general

I own a pretty sucessful bar in Santa Barbara California and decided (about a year ago) to try my hand in the Restaurant Business.

Before I could turn back, the lease was signed, money was coming in...there was no escape. I was pretty terrified.

I decided to learn everything I could about design, management, success' and failures. The principal way I did this was to order an armada of books about the business. In all I think I bought roughly 20 books. Most of them were somewhat helpful, but none of them approached the value of this fine book.

Chronicling almost 3 dozen successful cases from such diverse business' as China Grill and Farallon, every aspect of the business is covered - design, capitalization, management organization, revenue and profit - FANTASTIC.

I can't recommend this book any higher. It was an enormous help to me in putting my new restaurant together.

Christian Hunter
Owner - Sevilla Restaurant, Santa Barbara

If you are seeking concrete information into the whys and wherefores of creating and building upon a solid restaurant concept, this is the book for you. It is overflowing with detailed descriptions, practical advice, layouts, menus, square footage, operation costs... much more than I anticipated. Although at first glance it seems to be another glossy "picture" book with a high design value (which is greatly appreciated), it is in fact a true workbook and manual. The numbers are all here, allowing the reader to compare and contrast. If you are working on a business plan, this is ideal, because it is a great aid for making realistic projections. Restaurants That Work is extremely thorough and well worth the price. I am very pleased and my only gripe is that I didn't purchase this sooner!

This is without a doubt the best book I have found on restaurant design. From concept to completion and everything in between, this a truly indsepensible book for reference. Every prospective restauranteuer and restaurant designer/architect should have a copy and USE it. Martin E. Dorf asks all the right questions and explains possible solutions to prevent common restaurant design mistakes.