I know a few people that have opened restaurants.

One is very successful and now owns several restaurants with co-owners. There is a "chain" of casual eateries with the same name and the other is a bar/restaurant with an Irish theme.

The other restaurant owners I know were not so successful.

I heard an interesting segment on NPR warning people not to open restaurants: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/14/135412703/zagats-warn-dont-open-a-restaurant

Here is the article that inspired the segment: http://www.zagat.com/buzz/to-open-a-restaurant-you-have-to-be-more-than-a-good-cook

Thanks LoriFLA. Yeah that's what I expected, that stories of failure probably abound.

I'm gonna try to shake some capital loose today woo. He's eager to have me run something for him but neither of us were sure what. I'm going to entice the guy in general a bit before popping the restaurant idea I guess.

dang that NPR segment is a genuine downer. I was resisting getting shook for a bit but the thing that finally got to me is the caller that talked about how repetitive it is every day

My brother and his wife are opening a restaurant, and when I was waitressing, I worked for 4 different restaurants all of which started out as owner-operated startups (actually, they all remained owner-operated). What kind of stories are you looking for?

If you are offering to work for someone opening a restaurant, and you have no restaurant experience, I'd really caution you. It's not a business to start out in totally green. If you want to run a restaurant, work in one first- preferably more than one. A lot of restaurants do fail, but for a lot of those that fail, inexperience is a primary reason for the failure.

Yeah that 'work for one' idea is good.. I mean, it's part of my business philosophy too that you shouldn't start something you're not technically proficient in.. i.e. you can't just be a manager with some money you have personally know how to do the thing you produce

I guess I'm going to chill on the food industry idea and try meeting him today and see what resources/locations he has and take it from there

I have been close enough to that sector to tell you that a "cafe/bakery/whatever" must rely on its location to determine its direction. Those places live by pre-existing foot traffic. You could easily run out of money before you even figure out a semi-permanent menu.

Also, generally speaking, one of your biggest expenses in the deal you describe is paying back the money man. Chances are very good that regardless of the store's success, the money man will make a profit.

One thing too. If entrepreneurship is the direction you are considering, you need to be on a first-name basis with at least one accountant, like, yesterday.

yeah I already have one for my own stuff

You then are already ahead of many in the game. That is the first person you should consult with questions like this. Well worth taking an accountant out to lunch just to pump information.

I haven't met a single bar, cafe, whatever owner who wasn't more then a little bit insane. Not sure about the cause and effect there.

I was taking a picture of a Ferrari, and I ran into the owner, Jimmy John Liautaud. He gave me a ride in the car.

Nice guy, good sammiches, neat car!

My godmother had one in the 80's with her then husband. It seemed to do OK, but it closed after she found out he was fucking someone else.

This was in Laguna Beach.