My Restaurant Concept

My restaurant would be situated in a historic building in the Historic District of a City, preferably near the water and of the Victorian era. I would like to keep as much of the original architecture as possible, or would have the new architecture as close to that Historical period as possible. The walls will be exposed brick and there will be hardwood flooring. The décor will be a little Steampunk (Steampunk via Wikipedia) in nature. Instead of white tablecloths and napkins, I will have black.


I would like the atmosphere to be casual to formal. It would also be a full service restaurant with a large bar area. My target market would be tourist and pedestrian traffic, most likely in the 20 – 65 age range, but it would not be exclusively that age range. I would be open for lunch and dinner, with lunch being a more casual affair, so there will be a break between lunch and dinner service in order to set up for dinner service. The bar and, weather permitting, the patio area will remain open and available during this time for service. The number of tables I have will greatly depend on the square footage of the historic building. I would like to have at least 26 tables in the main dining room and possibly 10-15 tables out on the patio, as well as complimentary water bowls for guests with dogs who would like to sit out in the patio area. There will be no tables in the bar area other than the bar itself. I would like to have about 15-20 barstools, if possible. From the bar area, guests will be able to see “The Vault” (the wine vault), where our wines will be held in temperature controlled environment.

The stars of my menu will be my extensive wine list, and the fresh ingredients in my entrees. I want to use as much of the “Farm to Table” market as possible. I would like to put as much in to the local community as possible. Any “leftovers” will be donated to local shelters, and I will provide a 15 – 25% discount to military and law enforcement. 15% for Active Duty Military and 25% for uniformed law enforcement. My lunch menu will be in the $12-$20 price range, while my dinner menu will be in the $15-$40 price range. Fresh local ingredients are the key here and so my prices will reflect that I’m buying locally and importing little.

My restaurant concept might not be new, but I would like to provide my guests with an exceptional dining experience from my very well trained wait-staff.