Is there a class on what's needed to open a restaurant in Miami? (Miami Beach: insurance)

[sueannss98]

i have a friend that wants to open a restaurant, but has no experience, I know, don't go there! She is looking for some type of class, maybe run by Miami Dade, on what's needed as far as licenses, etc to open a restaurant in Miami Beach. Thanks

[Cubanchic]

Tell her don't do it!!!!!!! Please!

Actually have her run a catering company first, she needs to be certified with food safety, have a business license, and have liabilibilty insurance. Miami dade Community college does run a "so you want to open a restrurant" course and I would take that with a grain of salt.

Ex husband invested in to a franchise restrurant chain and lost his shirt, has managed lots of chain places and the industry takes the soul outta of you.

I am a home cook with Chef training and never in a million years would I EVER, I mean EVER open a place unless I had lots of investors, and I could call the shots on the ingredients, the sous chefs, and my own management style.


Old saying but always fits : never make a living at what you love, but make a living at what you are extremely good at and don't care about. Love and money never mix, therefore I made a very good living at something that I was interested as a child, tonka trucks..childhood toy, but my passion was cooking.

If I had a dime for each time I was told I should open a place I could retire, but if I had a dollar when I could forecast mining trends and figure out the new hot spot, the new project, the new shipping methods then I would be around folks that never retire and are in a class by themselves, and I don't mean middle class .

But if she must discover this on her own, have her take the night school class, and then apply as a sous chef somewhere at high occupancy time and see if she can handle the "weeds" in Miami which is as bad as the weeds in NYC on MB.

[StarfishKey]

Business school is probably a good start before you open any business... particularly if you know nothing about business and have never studied it before. Common sense, right? Also, never invest more than you can afford to lose - they'll tell you that in business school, too, along with stuff on taxes (it's VERY complicated) and some local info. Even people who have studied this their whole lives, have a ton of financial backing, and have restaurants on the list of the most successful in the country, have restaurants that fail. It is one of the hardest and most expensive industries to be successful in, past 5 years, of any you could choose. Particularly for someone who has no idea what they're doing. Good luck asking for a loan if one is needed... banks are not keen on giving money just for the fun of it.

Doing it as a hobby is one thing if you just have oodles of cash, but actually expecting to make a good living at it is... just very unlikely. Especially for someone who hasn't even studied the business a day.

[FlyMIA]

Restaurants are probably the absolute worst possible business after maybe an airline to start with no experience.

Anyway if she wants to find out look for a business lawyer who helps sets up places like that. They will know what she needs.

[tankhead]

But the Food Network makes it look so easy!!! Hahahahahaha!

[sueannss98]

Gonna tell her to contact a business lawyer, thanks for all the replies. She has an international investor, 100% and it's just a fast food, tiny place she wants. Appreciate all the ideas.

[LifeIsGood01]

Most restaurants fail, even if they know what they are doing. If you can afford to throw money away and gamble go for it.

[straight shooter]

I read somewhere that the restaurant business was the business with the highest failure rate nationwide. I also know of someone in the restaurant business in Miami and he tells me that very few actually survive and make money. He flat out told me that the majority were either to launder money or for foreign people to help get residency in this country.