Opening a restaurant is no easy feat, especially in hard economic times. But it’s not impossible, as three new Valley restaurants are out to prove.

Bombay Spice Grill & Wine Photography by Jason Millstein

SOMEWHERE, IN THEIR HEART OF HEARTS, a surprising number of otherwise rational people dream about opening a restaurant. It’s not just the pros, either, though there are plenty of them.
It might be the gregarious doctor who loves food and takes cooking classes for relaxation. Doc imagines a small, candlelit bistro. He’ll greet his friends, share glasses of wine with them, occasionally go back to the kitchen, take over for the chef and whip up a potato galette. Then there’s the accomplished home cook and hostess, whose dinner guests rapturously urge her to preside over a real restaurant of her own.
Most of the time, however, this foodie fantasy proves to be the impossible dream. The reality of opening a restaurant is daunting on every level. It’s an arduous process that takes a solid concept and loads of money. How much money? It varies wildly. Probably the wisest words on the subject come from chef Alan Zeman, godfather of Tucson cuisine and former owner of Fuego restaurant. Zeman says flatly, “The way to make a small fortune in the restaurant business is to start out with a big one.”

Restaurants generally are financed by the owner or investors, or by borrowing from an institution (almost impossible in strained economic times). Once the money is there, the owner needs a huge grab bag of traits – a knack for choosing a location and negotiating a lease or purchase price, endless time and patience, flexibility, commitment, organizational skills, talent, imagination and business savvy.
Every restaurant opening is different; yet, essentially they all are the same. The process can involve building from the ground up or taking over an existing building and making minor or major changes. Some restaurants are meant to be one-of-a-kind; some are intended to become a franchise; and others are re-workings of existing restaurants.
This is an overview of three of those restaurants. PastaBar is a brand-new, contemporary Italian baby in Downtown Phoenix. Bombay Spice Grill & Wine, a homegrown, fast-casual Indian eatery, is poised to expand to other markets. What was originally The Foodbar in Old Town Scottsdale has been re-tooled and re-opened as Metro Brasserie. Here’s how they managed to turn their dreams into reality.