Your Guide to Starting a Restaurant in Atlanta

In recent years, Atlanta (also known as ATL) has become one of the most spoken about cities in the United States. Just last year, Downtown Atlanta became one of the many cities that was put center stage during the 2020 United States Presidential Election. In addition to that, the city has seen an influx or surge in people moving to areas around Atlanta like Buckhead, Virginia Highland, and many other places around Atlanta. In 2019 the population of metro Atlanta rose to 488,800. The city is also the headquarters for global businesses like Home Depot, Delta Airlines, and Coca-Cola. For these and many other reasons, Atlanta has become a place where enterprising businesspeople seek to set down roots for their money-making opportunities.

One area where money-making opportunities abound in ATL is through restaurant ownership. People all across the metro Atlanta area love to eat great food. Whether individuals are enjoying the ATL nightlife, or maybe folks are hungry after attending a Falcons game, people will always want a place that serves the best food. Such occurrences, including the fact that Downtown Atlanta is constantly growing, provides a restaurant entrepreneur with an opportunity to make money. What we’ll provide today is a guide on how to start a restaurant in Atlanta.

Create a business plan.

When you start any sort of business you’ll need to first create a business plan. A business plan will lay out the foundation of your business. This document will include things like an executive summary, company description, industry analysis, geographic analysis, target market analysis, food safety plan, sample menu, marketing strategy, management strategy, and a financial plan. All of these parts of your business plan have to be included to ensure your success in the Atlanta restaurant market.

While fleshing out each of these sections is crucial, you’ll need a financial plan that includes the various supplies which you’ll need for your restaurant. Without knowing the costs of such items, you’ll be hindered in building your metro Atlanta-based business. You’ll need to learn the costs of items such as a sandwich prep table, kitchen appliances, cutting boards, a salad prep table, and industrial-size refrigerators. When you factor in the financial plan of your business plan, along with a host of other topics, then you’ll be that much closer to successfully opening your Downtown Atlanta-based restaurant.

Study your area.

Before opening your restaurant in Atlanta, you’ll want to learn as much as possible about the area. Figure out what the living in Atlanta pros and cons are. Ask yourself questions about the city. Is Atlanta a dangerous city to live in? Is metro Atlanta a great place to live? Is there nightlife in the city after a certain time? Does the city offer residents things to do, like attending a Falcons game, or going to Inman Park?

You’ll also need to figure out what the eating and spending habits are for those that live in metro Atlanta. This can help you with choosing an area of the city which probably has better foot traffic than the other. Also, see what the demand is for the type of food which you’ll be serving. Maybe it’s a good idea to open up a sports bar near the Falcons stadium. That way you’re providing hungry football fans with great bar food after they leave a game. Location is key, so study it. 

Hire the right people.

When you open a restaurant, you want to make sure the people that you hire are qualified to do the job well. Make sure that the waiters, waitresses, hosts, chefs, busboys, and other workers that you bring on board to your new Atlanta restaurant are capable of doing their job. In most cases, they will be the face of your eatery and represent your restaurant to all visitors. 

Also, try to find workers who are familiar with metro Atlanta. Having locals who know the Atlanta area up and down can be pretty helpful if you have out-of-towners visit your restaurant. Especially for those customers who are based in Atlanta, having a server who knows their city is an added plus.