Opening a restaurant means dealing with a myriad of details and activities. Missing a critical step or activity can mean delays, cost overruns or worse. Use this 300+ point checklist from 12 months out to opening day to better plan and manage the process.... more >>

A profit and loss statement represents the end result of all of your efforts from marketing to operations to cost control. These sample summary and detailed P&L templates will give you ideas and a starting point for designing your own P&L.... more >>

Failure and attrition is a fact of life in business. Painting an unrealistic picture of restaurant startups may build drama on television (NBC's "The Restaurant"), but it does little to support the hopes and dreams of those wanting to enter and improve the restaurant landscape.... more >>

Use the Bartender Checklist for creating your own unique set of checklists for opening, closing, and maintaining your bar operations. Includes separate daily lists for opening, shift change and closing duties. It also has a weekly checklist for periodic cleaning and maintenance of the bar area and equipment.... more >>

An effective ordering system has added benefits that go beyond the simple goal of maintaining sufficient product to serve your guests. Proper ordering procedures also help to keep fresh product in stock and serves as a backup just in case the person doing the ordering isn't there.... more >>

Studies show that companies who prepare annual operating budgets are more successful than those who don't. Use this budget worksheet to quickly prepare your annual financial plan to give you and your staff specific, measurable goals throughout the coming year.... more >>

There are many benefits to executing an Employment Agreement with your key employees. By formally outlining your policies, you can protect yourself and avoid legal problems later.... more >>

Need a creative boost to jump-start your catering sales? Use these ready-to-use marketing letters to introduce your restaurant to prospective catering clients. These templates include five sample introductory letters that you can send to your direct mail or email list of prospects. Also includes our day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, sales letter template.... more >>

Employee requests for time off happens all the time. Use this form to organize and document these requests so management spends less time in the process and employees get fair and timely treatment.... more >>

One of the most often asked questions we get is on how to open a restaurant. Whether you are a newbie to the industry or a seasoned veteran, the requirements for "running" a restaurant differ from those needed to "open" a restaurant. The How to Open a Restaurant Resource Guide is a listing of resources and tools we offer to help would-be restaurateurs systematically prepare and execute a successful restaurant development plan and opening.... more >>

Resources and information that will help you make informed decisions and take appropriate, proactive steps to protect yourself, your staff, and your guests from the Coronavirus pandemic.... more >>

Primary members and managers can now share RestaurantOwner.com resources with their team including Training Videos, Articles and Online Checklists using the RestaurantOwner Team Portal.... more >>

Great service begins by knowing the basic steps of service that guests expect. This customizable chart can be used in training your staff the basic service steps expected for all tableservice restaurant concepts.... more >>

Preparing the proper quantity of food products is a critical function in any kitchen. Prep too much & you have spoilage & waste. Don't make enough and you lose sales opportunities and disappoint your guests. This tool will help your people plan and control production of your food products.... more >>

This Excel spreadsheet contains two worksheets, one for calculating food inventory and the other for bar inventory. The food inventory in broken down into categories for Meat, Seafood, Poultry, Produc... more >>

The Restaurant Schedule Template is a Microsoft Excel® workbook consisting of a simple to use set of spreadsheets designed to reduce the time it takes to prepare staffing schedules. User defined descriptions, designed to eliminate typing of repetitive data, can be entered as needed for up to 20 different departments, 50 shifts, and 100 employees.... more >>

Many caterers offer tiered pricing based on the # of guests expected. Having a quick-reference price guide allows you to quickly quote prices based on varying guest counts... more >>

Independent restaurants lose lots of money due to fraud & theft often because of poor or non-existent internal controls. Improve your controls & reduce your exposure to losses by implementing these essential restaurant internal controls in the areas of cash, purchasing, payroll and accounting.... more >>

Knowing your restaurant's sales break-even point is one of the most important insights an operator can have. Use this break-even worksheet to quickly determine your sales break-even point based on your historical P&L numbers.... more >>

Using a restaurant industry standard chart of accounts is one of the smartest things an independent operator can do. An industry standard chart of accounts will give you financial information in a much more useful format and enable you to compare your P&L numbers with other restaurants. Also included is a detailed Cost Coding Guide that will help you determine where nearly every type of cost you incur should be charged.... more >>