Help becoming the most awesome of restaurateurs

[Shieldbunny]

I have a character that, as a complete oversight by myself, forgot to spend his starting money. He actually carried all 20,000 around in a sack. Recently I've decided to have him start up a restaurant catering to Tanuki City's supernatural population, and am asking the experts what skills should he take to actually be a competent restaurateur?

Note: This came about on a whim, inspired by his uncontrollable appetite: human flesh disadvantage, but I now really want to do this right.

Thanks in advance.

[Kalzazz]

Cooking is a must

Also Leadership for inspiring minions to do work

Connouisier Food for determining food is good or not

Accounting for managing books

[Not]

Does sense smell/taste bonus help? Artist if you want to make pastry.

[Dalillama]

Merchant to push the goods will help. Possibly Professional Skill (Butcher), depending on how he sources his meats. (on that line, possibly also Stealth, Wrestling/Judo, and Knife)

[whswhs]

Cooking. Connoisseur (Cuisine). Artist (Interior Decorating). Current Affairs (High Culture or Travel). Savoir-Faire (High Society or Servant). All those will directly help him make the restaurant appeal to its patrons.

Administration. Merchant (Food and Liquor). Finance. Diplomacy. Accounting. Those will help him do the behind the scenes managerial stuff, from scheduling work shifts to negotiating with the union to getting loans.

You might want to look at Acting for assuming a persona, or Public Speaking for formal occasions or storytelling.

A few Contacts couldn't hurt, either. Maybe even a small group of highly skilled waitstaff as Allies.

And Wealth. If you want a small fortune, start with a large fortune and open a restaurant, the saying goes.

[aesir23]

Assuming you're going to hire people to cook, clean, serve, and manage the books, you should only need Merchant and Administration. Connoisseur would help if you insist on making the decisions about what is served and in what way, but you could leave that to your head chef.

No reason to try to do everything yourself.

[Buzzardo]

Administration comes into play when dealing with the government, too. From getting the proper licenses to passing the occasional health inspection and paying taxes, Administration figures into all of it.

Cooking is actually the one skill you don't need. Hire a chef. You need a bunch of cooks anyway, unless it's a tiny place. Hire consultants for anything that you'll do just once (or every few years), such as interior decorating.

Contacts at distributors (especially liquor) and within the government can go a long way to greasing the wheels for a restaurant.

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Buzzardo

... Cooking is actually the one skill you don't need. Hire a chef. You need a bunch of cooks anyway, unless it's a tiny place. ...

The character should have enough skill at Cooking (and Professional Skill: Bartender) to be able to tell whether things are going wrong, although one character point should suffice.

[Kalzazz]

Also you tend to want skill 12 for professional level

[Gnome]

Originally Posted by Shieldbunny

...a restaurant catering to Tanuki City's supernatural population...

You may need a few Hidden Lore skills to be familiar with the tastes of various supernatural denizens! Ask your GM what, if any, Hidden Lore specializations are available.