Introduction

Restaurants are always our go-to place for spending time with family and friends. Be it get-togethers, birthday parties, or special occasions restaurants are always the first place that comes to our mind. There are various types of restaurants that provide different cuisines and have unique menus. But today we are going to talk about Indian restaurants. The Indian restaurant industry has grown a lot over the years. Now it is one of the most popular industries where everyone wants to earn a position. 

But before earning that position one has to understand the various things that go behind building a successful Indian restaurant. Many people stress the fact that building a restaurant is impossible. But it is not the truth. Although it is a bit difficult, it is definitely not impossible.

 So, here are some tips on how you can set up an Indian restaurant of your own. 

7 steps to build an Indian restaurant

Choose the concept of the restaurant 

The first and most important task is to choose the idea on which the restaurant has to be built. Analyze the amount of money you want to spend on the restaurant and the amount of revenue you would get out of it. Next, decide the theme and make sure that it is based on Indian culture. As the restaurant would consist of Indian cuisine. 

Obtain investment to start the business

The next step would be to get funds as an initial investment in the business. It depends on whether you want to invest your own money or borrow a loan from the bank. You can also go for angel investors but obtaining one would be difficult as you are a beginner. So for starters, stick with self-funding or a loan from the bank. If you have decided on a loan, make sure that you get it from the most trusted bank that provides a good rate of interest and has clear policies. This would really help you in the future. 

Assess the restaurant costs involved

After you have decided about the capital, the next step would be to use the capital properly. List out all the expenses like food, labor, and overheads and create a proper document stating all the costs involved. So that there are no financial problems or mistakes in the future. Overheads include a lot of expenses such as rent, interiors, kitchen equipment, license, marketing, etc so keep that in mind while creating your budget.  

Choose the location 

To set up an Indian restaurant, one of the most essential factors is to decide the location. When you have to decide the location keep 3 things in mind- 

  • Easy access and visibility- the restaurant should be situated in a place. Where people do not have to travel for hours to reach the place. It should specifically be on highways or busy roads that make it visible to the diners. 
  • NOC- the restaurant should be built with the permission of at least 3 neighbors by asking them to give a NOC (Non-objectionable certificate).
  • Parking area- the restaurant should have a spacious parking area. They should provide a space where the diners can park their vehicles. This will increase the number of diners as one of the major problems these days is parking. 

Obtain all necessary licenses

You need to obtain all the necessary licenses from the government as stated in the rule book. Without the proper licenses, the government can seize your restaurant calling it illegal. The prices for different licenses may vary and it is generally a time-consuming task. So make sure you do it as early as possible. The licenses for different countries also vary a lot so conduct good research about them and accordingly start applying soon. You would also have to get safety certificates and pollution control licenses from the government and then plan out for other things as well. 

Get a workforce

The next crucial step is to get the right workforce that includes managers, waiters, chefs, and cashiers who would handle the restaurant responsibilities along with you. The managers should have proper educational qualifications and so should the chefs. The waiters and cashiers should be properly trained. For this, you can put up an ad on social media or in newspapers and put up the hiring sign on every digital platform. The chefs should have the ability to handle the kitchen on their own. They make sure that they provide the best quality food to the diners. The waiters should also make sure that they treat customers with respect and give the best service to every customer. 

Design the menu and interiors of the restaurant

The last step is to design the menu and the interiors of the restaurant. As it is an Indian restaurant, you have to ensure that the interiors are created in such a way that it resembles Indian culture. The menu should include all the authentic and traditional dishes that are segmented into different sections like starters, main course, dessert, and beverages. Keep in mind that the best food occurs at the top and the prices are mentioned clearly and reasonably. Keeping in mind the prices that the competitors might have set for their Indian restaurants. 

The bottom line

To conclude, setting up an Indian restaurant is not a tough task if it is done in a proper sequence as mentioned above. Various restaurants have been working for quite a long time and in fact, they are working successfully. Shiva Shakti is one such restaurant that was built in 2001 and has been working since then. They provide the best quality food and the best services which keeps them at the top every single time. The interiors of the restaurant are designed by experts and the food is cooked by the expert chef Samia Ahad. She is the founder of the restaurant and a culinary director as well. We hope this inspires you to set up your own restaurant.