Motivations
for Buying a Restaurant, Bar or Club
Here are some of the
reasons that motivate individuals to go into the
restaurant, bar and nightclub business.
Make a living
and become financially successful
This is a priority motivation of most
entrepreneurs that go into business. A well run
restaurant, bar and club can be a good vehicle for
generating cash flow on an ongoing basis.
Provide a service to the community
By providing a business that is accessible to
the public you are providing a service to the
community in terms of providing goods and services.
Express creativity
If you are a chef opening a restaurant is a
vehicle to demonstrate your culinary skills to the
public and you can experiment with new food and
drink formulas. If you are an entertainer owning a
club gives you a vehicle for showcasing your talent.
Provide a job for yourself and family members
There are many positions that are required for
running a restaurant, bar and club that can be
filled by the owner and family members if desired.
However, think long and hard about hiring family
members in your business as in many cases family
members won’t work out which can jeopardize your
future relationship with them. Remember it is
challenging enough to maintain good relationships
with family members under normal circumstances.
Lifestyle
Some types of restaurants are conducive for
owners structuring desirable work hours. For example
a downtown/financial district restaurant that is
open for breakfast and lunch only five days a week
is desirable for the owner in that he is free in the
evenings and off on weekends. Most restaurant owners
take the slowest weekdays off as weekends are the
busiest days for most restaurants. Some owners
prefer to take the slow days of during the week off
as there aren’t as many people around and they can
visit and do things while avoiding big crowds.
Conversely many bar and club owners prefer to not
work during the normal day hours and sleep in and do
their personal business during the day and prefer
working late nights when most of the bars and clubs
do business. Also most clubs are only open four
nights a week, Wednesday thru Saturday which affords
these operators a lot of time off during the rest of
the week.
Control Your Destiny
By owning your own business you are not at the
whim of some employer who can eliminate your job at
the snap of their finger which can create economic
chaos for you and your family. This is especially
true during high periods of high unemployment such
as the great recession we recently experienced. If
you are forty years of age or older it can be very
difficult to get a job should you lose one and by
owning your own business you can control your
financial security for you and your family.
Personal
Gratification
Operating a restaurant, bar and/or club is a
very public and visible business which gives one
much exposure to the general community as well as to
friends, associates and family members. If you have
a successful business you may become well known to
many people which gives one a strong sense of
personal gratification.
Ron Silberstein of Thirsty Bear
Brewing Company
Thirsty Bear Brewing Company,
housed in a beautiful historic brick building in San
Francisco directly across the street form the
Moscone Center and Yerba Buena Center, is one of the
most unique brewpubs in the country.
The
restaurant is the first brewpub in the United States
to serve an authentic Spanish menu. Thirsty Bear
bears pours a minimum of nine distinctive, premium
organic hand-crafted beers and has a full bar with
an extensive selection of single malt scotches, a
variety of exceptional Spanish brandies and other
fine liquors.
This successful concept was created by Ron
Silberstein, a former attorney, who had a hobby of
brewing craft beers. Ron started brewing in college,
took course work at UC Davis and worked at several
brewpubs to refine his brewing skills before opening
Thirsty Bear in 1996. Ron diligently works the
business as a hands on owner operator overseeing all
facets of the operation to strive to maintain his
goal of making people happy by giving them a quality
experience. Ron is concerned about his business’s
impact on the planet and consequently became a green
certified brewery. We’ve been fortunate to work with
Ron on a couple of projects and we wish him
continued success in his future endeavors.
