Running a Restaurant for Dummies

Millions of Americans dream of owning and running their own restaurant — because they want to be their own boss, because their cooking always draws raves, or just because they love food. Running a Restaurant For Dummies covers every aspect of getting started for wannabe restaurateurs. From setting up a business plan and finding financing, to designing a menu and dining room, you’ll find all the advice you need to start and run a successful restaurant.

Even if you don’t know anything about cooking or running a business, you might still have a great idea for a restaurant — and this handy guide will show you how to make your dream a reality. If you already own a restaurant, but want to see it do better, Running a Restaurant For Dummies offers unbeatable tips and advice of bringing in hungry customers. From start to finish, you’ll learn everything you need to know to succeed:

• Put your ideas on paper with a realistic business plan
• Attract investors to help get the business off the ground
• Be totally prepared for your grand opening
• Make sure your business is legal and above board
• Hire and train a great staff
• Develop a delicious menu

If you’re looking for expert guidance from people in the know, then Running a Restaurant For Dummies is the only book you need. Written by Michael Garvey, co-owner of the famous Oyster Bar at Grand Central, with help from writer Heather Dismore and chef Andy Dismore, this book covers all the bases, from balancing the books to training staff and much more:

• Designing and theme and a concept
• Taking over an existing restaurant or buying into a franchise
• Stocking and operating a bar
• Working with partners and other investors
• Choose a perfect location
• Hiring and training an excellent staff
• Pricing menu items
• Designing the interior of the restaurant
• Purchasing and managing supplies
• Marketing your restaurant to customers

If you’re looking for a new career as a restaurateur, or you need new ideas for your struggling restaurant, Running a Restaurant For Dummies offers expert advice in a fun, friendly format. Packed with practical advice and expert wisdom on every aspect of the food service business, this guide is all you need to get cooking.

Michael Garvey was, at one time, an unassuming if not innocent soul from Brooklyn before he was grabbed by the clutches of the evil shadow known simply as the restaurant business. Starting as a resort waiter in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, he quickly became smitten by his new work and found himself a genuine masochist at heart. Garvey delved into other facets of the industry, from bartending in saloons to waiting in fine dining atmospheres. He also found time to volunteer in the kitchen of the Marist Brothers in Esopus, NY, manufacturing meals for handicapped and underprivileged children and adults. In 1994, he returned to New York City for some real brutality. He latched on to a small three-unit outfit by the name of Mumbles as a manager. After seeing action in their other locations, Michael landed a job as floor manager at The Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station owned by famed restaurateur Jerry Brody.
The Oyster Bar was a wonderland for the then medium-rare manager. Garvey took advantage of many opportunities including wine cellar stewarding which led to sommelier certification. He was part of the management team that rebuilt the institution in 1997 after a devastating fire. In 1998, he was offered the General Manager position and added President to his titles in 2000. Today, in addition to running the day-to-day operations in Grand Central, Michael has led efforts to franchise The Oyster Bar concept. While writing this book, he organized the first franchise in Tokyo, half a world and a culture away. At the time of printing, it is surpassing the franchisee’s sales projections by over 100%. Garvey currently resides in Long Beach, NY, with his beautiful (and understanding) wife Vicki and their ridiculously cute daughter Torrance.

Heather Heath Dismore is a veteran of both the restaurant and publishing industries. She has published works including such titles as “Indian Cooking For Dummies,” part of the compilation Cooking Around the World All-In-One For Dummies, The Parents’ Success Guide to Organizing, The Parents’ Success Guide to Managing a Household, and Low-Carb Dieting For Dummies, all published by John Wiley and Sons. This is her fifth published work.
A graduate of DePauw University, she succumbed to the restaurant business in Denver, Colorado while applying to law school. She rapidly rose to management at such regional and national chains as The Italian Fisherman, Don Pablo’s Mexican Kitchen, and Romano’s Macaroni Grill. She orchestrated the openings of 15 new restaurants and developed the training, procedural, and purchasing systems t hat were used as the gold standard in numerous concepts throughout her tenure. She currently lives in Missouri with her husband, co-author Andrew Dismore, and their daughters who are her first loves, inspiration, and never-ending source of new material.

Andrew Dismore, one of the catering industry’s premier chefs, joined the foodservice marketing agency Noble & Associates in 2003 after amassing critical success and national recognition as Corporate Executive Chef/General Manager of Chicago’s uber-posh Calihan Catering, Inc. In a career spanning some 15 years, Dismore has amassed an expertise in the catering field few can rival. His experiences are a study in dramatic contrast. He has prepared seated dinners for over 10,000 guests, designed highly profitable operations that have fed over 200,000 diners in three weeks, overseen the execution of over 2,500 events annually, and directed the culinary operations for such mega-volume events as the Indianapolis 500, The Brickyard 400, The NCAA Final Four, The RCA Tennis Championships, and Formula One.
He has participated in over 20 openings and has independently designed 12 new food service concepts. Yet he has catered intimate events for many of the world’s social, political, and culinary elite.