• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Not a restaurant owner? Dining member rewards Client log-in

site header

Rewards Network

Beta Site

MENUMENU
  • Our program
        • Rewards Network partners with the world’s most powerful loyalty programs to attract full-price guests to your restaurant.

        • How it works

          • Our rewards partners
          • Full price guests
          • Restaurant success stories
          • FAQs
        • Program benefits

          • Pay for performance
          • Takeout & delivery
          • Data-driven insights
          • 100% turnkey marketing
          • Verified customer reviews
          • Flexible funding options
  • Restaurant resources
        • We don’t succeed if you don’t succeed.

          Guides, articles, and tools to help you market and grow your restaurant.

        • Restaurant resources

          • Blog
          • Free downloads
          • Restaurant guides
  • About us
        • In our 35 years, Rewards Network has helped nearly 100,000 local restaurants grow their business.

        • About us

          • Leadership
          • Careers
          • Newsroom
          • Security and accreditations
  • Client log-in
  • (800) 617-6067
  • Get started

The Essential Checklist to Opening a Restaurant

By Rewards Network | Blog, Restaurant operations

Whether you’re finally fulfilling your lifelong dream or hanging drywall at your fifth location, nothing beats the Boy Scout motto: be prepared. Opening a restaurant is no easy feat and requires a massive amount of coordination and planning to go off without a hitch. It’s not enough to have a vision; you need to have the structure and organization to make that dream a place guests will flock and fill your seats (and registers) night after night.

So, if you’re a chef (or partnered with one) who’s developed a business and marketing plan, finished your market research, and have your financing secured — what’s next? Some of the details may vary depending on your scope and area, but following is a starting point on what to do (and when) to get your restaurant ready for its opening night.

6 months out

Secure a lease or buy an existing restaurant or building.

Once you have an address:

Apply for a business license with your city or county.

Apply for a liquor license from your state’s Alcohol Beverage Control agency.

Acquire signage permits with your local municipality.

5 months out

Install outdoor signage and window lettering on location.

3-4 months out

File for health permits and arrange an appointment with the state health inspector.

Post employment opportunities and determine job descriptions for every position in your restaurant.

FF&E: Purchase fixtures and furniture, and either buy or lease kitchen equipment.

Order smallwares and all additional equipment, including pots, pans, ladles, bussing carts or tubs, plates, silverware, stemware, salt and pepper shakers, and all front and back of house needs.

Order a POS (point of sale) system.

2 months out

Review staffing needs, charting out the entire day and week to determine the volume of staff necessary for each shift.

Plan training procedures for employees on cleaning, safety, cash handling, and hospitality.

Set-up ordering process with a food vendor (if you don’t know who to call, watch for what trucks deliver to other businesses in your area).

6-8 weeks out

Determine food production needs, including (but not limited to) deciding what you can do in batches, what can be prepared the night before, and what needs to be prepared fresh upon order.

Review price and portion guides for entire menu.

Establish safety program and emergency medical procedures for your staff.

Order thermometers and establish temperature charts for all refrigerators, freezers, and in-production food items.

Communicate special orders to your food supplier.

Set open date and hours of operation and notify your food supplier.

Establish delivery standards with all vendors.

Plan marketing tactics for communicating your opening night.

4-6 weeks out

Finish hiring employees, set schedules, and order uniforms for front and back of house staff.

Set-up employment law posting area and procure signage from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Order safety equipment, such as wet floor signs, cut gloves, and floor padding.

Get sanitation certification (Servsafe®) for required staff

Order cleaning and sanitizing equipment, including hand sanitizer.

Establish trash removal and recycling procedures.

3 weeks out

Formulate all recipes and print out station cards.

Set-up inventory spaces, both cold and dry.

Program your POS and train cashiers.

Create a Facebook page and open other social media accounts (if desired).

Establish a Yelp account and populate the page with as much information as possible.

Reach out to your local chamber of commerce and neighborhood associations.

Organize the dish room, slop sink, and pot sink area.

2 weeks out

Order all food and disposables.

Assemble back of house station books, including diagrams, recipes, photographs, toppings list, and portioning guides.

Assemble front of house directions with station diagrams, reservation system instructions, and bussing station books.

Purchase a tool box and first aid kit.

Order printer paper for your POS and test the ticketing system.

1 week out

Receive all products and inspect.

Test station equipment.

Confirm all your smallwares are in place.

Set-up a brand station that includes menus, packaging, and other to-go items.

Finalize the menu and print.

5 days out

Do a test run with free meals for family, friends, marketplace influencers, and the local Chamber of Commerce. A single shift or three-hour setting can illuminate a lot of potential issues with time to sort them out before opening to the public.

Want to download an easy pdf checklist for free?

Download for free

Primary Sidebar

(800) 617-6067

Call to discuss how Rewards Network can help you grow your restaurant!

blog siderail

See how easy our marketing and financing can be!

Categories

  • Blog
  • Consumer
  • COVID-19 resources
  • Finance
  • Food & drink
  • Free downloads
  • Industry trends
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Menu trends
  • Press releases
  • Restaurant operations
  • Rewards Network
  • Social media
  • Success stories
  • Technology

Recent posts

Working Capital Background

Working capital: What it is, how to access it, and how to use it

June 20, 2022

Uncovering New Profitalbe Markets Background

Case study: Pinecrest Bakery—Uncovering new and profitable markets

May 17, 2022

Major Problems Restaurants Face Cover

Three Major Problems Restaurants Face

March 9, 2022

Case study: Coaches Burger Bar—Exploring a value-driven partnership

March 2, 2022

Restaurant Technology Needs 2022 Background

The technology your restaurant needs in 2022

February 10, 2022

Footer

Rewards Network

540 W Madison St, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60661
(800) 766-3463

LinkedIn Logo White Facebook Logo White Instagram Logo White Twitter Logo White

Rewards Network is the nation’s leading promotional program for the restaurant industry. For more than 35 years we’ve helped local restaurants thrive by filling seats with full-price customers and offering flexible funding options that help operators grow their business.

How it works

  • Our rewards partners
  • Full price guests
  • Restaurant success stories
  • FAQs

Restaurant resources

  • Blog
  • Free downloads
  • Restaurant guides

Program benefits

  • Pay for performance
  • Takeout & delivery
  • Data-driven insights
  • 100% turnkey marketing
  • Verified customer reviews
  • Flexible funding options

About us

  • Leadership
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Security and accreditations
Get started
Client log-in

Not a restaurant owner?
Dining member rewards

National Restaurant Association logo
SOC logo
Rewards Network BBB Business Review
VISA logo
Built in logo
Marketing Top 10 logo
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of use
  • Sitemap

© 2022 Rewards Network Establishment Services Inc. All rights reserved.

Individual results within the Rewards Network program may vary. Please contact us for details.

Any testimonials, statements, and opinions are applicable only to the individuals depicted. Testimonials were provided voluntarily. Participants were not paid or provided with any benefits in exchange for their statements.