According to Cloud Kitchens, it can cost anywhere from $175,500-$750,000 or more to start a restaurant. There are many costs associated with launching a food service-industry business, including food/materials, labor, and technology. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have that kind of cash sitting in the bank, and taking out a loan is a massively risky endeavor that can put our family’s livelihood in danger.

Thankfully, you don’t have to drain your entire savings. Here are a few tips from the Stamford Chamber of Commerce on how to save money as you share your culinary creations with your hometown.

Form Your Legal Business Structure Early

A business structure does many things for a startup company. For one, having an LLC separates your personal and professional assets. Further, and just as importantly, having an official structure makes your business look more credible. If you’re worried about the cost of starting an LLC, don’t be. You can use a formation service online, which will already have the legal information you need to file on your own without the expense of legal counsel.

Consider a Pop-Up Restaurant or Food Truck

Food trucks are expensive, but they’re still cheaper than brick-and-mortar. However, if you don’t have the $50,000 or more that you’ll need for a fully functional food truck, you might consider a small trailer and a portable grill. If you look at the Go Food Service website, you’ll see many options that start at around $800. 

Advertise for Free

Free is just about the best word you can hear as a cash-strapped start-up. Mobile Monkey offers many suggestions, including Facebook Messenger, Google My Business, Craigslist, and others. You might also consider hosting a local influencer night to allow the most influential people in your area an opportunity to sample your fares. 

Keep Your Menu Slim

Do you know what it means to be a niche restaurant? Niche is a term that means you specialize in something, and your restaurant should keep this in mind as you format your menu. This makes it easier to specialize in a specific flavor without limiting your guests to one thing. Another example: if you sell barbecue sandwiches, offer pulled pork nachos instead of other main-course products, such as grilled chicken or brisket.

Create a Training Manual

Writing a training manual for a restaurant business can be an important part of employee onboarding and overall staff development. The manual should include information about the company culture, operations, policies, and procedures. 

It should provide clear instructions for both front-of-house and back-of-house staff, including details on customer service expectations, job responsibilities, health and safety protocols, equipment usage guidelines, product knowledge, and ordering processes. If you have important files that you want to include, you can easily add them. When your goal is to combine PDF files, use a free online merge tool. Just drop in the files, organize them, and save the new version. Soon, your manual will be ready to share with all your employees.

Apply for a Permit to Cook from Home

If you really want to save money, cook from home. However, as the Castiron blog explains, you want to be familiar with your local cottage food laws. If necessary, file a permit so that you can prepare and sell food from your home kitchen.

Be Strategic

Perhaps most importantly, be strategic when it’s time to launch. This means that you’ll need to consider everything from the time of year (probably not a good idea to start selling ice cream in the middle of December) to your location, which should have high visibility and plenty of parking. 

You also want to hire the right staff from the very beginning. While you might pay more for an experienced sous chef, for example, you’ll save money in the long term since you won’t have to spend that much time training. Plus, if you pay your staff well and treat them right, they’ll be your biggest advocates and salespeople. 

Get Your Food Service Business Going

When you have a truly unique taste that you want to share, there are many ways to do so without risking your financial livelihood. Start by forming your business structure to separate your personal and professional assets, and then look for other ways to innovate. From free advertising to keeping a slim menu, there are plenty of opportunities out there to do what you love without losing your life savings.