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Free restaurant toolsGrowth & consistency

Restaurant Expansion Readiness Checklist

Identify which parts of your first location can travel to the next. Completing a checklist does not establish financial feasibility; it makes the operating gaps visible.

How to use this worksheet

  1. Review the current location before assessing the new one.
  2. Use documented evidence for each answer, including actual unit results.
  3. Use open items to plan work before committing to expansion.

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Your worksheet

Unit performance

01 / The current location has reliable unit-level reporting.

Separate unit results from group overhead consistently.

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02 / Expansion assumptions and cash needs have been reviewed.

Test a new location's assumptions rather than copying the flagship.

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Leadership

03 / The current location can operate without daily founder intervention.

Growth can expose existing dependencies.

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04 / A manager-development and escalation plan exists.

Define reporting and leadership capacity across stores.

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Standards

05 / Recipes, portions, and quality checks are documented.

Make standards trainable in a different kitchen.

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06 / New-hire training can be repeated across locations.

Include trainer responsibilities and sign-off.

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07 / Core SOPs have been tested by the team.

Confirm documents match actual shifts.

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Purchasing & information

08 / Supplier and substitution standards can support the next location.

Check coverage, specifications, and delivery limitations.

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09 / Location metrics use consistent definitions.

Compare like with like across stores.

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Launch

10 / The next-location opening plan has owners and dates.

Include systems, hiring, training, and mock service.

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