indian restaurant
 

Hi i would like to open an indian restaurant or fish and chip restaurant in michigan i know why michigan but my sister lives there anyway what do you think would do better the fish restaurant would do grilled,poached or fried fish.As for the indian restaurant i have been several times to US and could not find an good indian restaurant.

Re: indian restaurant
 

While I've never been to Michigan or know anything about it, I do know that the Michigonians do love a bit of fish. So much so that there are fish restaurants pretty much on every street corner, the proximity to the great lakes guaranteeing a strong and continuous supply.

Now there's one thing that Michigoinians do crave and that is vitamin C, The long, harsh, dark winters mean that natives can become seriously depleted, and access to fresh vegetables can be difficult. This is where you come in. Now, as a prospective restaurateur you don't need me to tell you how vitamin C packed vegetables such as the sprout play a huge and starring role in basic home cooking in the subcontinent. A good location coupled with a sound marketing strategy could see your exotic offering with sprout-centered menu take off big time.

The only remaining question is will you offer a delivery services across state lines?

Re: indian restaurant
 

Thanks for the reply that makes alot of sense.

Re: indian restaurant
 

Have you not considered the fact that there are no indian restaurants in Michigan as there is no market for one.

What Detroit area does need is a decent bar to watch football at on a Saturday / Sunday morning.

Re: indian restaurant
 

You need to figure out the immigration issues first because by the sounds of your other posts you won't be able to open a business here for about a decade. I wold also urge caution. There is a reason why you can't find certain types of restaurants. Most new restaurants that open end up closing within a couple of years, it's a very competitive and difficult industry that is very different to the UK. If you can afford to lose all the money you put in then try when you can legally do it. If you can't afford to lose it all then you may want to think again.

Re: indian restaurant
 

I will be going through E2 Visa route. So no decade wait for me :thumbup:

Re: indian restaurant
 

then I'd pick a business that wasn't so volitile.

Re: indian restaurant
 

Sprouts being the volatile object in question.

Why Michigan? Chicago would love a good fish and chip shop...

Re: indian restaurant
 

levelling I'd have thought :D

Re: indian restaurant
 

True, but with such a risky venture (if you get a visa because it is risky) you could be out of the country within a year. Again, if you can afford to lose all the money that you will tie up, do it. If not then you really have to think.

Re: indian restaurant
 

We had an Indian restaurant near us when I was in Michigan....it closed down within 6 months due to lack of customers. Apart from us, no one wanted Indian food. :(
I'd go with the fish and chip shop :)

Re: indian restaurant
 

And did they have a sprout-based menu?

Thought not. Case closed.

Re: indian restaurant
 

You're right...no sprouts on the menu that i can remember!
:rofl::rofl:

Re: indian restaurant
 

When you say Sprouts ... do you mean bean spourts Yuck or brussel sprouts Yum?

Re: indian restaurant
 

brussels for the wee stinky bloke in the corner :D

Re: indian restaurant
 

DARK WINTERS ????
Michigan is further south than the UK FFS :rofl:

It's not near the artic circle ... been there a few times ..in winter I might ad and it didnt get darker any earlier than here .. ask Gordon ! he lives in Kalamazoo.

Re: indian restaurant
 

Whoooooosh...... :rolleyes:

Re: indian restaurant
 

Thanx guys for all response. So i guess all you expats out there would prefer The good old chippy :thumbup:

any ideas on which area to open in michigan??

Re: indian restaurant
 

wow..what a question! Michigan is a large (ish) State and the further north you go the less populated it is. But there are also vacation spots ...if you don't know the State very well I would suggest you visit to get a feel of the place before you invest large amounts of cash in a State that has suffered terribly due to the fall in the economy.:(

Re: indian restaurant
 

The little known southern outpost of Michigan, Virginia Beach.

Re: indian restaurant
 

:rofl:

Re: indian restaurant
 

if michigan economy messed up more than other us states were would fellow members suggest i open my CHIPPY!!
:)

Re: indian restaurant
 

I already told you.

Re: indian restaurant
 

Brighton

Re: indian restaurant
 

dude.

you need to really think about this.

you haven't got the foggiest.

As you know Michigan is surrounded by the great lakes. Perch is the fish of choice.

Whilst I'd love a big slab of North Sea Cod for a change with my pomme frites, it's not economically viable to fly it in for the little demand and it would be very expensive compared to the local fish you can get here.

And as for Pies and what not, are Hollands going to fly you in a couple of chicken and mushroom every day just for your shop?

So if you do fish and chips with Lake Perch, you'll be like every single Applebee's, TGI Fridays, Brewpub, Family restaurant in the country...........

I hate to break it to you in harsh terms, but this is an epic fail before you've even started.

Your not opening a fish and chip shop. your not getting an E2.

Re: indian restaurant
 

so what you saying is that you cant get cod in michigan?? i know you can buy it there as i have seen it, its also lot cheaper than the u.k:frown:

Re: indian restaurant
 

oooh you can get cod............ it's just not chippy cod.

Overfishing, spurred by subsidies to fishermen by the Canadian and US governments keep the price relatively low, even though there is relatively no cod left off the Grand Banks and Newfoundland.........
hence the rise in Tilapia in recent years........

But of course you already knew that because you've researched this and didn't come back from vacation with your sister, wake up and thought "I want to move to America, I'll just open a chippy and everything will be hunky dory"



I'm asking this, if you use local fish, what will set you apart from other US restaurants that do fish and chips.

Re: indian restaurant
 

Manc is being blunt, but realistic. Michigan is twice the size of England, and you're asking a bunch of strangers where in the state to put your chip shop? Frankly, you don't sound like an international businessman. Most new restaurants fail in a year or two, and don't think the folks who hand out E2 visas don't know that.

Re: indian restaurant
 

OP, imo you'd be better off researching an area that has a "high" ex pat population/vacationers, although if you head somewhere like Orlando (which is the first place that comes to my mind) then I think you'll find that someone has already beat you to it :ohmy:
I just can't imagine your idea flying in MI. Ever thought about Canada? It's on the US border near MI (sorry for stating the obvious re the geography) and I know that the chippy van just over the border from where we lived in MI did a roaring trade, but that was several years ago.

Re: indian restaurant
 

if he just wants a traditional English carry out chippy,

anywhere with lots of singles and apartments or a University town.

where people don't want to cook or grab a bite to eat when the bars are closed.

somewhere like Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti for example.

but I still think it is a none starter to be honest......

places like Buffalo Wild Wings and the like will be very hard to compete with........... especially those places where you can down pints and eat at the same time.

Re: indian restaurant
 

I agree Manc, but if he's determined to do it and wants to live near his sister then I thought Canada might be the better option...but Ann Arbor/Ypsi or even Lansing might work...if he does more research!!

Re: indian restaurant
 

I've considered opening a Pie and Pasty shop in somewhere like Wicker Park :)

Re: indian restaurant
 

You can find pasties in MI. The cornish brought them over when they emmigrated in the early 1900s to mine http://www.dobberspasties.com/v2/:)

Re: indian restaurant
 

I would come visit... if you could get a proper chippy though you'd see me whenever I could come!

To the OP - do it in MI near the IL border. Do it soon. Make it a proper UK style chippy, and I will ensure it is economically viable. If you could combine a good English Indian restaurant with the fish and chip shop, I will ensure it is profitable. If you also sell sprout dishes, I shall ensure a 15% IRR into perpetuity...