Reddit reviews The Restaurant Manager's Handbook: How to Set Up, Operate, and Manage a Financially Successful Food Service Operation 4th Edition - With Companion CD-ROM

Don't give up buddy. I'm 39 and I am a franchisee of a chain my father started up. Being partners with your dad is a blessing and a curse. I have gone through every battle you have described with your old man. Every stinking one. From the massive overwhelming menu to the insane resistance to new technology. It was a soul draining slog for a long time. I tried to gently coax ideas into the conversation, I tried to point out the competition was employing these same tactics against us, I tried to use logic & reason.... nope, nope and more NOPE.

After barely getting by for 4 years listening to his "I've been in this business 30 years speech" about how things should be done, I went rogue. I stopped asking permission and started doing things the way I wanted. I bought a POS system, I added a second drive thru window, optimized the kitchen for speed & efficiency & redecorated the lobby. Sales responded in a big way... which is what I thought we all wanted, to make money, right? No. I was wrong yet again. The modest success of my shop drives him crazy because it's all the things he said would never work working out beautifully. It's a huge threat to him and his ego but, I'm not a kid anymore. I need volume and sales now. entertaining his antiquated ideas just doesn't rank very high on my priority list any longer. We never really got along great but, now that I'm starting to make decent money with my rogue shop we barely talk and he never visits. Which is fine. I'm going to continue to max out my sales volume, build my war chest and open a few more concepts. It would have been great to do it together with my dad but, oh well. Life without daily arguments at work is pretty sweet. I can live with it just fine.

Things turned around for me when I started reading. Start reading books of people you look up to. I would suggest reading Danny Meyer's (Shake Shack, Union Square hospitality group) book "Setting the Table". Excellent insights on hospitality and acquiring the correct mentality on serving people. For tons of good nuts and bolts operations info, you can't go wrong with this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0910627975/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481377874&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=restaurant+managers+handbook&dpPl=1&dpID=51jXHNnpfML&ref=plSrch

Good luck!

buy this book

http://www.amazon.com/The-Restaurant-Managers-Handbook-Financially/dp/0910627975

and read it. it says restaurant manager, but it means restaurant startup.

I go to a top 3 hospitality school in the us, and this was our textbook for a restaurant business class. it covers everything you need in detail, and dissuaded every single person in class that wanted to start a restaurant from doing so. the book doesnt aim to do that, and its actually really motivational at times, but all the facts are there.

restaurants are the most work, with the highest failure rate, and the lowest margins.

If you do go ahead with it, i imagine this book will be a lifesaver. If not, the price of the book will be a worthwhile investment.

Worked for several bar owners and even planned to open my own bar at one point (still do but it's more of a pipe dream now). Food in a bar is almost ALWAYS sold at a loss, in some places you're forced to do it, other's you just use it as a incentive to bring a few more people in. Profit margin on beer and liquor is MORE insane than soda.

What OP here didn't account for is true "Pour cost." Pour cost on a soda is more like $1 not $0.21 once you factor in ALL costs (rent, utilities, labor, insurance). Pour cost on a $9 drink could be about $2....insanely more profitable. Don't get me started on beer....woo boy....beer will make you rich...

EDIT: Wanted to bring this book up. It's wonderful and quite accurate. I used this while working with the bars and crunching numbers and it's formulas are damn accurate. https://www.amazon.com/Restaurant-Managers-Handbook-Financially-Successful/dp/0910627975

While these are not coffee specific they are outstanding nonetheless and most of what you are asking about is not coffee specific anyway

http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Service-Charlie-Trotter-Edmund/dp/1580083153/ref=la_B000AP7VF2_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451444335&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Excellence-Charlie-Trotter-Clarke/dp/0898159083/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=411aK7gBhqL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=1KNTVVTBBAGQTTJ0N7BC

These as well for general FS management and food cost
http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Kitchen-Culinary-Institute-America/dp/0470508965/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451444627&sr=1-10

http://www.amazon.com/Restaurant-Managers-Handbook-Financially-Successful/dp/0910627975/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451444745&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Beverage-Cost-Control-Dopson/dp/0470251387/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451444776&sr=1-2

But I have a recommendation for you, if you are too stubborn to listen.

Read this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Restaurant-Managers-Handbook-Financially-Successful/dp/0910627975/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293665280&sr=8-1

Restaurant Success

This book should do the trick. When I was seriously considering opening a restaurant earlier this year, I read a ton of books on it. This one happened to be the best. And also the Restaurant Bible The first one is more of a general idea of opening a restaurant but a great read. The second one gets extremely specific. I have the restaurant bible barely used if you want a used copy for half price. It is a ridiculously big book, but if you are serious about this then you need it. Let me know and good luck!