The easiest, most cost effective way to set up a restaurant, café or bar

You could do this by either by buying a failed business for not very much, or taking over the lease for a venue that has failed.

A site that has never been a hospitality venue, will require a building consent (and possible resource consent), plus the installation of plumbing, electrical, gas, fire protection systems, flooring, lighting and so much more.

A failed site already has all these things and just requires a surface level changes to suit your concept and operation. Taking over a failed site can literally cost 1/4 of the money of a new venue.

Not to mention the months of stress, hassle and costs of working with your local council and other consultants to achieve compliance with the building code.

I’ve seen people spend $140,000 on a fit out and do $40,000 a week in sales. I’ve seen others spend $500,000 on the same size fit out and do $15,000 sales.

You tell me which one works better…

Taking over a failed site isn’t always the best way. Sometimes an area doesn’t have a restaurant, cafe or bar and it needs one. Sometimes you can spend $1,000,000 on a fit out and do $150,000 a week in sales. The maths can work well both ways.

But if you’re looking for a way to achieve your dream of having a restaurant, cafe or bar on a limited budget, then finding a failed site can save you a lot of money on things you can’t see. For example, giving you more money to spend on interior design, furniture, lighting, music, branding – all the fun things that make a space enjoyable for yourself and your customers.

If you do take over a failed site, be sure to look at the lease first.

If you’d like help from the experts at Millé, get in touch. We can guide you further on the easiest, most cost effective way to set up a restaurant, café or bar.

The next article in our Hospo Hints series talks about the fun stuff – creating a strong concept for your restaurant, cafe or bar….