Restaurant Planning, Design, and Construction: A ... (ISBN 0471136980)

Excellent Reference for a Zero start-up !:
I strongly recommend this book for those who tend to open up a restaurant with a little Food & Beverage / Administration experience and have many ideas but has difficulties in putting things together and most importantly; who are under the influence of friends, family, etc. This book theoratically teaches you how you should plan and who you should really listen to and take into consideration of what they are saying ! As a Food & Beverage person in the industry, I have made many Restaurant openings and in some parts of the book, I reminisced those typical mistakes we all face when we were amateurs. Despite it has a high purchase price, it is value for the money.

Clear and Precise:
The manual has been helpful to me in figuring out where to start and the best order in which to proceed. Although it can be a bit dry at times, being a textbook manual, I have very little complaints. Very useful just for the start-up cost list alone. Katz really leaves no stone unturned, I have been carrying this around and making notes left and right. Also, has been helpful in bolstering my confidence before heading into the foray of contractors, plumbers and designers. I will be curious to see how I feel about this book in a year from now, but at this time in the planning stages, it is very reassuring and insightful.

Qualified Contractor:
Great book, but if anyone is seriously going to invest a good deal of capital on their restaurant, you should go with a contractor that has been doing it for years. My brother used Certified Construction for his business, and it worked out great. I hope this helps... certifiedconstruction.com