How to Find Investors for a Restaurant Idea

If you can’t wait to get your hands on the finances for your new restaurant idea, you may want to investigate what to prepare for when finding investors.  If you are anxious to get your hands on the finances for your new restaurant idea, the process can be long but completely worth it.  Getting financing to open a restaurant can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.  Prepare yourself for your investors by following these tips:

1. Educate Yourself on Restaurant Management. Before you jump into the restaurant industry, make sure you know what you are getting into.  Do your research onto what it requires to be a restaurant owner so that you can be best prepared to invest smarter. You should learn as much as you can about running a restaurant business which includes food preparation and safety, dealing with food suppliers, kitchen  tools and equipment like a stainless steel table with sink, commercial refrigeration maintenance, customer service, etc. Fortunately, there are many resources out there for people looking to gain management experience and knowledge.  Gaining this expertise will groom you to approach your plans and investors with a sense of professionalism and confidence.
2. Get Your Finances in Check. In order to get proper financing from someone else, it is essential to get your own finances in order.  Investors are looking for signs that they will get big returns, so a stellar credit history is first and foremost.  Be sure that you also have a solid plan to pay off your expenses.
3. Have a Vision. If you want to open a restaurant, chances are you have envisioned what you want it to be like for a long time.  Now you are approaching the time where you can make those dreams a reality.  Flesh out your vision including location, appearance, and menu.  The location of the restaurant is vital to the kind of clientele you will attract, and your menu will be just as important.  If you are planning to serve alcohol, look for liquor licenses for sale. Defining these terms will make your financial needs more tangible, and will also make your plan more appealing to potential investors.
4. Create a Business Plan. Next it is time to create a business plan.  Bring together all of these factors—with your knowledge, finances, and vision, you can formulate a plan to present to your investors.  Investors want to have confidence that you will be a success and that they will have their investment returned.  In order to write a restaurant business plan, you have to have a few central elements.  These include: a cover, a concept, a sample menu, and the service style. Detail these elements as much as possible so that your investors can see your vision come to life. Further details should include a market strategy.  In this section you show that you have analyzed the industry, the demographic you’re serving, competition, and methods of marketing. Create a thorough plan and go over it many times so that you can present it with confidence.
5. Find the Right Investor. There are many kinds of investors to consider. Traditional means include bank loans, credit union loans, or SBA-backed loans. Make sure that you have a plan to pay off those loans so that you can keep your restaurant afloat. If you are attempting to get a loan from a bank, know that it may be difficult purely because you are a first-time business owner, and that there is usually an extended approval process. However, if you do attain a bank loan, it will have a lower interest rate. Credit union loans, on the other hand, have charged interest but if you pay off a large chunk of the loan each month, your interest will also go down.  Find out which finance options are right for you to suit your business needs.

Work on Your Soft Skills.  The idea of interviewing with a stranger can seem frightening, but it need not be.  Work on your communication skills by presenting it to yourself and a friend over