Though failure rates can be hard to track, Investopedia reports that roughly a third (30%) of restaurants fail within the first year of opening. Meanwhile, based on the data from the National Restaurant Association, 80% of such establishments end up shuttering their doors within the first 5 years of operating.

The most important thing to consider before starting a new restaurant is the initial cost of purchasing it. Ideally, you should have far more money than just what you need to open the establishment. You may need to dip into your savings to sustain your operations until you start bringing in positive cash flow. And that means having a financial cushion that you can use to get through the tough times that may be ahead.

Some of the main start-up costs include things like finding a suitable space, leasing it, renovating it if needed, purchasing all the supplies you need to run the business, and paying the salaries of all your staff. Naturally, you’ll need to keep paying everyone good salaries on time; otherwise, you won’t have anyone in your corner anymore. You have to offer your staff stability and support, not excuses that you can’t make ends meet for timely payroll.

Your success as a restauranteur doesn’t just depend on all of your hard work (though that’s certainly a major factor). There’s a lot of luck involved, too. However, you can determine quite a lot of things that are going to impact your overall business and profit margins. You get to decide the location of the restaurant, the type of food you serve, the menu, who works at your business, the workplace culture, what the quality of the food and service will be like, etc.

According to Investopedia, some ways to control your expenses and drive more business involve buying secondhand equipment and utensils, good marketing (social media, word-of-mouth, etc.), and using energy-saving lights. Your biggest expenses are likely to be the cost of food and labor. A qualified manager with lots of experience can be a good investment if they have a good eye for keeping food costs down (e.g., by preventing as much food waste as they can) and are good at employee scheduling and hiring.

Celeb chefs aside, restaurant profit margins tend to fall in the range of somewhere between 0% to 15%, with an average between 3% to 5%. So, every decision you make can make or break these already razor-thin profit margins.

The hospitality industry, which is a subsection of the service industry, is very broad and varied. It includes areas like food and beverage services, tourism, theme parks, event planning, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars, on top of sports, wellness, and entertainment. But broadly speaking, what unites most people working in this industry is that they provide a service to customers.

Owning and running a restaurant might sound like a dream come true, and many people hope to open one someday. However, from a practical, entrepreneurial, managerial, and financial point of view, it can be a massive challenge. If you don’t have any experience running a business, or if you’re super unlucky, your restaurant can fail, and you may have to declare bankruptcy.

So, while nobody’s trying to dissuade you from following your dreams of making it big in the food industry, you should put a ton of effort into market research, create a solid business plan, and have people on your team whom you can trust. Even the best entrepreneur can’t be everywhere at once, 24/7. You need competent, well-trained, motivated managers and staff to whom you can delegate your tasks.

A big part of motivation and loyalty comes down to the relationships you forge with your employees. First of all, you’ve got to get the basics right. That means offering a competitive salary, time off, proper training, room for personal and professional growth, healthcare, etc. On top of that, you want to ensure that you and your managers genuinely support your workers. Faking empathy won’t cut it here. If you want to avoid burnout, exhaustion, and demotivation, you’ve got to offer good work-life balance, actively listen to everyone’s problems, and give them a voice.

Employees are big fans of autonomy, purposeful work, and growth. So, if you end up micromanaging your entire team, distrust everyone and anyone, and offer no raises or career opportunities, you shouldn’t be surprised if your team is demotivated and looking for better jobs. In the long term, you want to find a business approach that offers sustainable growth and authentically leads to a loyal workforce. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it’s also far cheaper than having to constantly hire and train new people to replace those who have left in anger.

Originally created nearly a decade and a half ago, the ‘Kitchen Confidential’ community has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. It has grown to become a second home to a whopping 839k internet users from all around the world. These members are both people who have worked in the food service industry—from cooks and service staff to managers and business owners—as well as those who are merely curious about the daily challenges these workers face.

Have you ever worked at a restaurant, hotel, cafe, or anywhere else in the hospitality industry? What were some of the biggest pros and cons of the job? What were the managers and owners like? Let us know in the comments.