Opening a restaurant can mean the achievement a lifelong dream, but how do you make sure your restaurant is amazing on opening night and stays that way long after the first meals are served?

To begin with, avoid the following four mistakes in the early stages: 1) Not having enough capital for all of the expenses you will encounter. 2) Attempting to have all food for all people – remember to specialize your menu! 3) Trust your employees to do their jobs! And have a practice round, or soft opening, to make sure everyone knows what their job is and how it will go when the real opening night happens. 4) Location! Be sure it’s easy for customers to find you and don’t just choose a spot based on cheap rent. You may regret it later.

So, after opening a restaurant comes running a successful restaurant. To engage a steady stream of devoted customers remember these three rules: 1) listen to feedback from customers and staff and take their suggestions seriously. 2) be willing to change your menu. See what gets ordered the most and the least. Consider making hit specials a permanent addition. 3) Keep an eye on the future, and your bottom line. Remember to cut costs when possible and keep dreaming up new ideas. Maybe one of those ideas is to open a food truck! Before you jump on this hot dining trend, consider all of the challenges and benefits!