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TOP 3 TIPS ON HOW TO START A RESTAURANT IN COTONOU

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Top 3 Tips On How To Start A Restaurant in Cotonou

Restaurant Business is like a driving force that takes tourist round the world to taste wonderful food delicacies especially in African cities like Cotonou in Benin republic, so i bring you top 3 tips On How To start a Restaurant in Cotonou, Benin republic.

Starting a restaurant business is an alluring dream for many but a reality for only a select few. The restaurant business in Cotonou is like the start of the marathon race.

Thousands of people start the race but only a fraction of those people finish and an even smaller percentage succeeds in meeting their goal for the race.

Why? Well, it simply isn’t as easy as most people think and there are key skills and attributes.

Top 3 Tips On How To Start A Restaurant

The entrepreneur must consider these skills when thinking of how to start a restaurant business especially in cities like Cotonou in Benin republic.

Global Statistics claims that over 42,000 new licenses are issued each year, especially in the US. These are lofty numbers and you would be forgiven for thinking this is a positive.

The reality is that restaurants in Cotonou have the highest attrition rate of any business type in the Country.

The attrition rates in the sector vary wildly, ranging from 90% failing in the first year, to as low as 20% in the first year of trading.

Top 3 Tips On How To Start A Restaurant

A recent academic survey conducted by researchers at Michigan State University found that 27% of restaurant start up’s failed in the first year.

After three years 50% of those restaurants were no longer in business; after five years 60% had fallen away and before the end of the decade 70% of restaurants were no longer trading.

While these may seem like scary statistics a subsequent study at Cornell University in 2005 revealed that 81.4% of small business failures result from factors within the owner’s control.

In other words, despite these damning metrics, failure is by no means inevitable. So how can restaurateurs evade this landmine? Here are our top tips on how to start a restaurant business.

Most people in Cotonou dream of having a buzzing little Restaurant establishment with the perfect ambiance, a hoard of adoring, loyal customers, and a cash register that is brimming with money every night. Nice dream, but it takes a special kind of person to make that a reality.

3 Key Personal Traits that typify a successful restaurant business in Cotonou.

1. The first of the top 3 tips to start a restaurant in Cotonou is Unwavering Tenacity

The restaurant business in Cotonou is characterized by long hours, customer complaints, and an endless list of tasks to perform, and that’s before we even get into the strategy!

This is not an easy ride and to succeed you will need all the determination at your disposal to get through each week. Ask any chef, restaurant owner, or hospitality worker in Cotonou.

It is hard to succeed and only the strong survive. You need to stay the course and remain positive in the face of adversity.

Most restaurant owners in Cotonou lament about the hard start but also revel in the “tipping point” when their restaurant business took off. Maintaining momentum is the trick and tenacity is pivotal in achieving this.

2. Another very important tip To Start a Restaurant in Cotonou is paying Attention to detail

Everything comes down to the detail in this game. You are providing an experience for your customer base and if you concentrate on getting the detail right you increase your chances of making that experience meet the customer’s needs.

This trait is so important, not just in terms of the quality control of each dish that is served but also in terms of the kitchen cleanliness, ensuring licenses are up to date, that the booking system works, the list goes on…

If you have a “devil may care” attitude then you won’t last five minutes. Being meticulous about all aspects of your restaurant business in Cotonou from the product to the business strategy is critical.

3. And the last tip To Start A Restaurant in Cotonou is Managing People

You can’t run the place yourself, You must recruit and recruit well, You must possess the ability to place trust in your brigade to get the job done in line with your values and strategy.

Getting the right chef (assuming you are not one), the right waiting staff, and front of the house is critical and you have to be able to communicate effectively to motivate and delegate responsibility.

When thinking about how to start a restaurant in Cotonou, think about starting a winning team.

Managing that team is critical to your success. Teamwork and communication are pivotal skills to ensure success. Empathy and leadership qualities are outstanding traits for the restaurant business.

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5 Key Business Success Factors for running a restaurant in Cotonou

1. Do a Restaurant Business Plan

The best advice you can receive when thinking about how to start a restaurant business in Cotonou is to do a business plan. It is pivotal.

The restaurant business in Cotonou is so customer focused that doing your homework is the difference between success and failure.

Market and customer research will enable you to plan your restaurant business model effectively to ensure you continually meet the needs of your customers in Cotonou, Benin republic.

It will also help you plan your finances to ensure you run an effective operation and don’t run out of cash.

It’s all about selling experience in the restaurant game and you need all the right information at hand to ensure you hit the mark and have a strategic plan to explain to a bank or investor to attract the funding you need to open the restaurant.

Opening your doors without a business plan is suicide because planning retrospectively while running the restaurant business is almost impossible. Prevention is better than cure.

2. Another key business factor is to Be flexible

Make sure your restaurant business strategy is flexible. It will need to be to continually meet the needs of those customers.

Everything from menu construction, wine list, decor, and your marketing strategy must be nimble and react instantly to changes in demand.

Most businesses keep monthly financial records but in the restaurant game, weekly financials help you keep your finger on the pulse and provide an opportunity to cater to changing customer demands to maximize sales.

This is where the business plan becomes valuable. It should evolve with your operation.

It is not just a static document used for getting funding. Restaurants with nimble business models are the ones that succeed.

3. Another very essential business factor is to Focus On The Customer

This flows directly from the initial research you have done on your market and customer demographic! but the focus on the customer should be first and foremost in your mind.

Talk to your customers and ask questions about what they like and what they would like to see changed.

Rotate your food menu and keep it simple. Long convoluted menus breed confusion and make delivering the meals so much harder for the staff.

Your customer will guide you in presenting the best menu and setting to maximize sales. They are the source of your success.

4. And lastly, Build a Sustainable Business for your restaurant in Cotonou

If you want to make it to the end of the race you have to never give up. This sounds obvious, but running a restaurant in Cotonou will test your patience and resilience.

To get the basics right you have to rely on your research! to make sure your restaurant business is providing people what they “want” rather than what you think they “need”.

The most successful restaurants in Cotonou do simple things well and have a definite strategy to evolve and engage customers.

They provide a level of service that meets the customers’ needs and an atmosphere that appeals to the customer’s requirements.

It may seem difficult to achieve but if you are committed, creative, and base your business model on solid research. Your chances of being one of the few who do survive will improve significantly.

FOOD VOILA

Online delivery is revolutionizing the food restaurant industry in the Benin Republic. Food delivery used to require a phone call, which took uptime. Now, your mobile phone allows you to order food directly to your homes or offices, from the best Restaurants in Cotonou with the click of just a button.

Using Food Viola, you can search for restaurants by cuisine or location, quickly order food from the menu of Restaurants in Cotonou, Benin Republic. As a member, you have the opportunity to get over 40% off your monthly order.

We will renew your membership each month with a subscription fee Restaurants can also add themselves to the list by signing up as a Restaurant owner.

Our online food-delivery platform is expanding choice and convenience, allowing customers to order from a wider array of restaurants in the Benin Republic with a single tap of your mobile phone.

SIGN UP AS A MEMBER TODAY In a nutshell, don’t let your business slip-away from you, hoping that “others” will take care of it better than you can. No matter what you do, make sure you always have a good grip on your operations and clients. Read here our recommendation on The best Restaurants in Cotonou.