Business Recipes for Success: Four Steps to Building a Successful Restaurant and Hospitality Business

Are you thinking of setting up a business in the hospitality sector? Do you work in, manage or own a restaurant, hotel or catering business? Would you like to know the secrets to building a successful restaurant or hospitality business? In Business Recipes for Success, Jonathan Butler, restaurant and hospitality business consultant, guides you through the process, warns you of the pitfalls and allows you to take control. The hospitality and catering industry is probably one of the toughest business sectors to enter. Statistically, failure rates are high, three times greater than many other sectors, while cash flow is more vital than many other businesses and staff turnover can be very high and damaging. It is an unforgiving industry that even with 'Celebrity Status' does not guarantee success, as many high profile chefs have discovered. So why would you want to open a business in this sector? What drives entrepreneurs to believe they will buck the trend and be more successful than the last? For me, it is passion and belief, and after 26 years within the industry successfully growing hospitality based businesses, I want to share my journey and experience. I have firsthand been through the highs and lows that come with owning, running and managing a business within this sector. Also, over the last few years, I have worked with many different business owners on troubleshooting their hospitality-based enterprises. This book provides you with answers and solutions to some of the many questions I have been asked, problems many hospitality operators face, and situations I have worked on or observed. Business recipes for success is for you if you are looking to move into a career in the industry, maybe seeking to buy or open your first restaurant or hotel venture, as well as entrepreneurs who have a hospitality business already and need some guidance or a new direction. This book is separated into six parts. Part one focuses on creating your business plan, providing you with a clear framework for setting out what your business will be, and the direction you will follow. Parts two to five cover the four steps or pillars I use within my consulting; Feeling, Environment, Experience, and Development. These four parts will provide you with the knowledge and tools to create a business that is focused on your employees, customer experience, and success. The final part of the book is geared around getting you to take action. You will find at the end of most chapters a short chapter summary set out in a recipe format. They include the ingredients required (key points) and a method summarising these points. My hope is that you will find within this book some useful nuggets, knowledge or tools that you can implement into your new venture or current business. I hope you find the recipes a useful quick reminder of what you need to do and the actions you should take. I have tried to make this book appealing to those who are new to this sector, as well as those who have many years under their belt. If you are studying or working within this sector and you think your boss needs to read this book, then please give them a copy and hopefully they will learn some lessons on improvement. Good luck and I wish you every success.