What should I check before buying a Korean BBQ restaurant?

A Korean BBQ restaurant runs differently from most dining rooms. Guests cook at the table, so the grills, the ventilation and the way meat is prepared and portioned matter as much as the menu. Ask to spend a full service in the kitchen and on the floor before you decide anything. The checks below focus on what is particular to this format, on top of the usual financial and lease review.

Table grills, exhaust and the dining room

Count the grills and ask who owns them. Some are fixtures of the room, some are leased. Ask how old the exhaust and make-up air systems are, who services them, and what the inspection and cleaning history looks like. Tabletop cooking puts heavy demands on ventilation, and replacing ductwork can be a large job. Ask your lawyer how the lease treats alterations to the exhaust.

Meat supply and butchery skill

Find out who supplies the meat, whether there is a written arrangement, and whether supplier terms carry over to a new owner. Ask who cuts and marinates, and whether that person is staying. A kitchen that depends on one skilled butcher carries a key-person risk; ask whether there are written specifications that any trained cook can follow. Watch trim yield and waste in the records.

Banchan, prep labour and the pricing format

Side dishes take daily prep, and they are served in volume whether or not a table orders much meat. Ask how many hours of prep the kitchen needs and who does it. If the restaurant sells all-you-can-eat, ask how the owner tracks waste and how often the format has changed. Compare the posted menu with what tables actually order.

Questions to put to the seller

• Which equipment is owned, leased or financed, and what stays?
• Which staff run the grill line and the prep, and are they staying?
• Are the marinade and sauce recipes written down, and are they included?
• What do the health inspection reports say, and how were problems handled?