Wanting to open a Chinese/Asian Restaurant

Hi there I've been to Turkey twice and found out that the Asian food there is not up to par and really expensive.
Just wondering how hard is it to open a restaurant in Turkey?

What are usual average wage for a non skilled worker?

What are the average Rental of a Shophouse?

Most Asian food in Turkey is very bland, do local people actually like bland Asian food?

Thx in advance
-@ferdynando88

That fully depends. Do you speak Turkish? Or do you speak no Turkish? If you speak no Turkish you will need to then hire atleast a translator or workers who speak English.

A non-skilled worker right now minimum wage gets paid 5,500 a month. But this will be going up in the future according to the government. This is for a worker who speaks all Turkish, and no English.

It depends. If you're speaking about starting a restaurant in a tourist area of Istanbul like taksim square, etc you can expect to pay thousands of dollars a month. If you're starting it in a smaller city, or a less known area of Istanbul then it will be far less. It all depends on the location and area that you want to start your restaurant in.

Most Turks only like Turkish food. This is mostly only because they like to eat from Turks, and they don't like to frequent foreign restaurants too much. This is mostly to their xenophobia. So, I would be very careful about running a restaurant. I have seen Pakistani, Bangladeshi, etc all start their restaurants in very good areas of Istanbul even some in Taksim square and go out of business a year later because they don't get any customers.

Turkish food in general is very bland, and they don't use a lot of different spices, and flavors compared to Arabs, or Asians, etc.

Even if you find restaurants in Turkey like American pizza, or Italian pizza, etc 95% chance its a turk running it, and it is nothing like it is from the USA, or Italy, etc. They all change the food, and they all make it in a Turkish version of it which most of the time is less tasty.

You will find most of the popular foreign restaurants are those that serve alcohol, and that are more upscale dining like Italian restaurants, or french restaurants, etc.

In my personal opinion I have only seen some foreign restaurants that serve alcohol do well in Ankara that where high end, and expense, and had many of the socialites, and politicans dining and eating there. Almost every single other restaurant that was foreign owned in Istanbul, or Izmir, etc I have seen them all eventually go out of business or make very little money where it is not even really worth owning the restaurant. It is not making them rich like if you owned a restaurant in the USA, or Europe.

Most of the Arab restaurants that are successful in Turkey are because they are in heavily arab populated areas, or an area with alot of arab customers, and the same can be said for the Afghan, or Pakistani restaurants. Now with many Pakistanis, and Afghans not being allowed into Turkey, and not being granted ikhemets. Most of them have went out of business.

@ferdynando88

hello there I am a big fan of asian food and traveled a lot and ate in many different countries. And you are so right in turkey asian food is very very bad.

I can assist you about this subject.

I am in contact with many chefs, restaurants owners and real estate people.

you can always text m

im deniz

There are rules around opening a business as a foreigner in turkey namely the international labor law which greatly regulates the area. It's best to consult a professional as a due diligence matter.

I would love to see an Indian or Chinese restaurant in Mahmutlar, as I understand some of the residents would also appreciate this as well.

Remains to be seen how often owners will go, but if good we would go once per week I would think.

Good restaurants around, but choice is limited.

My first view is that a clever Turkish entrepeneur could hire somehow a good Indian cook and facilitate Western European clients, but also Russians, reputation however is important, screw up at the start and you spoil it. Also important is to have a website from the start (not facebook and alikem but a real website (people (older with money can look at).

As for me, I am happy to pay for good food and service, but I hate travelling, it has to be in walking distance.

Mentioned before loads of good restaurants, Jack's, Friends, Toros, Antep,... in total 7 or 8 restaurants which we would like to go, but I am Dutch and I miss certain food and components.

In a way it is sad, but I take my own spicy sauce to restaurants (to mix especially with my soup (but from time to time also with main), restaurant owners know me by now and have no alternative.

Good that there is Amazon (Amazon Turkey does not offer this, but Germany does)

Good profit to be made, starting an own business is difficult for a foreigner, but starting as a very well paid cook is not too bad I think. (after a few years ....)