If you are interested in starting a new restaurant business, the first thing you will need is a good realtor.

The second thing you will need is an expert in restaurant construction or remodeling. The thing is, the realtor of course wants to make a successful sale. They aren’t construction professionals and neither are aspiring restauranteurs- or most new business owners. The realtor wants to lock you in and has no real information about what it will actually take to transform that space into a business that people will actually want to come visit.

A previous client of mine recently asked me to come along with him on a commercial space walk-through with his realtor. We had built a restaurant together and he wanted to open another.

It was in a good location, but the previous owners did not maintain it well.

I was able to see what he had to work with and advise him on what he was going to face AFTER he got the keys. And I have to say, there was a lot more work needed than he thought. But we went calmly down the list, through all the things he could see and not see, and I was able to give him a realistic number to consider. He appreciated me being up-front with him in a way that was not in the best interests of the realtor. My client decided to pass on that space.

Maintaining my relationship with this past customer is not just doing a favor, it’s good business. We will definitely be working together in the future.

Anyone who is seriously considering a commercial space for a restaurant or other business should give me- or someone like me- a call and get an accurate picture of what they are facing in those early stages of a new endeavor.