovations rather than take on too much and find yourself with a non-functioning restaurant and no money.
Ensure Your Renovation Has Impact
There’s no sense in shutting down your business and spending a bunch of cash if the results of your renovation go completely unnoticeable. It’s true that you might only be updating something that your customers will never see (like your kitchen or infrastructure,) but if the net sum of your renovations make no impact at all, you’ve wasted money and time. Specify the results of your renovations before starting to ensure that your time and money is being spent wisely.
Keep Communication Lines Open
It’s up to you to ensure that all the various parties involved in the renovation process are in constant communication with each other. Ultimately the project will affect you and your business more than anyone else. If you don’t take responsibility for the process, things could get out of hand and leave you with a failed operation.