Before anything else, ask yourself why you want to open a restaurant? Do you think it’s cool to? Do you think restaurateurs make heaps of money? If you have answered yes to any one of these questions, it’s time you talked to a few restaurant owners to understand what it is to open and run a restaurant. It requires a great deal of passion and commitment. If you are indeed passionate about it, this could be perfect for you. But what about commitment? (More on that later.) First things first, capital. You might have what it takes, but you’re struggling with funds. Don’t fret until you have given it a serious shot. We read stories about people making big in it without much to begin with—that could be you.

We spoke to Parikshit (a.k.a Parry) from Charcoal co-owned by Abhinav, Akhil and Jeevan in Hyderabad who shares his story and gives insights on how he started—below a friend’s house which was an old barber shop—and where Charcoal is now after two summers.

Small and steady

If borrowing money from a bank or getting funded by investors scares you, you don’t have to approach either of them. Save up or borrow from family and friends, as Parry puts it. If you’re thinking of opening a restaurant for the glamour factor, you’ll shut shop soon enough. Starting small gives you the advantage of making mistakes. It won’t cost you as much as it would if it were a bigger set-up.

“We started in a 10 x 8 room below my friend’s house. It was a small barber shop that we tore down to open Charcoal. Not having come from money, we had to trim our costs and overheads to make our dream work.”

Parry believes it’s important to have a vision. If you don’t have a vision, you won’t know where you want to go with the business. Even if the business is small, having a vision will help you get bigger and better.

Constant learning

If you have a cushion of money to fall back on, then you can open a restaurant tomorrow just because you want to. If you don’t have that luxury, you must get your hands dirty and understand the business a lot more than only being the face of it. Starting small will give you ample opportunities to work with the chef, deal with suppliers and other nuances of the trade. If you don’t know your own business, you can’t expect to grow it. Key is to never stop learning. The more you learn, the better understanding you have of it. And that will help you grow it. You may want to start small, but you might not want to stay that way.

“There’s so much to learn and the devil is in the details. Now is when you can sit with the chef and watch him work, talk to all the suppliers and understand that side of the business. You can make mistakes and not have to pay heavily for them. Now is when you can learn from them.”

Eye on the ball

Whatever you do, always have an eye on the ball. Restaurant operations isn’t a piece of cake. It’s a full-time job that requires you to be a part of it every step of the way. When you’re constantly learning and have timely goals set for yourself, you can’t afford to lose focus. Your first year should be spent in getting your product spot on. Get your food to a place where people will commute from across town just for it. You can set up your restaurant as nicely as you can, but if the food you serve doesn’t match up, the place is going to be empty soon enough.

“Forget making money for a year. That’s not why you’re here. Money will come later if you focus on food and the business. Cut corners and make sure you’re serving the best food. That’s the only reason why people will come to your restaurant, nothing else.”

Parry winds up saying “…and don’t forget to have fun!”