Running a restaurant is full of decisions. Some are small — which produce vendor to call when your usual one is out of stock. Some are big — signing a lease on a second location, switching POS systems, adding a catering program, or doing a full menu overhaul.

The big decisions are where people get burned. Not because the idea was bad, but because they moved too fast.

No plan survives first contact with real customers.

Steve Blank

The Worst Time to Make a Big Decision

The worst time to make a big decision is when you have the least information. And the beginning of anything — a new location, a new concept, a new vendor relationship — is when you have the least information. That’s exactly when most people make the biggest bets.

You’ve got an idea for a weekend brunch service. You can picture the menu, the crowd, the mimosa specials. It all makes sense in your head. But have you talked to your neighbors about whether they’d come? Have you looked at what brunch would do to your prep schedule for Saturday dinner? Have you figured out whether your kitchen can handle the overlap?

The more you learn before you commit, the less risk you carry.

Make Cheap Mistakes

The trick isn’t to avoid mistakes. It’s to make them when they’re cheap. Before you sign a lease, spend a few weekends in the neighborhood watching foot traffic. Before you switch to a new vendor, order a few test cases and compare. Before you launch catering, do three jobs for friends and see what breaks.

It’s a lot easier and cheaper to fix a problem before you’ve invested thousands of dollars in it. That new menu item that seemed like a hit? Run it as a special for two weeks before printing new menus. That online ordering platform your rep swore would change your business? Try the free trial month before signing a year-long contract.

As the old carpenter saying goes: measure twice, cut once.

Take the time to learn a little before you bet a lot. Your mistakes will be smaller, your decisions will be better, and your bank account will thank you.