We've gotten this far, and now it's time for the final lesson: how to hit the ground running, and how to know if it's time to stop. You're going to need to make sure that when you open, everything is running right, all the food looks and tastes as good as it can, and that little things like your exhaust fan work.

In essence, you need to do a trial run, known as a soft opening, a couple of days before your big day. You'll need to have enough people in your place to give you a feel for what a busy night will be like. As much thought as you've put into your space, there's every chance that customers will approach it in a very different way. If something clearly isn't working, you need to be ready to drop it, no matter how dear it is to you. If customers are repeatedly asking for something you don't have, it's important to give careful consideration to making changes to accommodate them. Learning whose voice to heed can be incredibly helpful in the early going.

If you haven't joined Facebook, Instagram or listed your restaurant on Google Maps or the like, get going. Do your best to make posts about your shop on a daily basis, if possible. Regardless of your feelings about people taking pictures of food, every time a customer posts a picture of your food, you're reaching new people. More than ever, you need to consider your presentation. Make sure your food looks good enough to take pictures of, and let your customers get the word out.