This book is for anyone interested in learning more about opening, managing, marketing, and operating a restaurant. It will teach you how to hire the right people, form a powerful team, and find your dream location. It will teach you about food safety, the best marketing practices, and how to negotiate the best deals from vendors, landlords, and distributors. It will also teach you how to increase sales, reduce costs, and motivate employees in an easy to read, step-by-step format. The author has over 25 years’ experience being a co-owner of a successful chain of Mediterranean restaurants. He also studied the experts in their fields, while conducting research for this book. The result is a book that is fun to read, easy to understand, and can prove to be an invaluable tool for college students and restaurant professionals alike.

This book is the culmination of over 7 years of research, preparation, and writing. Upon the completion of my certification in Marketing in 2011, I embarked on this journey to become a better writer and fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a published author. Over the course of those 3 years, I attended many classes, and found myself devouring any book that promised to help me become a better non-fiction writer. It is now the first quarter of 2018 when this book is finally being published. The verses quoted at the start of this book talk about counting the cost of something before you invest time and resources into its pursuit. No one knows before writing a book if it will be successful. Over one thousand days went into the creation of this book - from its conception, to research, drafts and writing, to editing and rewriting. Throughout the entire process, I had one main focus: you, the reader. What began with the ultimate goal of merely finishing my book, emerged into wanting to become immersed in the process of the writing itself. To date, this book remains a work in progress (as am I), even as it is presented to you today. This work is the proudest and most difficult creative project I have ever undertaken. My hope for you is that as you turn through its pages, my thoughts herein will make your life a little easier as you’re about to purchase a new restaurant or embark on a culinary journey.