Looking for a Mediterranean restaurant business plan? You're in the right place.
A lender reading a restaurant plan wants specific answers. What does it cost to build out a leased space and open the doors? How much of every sales dollar goes to food, wine and wages before rent and the loan are paid? What happens to a patio restaurant between November and March, and what happens if the liquor license arrives late?
Below is a full sample plan for a casual Mediterranean restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska, with a patio, a small private-event room and a wine list. It covers the executive summary, the market and its competitors, who books a table and when, the licensing position, and every financial table through Year 5.
What you can take from it:
- The funding structure: see how founder equity and two bank loans split a $1.5 million opening, and how much of it never touches a wall or a stove
- The seasonal model: watch a January opening, a patio season and a December of holiday parties move revenue and EBITDA month by month in the first year
- The prime-cost check: read how food and drink cost and payroll combine, the ratio a restaurant lender looks at first
- The liquor license section: describe a license honestly, as a timing risk with a reserve behind it, rather than a certainty
- The staffing plan: see which roles open the doors, which follow a busier week, and what share of sales payroll takes
- The downside case: have an answer ready for a dinner trade that runs a fifth short, including the steps the owners take
Planning a restaurant, a bistro or a patio room of your own? On the Water is fictional, so keep the structure and put your own figures in it.
In this plan
- The Table by the River in Brief
- The Space, the Patio and the Lease
- Omaha's Dinner Table and Who Else Sets It
- Date Night, the Group Table and the Private Room
- Filling the Room, Month by Month
- Marketing: Getting Omaha to the Waterfront
- A Night on the Line and on the Floor
- Erik, Nadia and the Floor Team
- Covers, Cash and the Winter Dip
- Sources
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The Table by the River in Brief
On the Water is a casual Mediterranean restaurant in a leased 6,200-square-foot space in Omaha's riverfront district. It seats about 120 indoors, including a 30-seat private room, and 50 on a seasonal patio, and it opens in January 2027 after a fall build-out. Erik Lindqvist runs the floor and the books, and Nadia Karam runs the kitchen. Each holds half of the company and each is on payroll from the first month.
The menu is built to share: a run of mezze, flatbreads and grilled fish and lamb from a gas-fired grill, with a wine list that leans on Mediterranean regions and a short beer and cocktail list. Dinner runs six nights a week, brunch on weekends, and the private room takes rehearsal dinners, work groups and holiday parties.
The raise is $1,501,000, split between $797,000 of founder equity and $704,000 of bank debt: a $554,000 ten-year term loan and a $150,000 five-year equipment loan, both still needing the lender's approval. Construction and kitchen equipment take $820,000, the opening cellar and pantry $52,000, pre-opening costs $306,000, and the last $323,000 sits as a cash reserve.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2,435,490 | $2,992,656 | $3,253,859 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($369,271) | $115,918 | $126,587 |
| Closing cash | $338,358 | $470,995 | $518,820 |
Year 1 loses $63,271 before the opening costs and $369,271 after them. January to April lose $170,927 at EBITDA while the crowd builds and every month from May is positive. May to September bring in 48% of the year's sales. The one outside dependency that could move the date is the liquor license. The reserve carries a slip of up to about three months, with the Year 1 cash low at $21,000 to $46,000 by the end of it. A delay that stops the room opening is harsher, and more than a month of it would need deferred costs, a bank deferral or more equity.
The plan also tests a dinner trade that runs 20% short. With owner pay, part-time hours, marketing and other costs cut from month 7, hires held back and distributions reduced, the restaurant stays cash-positive in every year and returns to profit in Year 2. Debt cover is negative in Year 1 in that case and 1.28x in Year 2, only just above a likely 1.25x test.
The Space, the Patio and the Lease
Legal name: On the Water, LLC, a Nebraska limited liability company. Owners: Erik Lindqvist (general manager) and Nadia Karam (executive chef), 50% each, contributing $797,000 between them from savings and a home-equity borrowing. Premises: a previously fitted restaurant space of about 6,200 square feet in a mixed-use riverfront district, with the hood and grease trap left by the last tenant. The lease term is ten years with two five-year options. Rent works out at roughly $27 per square foot including charges, which is a planning figure, and comes to $168,000 in Year 1. Hours: dinner Tuesday to Sunday, from 4:30 p.m.; brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.; the private room by booking.
Inside the 6,200 square feet
| Area | What is in it |
|---|---|
| Dining room | About 120 seats at tables and banquettes, with an open kitchen and a gas-fired grill in view |
| Bar | A 14-stool bar and a wine list stored in a temperature-controlled room |
| Patio | About 50 seats facing the water, with heaters and rails, open roughly April to October |
| Private room | A 30-seat room within the 120, opening to the dining room or closing for events |
| Kitchen | Grill, flat-top, ovens, walk-in cooler and freezer, and a cold station for mezze |
Year 1 sales by line
| Line | Year 1 revenue | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor dinner | $1,275,560 | 52.4% |
| Wine, beer and cocktails | $684,374 | 28.1% |
| Private events and group dining | $181,757 | 7.5% |
| Patio dinner | $183,612 | 7.5% |
| Weekend brunch | $110,187 | 4.5% |
The liquor license and the rest of the paperwork
A restaurant that pours wine, beer and spirits generally needs a state liquor license and some form of local approval, plus a food service permit from the health department and music licensing; the exact requirements are the Commission's and the city's to state. The $13,000 for licenses, permits and fees and the $38,000 for legal, accounting, architectural and permit work are planning figures. License availability, cost and timing in Omaha are matters for the state commission, the city and counsel, and nothing here says how long one takes. If the license slips, the reserve carries the rent, payroll and loan interest for about three months before it is spent; the wine and beer line is shown as subject to license for that reason.
