How to run a successful restaurant in Auckland,NZ? How about a mobile mini bus restaurant?

I am from Singapore, want to run an Asian cuisine restaurant. Do the local people love the seafood bbq?
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wellsfordpostshop

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I worked at a Chinese restaurant in Auckland,New Zealand. 
We were in a small shopping center with very little walk in traffic. If you came there for the most part, it was your destination. The best part of where we were is that we were on the road in to town, and there was a lot of grab dinner on the way home. The next part was the delivery which I did. So a lot of traffic you didn't see and very little eat in.
The employees were the husband and wife, their sisters and families. I was the only one not related. I worked 5 days a week, 4 or 5 hours a day and got $5 an hour cash plus tips. Got a free meal, half the time from the special menu, half the time what they went eating, which was served family style, each person with a bowl of rice.
Everything was made from scratch, as was said food costs are low. Very little waste. They made money on everything.
This one rented, the rental cost was higher than some but not outrageous. All the supplies came from an "uncle" in the city.
The one point made about not trying to make a lot of money is true, but making enough to live day to day with a few perks. As they usually are family, they cut both personal and business costs. They all lived in the same house, between the small group they worked most of the hours, shared a car, ate together usually at the restaurant, and didn't have a lot of what Americans call essentials. It's like a mom and pop store where they own the place, and live upstairs. The true American dream.

Reina

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My wife and I have a small Pizza Take-Out and Diner. Situated inside one our area's villages (subdivision/ suburb) with about more than five thousand families we survive mainly because of this noodle dish.

Yes, we do have items in the menu worth more than what these fried noodles cost but the profits are not as big. It is also true that we have more deliveries than "dine-in" customers. Most of our customers work or are opting to buy their food rather than prepare it themselves.

To reduce the manpower costs, my wife opens the shop and comes back pre-dinner time to help out leaving just the cashier/waitress with three delivery guys (runners/ waiters) cook, kitchen help and dishwasher. I man the phones on weekends when I don't have work. It is difficult work, getting able help especially in the kitchen is hard too so we do our best to keep our employees happy just so we could keep them. 

We are entering our third year, there are good and bad months. I just hope to be able to grow this business as I would, someday like to pass this on to my kids so they don't have to work for somebody else. 

We spend a decent amount of marketing investments on flyers and tarps. These are helpful. I do the layout myself to save on costs. Dine-in customers love it when they talk to us owners when they eat-in. 

I am open to suggestions on how to keep our business afloat so I hope you don't mind if I turn this answer into a question. (Like things to avoid, and things that we should be doing in order to save more on costs of operation. For now rent is cheap.)

Thank you!

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