How do I sell an Indian restaurant?

A buyer of an Indian restaurant is buying a kitchen as much as a room. The flavours that bring guests back live in recipes, spice blends and the habits of the people cooking. If that knowledge sits in one person’s head, a careful buyer will notice. Start your preparation there.

Get the recipes and spice blends on paper

Write down the main sauces, marinades and spice blends, with quantities and methods that a competent cook could follow. Note which blends you mix in house and which come from a supplier. Ask your lawyer how recipes should be dealt with in the sale agreement. Ask whether you can offer a period of training after closing, so the first weeks of cooking feel familiar to regular guests.

Document the tandoor and the specialty equipment

List the tandoor, the ventilation over it, the fryers, the steam tables and any specialty equipment, with age and condition. Say plainly which items are owned and which are leased. A buyer or a lender will want to see that the heavy cooking equipment is in working order and that nothing on the list is tied up in a financing agreement.

Show how much depends on the chef

Buyers ask who cooks, how long they have been there and whether they plan to stay. If you are the chef, say so honestly and explain how the kitchen could run without you. If you have a team, introduce it at the right stage and talk to your lawyer about what you may share, and when, under a confidentiality agreement.

Keep catering, buffet and takeout records separate

Many Indian restaurants earn from more than the dining room: lunch buffets, catering for events, takeout and delivery apps. Keep each stream clear in your books so a buyer can see where sales come from, and so your accountant can explain them. Also gather supplier accounts for specialty groceries, since a buyer will want to know who can be called on day one.

• Written recipes and spice blend methods.
• Equipment list with ownership and condition.
• Sales records split by dining room, takeout, delivery apps and catering.
• Supplier list and a plan for training the new owner.

The buyer-side view is in what to check before buying an Indian restaurant.