Commercial

Business Overview

Business Overview

This assignment presented the opportunity to envision and construct a business of our choosing. The construction of the enterprise will include descriptions about the facility, capital, target customers, products, and employees. I have chosen to take part in the restaurant or service industry. The company I will invest in is a Japanese restaurant. The San Antonio area has very limited Japanese food choices and it is rare to experience authentic Japanese cuisine.

In order to fund my business I will acquire a bank loan. The loan amount will be determined after all expenditures have been calculated. I estimate the loan amount to be $250,000 to $300,000 depending on the building renovations. The facility rental fee will be between $7,000 and $10,000 monthly.

The restaurant will be located in central San Antonio near I-10 and Medical Drive. This location will be convenient for customers and successful for business. The target customer will be middle to upper class and will include all ages. My business will provide a comfortable setting for family outings, tourists, and business meetings. The restaurant will serve authentic Japanese dishes, teppanyaki, and sushi. In order to bypass the need for obtaining a liquor license only wine and beer will be served.

The facility setup will have to be large enough to accommodate two separate dining areas, an office space, bathrooms, a sushi bar, a waiting area, and kitchen. Customers that desire only sushi will be seated at the bar. The general dining area will accommodate customers who do not want to watch food being prepared at the hibachi table. In this area the customer will be seated on a Tatami mat located on the floor. All of the design and decoration within the restaurant will be traditional. There will be paper screens, Japanese paintings, fountains, and Japanese foliage.

Every employee will be provided traditional Japanese clothing. There will be two sushi chefs, six teppan chefs, two hosts/ hostesses, seven waitresses, two janitors, three to four kitchen cooks, and an assistant manager. Individual pay rates will vary. The restaurant will be closed on Mondays. The lunch hours will be from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and dinner hours will be from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. This hour gap will allow for shift changes.

The factors that will make my business thrive include the delivering of exceptional service, quality cuisine, and providing a unique experience and environment.

Vision Statement

Sakura's Vision Statement

Sakura's will be regarded as the choice Japanese teppan and sushi restaurant in Texas. Due to our outstanding cuisine, service, and environment we will be highly recognized in this industry and our profits will soar. Once recognized and established in Texas we will be able to expand our services across the United States.

As Sakura's team members, it is our responsibility to ensure that the highest expectation of the guest is surpassed. All team members at Sakura's will work towards satisfying the customer and maintaining a professional, courteous, attentive, and respectful attitude. Our authentic Japanese environment is a contributing factor to Sakura's success. Therefore, team members are expected to wear the uniform and follow the training provided. All team members will ensure that the levels of cleanliness, organization, and safety are at their highest.

At Sakura's, team members can expect the work environment to be fun and innovative. We are working together in order to give our customers a dining experience they will never forget. Sakura's team members will provide great service in order to gain great profits.

Mission Statement

Sakura's Mission Statement

Our mission is to ensure that every customer leaves completely satisfied with our food, service, and traditional Japanese dining environment. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality cuisine, service, and entertainment.

Our cuisine is prepared with only the finest ingredients and created by elite, top-notch chefs. Products will not be undercut when it comes to freshness or quality. Sakura's customers deserve only the best.

The customer is treated with courtesy, professionalism, and respect. Our staff will continue to surpass the customers' highest expectations. All of our guests are to be treated as if they were family. Our team is knowledgeable, helpful, and is here to serve the customer.

Sakura's promotes an exceptionally clean, relaxing, and aesthetic environment. We will provide authentic Japanese cuisine and atmosphere through and through. We want the customer to experience Japanese culture without actually having to visit Japan.

 

 

 

Project Plan

Sakura's Project Plan

Introduction

Sakura's teppan and sushi restaurant, located in San Antonio, Texas, will provide authentic Japanese cuisine, atmosphere, and entertainment to our customers. Our main goals are to provide outstanding service and cuisine, secure a large customer base, and establish a stable, successful place in this industry. In this document, I will create a project plan that will describe the objectives, expected time, and costs needed in each of the areas listed below. The project plan duration is four to six months. It is predicted that all actions be completed during this time range.

Project Plan Areas:

• Financials
  
• Facility space and equipment
  
• Employee readiness
  
• Product readiness
  
• Public awareness
  

This project plan will ensure that Sakura's opens without any complications.

 

Financials:

First and for most, I will request a loan from Security Service Federal Credit Union. The loan amount requested is for three hundred and thirty thousand to three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Upon approval it will take ten to fifteen business days to receive. After retaining the loan, the money will be distributed to separate checking accounts in order to better budget the funds. The accounts are assigned to particular cost centers such as facility utilities, rental fees, disposal fees, and cleaning fees. The checking accounts will distribute necessary funds for each payment. The monthly facility rental fees are six thousand five hundred dollars.

 

Facility    

Space:

The facility was a restaurant before but still needs to be renovated and redecorated. This may take up to four months. The renovations will cost approximately thirty five thousand dollars and I will hire one contracting company to do all the work. Decorations will vary in cost. The additional structures that will need to be constructed are a sushi bar and platforms located in the dining room area. I estimate that these additions will cost two thousand to three thousand dollars. The time length will be four to six weeks. The restaurant has lighting for the parking lot area but it is not sufficient. I will provide two more light poles costing around $650 including the installation fees. It is important that our customers and their vehicles are safe while dining at Sakura's. I will run the operations from my home until the office space is available.

