What People Get Wrong About Opening a Restaurant in NYC
People romanticize restaurants. They see the lighting, the cocktails, the music, the crowd — and they think opening one is just about “good vibes” and a strong concept.
The truth is very different.
The real work happens long before the first guest ever sits down. Most people don’t understand that opening a restaurant — especially in New York — is a business first, a design project second, and a creative act third. All three matter. All three collide.
Here’s what people get wrong:
They underestimate the capital.
Everyone thinks they can do it cheaper. You can’t. Not in this city. Real restaurants require real money, real infrastructure, and real investment discipline.
They ignore operations.
The best design in the world can’t save a restaurant with bad systems. Operations are the heartbeat — inventory, culture, scheduling, training, menu engineering, leadership. If that part isn’t built, the whole thing collapses.
They don’t know how long it actually takes.
Permits, buildouts, delays, inspections — it’s never the timeline anyone wants. You need stamina. Patience. And people who know how to move a project forward when everything is stuck.
They don’t have a vision beyond the opening night.
A launch is easy. Keeping the room full six months later? That’s where the craft is. That’s where you see who actually understands hospitality.
They treat hospitality like a trend instead of a calling.
This industry punishes people who show up for the wrong reasons. If you don’t love this work, it will chew you up.
I’ve seen this city make and break a lot of operators.
The ones who survive — and actually thrive — are the ones who respect the complexity, the discipline, the people, the architecture, the design, and the grind.
Opening a restaurant here isn’t a fantasy.
It’s a craft.
And if you don’t know that going in, the city will teach you fast.
More soon.
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