James Haidak

First things first: Setting up a restaurant

Alongside being a DJ and helping save the environment, James Haidak also shares what he knows about setting up and running a business – one of which is a restaurant. Through this series of blogs, James Haidak shares his knowledge about putting up a restaurant. Below are some essential yet oft-overlooked reminders for potential first-time restaurant owners.

Interior of restaurant

Hiring: Most of the time, in restaurants, salaries of the staff comprise the biggest expense. Restauranteurs should make sure they only hire the right amount of employees.

Inventory: Restauranteurs should always keep in mind the rules of thumb when it comes to their inventory. Food should last a week and drinks a month. If there’s still left after a certain period, there’s a big chance the establishment is overstocking.

Equipment: Top-of-the-line kitchen equipment may prove to be quite expensive at first, but James Haidak explains that it’s worth the investment. Quality cooking gear lessens the need for more ingredients and lowers energy consumption. It’s also not repaired as often as standard equipment.

Growth: Whenever a restauranteur sees an opportunity for growth, they should take the time and effort to explore the possibility. There’s almost nothing as crucial to a business than growth. Test the market. If the community seems to take a liking to the restaurant, the owner should add something new to keep patrons coming back.

James Haidak is a DJ from Amsterdam. Aside from music production, he also shares tips on running restaurants, traveling, and helping the environment. Learn more about him and his passions here.

My First Blog Post

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
What topics do you think you’ll write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.