What a lender would still ask
- Who signs the lease guaranty, the rent steps in the ten-year term, and whether a landlord allowance is on offer (none is counted).
- A contractor's bid and a construction schedule. The 10% contingency is the only cover, and an overrun beyond it falls to the founders.
- Evidence for 107 to 127 dinner covers a night: the trade area, comparable rooms and any pre-bookings.
- The 50/50 deadlock terms and a buy-sell agreement, and the key-person cover on both owners.
- How the $364,272 left on the ten-year loan at the end of Year 5 is repaid. It amortizes to the end of 2036 with no balloon, so the question is the cash it takes, not a refinancing.
- Who runs the floor and the kitchen when both owners are away before the assistant general manager arrives in month 26, and what replaces kitchen and bar equipment over five years beyond the smallwares line.
- The size and terms of the home-equity borrowing inside the founders' $797,000. Its repayments fall on the founders and are not in the debt cover.
- The effect of dearer food, higher wages or a late license. The financial section runs each of them.
Omaha's Dinner Table and Who Else Sets It
Omaha has a deep supply of restaurants across the price ladder, from steakhouses with a long local history to independent Italian rooms, hotel dining rooms and brewery taprooms. The plan treats a Mediterranean menu built on grilled fish and lamb as a less crowded niche than steak or Italian, which is a judgment rather than a measured gap and is both the opening and the risk. The restaurant competes on a setting and a way of eating more than on a cuisine.
Who else a table could go to
| Alternative | What it does well | Where On the Water differs |
|---|---|---|
| Steakhouses | Occasion dining, a known formula, loyal regulars | A lighter shared-plate menu and a patio; a lower average check on a normal night |
| Independent Italian and pasta rooms | Neighborhood trade, comfort food, value | Grilled fish and lamb, a wine list across the Mediterranean, and a private room |
| Hotel and downtown dining rooms | Location, business travelers, breakfast and bar | A dedicated patio and a menu aimed at evenings out rather than conference stays |
| Brewery and patio bars | Casual outdoor seating, a younger crowd | Table service, a full kitchen and a wine program |
| Chain casual dining | Reservations, big menu, predictable service | A single room with its own menu and events |
Strengths and weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| A patio and a private room give two reasons to book in the strong months | A winter trade that falls to about 88% of an average month and has no patio |
| Mezze and grilled plates sell at 30% to 32% direct cost with a wine program on top | Fish and lamb cost more per plate than pasta or chicken |
| Two working owners in the building on busy nights | A second-generation shell can hide repair costs behind the walls |
| A rent of 5.2% to 6.9% of sales | One location; a late license or a bad Saturday shows up in the month |
Date Night, the Group Table and the Private Room
The couple out for the evening
Two people, 28 to 55, who book a Friday or Saturday a week ahead, share three or four mezze, a main each and a bottle or two glasses. They produce the indoor dinner line and most of the wine. A typical check is about $63 a head before tax and tip.
The group of six to twelve
Birthdays, colleagues and visiting family. They want one long table, a set of shared plates and a single bill. Groups of this size are the reason a banquette-heavy room works, and the plan expects them most on Fridays and on the patio in summer.
The private event
Rehearsal dinners, graduation lunches, corporate dinners and holiday parties for about 28 guests on a set menu with a beverage package, at $4,300 on average in Year 1. The private room is booked by an events coordinator who works part time.
The weekend brunch table
Families and friends on Saturday and Sunday, mostly in May to September when the patio carries the room. Brunch is the smallest line and an add-on for the kitchen, with a lower check and a lower drink share.
What each group wants
Couples want a table they can book and a bottle at a fair price. Groups want one bill and a menu that works for the cautious eater. Event hosts want a fixed price and a name to call. Brunch tables want a sunny seat.
Filling the Room, Month by Month
What it takes to cover the rent and the payroll
Year 1 sells about 107 dinner covers a night on average over roughly 310 evenings, with brunch and events on top, and averages $202,958 a month against the $191,122 needed to cover operating costs. Only May onward clears the line, and January to April run about $171,000 behind it at EBITDA. Year 2 needs $213,886 a month and averages $249,388.
Pricing
A dinner cover brings in about $44 of food and $19 of wine, beer and cocktails in Year 1. Main courses run from about $28 to $38, mezze from $11 to $16 with most tables sharing two or three, and wine by the glass from $12. Brunch averages $27 a cover. Prices rise 3% a year from Year 2.
