open right. from the lease to the first friday.
One team for the whole opening: concept, numbers, permit timing, menu costing, hiring, the website, the launch and the first 90 days. Run by people who have opened places in Virginia and still answer the phone after.
- lease signed
- permit timeline set
- menu costed at 29%
- health inspection booked
- soft open tickets on sale
- 1,214 emails on the coming-soon list
- open
the most expensive mistakes are made before you open.
how an opening goes with us.
Every opening is different, but the order isn't. This is the plan we run, and the things that go wrong when a step gets skipped.
is this going to work?
- concept, format and who it's for
- feasibility and a real pro forma
- site and lease review: parking, zoning, hood, grease, what the building can and can't be
- funding and SBA readiness
lock the paperwork
- the permit timeline, in the right order, with the alcohol license handed to your licensing specialist on day one
- health, fire, building and occupancy permits
- entity, EIN, sales tax, meals tax
- domain, social handles and google business profile claimed
build the business
- menu built and costed to a 28 to 32% food cost before it's printed
- bar program priced from current Virginia ABC shelf prices
- POS chosen and set up, with the menu loaded once
- coming-soon page live and collecting emails
people and systems
- hiring plan, job posts, interviews
- service standards and the first week of training
- opening, closing and safety checklists
- website built and connected to the POS
rehearse, then launch
- health inspection walk-through before the real one
- friends-and-family nights, ticketed, so the kitchen gets tested
- launch email and text to the list you built
- press note to the local food writers
find your footing
- review ramp: 30 google reviews in month one
- silent night watching every night from day one: sales vs normal, labor, costs, in your inbox each morning
- menu revision at day 60 from real sales data
- monthly numbers call, with the Silent Night recap on the table
what's in the package
One flat fee, one phone number, from the lease to the first Friday. Then a monthly care plan if you want us to stay.
concept & numbers
- concept and positioning
- feasibility and pro forma
- site and lease review
- menu and bar costing
permits & timing
- the full permit timeline, sequenced
- health, fire and building permits
- tax and entity setup
- opening-week compliance checklist
people & operations
- hiring and onboarding
- service standards and training week
- checklists and SOPs
- health inspection prep
website & launch
- coming-soon page and email list
- custom website connected to your POS
- google business profile and search setup
- soft open tickets, launch email, press note
Already open and need the website side only? That's websites & systems.
why this works in virginia
questions owners ask
How early should we call you?
Before you sign the lease. A site review takes a few days and has saved clients from buildings that couldn't get a hood, a grease trap or the license they needed. If you've already signed, call anyway; there's still time to fix the order of things.
Do you handle the ABC license?
No. Alcohol licensing is its own specialty, and we keep it separate. What we do is build it into the timeline from day one, so it's started early enough to land before opening, and we work alongside whoever is filing it. If you need a referral, ask.
Can we use our own architect, contractor or designer?
Yes. We don't do build-out, signage or photography. We plan around them and coordinate so the opening date holds.
Do you work outside Northern Virginia?
Yes. We've worked from the Shenandoah Valley to Hampton Roads. The rules are statewide, and so are we.
What does it cost?
The launch package is a flat fee, scoped after a free consult once we know the concept, the building and the timeline. You'll get a clear proposal before any work starts.