Mario Villegas - The Capital Budget at Seattle

Mario Villegas Seattle - The first phase, and one of the most critical, is to create a capital budget for your project. The "capital budget" is a thorough schedule showing all the various expenses, construction, startup and preopening charges required to get the restaurant open for business.Effectively identifying and assessing the costs of the project at this step is totally crucial. Numerous restaurant experts claim the No. 1 reason for restaurant disaster is under capitalization, running out of capital before operating activities have a chance to generate positive cash flow to sustain the business. Below are the major categories of the capital budget:

Land and building. If the owner/operating entity is planning to own the land and building the cost of the land or building should be added here. Also include any related acquisition costs such as closing costs, sales commissions, and realtor’s fees.


Leasehold improvements. In a leased facility, enter the estimated cost of building the leasehold improvements less any landlord contributions. Leasehold improvements will include the cost of demolition (if any), construction of walls, ceilings, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fixtures, flooring and any other fix costs associated with the interior and exterior of the building. Also enter any landlord contribution for the construction of the leasehold improvements.

Bar and kitchen equipment. Based on your cocktail and kitchen menu, prepare a thorough list of the bar and kitchen equipment you'll require. Acquire actual bids and be sure to add the cost of delivery, installation and setup.

Bar and dining room furniture.Find actual bids and be sure to consider the cost of delivery, installation and setup.

Professional services. This are includes costs like architectural, engineering, design, legal, accounting and other professionals and consultants services. Obtain quotes or estimates based on the scope of services you plan to have them execute.

Organization and development. A variety of expenses are placed in this category, including permits and licenses, sales tax, deposits on utilities and lease, menus and other similar costs. Obtain cost estimates from suppliers or other vendors.

Interior finishes and equipment. This are includes equipment such as kitchen small wares, artwork, decor, sound system, POS and other similar items.

Exterior finishes and equipment.Included all the Items such asparking,exterior sign,landscaping, lot and other similar costs are included in this category.

Preopening expenses. Preopening expenses are common restaurant operating expenses that are incurred before opening. Included are costs such, beverage and supplies inventory for the menu, personnel training and opening as well as utilities, uniforms, marketing and payroll costs of management and staff. It's common to hire the management personnel from one to three months before opening,Hourly staff normally begins training one to two weeks before opening.

Working capital and contingency funds. Far few restaurants are profitable during the first few months of operation. Most restaurants that are quite successful took a year or longer to reach positive cash flow. Make sure you accommodate in your budget to cover possible operating deficits after opening.

Mario Villegas Seattle is an experienced management consultant specialized in restaurant, food service and hospitality industries. Mario Villegas Seattle educates the ownership groups including senior management on effective use of POS reports to track sales, stock and profit centers to eliminate waste and maximize profits.