How the week is built
| Night | What happens | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday to Thursday | A short menu, a wine-of-the-week pour | Neighborhood and downtown trade, work dinners |
| Friday | Full menu, patio in season, groups | The second-busiest night |
| Saturday | Two seatings, events in the private room | The busiest night and the highest beverage sales |
| Sunday | Brunch, then an early dinner | Families, and a late-afternoon event slot |
Keeping the room full in winter
A winter menu with braises and a tasting night for the wine list, a prepaid gift card push in November, and corporate holiday bookings sold from September. These are meant to hold January and February near 90% of an average month on the indoor line. Gift-card breakage is not counted as revenue.
Seasonal swings
Indoor traffic runs at 88% of an average month in January and 115% in December. The patio adds covers from April and peaks from June to August, when indoor evenings soften to about 90% as guests move outside. Omaha's cold months close the patio from about November to March; January sales are $93,375 against $258,755 in September, though January also carries the opening ramp, and the winter quarter is 14% of the year. Monthly sales peak in September, when the patio is still open and the corporate calendar restarts.
Marketing: Getting Omaha to the Waterfront
The Year 1 marketing budget totals $96,000. Launch work paid from the raise is $36,000 and running costs are $60,000, so operating spend is 2.5% of sales and the full figure 3.9%. By Year 3 operating spend is $72,000, about 2.2% of sales.
| Channel | Year 1 | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Brand, photography and website (launch) | $14,000 | A reservation-ready site and a menu people can read before they book |
| Opening-month tastings and press (launch) | $22,000 | First bookings from local press, food writers and neighbors |
| Reservation-platform listing and search | $18,000 | Visibility to diners who book by app |
| Email and social with local paid posts | $14,000 | Wine dinners, events and seasonal menus |
| Private-event outreach to planners and employers | $12,000 | Holiday and rehearsal-dinner bookings |
| Community partnerships and sponsorships | $9,000 | Charity dinners and downtown groups |
| Loyalty and gift cards | $7,000 | Repeat visits and winter prepayments |
Milestones
By month 3, the events calendar for the first holiday season is half sold. By month 4, the patio opens and weekend brunch averages about 33 covers a day. By month 9, September sales reach about $259,000. By month 12, the holiday season is booked and the private room is on pace for about 54 events in Year 2.
A Night on the Line and on the Floor
The building
An open kitchen on the dining-room side, a cold station for mezze and a grill at the center. The restaurant is open about 40 hours a week for dinner and 12 for brunch. Walk-ins hold fish, lamb and produce, and fish arrives twice a week.
How a Friday runs
Prep starts at 11 a.m. with bread, spreads and marinades. The line runs a grill, a cold station and a sauté and flat-top position, with the chef expediting. Five servers, two bartenders, a host and three runners and bussers work the floor, with a patio crew added in season. The owners are on the floor, and the owner on duty signs off the cash and the bar count.
Buying and stock control
Fish and lamb are bought from regional suppliers twice a week, wine through distributors, with a short list of direct importers for the by-the-bottle program. Stock is $52,000 at opening and about $76,000 by the end of Year 1. Wine and food are counted weekly against sales data and direct costs run near 32% of revenue.
Safeguards
Insurance costs $34,000 in Year 1 and covers liquor liability, general liability and property; workers' compensation is in the payroll on-costs. Floor staff take responsible-service training before their first shift and the manager on duty logs any incident. The kitchen follows the local health department's food-safety rules, with the department's pre-opening inspection a gate before the first service.
Systems
The software stack is a point-of-sale system with kitchen printers, a reservation and table-management platform, staff scheduling and bookkeeping, $16,000 a year before card and reservation-platform fees.
Erik, Nadia and the Floor Team
Erik Lindqvist, co-owner and general manager
Erik has fourteen years in Omaha restaurants, the last six as general manager of a multi-location restaurant group. He draws an $82,000 salary and runs the floor, the wine list and the books. He has managed rooms but never signed a lease, carried a loan or overseen a build-out, so references and a personal financial statement will be part of the file.
Nadia Karam, co-owner and executive chef
Nadia has twelve years in professional kitchens, the last five as chef de cuisine. She draws a $92,000 salary, writes the menu and orders the fish and lamb. The kitchen is her first as an owner.
The opening crew
Six full-time people, the two owners, a sous chef, a bar and wine lead and two line cooks, plus 18 part-time roles: a line cook, a prep cook, three dish and kitchen porters (one for weekends), six servers, two bartenders, two hosts and three runners and bussers. A brunch cook joins in month 2 and an events coordinator in month 3.
Where the team is thin
Neither owner has run a build-out, and neither has managed a liquor license application or carried the payroll of a $2 million restaurant as an owner. A restaurant consultant visit in the opening quarter and a bookkeeper on retainer cover the gaps, and the lender will want to hear how.
If an owner is out
The sous chef and the bar and wine lead are able to open and close the building. The business account has a second signer, and key-person cover on both owners is inside the insurance line.
Ownership and the bank
Erik and Nadia each hold 50% of On the Water, LLC. Personal guarantees, a lien on the equipment and a minimum cash balance are common loan conditions, and the lender sets them. Guarantees are typically required from owners of a meaningful share, so both founders would be asked to give one.
Covers, Cash and the Winter Dip
A single five-year model feeds every table that follows. Year 1 is laid out by month because a Nebraska patio restaurant earns most of its money from April to October and spends the winter in a thinner room; Years 2 to 5 are annual. Cover counts and prices open the section so that each revenue line traces back to plates, glasses and events.
