The prospect of setting up one's own food business is exciting. But the reality is that the restaurant business is one of the toughest businesses there is. And like all businesses, the key goal is to make money, as unless you are independently wealthy, few people can sustain a losing enterprise just for the fun of being in business. Starting a restaurant is an ambitious undertaking. Many restaurants, particularly independent restaurants, fail within a few years of opening because of poor planning. Therefore, this guide is intended to help you avoid pitfalls that can lead to failure. This is not some textbook written by a professor who teachers you how to be successful, but has never actually been in the trenches and faced the realities of the workplace. Rather, this is a book written by someone who has been there and done that! Lynton Viñas has been a general manager and marketing guru for spas and beauty facilities, having worked her way up through the ranks. She has worked in restaurants and hotels and has studied at Cambridge School of Law and at the renowned International Hotel School in Cape Town, South Africa. She has worked in the restaurants and kitchens at the Marriot Corporation's African Pride and the Fire and Ice Protea Hotels in Cape Town, South Africa. She has also worked in front office management at the Mandela-Rhodes Hotel Suites in Cape Town. Herein, she, in easy to understand language, shows how you can make a restaurant successful in the marketplace.