The Yard: How to Open a Restaurant in Brooklyn
1. Who is this course for? Super-serious would be restaurateurs, or Brooklyn foodies who’re just sort of interested in what goes into making a restaurant?
This six-week program is not just for aspiring restaurateurs. It’s for foodies, local aficionados, people who patronize restaurants and would like a glimpse behind the curtain to learn how these restaurants function and who’s operating and managing them—why some are successful (and some are not), and possibly most importantly this program allows for individuals to network not only with like-minded restaurant lovers but also experienced professionals who they would not be able to meet anywhere else.
2. Who is this course not for?
This course is NOT for people who already own or operate a restaurant. Errr… well, our instructor Holly Howard is a Williamsburg-based small business consultant who has worked with a number of restaurants in the neighborhood and New York City including Egg—where she nearly doubled revenue and was instrumental in raising the capital for expanding the company to include Goatfell Farm (upstate) and the opening of their sister restaurant Parish Hall. So, that said… I guess this class IS also for restaurant owners and managers who may be looking to increase revenue, initiate expansions, or otherwise network with brilliant minds like Holly Howard.
3. What do you think the biggest mistake is in opening a new restaurant in Brooklyn?
In my opinion, having lived in Williamsburg/Greenpoint for seven years now and witnessing this boom of restaurants and bars opening in the neighborhood… I think it’s important to cater to the culture of the community. And that seems like common sense, but I see some restaurants open with just a numbers game: so many tables equals so many diners, x number of customers from a y population from a specific radius… I don’t think that’s the way to do it.