What it costs to open the doors
| Use of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Build-out of a second-generation restaurant shell: finishes, bar, private room, patio rail and heaters, restrooms, with a 10% contingency (no landlord allowance is modeled) | $455,000 |
| Kitchen: hood tie-in, gas-fired grill, flat-top, ovens, walk-in cooler and freezer, dish machine, prep tables | $215,000 |
| Bar, dining furniture, patio furniture, glassware and smallwares | $120,000 |
| Point of sale, reservations hardware, audio, cameras and wine storage | $30,000 |
| Opening wine, beer and liquor cellar, dry goods and paper | $52,000 |
| Legal and accounting: lease, entity, loan and license applications; architect and permit fees | $38,000 |
| Liquor license, city and state permits, health and music licensing (planning figure) | $13,000 |
| Pre-opening, four months before the doors open: salaried team on payroll, hourly training shifts, menu testing and recruiting | $135,000 |
| Pre-opening: rent after the abatement, utilities, insurance and interest on the loan draws during the build-out | $84,000 |
| Launch: brand, photography, website, opening-month events, local press and tastings | $36,000 |
| Cash reserve for the opening ramp, the winter months and a late liquor license | $323,000 |
| Total uses | $1,501,000 |
| Source of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Founders: Erik Lindqvist and Nadia Karam, savings and a home-equity contribution | $797,000 |
| Bank term loan, SBA-guaranteed (subject to approval) | $554,000 |
| Equipment term loan on the kitchen (subject to approval) | $150,000 |
| Total sources | $1,501,000 |
The two founders contribute $797,000, 53% of the $1,501,000 total. Two bank loans make up the other $704,000: a $554,000 ten-year term loan, which an SBA guarantee may support, and a $150,000 five-year equipment loan on the kitchen. Both carry a planning rate of 9.5% and are interest-only for the first 12 months. The rates, any guarantee and the approvals rest with the lender, and a guarantee fee is not modeled. Construction and equipment take $820,000 (the build-out carries a 10% contingency and no landlord allowance is counted), the cellar and pantry $52,000 and pre-opening costs $306,000, and $323,000 stays in reserve. The model books the build-out and the loan draws at the start of January 2027. The build-out actually runs in fall 2026, and about $22,000 of interest over those four months, estimated on the full loan balance, sits inside the pre-opening costs. The founders' $797,000 includes a home-equity borrowing, whose repayments fall on the founders personally and are not in the debt cover shown below; the lender would ask for its size and terms. The equipment loan is repaid in full by the end of Year 5, and the ten-year loan keeps amortizing to the end of 2036, so there is no balloon. Month-end cash bottoms out in April 2027 at about $112,000, after four loss-making months, on a monthly view that is approximate because it carries no receivables timing. Fixed costs of about $65,000 a month for rent, utilities, insurance, loan interest and salaried pay run whether or not the room is selling. If the liquor license arrives late but the room opens, the model loses the drink margin, roughly $18,000 to $26,000 a month in the first quarter. One, two or three months of that lowers the April low point to about $94,000, $72,000 or $46,000, or to $87,000, $57,000 or $21,000 if dinner covers also fall 15% while the room waits for wine. A delay that stops the room opening at all is harsher, because no sales arrive against those fixed costs: one month leaves the low point at about $49,000, two months overdraw it by about $29,000 and three by about $120,000. The reserve therefore carries a license slip of about three months, and not a full delay of more than a month or so; a longer delay would need deferred rent or payroll, a bank deferral or more equity.
Volumes, prices and costs behind each line
- Indoor dinner sells 28,990 covers in Year 1 and 34,633 in Year 2. Counting the patio, that is about 107 and 127 dinner covers on each of roughly 310 open evenings (Mondays are closed). Food spend is $44 a cover in Year 1, made up of shared mezze and a grilled fish or lamb main. January runs at 88% of an average month and December at 115% on holiday parties, with indoor traffic slipping to about 90% in summer as evenings move outside. Year 1 also carries an opening ramp from 50% of steady state in January to full volume by October.
- The 50-seat patio operates April to October at 35% of a peak month in April and October, 75% in May and September and 100% from June to August. A peak month is 900 patio covers, about 35 a night. The patio sells 4,173 covers in Year 1 and 4,680 in Year 2 and is closed November to March.
- Weekend brunch sells 4,081 covers in Year 1 at $27 and 4,858 in Year 2, roughly 39 and 47 on each Saturday and Sunday, strongest from May to September. Drinks are priced per cover instead of per glass: $19 a cover across dinner, with brunch counted at 70% because fewer drinks go with it. Beverage is 28% of Year 1 revenue and food 64%.
- Private events and group dining belong to the small room: 42 events in Year 1, 54 in Year 2 and 61 in Year 3, each for about 28 guests on a set menu with a beverage package, at $4,300 in Year 1 prices. They book weeks ahead, so Year 1 starts at 30% of steady state. May, June and September to December carry the volume, with a December peak; January to March are quiet.
