A 6-month restaurant opening plan covering concept, location, permits, build-out, equipment, menu, hiring, marketing and soft launch, for first-time and second-time restaurateurs.
Restaurants open late more often than on time. The single biggest cause is permitting: health, fire, building and alcohol permits all run in parallel, and any one of them can block the opening. This 6-month template assumes the lease is being negotiated when month 1 starts. Add 2 months to the front if location is not yet identified. Most experienced restaurateurs plan 9–12 months from lease signing.
How a 6-month restaurant opening breaks down
01
Concept and lease
Month 1
Refine the concept: cuisine, service style, price point, target customer. Identify and negotiate the lease. Engage attorney for lease review. Engage architect or designer. Submit business license and EIN paperwork. Open business bank account.
Refine concept
Negotiate lease
Attorney review
Engage architect/designer
Business license
EIN and bank account
02
Design and permits
Months 2–3
Architectural drawings. Submit for building permit, health department review, fire marshal review, and (if applicable) alcohol license. Each takes 4–12 weeks and runs in parallel. Order long-lead equipment: major kitchen equipment can be 8–14 weeks.
Architectural drawings
Submit building permit
Health department review
Fire marshal review
Alcohol license application
Order long-lead equipment
Smallwares list
03
Build-out
Months 3–5
Demolition (if needed). MEP rough-in (mechanical, electrical, plumbing). Hood and gas line install: restaurant-specific. Drywall, paint, floor. Front-of-house furniture and design. Kitchen equipment delivery and install. Final inspection.
Demolition
MEP rough-in
Hood and gas line
Drywall, paint, floor
FOH furniture
Kitchen equipment install
Final inspection
04
Menu and recipes
Months 3–5
Develop the menu in parallel with build-out. Source ingredients and confirm distributors. Cost every dish: aim for 28–32% food cost. Standardize recipes. Train head chef and sous chef on the full menu. Conduct tasting with key stakeholders.
Develop menu
Source ingredients and distributors
Cost every dish (28–32%)
Standardize recipes
Stakeholder tasting
Print menus
05
Hire and train
Months 4–6
Hire FOH manager, head chef (already in concept), sous chef, line cooks, servers, bartenders, bussers. Onboard in 2 waves: kitchen staff 4 weeks before opening, FOH 2–3 weeks before. Training: menu, service standards, POS, opening and closing checklists. Do staff meals to practice menu execution.
Hire FOH manager
Hire kitchen staff
Hire FOH staff
POS setup and training
Service training
Menu training (kitchen)
Staff meals (practice)
06
Marketing and soft launch
Month 6
Website, Google Business Profile, Instagram. Local PR pitches. Friends-and-family soft launch: 2–4 nights to stress test before the public opens. Adjust based on what broke during soft launch. Grand opening.
Website live
Google Business Profile
Instagram and social
Local press outreach
Soft launch (friends and family)
Adjust based on soft launch
Grand opening
Tips from restaurants that opened on schedule
01Submit all permits in parallel in month 2. Sequential permits double the timeline.
02Order long-lead kitchen equipment in month 2. Hood, walk-in cooler, and large pieces can be 8–14 weeks.
03Cost every dish before opening. Restaurants without food cost discipline lose money invisibly.
04Run a friends-and-family soft launch. 2–4 dinners catch every operational issue before the public sees them.
05Build a 20% contingency into the budget. Restaurants almost always cost more than projected.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to open a restaurant?
6–12 months from lease signing for most concepts. Fast casual: 4–8 months. Full-service: 8–12 months. Bar-driven concepts often longer due to alcohol licensing.
What is the most common reason restaurants open late?
Permits. Health, fire, building, and alcohol all have to align. Submit all four in month 2.
How much money do I need?
Highly concept and location dependent: $200K for a small fast-casual, $1M+ for a full-service in a major city. Plan for 6 months of operating capital after opening.
Open the restaurant template, fit it to your lease and opening date, and you have a working 6-month plan with the permits, build-out, and soft launch plotted.
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