OT - Anyone here own a restaurant?

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...
So the land adjacent to the inn is for sale, and we want to put an
aviation themed restaurant on the site. It'll be the perfect fly-in
restaurant, with breakfast all day, decent prices, ugly waitresses, and
a 2nd-floor patio over-looking the airport. We want to call it "the
Tower", and it'll have a great view of the runways!

Will it be adjacent to the airport property and as such will pilots be able
to taxi up there to the restaurant, tie their plane down, and eat? Being
able to tie your plane down overnight while staying at your hotel would be
an added benefit... One thing that you might want to consider is
differentiating your restaurant from other local restaurants by way of
menu... My experience up there in Iowa while on contract for Rockwell
Collins was that there are NO good BBQ restaurants in the entire state. OK,
I'm from Texas, so my standards are probably pretty high, but those people
up there think a chunk of pork roasted in an electric oven with BBQ sauce
poured on it afterwards classifies as "BBQ"... Of course, everyone knows
that the only *real* BBQ is made from BEEF BRISKET...

Will it be adjacent to the airport property and as such will pilots be
able
to taxi up there to the restaurant, tie their plane down, and eat?

Sadly, no. But it will be right across a small road from the fence, and
we've tentatively received permission to allow planes to park on the other
side of the fence. (We'll have to put in a gate.)

It'll be maybe a 100 yard walk.

One thing that you might want to consider is
differentiating your restaurant from other local restaurants by way of
menu... My experience up there in Iowa while on contract for Rockwell
Collins was that there are NO good BBQ restaurants in the entire state.

Agreed, but from a slightly different angle.

Iowa City is like the "anti-Iowa" in many ways. It's got dozens of
"fru-fru" restaurants (a rarity in the rest of Iowa), thanks to the
University crowd, all of which serve tiny portions at outrageous prices.
You can get excellent Indian, Vegetarian, Mediterranean, Japanese, French,
and California (whatever *that* is) cuisine -- but you CAN'T get a decent
burger or breakfast served all day for less than $15 per person.

IMHO, a restaurant with those two items, reasonably priced and served fresh,
would make a mint in this goofy town.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
Will it be adjacent to the airport property and as such will pilots be
able
to taxi up there to the restaurant, tie their plane down, and eat?


Sadly, no. But it will be right across a small road from the fence, and
we've tentatively received permission to allow planes to park on the other
side of the fence. (We'll have to put in a gate.)

It'll be maybe a 100 yard walk.


One thing that you might want to consider is
differentiating your restaurant from other local restaurants by way of
menu... My experience up there in Iowa while on contract for Rockwell
Collins was that there are NO good BBQ restaurants in the entire state.


Agreed, but from a slightly different angle.

Iowa City is like the "anti-Iowa" in many ways. It's got dozens of
"fru-fru" restaurants (a rarity in the rest of Iowa), thanks to the
University crowd, all of which serve tiny portions at outrageous prices.
You can get excellent Indian, Vegetarian, Mediterranean, Japanese, French,
and California (whatever *that* is) cuisine -- but you CAN'T get a decent
burger or breakfast served all day for less than $15 per person.

IMHO, a restaurant with those two items, reasonably priced and served fresh,
would make a mint in this goofy town.

Nancy's Airfield Cafe at K6B6 is a fine place to eat. I believe most
of their business comes from surrounding towns rather the planes.
Contact Nancy McPherson for more info. Web:
http://www.NancysAirfieldCafe.com

"Jay Honeck" wrote:
IMHO, a restaurant with those two items, reasonably
priced and served fresh, would make a mint in this goofy town.

A good friend has been in the restaurant business for a couple of
decades and has had two small, successful restaurants during that time.
She said aside from having A LOT of time and energy and the obvious
issues -- an adequate-but-not-overwhelming menu with fair prices,
reliable cooks that prepare consistently good meals, *consistently*
friendly and efficient service, hours that meet the demand, and an
environment that is clean and comfortable -- the biggest key to making
it a success is knowing how to ORDER. I think someone else early in this
thread said it, too -- knowing how much to order so that perishable food
lasts but does not spoil and your next order is received before you run
out, and even your garnishes (lettuce, tomatoes, parsley, etc.) are
fresh and edible and don't look like they're one step away from being
rotten. One quote of hers that we've all experienced: "It's okay if
people have to wait a few minutes to sit down, but NEVER make anyone
*wait* to pay once they're full and ready to leave!" Lastly, NEVER be
cited in a health inspection as that kind news is never forgotten.

Good luck! I've always thought that despite the long hours and hard
work, it could be rewarding and fun, especially with a theme that you
and your customers love.

One other thing... I have noticed that many of the basic hotels I've
been around have no restaurant attached to them, but are built in an
area that has lots of separate basic restaurants nearby. I'll bet
there's a reason for this.

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

One other thing... I have noticed that many of the basic hotels I've been
around have no restaurant attached to them, but are built in an area that
has lots of separate basic restaurants nearby. I'll bet there's a reason
for this.

That's what we are now. In fact, within 1 mile of the inn, there are
currently over 50 restaurants. Six of them are within walking distance.

It's a university town. Unemployment is non-existent, everyone works for
the Gummint, and there are lots of underworked, over-paid people that have
time on their hands, yet eat out every meal.

Unfortunately, most nearby restaurants are either "bottom feeders"
(McDonalds/Wendy's/KFC/etc.), or "top feeders" (fru-fru restaurants with
tiny portions and over-sized prices). There are no "middle of the road"
restaurants, which (IMHO) presents an opportunity.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

One other thing... I have noticed that many of the basic hotels I've been
around have no restaurant attached to them, but are built in an area that
has lots of separate basic restaurants nearby. I'll bet there's a reason
for this.


That's what we are now. In fact, within 1 mile of the inn, there are
currently over 50 restaurants. Six of them are within walking distance.

It's a university town. Unemployment is non-existent, everyone works for
the Gummint, and there are lots of underworked, over-paid people that have
time on their hands, yet eat out every meal.

Unfortunately, most nearby restaurants are either "bottom feeders"
(McDonalds/Wendy's/KFC/etc.), or "top feeders" (fru-fru restaurants with
tiny portions and over-sized prices). There are no "middle of the road"
restaurants, which (IMHO) presents an opportunity.

It may be an opportunity, or it may be that their is no market for a
middle of the road restaurant. Only one sure way to find out though...

:-)


Matt

Jay Honeck wrote:

It's a university town. Unemployment is non-existent, everyone works for
the Gummint, and there are lots of underworked, over-paid people that have
time on their hands, yet eat out every meal.

But *your* customer base is mostly from elsewhere and doesn't fit that profile.
You should figure out what they are likely to want and try to provide that. You
are also in a unique position to match your hours of operation to the arrival
times of most of your guests, or perhaps provide room service at odd hours. I
still have unfond memories of checking into a hotel in Savanah five minutes
after the restaurant closed.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

("George Patterson" wrote)
But *your* customer base is mostly from elsewhere and doesn't fit that
profile.


I suspect 83% of his restaurant traffic will be local townsfolk.


Montblack

Montblack wrote:
("George Patterson" wrote)
But *your* customer base is mostly from elsewhere and doesn't fit that
profile.


I suspect 83% of his restaurant traffic will be local townsfolk.


I suspect you're either right, or slightly underestimating the
number. There are numerous airport restaurants that I visit in AZ and
the locals usually outnumber the pilots 10 to 1. The big draw for the
locals is the getting to watch the airplanes as they eat.

Some airport restaurants are so popular with the locals that it's
difficult for a visiting pilot to get a table.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)