 

Equipment:

Facility equipment is needed in the dining and office area, kitchen area, and sushi bar area. The dining room area needs to be completely furnished and decorated. It will also need two computer wait stations where waiters/waitresses can place their orders. The budget allows eight thousand dollars for the dining area. The teppan hibachi equipment will be the most costly. It will cost roughly three thousand dollars per hibachi table which includes seating for up to eight guests. Sakura's will have four to five hibachi tables. Ventilation for the room will need to be included as well. I estimate the budget to be seventeen thousand dollars for this area. The sushi bar's budget will be five thousand dollars to six thousand dollars for equipment. All of the equipment will be ordered, delivered, and installed by professionals. This should take about two months to complete. The kitchen has most of the necessary equipment such as walk -in freezer, sinks, stainless steel countertops, and stove. I would have to set up a computer system that would send all the orders to the kitchen. The chef will need to know what the customer ordered in a timely, efficient manner.

 

 

Employee readiness:

It is mandatory for each employee to attend a paid training course. The training course will not only cover specific job duties but will also go over the chefs' expectations. There will be a separate training course on customer service etiquette. All employees will learn traditional Japanese food customs. For example, the Japanese tea custom is very important to know in order to make our restaurant as authentic as possible. Employees serving or handling alcohol are expected to be TABC certified. TABC certification will be the employees' responsibility and they can either go to a course being offered or get online certification. Employees will be issued a company handbook that covers all of the rules and regulations. Once read, the employee must sign and return a signed form stating that they understand and will abide by company regulations. Uniforms will be provided since they must be ordered. The budget for uniforms is $1,500. If the uniform is ruined or lost it is the responsibility of the employee to pay for a replacement.

 

Public awareness:

Not only will Sakura's be aware of the public, the public will be aware of Sakura's. Since Sakura's will serve alcohol we will not be located right near any schools or daycares and will follow zoning laws. Our location provides easy access to the highway and will be convenient for our customers. Our location consists of a lot of other successful restaurants. This confirms that restaurants are desirable and thrive in this area. The public will be aware of Sakura's through paid advertisements and word of mouth. I will place advertisements in the local newspapers and also ask hotels to refer their clients to the restaurant. I estimate advertising costs to be around $7,000 and that includes the advertising for the grand opening. Once Sakura's gains a larger customer base there will be a monthly budget for advertising. Word of mouth will be our primary means of establishing a large customer base. Satisfied customers will more than likely refer Sakura's to their friends, co-workers, and family members.

 

Product readiness:

Sakura's ensures that the food we use will be of great quality and freshness. Each vendor provides the order on a weekly basis. I will only do business with an established food supplier that has a good reputation. The food supplier will most likely be a local Asian food supplier such as Tim's. Product costs will vary from week to week. Ordering it weekly will ensure that our products remain fresh and undamaged. Inventory and product costs will be held and maintained by a computer system. Sakura's will meet all code compliances and follow a strict sanitation regime. All staff will have a set of open and closing duties to ensure that cleanliness expectations are satisfied. In addition to those duties, I will pay a cleaning company four hundred dollars bi- weekly to clean the restaurant. Food will be stored in the appropriate places and freezers will be set to the right temperatures at all times to avoid contamination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Project Plan Spreadsheet

Marketing Plan

Sakura's Marketing Plan

Introduction

Sakura's teppan and sushi restaurant, located in San Antonio, Texas, will provide authentic Japanese cuisine, atmosphere, and entertainment to our customers. Our mission is to provide outstanding service and cuisine, secure a large customer base, and establish a stable, successful place in this industry. Our clients range from middle class to upper class and are 18 to 50 years in age. In this document, Sakura's marketing strategies will be discussed. Sakura's will be advertising through a multitude of mediums to ensure that we are clearly presented to prospective customers. In order to save on Sakura's marketing budget the owner will be handling the designing and marketing responsibilities.

Marketing Strategies:

• Magazine
  
• Newspaper
  
• Flyers
  
• Signage
  
• Web
  

Magazine:

The ad will appear in a local magazine. The estimated cost of the ad will be five hundred dollars a month. It will take about a week to choose the magazine and a week to design it. Sakura's ad will debut on April 6, 2009. We anticipate that advertising a month in advance will allow Sakura's to become better known.

 

Newspaper:

I will put an advertisement in the San Antonio Express News which will approximately cost four hundred dollars a month. The design will take a week to complete. The newspaper ad will run for a month starting on April 6, 2009 as well. I will continue to run the ad in the newspaper for three to four months after the initial debut.

 

Flyers:

Sakura's will also be promoted through the use of flyers. The flyer design will take three to four days. I will order the flyers from an online company so they should arrive in two weeks. The estimated cost will be four hundred to five hundred dollars. The flyers will be ordered early, February 25, 2009, to ensure that there is plenty of time for distribution. I will ask other businesses such as hotels, shopping malls, colleges, and salons for permission to place flyers.

 

Signage:

The signage budget for
Sakura's allows four hundred and fifty dollars to be spent on signs. I will choose a company that is willing to help design them. It will take a month to purchase, receive, and distribute the signs.

 

Web:

In order to have a wonderful web site, I will hire a web designer to produce Sakura's web page. Since the web site will constantly be referred to by our customers, it is important that it be professional and easily manageable. The estimated cost for creating the web design is seven hundred to nine hundred dollars. The designer will have five weeks to complete the web site and have it up and running.