- Menu prices step 3% a year from Year 2. Dinner covers grow 5% in Year 3, 3% in Year 4 and 2% in Year 5 as the patio and the weekday trade fill, taking indoor covers from 34,633 in Year 2 to 38,096 in Year 5, which 120 indoor seats can serve.
- Direct costs are 32% of dinner and patio food, 29% of brunch, 32% of wine, beer and cocktails and 30% of events, which comes to 31.7% of every year's revenue. Wine by the bottle costs more than cocktails and beer, so 32% blended is a planning figure. Printed prices fit these averages: mains run about $28 to $38, mezze $11 to $16 with most tables sharing two or three, and wine by the glass starts near $12. Fish and lamb are the dearer end of a food cost, which is why dinner food sits above what a vegetable-led menu could reach. Prime cost, meaning direct costs plus payroll with raises, is 72% of revenue in Year 1 while the room ramps and 68% to 70% after that. Both owners' salaries are inside it, and without them the figure is 61% to 63%, so the plan sits above the usual 65% ceiling because it pays the owners from month 1.
- Payroll on-costs are 27% for salaried people and 20% for part-time staff. Part-time roles run from about 700 to 2,000 paid hours a year at a cash wage of roughly $15 to $20 an hour, which are planning figures. Guests pay the tips, which go straight to staff and sit outside the model. Wage and tip-credit rules can change, and a payroll provider would confirm them. Seasonal patio roles are shown at an annual-equivalent rate and paid for seven months. A second full-time line cook and an eighth part-time server join in month 38, because indoor covers are 8% above Year 2 by Year 4 and events 20% above. Raises of 3% a year are a separate line from Year 2. The monthly view holds the roster flat, so January carries a full crew against a quiet room.
- Rent is about 6,200 square feet at roughly $27 a square foot including charges, a planning figure: $168,000 in Year 1, climbing about $5,000 a year. The lease abates rent during the build-out and the rent paid before opening sits in the start-up costs. Utilities of $66,000 cover a gas grill, a hood and walk-in coolers running all day, plus patio heaters in the shoulder months. Insurance is $34,000, with liquor liability inside it; workers' compensation is part of payroll on-costs.
- Card payments settle in about three days and events are paid by deposit and balance on the night, so receivables are three days of sales. Distributors may ask for payment on delivery or within a short window, and the model allows about 14 days of supplier credit. Opening stock is $52,000 and the model adds 1.0% of annual sales as the list and pantry grow, which puts year-end stock near $76,000 in Year 1, about 36 days of direct costs and heavy because a wine list holds cash.
- Profit is taxed at 21% federal and a 5.5% state planning rate, both planning figures; an LLC taxed as a pass-through would move the bill to its owners. The Year 1 loss before start-up costs carries forward against Year 2. The $306,000 of start-up costs is left out of the tax base, and a tax adviser would decide how much of it is deductible and when, so tax in Years 2 and 3 is overstated. Sales tax collected from guests is passed on and left out of revenue.
- Distributions to the founders of $90,000, $100,000 and $120,000 in Years 3 to 5 come on top of their salaries. Each is no larger than that year's net income and leaves cash higher at the year end, and a lender would likely set a minimum cash balance before any payout. The equipment loan clears by the end of Year 5 on its schedule, which does the work an early repayment would. Year 5 closing cash equals about nine weeks of operating costs, a cushion for a poor winter while the $364,272 left on the ten-year loan keeps amortizing to the end of 2036.
- Two further cases run on the same model, each on its own. Food cost two points higher cuts Year 3 net income from $126,587 to $95,281 and Year 1 debt cover to 1.0x. Wages 10% higher cut Year 3 net income to $49,473 and Year 1 debt cover to nil, with Year 2 at 1.3x and Year 4 at 1.2x, below a likely 1.25x test. Licence delays are covered with the reserve in the funding note.
Revenue by line
| Revenue stream | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor dinner: mezze, grilled fish and lamb | $1,275,560 | $1,569,568 | $1,697,487 | $1,798,367 | $1,886,620 |
| Patio dinner (seasonal) | $183,612 | $212,098 | $229,384 | $243,015 | $254,941 |
| Weekend brunch | $110,187 | $135,115 | $146,127 | $154,811 | $162,408 |
| Wine, beer and cocktails (subject to license) | $684,374 | $835,912 | $904,039 | $957,765 | $1,004,766 |
| Private events and group dining | $181,757 | $239,963 | $276,822 | $305,492 | $327,768 |
| Total revenue | $2,435,490 | $2,992,656 | $3,253,859 | $3,459,450 | $3,636,503 |
| Growth on prior year | – | 23% | 9% | 6% | 5% |
Indoor dinner brings in 52.4% of Year 1 revenue, the patio 7.5% and brunch 4.5%, which makes food 64.4%; wine, beer and cocktails are 28.1% and private events 7.5%. The patio looks modest here because it adds covers beside a full room, and its real effect is to lift May to September, which together bring in 48% of Year 1 revenue. Year 2 is up 23% largely because Year 1 carries the ramp; the 9%, 6% and 5% after that come from the price steps and a slow rise in covers.
