Restaurants for Sale - RestMart.com Blog

How to Sell a Restaurant Online

2011-08-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

A number of reasons might make you want to sell your restaurant. Perhaps you are looking for a larger place, you are tired of the long hours, or you have decided to retire. Regardless of the reason, more owners than ever before are selling their restaurants online. On many websites devoted to selling businesses, restaurants represent almost a sixth of those businesses. It's no wonder, then, that they generate a lot of traffic among those interested in finding a restaurant regardless of its location as opposed to other media that are more localized.

1
Prepare reports that will show your restaurant will be profitable for anyone who buys it. Specifically, show the potential buyer how he can grow the business based on the area that you serve. Inundate your would-be buyer with past sales figures, profit margins, and merchandise costs. If you have made significant improvements to the restaurant, pull the invoices reflecting their cost.

2
Set the asking price, which can be done a number of ways. One method is to set the price based on your restaurant's profitability. Another method bases the price on the restaurant's cash flow. If you own the building in which your restaurant operates, you may want to price that separately from the actual business. Whichever method you use, set the asking price that you can live with but don't set it so high that you will discourage buyers from seeking more information about your business.

3
Make your restaurant as salable as you can before you place your ad on the Internet. Repair or replace any equipment, clean the restaurant thoroughly and remove any outdated equipment that will turn off a buyer. Most buyers want to be able to walk in on the first day after they own the restaurant and be able to operate unencumbered, much like you wanted to when you first entered the business.

4
Check out those websites that bring buyers and sellers of businesses together. You could employ a business broker to find a potential buyer for your restaurant, and in some instances she'll be worth every penny of her substantial charge. However, when you sell your restaurant online, you'll pay only the monthly charge to advertise. which starts at about $50 per month.

5
To post on RestMart.com, go to: https://www.restmart.com/createad.asp

Cool Summer Drinks

2011-06-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

We found this article to be interesting and wanted to share it with you!

Chains get ready for summer with cool drinks
By Paul Frumkin, Nations Restaurant News (abridged)

As the mercury begins to climb, a growing number of restaurant chains are rolling out new smoothies, slushes and other chilled beverages.

Brands like Smoothie King, Jamba Juice and McDonald’s have introduced or are planning to introduce beverages developed for warm-weather traffic that also promote health benefits, while Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Arby’s will offer more indulgent treats.

The 600-unit Smoothie King chain said it has introduced its first organic beverage, the Organic Apple Acai Smoothie, as part of its “Be Good to Yourself” campaign.

The new smoothie, priced at a suggested $4.29 for a 20-ounce size, features organic apple juice and herbal nutrients as well as acai, a berry native to Latin American that has gotten attention for its antioxidants and amino acids. The small drink contains 360 calories, the New Orleans-based Smoothie King said.

“More and more people are looking for organic options — for themselves and their families,” said Cindy Kuhnau, co-founder and executive vice president of Smoothie King. “The Organic Apple Acai Smoothie is the first in what we hope to be an extended organic product line.”

Jamba Juice also has added to its wellness-focused options with a new Fruit & Veggie Smoothies line that rolled out this spring.

The three new smoothies are: Berry UpBEET, which combines strawberries and blueberries with the juices of carrots, beets, broccoli and lettuce; Apple ‘n Greens, a blend of apple-strawberry juice with the juices of dark leafy green vegetables, carrots and lettuce, along with spirulina, peaches, mangoes and bananas; and Orange Carrot Karma, which combines carrot juice, orange juice, mangos, bananas and ice.

None of Jamba Juice’s smoothies include high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or preservatives, and all three contain fewer than 250 calories in the 16-ounce size, the chain said.

McDonald’s also will expand its smoothie offerings when it debuts a Mango-Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie in July. The Oak Brook, Ill.-based quick-service chain also is rolling out Frozen Strawberry Lemonade to domestic stores.

Other chains are focusing more on indulgence with their new chilled drinks.

Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Donuts is upping its ante in the chilled beverage marketplace with a new Mountain Dew Coolatta and the return of its Blue Raspberry Coolatta for the summer. The new flavors join the brand’s current Coolatta slush lineup that includes coffee, strawberry, vanilla bean and orange flavors.

Arby’s, a 3,600-unit Atlanta-based quick-service chain, is putting a new spin on a popular menu item with plans to offer a Jamocha Oreo Shake for a limited time this summer. The shake contains a swirl of Oreo cookie sauce and is topped with crumbled chocolate cookies.

Meanwhile, Seattle-based Starbucks said it is reintroducing its Mocha Coconut and Coconut Crème Frappuccino blended beverages as a limited time offering. It is made with Starbucks’ coffee, milk, bittersweet mocha sauce, coconut syrup and ice, and then topped with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle and toasted coconut flakes.

Buying a Restaurant ? Rule #1

2009-09-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

When it comes to buying a restaurant, these days the inventory is endless. At RestMart.com, we are seeing more and more small restaurant businesses being listed for sale. Especially in today's financially hard times, everything has a price and the inventory of available businesses for sale is abundant. It's a buyers market. As a result of the current economic conditions, although Buyers have more to choose from, they need to be even more careful about structuring the right deal.

With that said, rule number one is simple. Focus on the Terms of the sale and not the actual price. Negotiating Terms with a Seller is critical to the new restaurant owners future success. Concern yourself with the capital it will require you to get into the business, known as the down payment. Then, negotiate a payout over time. To come up with a fair payout, determine the day to day cash flow requirements to run the business. What can you afford? What are your on-going expenses? How much will you be compensated? And based on this, what will you be able to repay to the Seller?

Many Buyers make the mistake of overpaying upfront. This reduces your cash flow and working capital. Don't let this happen to you. When your Terms are structured properly, the overall price should not be a big issue.

So to recap, when buying a business...Rule #1... Focus on TERMS not PRICE.

For more tips, you can visit our website at: http://www.restmart.com/buyersellertips.asp