Restaurant Opening Advice From Food & Wine’s 2026 Best New Chefs

Late light slants through tall arched windows onto a herringbone floor. Black pendant lamps hang over empty tables, and a bright painting glows on the wall. No guest has arrived yet. This is the quiet before service, and it is where the best Restaurant Opening Advice begins.

Food & Wine asked its 2026 class of Best New Chefs what they wish they had known before opening. Erika Adams gathered their answers. They cover money, stress, patience and identity. Together they form practical Tips for opening a restaurant, from people who have done it.

The magazine is blunt about the task. Opening a restaurant means a staggering financial commitment and years of planning. It also means countless hours spent on permits and building out the space. These are the Restaurant opening challenges every owner faces.

Patience Comes First in Restaurant Opening Advice

Melissa López of Barra Santos in Los Angeles gave the simplest lesson. "Be patient with yourself," she said. "It’s not all going to come at once." The words matter because new owners often expect everything to work on day one.

Rishi Kumar of Mirra in Chicago said he wants to execute at a very high level, and he wants it immediately. His advice to himself was gentler. "Have a little patience. Things will always fall into place," he said. He wished someone would tell him, "You don’t have to put that much pressure on yourself."

The Long Hours Nobody Can Fully Describe

Carlos Delgado of Causa in Washington, D.C. knew the hours would be long. "It’s going to be long hours," he said. What surprised him was what came next. "I didn’t know that it was going to become a compulsion to try to do more and keep working," he said.

That admission changes the meaning of the work. The hours are not only a burden. They can become a habit that is hard to switch off. It is one of the Restaurant owner lessons that rarely appears in a business plan.

Trust Your Gut When the Plan Falls Apart

Zubair Mohajir of Mirra in Chicago pointed to the pandemic. His team was cooking in a ghost kitchen of 285 square feet. Guests sent notes through DoorDash special instructions. They told the team not to quit.

His advice to his younger self was to do exactly what he did. He followed his heart and trusted that hard work would pay off. "I wouldn’t change a thing about it," he said. It is a reminder that instinct can carry a kitchen through a crisis.

Money: The Most Practical Restaurant Opening Advice

Gian Carlo Reinardy of The Paper Bridge in Portland, Oregon, had a clear message about cash. "Overbudget on the amount of working capital for the start," he said. This is central to Restaurant working capital and good Restaurant financial planning.

He explained why. "You always think you have enough," he said. Small purchases before and after opening eat away at the budget. That makes the finances stressful while a business is still finding its feet. His last tip was simple. "Also, buy more extension cords."

Breathe, and Let the Reviews Pass

Quynh Nguyen, also of The Paper Bridge, urged calm. "Don’t take the stress too seriously," she said. Some problems cannot be fixed right away. A step back and a fresh look often help. In her words, everything gets solved eventually.

Cybille St. Aude Tate of Honeysuckle in Philadelphia had a firm view on criticism. "Have thicker skin. We don’t read the reviews," she said. Her colleague Omar Tate put it in musical terms. "I’m not gonna respond to your diss track," he said.

Embrace Who You Are

Masako Morishita of Perry’s in Washington, D.C. shared a personal story. Early in her career, people told her not to mention she had been a cheerleader. They said she would not be taken seriously. She believed them for a long time.

Later she changed her mind. "Embrace everything you experienced in the past," she said. Her message to her younger self was direct. "Be confident in who you are." It is Advice for new restaurant owners that has nothing to do with spreadsheets.

A Fair Look at the Advice

A balanced reading is useful. These chefs are winners of a major honour. Their advice comes from success, not from the many restaurants that close. No failure rates, budget figures or opening costs were shared. Each lesson is personal, not proven.

The chefs also do not agree on everything. Kumar admits he likes the pressure he puts on himself. Delgado sees the drive to keep working as both a strength and a trap. Restaurants can also depend on things outside a chef's control. A lease is one example, as in the story of Raas in Lewes and its historic building listed for sale.

What the Empty Room Knows

An empty dining room holds a great deal of hope. Every chair is waiting for someone, and every lamp is ready to be switched on. The Best New Chefs 2026 remember that feeling, and they remember how much they did not know.

Their Restaurant Opening Advice comes down to a few human ideas. Be kind to yourself, count the money twice and keep your own voice. The room will fill eventually. What matters is who is standing in it when the first guest walks through the door.

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