The business plan for a crab house looks at the market and potential revenues for a small restaurant that serves crab to paying customers on-site. While some variations of this business model exist (walk-up kiosk, wholesaler, etc.) the typical crab house is a fun, quality eatery with mid-range price points and ready access to fresh crab. If this is the business you'll run, start with the product itself: what sorts of crab are you able to offer for sale? Are any cracked or made into meat, or do customers do the work of freeing the edible parts? If the latter, is this part of your appeal, and how does it factor into your branding? Make sure your business plans contains:
• A full product description/menu
• A personnel plan with hiring and promotion timelines
• A financial model showing a break-even and loan repayment scenario
• A management section defining your roles
• A look at competing establishments
The business plan should assess your primary competition (other seafood restaurants or anyone focusing on crab) and your secondary competition (contiguous restaurants). It should also include information on the state of the restaurant industry locally, in your state, and on the national level using data from a source like Dun & Bradstreet. You will also want to include a marketing plan outlining the techniques that will bring customers into the crab house over the period immediately following start-up. Online, radio, print ads, referral and frequent diner programs are all methods that might apply depending on your needs and location. Want support on a crab house business plan like this? Call MasterPlans today to work with our team of planning experts. 877-453-2011
