Over the last few months I have occasionally blundered onto the websites of hucksters trying to sell ebooks. It amazes me that people will buy just about anything, I think, if these sites are actually selling ebooks.

With a humorous eye, you might want to stay away from any sales pitch that contains some of these;

• Any site that starts out “Dear Restaurant Profiteer” - makes our profession sound like carpetbaggers!
• Any site that offers you “Over $2000 worth of material for $29.95” - do people really believe that stuff?
• Any site that offers “double your money back guarantee” - I considered getting out of the restaurant business and just buy 100 of this guy’s books each week!
• A pitch that says they are going to reveal “dozens of closely guarded secrets of success” - I always wondered what they were guarding them from and how they kept them from McDonalds.
• One site offers “laser-guided accurate information” - Sounds like this “author” has found a secret to using laser beams somehow to make his book more accurate.
• My all time favorite was almost irresistible. It offered, if you buy today, “seven bonus values worth $1800, four super-time bonuses worth $280 and, today only, 2 valuable audio tapes, plus my personal free gifts for budding entrepreneurs” - My neighbors may not appreciate the semi truck that it would take to deliver all of this stuff!

If you have bought any of these books, I apologize. Now if you would just visit my website where I have this great bridge for sale called the Brooklyn Bridge ……….

Larry Edger, Author

The Restaurant Ebook

Buying an existing restaurant is a little like buying a used car. You can kick the tires, look under the hood, check the mileage and get a great deal - until you drive it for a few days. Thats when all the imperfections start becoming rattles, dents you didn’t notice, sputtering engine noises and the flat spare tire you didn’t check until you needed it.

Restaurants all have their imperfections. Finding them before you buy can be extremely difficult. In The Restaurant Ebook, I spend quite a bit of time explaining the benefits and pitfalls of buying an existing restaurant. There is also a checklist to evaluate just how good the opportunity may be, but in the end it is “caveat emptor” - buyer beware!

A few of the benefits of a restaurant purchase rather than starting a new operation are;

• Existing customers that may cost time and money to attract in a new operation.
• Stiff regulations for new restaurants may make an existing restaurant attractive due to being “grandfathered” in around new requirements.
• Staff may already be in place.
• Equipment and furnishings that cost a lot less than new.

Some of the pitfalls of buying a restaurant are;

• Liens and debts that are difficult to find unless you know where to look.
• Equipment that looks ok, but quickly falls apart due to temporary fixes.
• More unhappy guests than happy ones. Old dissatisfied customers are harder to get back than attracting than new ones.
• Regulatory violations that may cost you thousands to fix.

Unless you have the experience, never try to buy a restaurant without a lot of research and discovery. You have to know what to look for and where to find it.

If you would like a copy of our Checklist for Buying an Existing Restaurant, just email us.

Larry Edger, Author

The Restaurant Ebook

We have tried to make The Restaurant Ebook blog and website more than just a place to buy the book and get additional articles. At the right you will see various categories of links to restaurant resources. These are sites that I have used for research, ordering restaurant supplies, getting menu ideas and general information.

These links are not paid advertisements. They are sites that are easy to use and packed with detail about the subject they reference. Many are designed specifically for restaurant owner/managers and chefs. The magazine sites are major publications that have archive information that can be a valuable source for specific details. We hope my personal links keep you from wasting a lot of time trying to find information on the Internet.

If you have a valuable site that would benefit all foodservive people, let us know.

Larry Edger, Author

The Restaurant Ebook

Did you know that food quality represents only about 40% of the motivation for returning to a restaurant according to most studies? When I hear a restaurant owner working feverishly to improve menu items to boost sales, it makes me wonder if he or she is missing the majority of the guest’s expectations.

The Restaurant Ebook points out that service may account for up to 25% of customer motivation, location can be up to 15% and ambiance, atmosphere, value and menu comprise the balance. Few restaurants really serve bad food. Those who do must execute the balance of the equation perfectly - few do that either. Is there anyone who really believes those diners under the golden arches are getting gourmet food? So why are the lines so long?

Learn a lesson from the QSR’s. Watch the customers and you can figure out why they are there. Many care about consistency, convenience and speed. Some are motivated by value. Some guests are re-assured that cleanliness and bright surroundings enhance the perceptions and willingness to return. How many of these points do you focus on when trying to meet your customer’s expectations?

If your restaurant can meet the customer’s expectations in the key elements of perception for making a decision to return, you will fill those empty seats.

Are you ready for a volatile 2008? Dairy products are up 15 to 30 percent depending on your location. Eggs have almost doubled in price from last year. Almost all canned and frozen foods have gone up at least 8 to 10 percent. Meats and poultry are following suit, particularly if the feed is a corn product.

The causes can be reasoned, argued and debated. The real issue for restaurant owners is finding ways to keep up with the price changes as they occur. If you haven’t scrutinized your invoices since the first of the year, you better start today.

Here are some of the ways restaurants can cope with price increases;

• Compare pricing at least monthly on every item in your inventory.
• Have a spreadsheet that calculates your plate costs on every menu item.
• Change your menu style to allow for weekly and monthly price changes without a huge cost to reprint.
• Force suppliers to keep you abreast of price changes and trends BEFORE they occur.
• Menu more stable items that aren’t increasing at an escalated rate.
• Build anticipated cost increases into menu prices.
• Run more daily specials that can be priced according to the market.

2008 will be a battle to keep your margins from ending the year in the red. Plan now, put the procedures in place and hold on for the ride!

After five years of writing, while developing restaurants, Larry Edger, a Florida businessman, releases his book titled The Restaurant Ebook, A Guide to Keeping Your Dreams off the Chopping Block. Mr. Edger spent then last eleven years building, operating and successfully growing three independent restaurant concepts into flourishing businesses. During the same period he watched as restaurants opened and closed all around him.

“Seeing a business padlocked isn’t the most pleasant sight”, according to Mr. Edger. Admitting that he had no specific restaurant experience before starting on the food and hospitality journey, the author relied on his 25 years of business experience as President of several multi-million dollar corporations. “All I knew are the lessons learned from operating businesses in multiple states and applied those principles to the restaurant business, while ignoring the warnings about how tough the restaurant business was. I had heard that warning in every business!”, states Mr. Edger. The author admits he was not aware that the mortality rate for restaurants was 60% to 90% depending on whose numbers you use.

During the last five years, the author started and stopped the book many times. It was destined for hard copy when the ebook explosion on the Internet and his son convinced him to complete the book and share his experiences. Mr. Edger states that he had visions of completing the book under some palm trees in the Keys, but ended up in the dark hours with the typical writer’s passion and need to focus. “My writing visions were much the same as the dreams of thousands of entrepreneurs who want to open their first restaurant. Reality is a quick wake up call for dreamers”, states Mr. Edger after completing the manuscript.

For the ultimate motivation to buy The Restaurant Ebook, read the Foreward and Epilogue. If that doesn’t motivate you, you don’t need the book!