Month by month in 2027
| Month | Indoor dinner: mezze, grilled fish and lamb | Patio dinner (seasonal) | Weekend brunch | Wine, beer and cocktails (subject to license) | Private events and group dining | Total revenue | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2027 | $57,112 | $0 | $4,428 | $26,843 | $4,992 | $93,375 | ($66,746) |
| Feb 2027 | $69,256 | $0 | $5,454 | $32,593 | $5,917 | $113,220 | ($53,195) |
| Mar 2027 | $81,400 | $0 | $6,588 | $38,395 | $7,396 | $133,779 | ($39,157) |
| Apr 2027 | $96,052 | $10,252 | $7,776 | $49,734 | $9,985 | $173,799 | ($11,829) |
| May 2027 | $103,840 | $23,760 | $9,747 | $59,901 | $16,826 | $214,074 | $15,673 |
| Jun 2027 | $102,696 | $34,056 | $10,935 | $64,439 | $17,750 | $229,876 | $26,463 |
| Jul 2027 | $105,160 | $35,640 | $10,962 | $66,200 | $13,313 | $231,275 | $27,419 |
| Aug 2027 | $112,244 | $37,224 | $11,448 | $70,182 | $14,977 | $246,075 | $37,525 |
| Sep 2027 | $125,928 | $28,820 | $11,286 | $72,382 | $20,339 | $258,755 | $46,183 |
| Oct 2027 | $136,312 | $13,860 | $11,070 | $70,300 | $20,339 | $251,881 | $41,489 |
| Nov 2027 | $136,312 | $0 | $10,530 | $64,049 | $22,188 | $233,079 | $28,650 |
| Dec 2027 | $149,248 | $0 | $9,963 | $69,356 | $27,735 | $256,302 | $44,508 |
Sales start at $93,375 in January and peak at $258,755 in September, and the winter quarter produces $340,374, 14% of the year. January is low partly because of the opening ramp, which holds the month at half of steady-state volume. EBITDA is negative from January to April and positive in each month after, which is what a restaurant looks like when it opens into its quietest season. The patio adds about $10,000 in April and $37,000 in August, and holiday events lift December. Month-end cash is lowest in Apr, at about $112,000, just as the patio opens.
Who is on the schedule
| Role | Annual wage | Starts | Year 1 end | Year 2 end | Year 3 end | Year 4 end | Year 5 end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Co-owner and general manager (Erik Lindqvist) | $82,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Co-owner and executive chef (Nadia Karam) | $92,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sous chef | $56,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bar and wine lead | $46,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Line cook, grill | $41,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Line cook, mezze and cold station | $40,000 | Month 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Line cook (part time) | $23,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Prep cook (part time) | $19,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Dish and kitchen porter A (part time) | $25,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Dish and kitchen porter B (part time) | $23,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Dish and kitchen porter C (weekend, part time) | $12,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Server A (part time) | $23,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Server B (part time) | $23,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Server C (part time) | $23,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Server D (part time) | $23,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Server E (part time) | $23,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Server F (part time) | $23,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Bartender A (part time) | $17,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Bartender B (part time) | $17,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Host A (part time) | $15,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Host B (part time) | $15,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Food runner and busser A (part time) | $18,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Food runner and busser B (part time) | $18,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Food runner and busser C (part time) | $18,000 | Month 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Weekend brunch cook (part time) | $11,000 | Month 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Private events coordinator (part time) | $32,000 | Month 3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Patio server A (seasonal, April to October) | $24,000 | Month 4 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Patio server B (seasonal, April to October) | $24,000 | Month 4 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Patio bartender (seasonal, April to October) | $27,000 | Month 4 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Line cook (full time) | $41,000 | Month 14 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Server G (part time) | $23,000 | Month 14 | – | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Assistant general manager | $56,000 | Month 26 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Line cook, second full time | $42,000 | Month 38 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Server H (part time) | $23,000 | Month 38 | – | – | – | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Total payroll incl. on-costs | $979,590 | $1,060,121 | $1,131,953 | $1,212,075 | $1,218,820 |
The restaurant opens with six full-time people (the two co-owners, a sous chef, a bar and wine lead and two line cooks) and 18 part-time roles, including three dish and kitchen porters, one of them for weekends. A weekend brunch cook starts in month 2, an events coordinator in month 3 and three seasonal patio roles run April to October each year, which is why they show a dash at December. A full-time line cook and a seventh server arrive in month 14 and an assistant general manager in month 26. A second full-time line cook and an eighth server follow in month 38, as Year 4 covers and events rise, giving 9 full-time people from Year 4 with the part-time and seasonal roles on top. Until month 26 the two owners cover the floor and the kitchen between them, with the sous chef and the bar and wine lead opening and closing. Each hire follows the busier week the previous one made possible. Both co-owners draw salaries from month 1, so every profit line is what remains after they are paid.
