Restaurant Operations & Launch Planning

This unit guides students through practical startup and day-to-day operational systems needed to open and run a restaurant, including compliance, pricing, staffing, suppliers, facilities, marketing, and inventory. It builds on initial concept work and prepares students to implement, evaluate, and present operational plans to stakeholders and investors in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze and apply local, state, and health regulations (including zoning, permits, liquor laws, water quality, and sanitation) to produce a site-specific compliance checklist and permit timeline for a chosen restaurant concept
• Calculate food, beverage, and labor costs and develop menu pricing and cost-control strategies that achieve target profit margins and align with investor and operational goals
• Design staffing and operations systems by creating job advertisements, interview rubrics, sample staff schedules, and an efficient inventory control process for food, beverage, and bar supplies
• Develop an integrated launch plan that includes exterior/interior layout recommendations, supplier and purveyor agreements, a communications/PR strategy for drawing customers, customer-targeting analysis, and a basic investor presentation with operational evaluation metrics