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By Jonathan Munsell October 22, 2009

How do you think of your restaurant?

Are you thinking too small? What are all the ways that you can use your restaurant? What are all the ways you can use your resources, your staff, and your expertise to make money? What are all the things you can do with everything you have available to you?

Don’t have an antiquated thought process of the restaurant business. Don’t think that you have to get everyone to come in to your restaurant. Times have changed and people are eating in many different ways. They’re now microwaving things at home, running kids off to sports practice, eating in the car, etc.

There are many ways you need to think about in which your guests want to purchase food or have a wonderful dining experience. Don’t limit this by what you thought of this business 20 years ago. Think big. Think in different ways. Stretch your ideas and your thoughts. Think outside the box. You can accomplish so much more than you realize. The people that are most successful are the ones that will change with the times.

Think big in terms of money and how you can sell what you create.

If you can imagine it, if your mind can conceive it and believe it, then you can achieve it. As Walt Disney said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible”.

You are only limited by what you believe and what you think. If your thoughts are too small, that’s what’s manifested. If your thoughts are big, you can manifest those thoughts.

What would you do to have a day like this:

You drive to your beautiful new restaurant that’s on the corner of the busiest intersection in town. You have a big sign out front. The lot is full of cars and a line is forming at the door just to put their name on the list to be seated.

You walk into your restaurant at your usual time of 11:15 and look at the reservation book. It’s packed. Your manager says that he’s already had a few calls this morning from customers wanting to get “last minute catering orders” (which of course you squeeze in, on your terms). You’re already over-booked for this week.

Next week is already filled up too. What a great feeling! You can remember when this was your business for the whole month, not just a couple of days. You’ve got great managers to handle the ‘business stuff’ and have excellent staff handling the ‘service details’

So what’ll it be this afternoon — golfing or fishing? Hummm???

Now this is what it is to have fun as a restaurant owner! If you have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning because you hate to go to work or if you’re working like a dog early morning till late at night, you might as well go get a J.O.B working for someone else — hell, life’s too short!

Running your own business should be mentally, emotionally, and most of all — financially rewarding, with plenty of time to take off to go out and enjoy life!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jonathan Munsell owns two restaurant brands and a catering company. Jonathan Munsell works with current and aspiring restaurant owners specializing in restaurant startup and growth. In 2007, Jonathan launched Restaurant Success System conducting national seminars and professionally speaking on restaurant startup, operations, marketing and finance. Download a free report to learn "How to Double Your Restaurant Profits" at Restaurant Success Monthly