By Marie Mace, My Foodservice NewsSo, you have worked as a chef in another person’s operations for years and you are finally ready to start your own place…or are you? Though you may have an advantage when it comes to the kitchen details, there is a whole lot more to owning your own place than meets the eye.

Whether armed with kitchen experience or not, most aspiring restaurant owners are slightly naïve about the components of a restaurant. It can be fun, but it is a lot of work, and if your passion is purely for the food, not for the bookkeeping and decorating and permits and codes, etc., then you may want to reconsider investing in your own place.

The money matters bring up another point. Selling good food for a good profit seems like a get rich quick plan. Unfortunately, there are more hidden costs to owning and maintaining a restaurant than maybe any other industry out there. And, it is an industry where you really cannot take shortcuts and easy outs. There are far too many regulations and codes that must be followed and frankly, people’s lives to consider. Restaurants improperly run are the sources of food poisoning and outbreaks. So, to be an owner of the restaurant requires an almost compulsive attention to detail.

In addition to a deficit in your funds, you may find yourself with very little leisure time, especially for the first few years of operation. Restaurants are like children. They need constant care and attention in the beginning. They are unpredictable and can be rather troublesome. You are going to go some nights without sleep. You are probably going to see less of your friends and family. But, with time, persistence, and consistent efforts, soon that restaurant will become more self-sufficient, though you’ll always have to be there for support—just in case.

The point is not to discourage anyone from their dream. If you really and truly want to own a restaurant, go for it full throttle! It is a great time to be hopeful and optimistic. It is also a horrible time to be rash and impulsive. So if it is your dream to move from staff to owner, be sure to do your research. Gain a realistic idea of what owning a restaurant really involves. This move in your career could be the best thing that ever happened, not to you, but because of you. Or, this move in your career could leave you destitute and broken. You cannot control the outcome completely, but you can make educated decisions.