Buzz
Running a restaurant business is anything but simple. Generating a solid business idea is no easy feat either. This article unveils a feasible business concept. Let's dive in!
First off, let's compile some truly unique business ideas, even some out-of-this-world ones, scoring 1-0-2. Several of these have already been implemented in Vietnam.
Exceptional spaces, scoring 1-0-2
Besides delicious food, the ambiance is the second most crucial factor determining the success or failure of a restaurant. That's why many restaurant owners are willing to invest tens or even hundreds of millions solely for the design and decor, to create a unique space and brand identity.
A distinctive ambiance leaves a lasting impression on diners. Here are some unique suggestions:
1. Recreate a scene from a famous comic book, novel, or movie.
For example: Pao Quan Tran Thai Tong – recreates the Northwestern ambiance from the movie “Pao's Story”. Luong Son Quan – recreates the martial arts ambiance from the famous Chinese novel “Water Margin”,...
2. Create unique spaces unlike any other.
For instance, dining in mid-air, a restaurant suspended on a hot air balloon,..
3. Decorate interiors with the extraordinary
For example: Toilet Bowl Restaurant – where all dining tables, plates, pots, are placed on toilet bowl models,... Or zombie-themed restaurant with dishes presented like in a Halloween festival, the scarier, the more unique,...
4. Gigantic Superfoods
Surely you still remember the YouTube sensation “Mrs. Tan Vlog”, right? Although not as 'hot' as it was initially, “Mrs. Tan Blog” is a classic example of success with content focusing on gigantic superfoods.
The reason for its success is quite simple: It's different from the 'small' things we usually see and eat every day, making us curious and excited, wanting to see and taste it. That's it!
The gigantic instant noodle pizza, the tooth-filling cheese platter, or the 50-liter corn milkshake that lasts for 3 days,... are all food items that sound enticing just from their names.
With the restaurant business model, having a business idea with a menu featuring 1 or 2 gigantic dishes, or even the entire menu being gigantic dishes,... is also not a bad suggestion. Moreover, having a business model focused on these gigantic dishes will also make advertising and sales promotion campaigns much more attractive. Are you brave enough to try it out at your restaurant?
5. Selling only one dish
Adopt this model only if you have an exclusive 'unbeatable' dish recipe. This is both a strength and a challenge for restaurants, because with these types of restaurants, customers often have higher expectations for food quality.
If that's the only dish you serve to customers, make it worthy of their expectations. No more inventory burdens, no more costs for designing lengthy menus, and no more extensive menu consulting,... these are the advantages of this unique restaurant model.
6. From Farm to Table
The name itself sounds 'clean', doesn't it?
This idea is about providing truly fresh, safe, and transparently sourced food, commonly known as 'from farm to table'. While this business model is not exactly 'new' anymore as many restaurants have adopted it, they establish their own farms to supply the restaurant.
Because it's no longer 'new', to make this business idea unique, your restaurant must create uniqueness in the 'farm' model, making it different from other restaurant farm concepts. For example, you could raise egg-laying chickens, but instead of feeding them regular grains, you could feed them octagonal grains or a mixture of bran and reishi mushrooms,... to produce delicious, nutritious reishi mushroom chicken eggs,...
Certainly, implementing this idea isn't easy. The restaurant needs resources, a certain scale, and a truly good supply chain system to ensure consistent food quality and transparency in food information, with clear food safety certifications.
7. Mobile Eateries (Food Truck)
Food trucks are a common business model in Western countries but are not yet widespread in Vietnam.
All you need is a truck with some basic kitchen tools – and you have a mobile eatery to start your food business. This unique restaurant business idea targets budget-conscious customers with simple, quick eating needs. This model reduces overhead costs, labor, increases customer accessibility, and simplifies raw material inventory.
However, before you start, make sure to thoroughly research the conditions for opening this type of restaurant in Vietnam.
8. Dining in the Dark Restaurant
It's quite an 'intense stimulation' to dine in a completely dark space, isn't it? Will you only focus on 'sensing' the food in front of you, or will you imagine all sorts of creepy scenes?
The typical dining experience only involves taste, sight, and hearing, not to mention other senses. Dining in the dark is a unique restaurant business idea that not every investor dares to try. With this business model, diners will experience eating in a light-deprived environment. The inability to use sight to perceive food will seemingly sharpen diners' taste and hearing, making them feel tastier as they evaluate the food solely based on their tongues.
This unique idea should only be applied when you want to target high-end customers, willing to spend money for unique experiences. And of course, you also need to find a truly high-class kitchen department, with impeccable quality dishes.
9. Combining Restaurant with Other Services
Restaurant – Movie Theater, Restaurant – Bar – Café, Restaurant – Karaoke, Restaurant – Spa,... are common business combination ideas in Vietnam nowadays.
To be fair, these ideas are not particularly 'unique', but they are easy to implement because many people are willing to try them, seeing them as more feasible.
However, whether it's unique or not depends not only on the idea but also on how you execute that idea.
Being overly unique is not always a good solution when the idea is not feasible. Keep reading the next section below!
What makes a good business idea?
Business ideas often come unexpectedly, from everywhere. As soon as you have an idea, you immediately think about implementing it, but is the idea feasible? Have you thought about it yet?
There are also feasible ideas but encounter difficulties during implementation, and restaurant owners don't know how to adjust or adjust slowly, failing to keep up with the market or competitors.
Such incomplete ideas will quickly lead your restaurant to failure.
A good business idea must calculate feasibility and always have contingency plans for any unforeseen circumstances during implementation.
>> How to determine if a business idea is feasible or not?
- Customer feedback is the feasibility gauge of the idea.
- If they are attracted, praising your restaurant, then congratulations, you're halfway successful. Conversely, if more than half of the customers are not interested, perhaps you need to reconsider your business idea.
- There are many ways to determine the feasibility of an idea, but the simplest and safest way is for restaurant owners to actualize the idea on a trial scale before launching it to the market. Recreate your idea on a small scale (it could be a dish, it could be the space, the experiential approach, etc.) and invite local residents to come and try the restaurant service, then take their feedback as research material. If 60% of customers are satisfied, then you can proceed to set up the restaurant. This method may be costly but it yields quite high effectiveness.
Do you have any ideas for your restaurant yet? Does this article prompt you to start experimenting with some idea? No need to rush. Wish you have a well-rounded restaurant business idea before embarking on entrepreneurship!
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Wishing you all restaurant business success,
Best regards,
