Setting up a business is the dream of every individual. People with great cooking skills often aim to start their own setup. However, setting up a grand restaurant does not require cooking skills only. Still, it is a good starting point for beginners.
Whether you are a cook or not, you can venture into the restaurant business on a small scale. You can experiment with the trendy restaurant ideas and plan an expansion if it works out for you. You can also utilize the expertise of professional consultants to make your passion project work out for you.
Scroll down to the details of this article to get your hands on small yet trendy restaurant ideas for beginners and plan a smooth venture into the food and beverage industry.
Top 5 Small Restaurant Ideas Beginners Can Explore
F&B is one of the most competitive industries. Still, more and more people are interested in venturing into it, as it is also quite profitable. Instead of setting up a grand restaurant and struggling to secure sales, it is better to first test the idea at a small scale. You can experiment with various trendy restaurant ideas and expand the one that works out best for you.
Here are some popular small restaurant ideas beginners can explore and implement to set up a successful business.
1. Speciality Cuisine
Speciality cuisine restaurant is the foremost trendy idea beginners can explore and venture into. Such concepts are thriving significantly in countries with a diverse population, like the UAE. Not only do foreigners look for restaurants that offer their specific cuisine, but locals are also interested in exploring various cuisines. So, setting up a small restaurant offering Chinese, Korean, French, Italian, Spanish, or any other popular cuisine can prove profitable. You can explore and follow the demand of the target audience. Moreover, provide them with authentic taste and flavour to attract more foot traffic.
2. Pop-Up Restaurant
Pop-up restaurants are the next trendy idea for beginners. Instead of planning a grand venture in a new location, you can first test the market conditions through pop-up setups. You can choose to rent a small space or set up your pop-up restaurant in an outdoor setting. Make sure to choose a space that gets frequent foot traffic. You will be able to easily attract and serve the passers.
Pop-up setup will also enable you to learn about the preferences and reviews of your target audience. Most importantly, it will allow you to test market conditions and the feasibility of your idea without any long-term commitment. You can set up a grand restaurant if it works out. In case it does not, you can test it somewhere else.
3. Immersive Dinning
Immersive dining is another small restaurant idea beginners can explore and experiment with. Such a restaurant requires proper planning and implementation as it aims to offer an immersive and memorable dining experience to the visitors. You will have to spend time and resources on themed décor and interior design of the place. You can add immersive storytelling or interactive elements.
Besides this, you can also add sensory details to the space to keep the visitors engaged. Most importantly, create a space for the visitors to click shareable memories, which can serve as a soft marketing measure for you. All of this will require professional expertise and industry exposure. You can choose to hire F&B consultants in UAE and let experts set up a perfectly immersive restaurant space for you.
4. Ghost Kitchen
Ghost kitchen is the next small yet trendy restaurant idea beginners can experiment with. Such setups provide food through deliveries only. They do not usually have official setups to offer takeaway or dine-in facilities. Ghost kitchens usually operate from shared commercial kitchens. You can also start from your home kitchen or lease a commercial space if yours is too small.
Ghost kitchen will enable you to serve the public and establish a loyal target audience, without investing in front-of-house services. Moreover, you can start the setup on a small scale without hiring any staff. You can plan the expansion depending on your business goals once you start earning enough profits.
5. Food Truck
A food truck is another small and trendy food business idea beginners can explore. As evident from the name, such a setup provides food on wheels. The target audience does not come to enjoy the food, but the food travels to them. You can choose to sell food while moving or station your truck alongside a busy public area and serve the interested people.
Such a venture offers basic, minimal snacks that are easy to make in a limited time and do not need much inventory. Food trucks often prove profitable as they provide delicious snacks for all age groups and do not require much investment in terms of store setup. You can also experiment with this idea by renting a truck first. You can choose to buy a truck if it works out for you and offers enough profit.
Which Small Restaurant Idea Do You Want To Explore?
Even if you have a significant initial investment, you should restaurant business on a small scale with limited front-of-house staff and services. It will enable you to keep the expenses under control and serve the visitors efficiently.