Profit and loss
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2,435,490 | $2,992,656 | $3,253,859 | $3,459,450 | $3,636,503 |
| Direct costs (food, wine, beer, spirits and paper) | ($772,416) | ($949,121) | ($1,031,962) | ($1,097,165) | ($1,153,318) |
| Gross profit | $1,663,074 | $2,043,535 | $2,221,897 | $2,362,285 | $2,483,185 |
| Payroll incl. on-costs | ($979,590) | ($1,060,121) | ($1,131,953) | ($1,212,075) | ($1,218,820) |
| Rent | ($168,000) | ($173,000) | ($178,000) | ($183,000) | ($188,000) |
| Utilities | ($66,000) | ($70,000) | ($72,000) | ($74,000) | ($76,000) |
| Marketing | ($60,000) | ($66,000) | ($72,000) | ($78,000) | ($84,000) |
| Insurance | ($34,000) | ($36,000) | ($38,000) | ($40,000) | ($42,000) |
| Professional fees | ($22,000) | ($23,000) | ($24,000) | ($25,000) | ($26,000) |
| Software subscriptions | ($16,000) | ($17,000) | ($17,500) | ($18,000) | ($18,500) |
| Card processing and reservation-platform fees | ($68,000) | ($80,000) | ($87,000) | ($92,000) | ($97,000) |
| Linen, uniforms, cleaning, paper goods and bar consumables | ($52,000) | ($62,000) | ($65,000) | ($68,000) | ($71,000) |
| Repairs, hood cleaning, grease trap, pest control and equipment service | ($26,000) | ($40,000) | ($46,000) | ($50,000) | ($54,000) |
| Patio season: heaters and fuel, furniture replacement, set-up and takedown | ($14,000) | ($18,000) | ($19,500) | ($21,000) | ($22,500) |
| Weekend live music and event entertainment | ($8,000) | ($12,000) | ($13,000) | ($14,000) | ($15,000) |
| Waste, recycling, phones, office and security | ($14,000) | ($16,000) | ($16,500) | ($17,000) | ($17,500) |
| Recruiting, training, dues and staff meals | ($16,000) | ($15,000) | ($15,500) | ($16,000) | ($16,500) |
| Smallwares, glassware and equipment replacement | ($6,000) | ($14,000) | ($18,000) | ($21,000) | ($24,000) |
| Music licensing, linens for events and flowers | ($9,000) | ($10,000) | ($10,500) | ($11,000) | ($11,500) |
| Licenses, permits and inspections | ($5,500) | ($5,700) | ($5,900) | ($6,100) | ($6,300) |
| Bad debt and event-deposit write-offs | ($2,000) | ($3,000) | ($3,200) | ($3,400) | ($3,500) |
| Annual pay raises (3% a year) | $0 | ($31,804) | ($68,936) | ($112,392) | ($152,973) |
| EBITDA | $96,984 | $290,910 | $319,408 | $300,318 | $338,092 |
| Depreciation | ($93,375) | ($93,375) | ($93,375) | ($93,375) | ($93,375) |
| Interest | ($66,880) | ($63,744) | ($56,471) | ($48,476) | ($39,687) |
| Income tax | $0 | ($17,873) | ($42,976) | ($40,164) | ($51,965) |
| Net income before start-up costs | ($63,271) | $115,918 | $126,587 | $118,304 | $153,065 |
| Start-up costs expensed at opening (legal, licenses, pre-opening payroll and rent, launch marketing) | ($306,000) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($369,271) | $115,918 | $126,587 | $118,304 | $153,065 |
Year 1 loses $63,271 before start-up costs and $369,271 once the $306,000 of opening costs are counted. EBITDA is $96,984, or 4.0% of revenue, after both owners are paid. It is $290,910 in Year 2 (9.7%), $319,408 in Year 3 (9.8%), $300,318 in Year 4 (8.7%) and $338,092 in Year 5 (9.3%). Year 4 dips because the second line cook and eighth server arrive and raises reach $112,392 a year, ahead of that year's extra covers. Net income is $115,918 in Year 2, $126,587 in Year 3, $118,304 in Year 4 and $153,065 in Year 5, after income tax of $17,873 to $51,965 a year and interest that falls from $66,880 to $39,687 as the loans amortize. Payroll with raises is 40% of Year 1 revenue and 37% of Year 3.
Cash movements
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash from operations | ($342,642) | $205,919 | $218,380 | $210,434 | $245,368 |
| Build-out, kitchen and bar | ($820,000) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Funding received | $1,501,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Loan principal repaid | $0 | ($73,283) | ($80,556) | ($88,551) | ($97,339) |
| Owner distributions | $0 | $0 | ($90,000) | ($100,000) | ($120,000) |
| Net change in cash | $338,358 | $132,637 | $47,824 | $21,883 | $28,029 |
| Closing cash | $338,358 | $470,995 | $518,820 | $540,703 | $568,732 |
Closing cash is $338,358 at the end of Year 1, after $820,000 for build-out and equipment and $342,642 absorbed by operations. No principal is due in Year 1; principal is $73,283 in Year 2 and rises to $97,339 in Year 5. Cash reaches $568,732 in Year 5, about nine weeks of operating costs, while distributions of $90,000, $100,000 and $120,000 take part of each year's surplus. The equipment loan is gone by the end of Year 5 and $364,272 of the ten-year loan remains, with five years of payments to go. The model has no equipment replacement beyond the smallwares line, which rises to $24,000 a year, against depreciation of $93,375.
