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

We’ve updated our Privacy Policy.

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
          • 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
Home › Restaurant resources › Restaurant guides › How to start a restaurant

How to start a restaurant

There’s a huge difference between cooking a restaurant-quality meal from the comfort of your own kitchen and serving meal after meal, night after night to people who are paying for the privilege of eating it. But there are few areas of the restaurant business that can’t be learned with the right balance of passion and dedication.

The resources on this page take you through what it takes to start a restaurant, all the way from the seed of an idea through to serving the first dish.

Defining a restaurant concept

How to confirm that your idea for a new restaurant is a need shared by potential customers.

Read more

Restaurant branding

Consistency is important, from your restaurant name to the font, color scheme, website, décor, and uniform.

Read more

Writing a menu

Know your profit margins and the budget of your average customer, then craft a menu that customers love at a cost that suits you.

Read more

Restaurant accounting

When you start a restaurant, as with any startup, there’s a right time to bootstrap and a right way to spend your budget.

Read more

Legal requirements

Every state has its own regulations and it’s your responsibility to adhere to both local and national standards.

Read more

Choosing a location

Do you go for a place full of quirky character, or one that’s going to make day-to-day operations easy?

Read more

Layout and design

You have to use a mix of art and science to get the most out of your space, both inside and out.

Read more

Hiring staff

A service-oriented, committed staff can be the linchpin to your success. Learn how to attract and retain top talent.

Read more

Hiring a chef

The head chef can make or break a new restaurant, so finding (and keeping) the right one is essential.

Read more

Selecting suppliers

Work with people who match both your brand values and your personality, at every point in the supply chain.

Read more

Long-term planning

There’s no such thing as a plateau in the restaurant business — you’re either growing or in decline.

Read more

Rewards Network® does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.

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
  • 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
  • Do not share my data

© 2023 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.