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starting a restaurant with a new born baby

7 replies

juliapage · 27/07/2011 07:07

Hello,
We have just discovered that I am pregnant. We are also in the early stages of setting up a restaurant. I suspect that by the time the baby is born we will be just opening the restaurant. I have no idea how I will manage this. Does anyone have any experience with a similar situation or any advice they could offer me?
Thanks!

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fivegomadindorset · 27/07/2011 07:12

A friend of mine did it, she didn't see her baby very often, relied hugely on family to look after him and sold the lease on.

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juliapage · 27/07/2011 07:18

How soon did she sell the lease on? We'll only be getting started by then. Did she sell it on because it was just too much work?

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MoreBeta · 27/07/2011 07:24

I suspect this depends on whether you have had a baby before and whether you have had a restaurant before. If you have had a baby before and got childcare arangements in place and you are just going to be doing admin and generally keeping an eye on things it might not be too bad. If you have never had a baby before and you will be intending to work in the restaurant - I would say impossible.

Get yourself a full time nanny and an extra member of staff in the resturant for the first 6 months. Its the only way.

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fivegomadindorset · 27/07/2011 07:48

A year and yes, mind you her husband worked away two weeks on two weeks off, she did have staff but she could never do bed times, working late and then having to get up early with her baby. And used to do paperwork late at night so she could spend some time with him during the day. So yes you would need to let your DH get on with it, a nanny or extra staff.

I have au paired for a couple who ran a pub, that was the same, they did take two days off a week and were lucky that they lived next door so their children were in and out before the pub opened and they got a couple of hours with them in the afternoon, but it was still tough on the children.

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juliapage · 27/07/2011 08:10

My son is 17, so it's been a while! But I do know how the business works, having spent my university years working in restaurants. Also, we are a team of 3, so it's not just my husband & I who will have to do everything. My main concern is not being able to be hands on in the beginning, when it's most necessary. I guess, I could concentrate more on admin for the first 4 months. A full time nanny will be almost impossible from a financial point of view & we live abroad, so there's no family around to help us. I don't want to burden my son with too much either, as these are important school years.

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fivegomadindorset · 27/07/2011 08:26

We run a B&B, DS was born in the June, we took 10 days of, I can't remember much about that summer, DS had reflux so screamed alot and didn't sleep. We only do 3 rooms but were still very tired and stressed, he didn't sleep at night, he couldn't be put down as he screamed, had to run teh business around him and it was very difficult. What are you going to do with the baby when you and your DH are working? Admin yes you could do anything else unless you have childcare is going to be difficult.

Good luck.

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juliapage · 27/07/2011 12:47

Well, as we are 3 starting the restaurant, DH & I can rotate to certain extent. You say you had a difficult first year but are you still running the B&B? How are things now? How long did it take before it became a little easier? We'll have childcare, just not full time.