Balance sheet
| At year end | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $338,358 | $470,995 | $518,820 | $540,703 | $568,732 |
| Accounts receivable | $20,018 | $24,597 | $26,744 | $28,434 | $29,889 |
| Wine, beer, liquor and food stock | $76,355 | $81,927 | $84,539 | $86,595 | $88,365 |
| Build-out, kitchen and bar (net) | $726,625 | $633,250 | $539,875 | $446,500 | $353,125 |
| Total assets | $1,161,356 | $1,210,769 | $1,169,977 | $1,102,231 | $1,040,111 |
| Supplier payables (distributors and food vendors) | $29,627 | $36,405 | $39,582 | $42,083 | $44,237 |
| Bank term loans (ten-year and equipment) | $704,000 | $630,717 | $550,162 | $461,611 | $364,272 |
| Paid-in capital | $797,000 | $797,000 | $797,000 | $797,000 | $797,000 |
| Retained earnings | ($369,271) | ($253,353) | ($216,767) | ($198,463) | ($165,397) |
| Total liabilities and equity | $1,161,356 | $1,210,769 | $1,169,977 | $1,102,231 | $1,040,111 |
Break-even, margins and debt cover
| Measure | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EBITDA margin | 4.0% | 9.7% | 9.8% | 8.7% | 9.3% |
| Net margin (before start-up costs) | -2.6% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.2% |
| Payroll incl. pay raises as share of revenue | 40% | 36% | 37% | 38% | 38% |
| Revenue per full-time equivalent at year end | $152,218 | $171,009 | $175,884 | $172,973 | $181,825 |
| Average monthly revenue | $202,958 | $249,388 | $271,155 | $288,288 | $303,042 |
| Monthly revenue needed to cover operating costs | $191,122 | $213,886 | $232,175 | $251,637 | $261,782 |
| Debt service cover (EBITDA / interest + principal) | 1.5x | 2.1x | 2.3x | 2.2x | 2.5x |
The restaurant needs about $191,122 a month in Year 1 to cover operating costs and averages $202,958, but January to April fall short and only May onward clears the line. Adding interest and principal lifts the Year 1 requirement to about $199,000 a month. Year 2 needs $213,886 against $249,388, a cushion of about 17%, or about $231,000 once loan payments are included, and Year 3 needs $232,175 against $271,155. Year 2 break-even works out to about $2.57M a year, roughly $8,300 an evening, or about 109 dinner covers at roughly $76 of total revenue per cover (brunch and events included), against 127 planned. Revenue per full-time equivalent is $171,009 in Year 2, high for a full-service restaurant because part-time roles count as half an FTE and tips sit outside the model; a banker would test the roster against the cover counts. Debt service cover is 1.5x in Year 1, 2.1x in Year 2 and 2.2x to 2.5x after that.
If sales run a fifth short
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1,948,392 | $2,394,125 | $2,603,087 | $2,767,560 | $2,909,202 |
| Net income before start-up costs | ($271,874) | $31,492 | $90,178 | $119,612 | $95,511 |
| Net income after start-up costs | ($577,874) | $31,492 | $90,178 | $119,612 | $95,511 |
| Closing cash | $132,705 | $181,591 | $253,323 | $326,764 | $347,453 |
Every revenue line is cut by a fifth in every year. The owners react to the shortfall, so every response starts in month 7, after six months of trading. From July both co-owners take 20% less and part-time pay drops by about a quarter through shorter shifts and a thinner floor. Marketing falls 20%, live music stops, and linens, repairs, patio costs, utilities, smallwares and recruiting are cut back. Hires from month 13 slip six months, the assistant general manager and the seventh server are never hired, and card fees follow the quieter room. Distributions fall to $30,000, $50,000 and $70,000 in Years 3 to 5. Because the cuts start in July, Year 1 loses $271,874 before start-up costs and $577,874 after them, and equity ends the year at $219,126. The lowest Year 1 month-end balance, measured as in the base case, is about $74,000 in June. Year-end cash stays at or above $132,705 and below the base case in every year, and the restaurant returns to profit in Year 2, earning $31,492 on $2.39M of sales. That recovery leans on the cuts: Year 2 revenue is $598,531 lower than the base case but EBITDA only $102,299 lower, so about $300,000 of savings has to be found, and a thinner roster would be hard to hold. Debt service cover is negative in Year 1 because EBITDA is a loss of $111,619, then 1.38x in Year 2 and 1.8x to 1.9x after that. Stacking a three-month license slip on this case takes the June low to about zero, so the owners would take the position to the lender early and ask for a covenant holiday. Rent is not renegotiated here; a landlord conversation would be the next lever.
Sources
- Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, lcc.nebraska.gov. The licensing process page could not be read in full, so no license fee, timeline or availability is quoted. Confirm current requirements with the Commission and the City of Omaha.
- City of Omaha and the Douglas County health department, food service permit and inspection requirements. Confirm current requirements before opening; none are quoted here.
- Nebraska Department of Revenue and the City of Omaha, sales tax and restaurant tax guidance. Rates change; no rate is quoted here.
- Nebraska Department of Labor, minimum wage and tipped-employee rules. Wage figures in the plan are planning figures; confirm current rules with the Department.
- U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loans: the guaranteed-loan program a community bank may use. Terms in the plan are the lender's to set.
- Restaurant cost ratios: the 28% to 35% food cost and the roughly 65% prime-cost ceiling are industry rules of thumb used by lenders and operators, not statistics from a published source.
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