Can this be done?

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Thebestchefever

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Hi,

I am new to sciforums.com but I am glad I found it because I could really use some help. I am (sometime in the near future) looking to open a restaurant and I want it to be unique, not only in the cuisine that is served but in the way the restaurant is built. I want to do most of the design myself and am looking for a computer program that could help me do that. I've looked in to AutoCAD but I have no experience and it seems to confusing. Any ideas for a beginner?

Thanks,

Joe
 
Rhino 3d ..or you can get the nifty tutorial books for weither cad or rhino, they are long but teach you everything you need to know...althoguh they are a bit pricey
 
Yeah, i saw...$3,000 bucks for AutoCAD. As a college student thats way out of my price range. Thanks though I will look in to Rhino 3D.
 
It would be a hell of allot better if you just sat down with an architect in your area that knows the local building codes. If you don't know them then buying a program won't mean diddly shit in the long run. You still have to get a certified architect to approve whatever you draw up and that's still going to cost you big $$$$$$. Seeing as how you know nothing of drafting , because you're asking about a way to use a program, you really should just forget about this idea and get real. I'm not trying to persuade you not to do whatever you want to do, but only trying to save you time and money in the long runn. Leave the drawings to them and the meals to you. ;)
 
That is sound advice, and I thank you. I have estimates on the cost of the building and I am finishing up a business plan for college. I've talked to banks about loans, also have some people lined up to be investors. All I need is the location and a building to finish the plan.
 
Thebestchefever said:
Hi,

I am new to sciforums.com but I am glad I found it because I could really use some help. I am (sometime in the near future) looking to open a restaurant and I want it to be unique, not only in the cuisine that is served but in the way the restaurant is built. I want to do most of the design myself and am looking for a computer program that could help me do that. I've looked in to AutoCAD but I have no experience and it seems to confusing. Any ideas for a beginner?

Thanks,

Joe
Click to expand...
have you looked in bookstores,or library yet,theres tons of books to get ideas from.

In a restaurant the most important thing is GOOD FOOD,obviously, and plenty of it,
that makes it succeed,decor is secondary imo,
and from what Ive heard restaurants are some of the most difficult busineses to start and keep running well
not keeping everything absofnglutely clean at all times is what kills so many!
 
scorpius said:
have you looked in bookstores,or library yet,theres tons of books to get ideas from.

In a restaurant the most important thing is GOOD FOOD,obviously, and plenty of it,
that makes it succeed,decor is secondary imo,
and from what Ive heard restaurants are some of the most difficult busineses to start and keep running well
not keeping everything absofnglutely clean at all times is what kills so many!
Click to expand...

While food is obviously an important factor, A wierd or funky architectural design could attract a large audience which im sure a fresh company needs. The building will bring them in, the good food will keep them in and the overall experience of good food, interesting design, friendly waiters etc will make them tell their friends about it and will get you some regulars m'boy
 
Thebestchefever said:
... I am (sometime in the near future) looking to open a restaurant and I want it to be unique, not only in the cuisine that is served but in the way the restaurant is built. I want to do most of the design myself and am looking for a computer program that could help me do that. I've looked in to AutoCAD but I have no experience and it seems to confusing. Any ideas for a beginner?
Click to expand...

First thought is ...check out how many new/remodeled/renovated restaurants in your area have failed in the last few years. That alone might make you have some second thoughts on the whole idea.

As to the AutoCAD issue, take the advice of an old architect, don't bother! If you don't have the money to afford a good restaurant designer/architect, then you'd best forget the whole thing. Architects might seem expensive, but his/her expertise will pay off in contacts and construction costs and building permit issues.

But, seriously, here in the Dallas area, restaurants open and close and change hands so rapidly that we can't keep track of them all.

Baron Max
 
Baron Max said:
First thought is ...check out how many new/remodeled/renovated restaurants in your area have failed in the last few years. That alone might make you have some second thoughts on the whole idea.


But, seriously, here in the Dallas area, restaurants open and close and change hands so rapidly that we can't keep track of them all.

Baron Max
Click to expand...


Good Idea! Where I live too, they open and close quickly. Another person takes it over with a new idea, and that fails too.

There are so many of the Bigger chains I think it's hard to compete.
Like the Montana's.... Boston Pizza....East Side Mario's....Kelseys that sort of thing.
 
The best thing for dreaming up the idea like that would be to just sketch it out. Have an architect help you with the rest as the architect can take real-life issues into account, such as the flow of people in the restaurant, lighting, climate zones, etc. But, if you're a college student looking for free engineering programs...

www.engineersrule.org

Autodesk runs this site and grants FREE student versions of various software of theirs to students currently enrolled in a degree program. However, this kind of stuff is not easy to learn, in fact my school makes an entire semester-long course dedicated to teaching how to use autocad and inventor, and after that it would still take me probably several days to draft up an entire 3D representation of the interior of a restaurant, not to mention I'd need a work-station grade computer to handle the modeling. A typical computer can model parts and some simple assemblies, but for an entire restaurant, talk to an architect who probably not only has a computer to do the design on but the know-how to actually make the design AND advise you so your design is effective.

Just a thought! I'm an aero engineer in training whos dad is a civil engineer who manages projects much like those you're thinking of undertaking, so I do have a little bit of know-how in how this works.
 
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