How to Launch an Inclusive Restaurant Business

If you have a passion for food and love working in the hospitality industry, launching a restaurant could be an excellent business venture for you. But, as well as being the ideal opportunity for you to launch a company and serve tasty food, opening your restaurant is also an excellent opportunity to create a restaurant with a difference. Promoting inclusivity and accessibility by developing a restaurant concept where everyone feels welcome is a perfect way to open a restaurant that is true to your values. Letting your entrepreneurial spirit run free is an ideal way to express your love of food and set yourself on the path to success as a business owner.

Before you get started and launch your business, there are quite a few tasks you need to complete in preparation for your opening. Here are some of the crucial tasks that matter when you are launching an inclusive and accessible restaurant business:

Create the Floor Plan

Paying particular attention to the floor plan of your restaurant is essential. When designing the space, you will need to ensure plenty of room between each table for wheelchair users to manoeuvre through the restaurant between tables and a clear route to the bathroom and exit.                                                                                

Use Technology

When you want to create an accessible space, technology is likely to be extremely helpful in achieving this. A few different pieces of equipment will help you improve the accessibility of your restaurant space and ensure that it is inclusive of everyone’s needs.                                 

Ensuring that the entrance to your restaurant has power-assisted doors that can be activated at the touch of a button is vital. In addition, it is also essential to use pay at table technology to bring the payment terminal to each table so that the payment terminal goes to your customers rather than making them get up and come to the counter to pay.                                                      

Introduce an Inclusive Menu

As well as introducing lots of beneficial physical fixtures and fittings to your restaurant design, it is crucial to think beyond the appearance and useability of the physical space. You can enhance the experience of visiting your restaurant by making further changes to the menu. Having a menu that is set out in an easy-to-read format will help it to be read by customers. It is also beneficial to produce a braille version of your menu for visually-impaired guests. 

Adding plenty of menu items that are suitable for a wide range of different dietary needs is an excellent way to ensure that everyone visiting your restaurant gets to enjoy a delicious meal. Offering an extensive range of gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and Halal-friendly foods is a great way to ensure no one is left out.                   

Pick the Best Team 

Finally, you will need to choose the best team to work in your restaurant. Your choice of staff can make a dramatic difference to the atmosphere is your restaurant. Your team will be the beating heart of your business so choosing well is essential.