Restaurant mission statement examples

A restaurant’s mission statement will help define its identity as a business. Creating one will allow you to evaluate and think critically about all the goals you have set that go beyond just serving delicious food. Mission statements help fuel and govern any decisions made within your business, while inspiring customers and setting values for your employees to adhere to. 

So whether you’re looking to open a new restaurant, or updating your overall brand, it’s important to have a restaurant mission statement. 

What is a restaurant mission statement?

Before putting your mission into writing, consider these questions:

• How does your restaurant differ from your competitors? 
• What is the purpose of your restaurant?
• Why did you open a restaurant?

These are precisely the kind of questions that a restaurant mission statement should seek to answer. 

At the core of it, a restaurant mission statement should explain why your business exists. It should touch on and explain the wider purpose of your restaurant. 

More often than not, mission statements will be paired with the company values and vision.  Together these principles will describe everything your restaurant stands for. 

Aim for short and sweet: restaurant mission statements ought to be summed up in a few sentences.  

Why does your restaurant need a mission statement?

Having a clear mission statement will make sure that your business never sways off track from your original goal and vision. Taking the time to develop this mission statement can be beneficial in many areas of the business, and can help to guide future business decisions.  

Hiring the right team

Having a public restaurant mission statement can help you attract potential employees that will match your culture and vision for the future. 

During the hiring process, it will be beneficial for the business to hire candidates who align with the values of the mission statement.  

It gives your team direction 

The guiding principles for restaurant businesses are; mission, vision and values. When establishing a restaurant, these principles will be applied in all business decisions, all the way from your brand, suppliers and your team.  

Having your mission statement in place will make sure both your leadership team and employees will know what direction the business is heading. They will have an understanding of exactly what your establishment will offer its customers - and, ultimately, why it exists.  

Differentiate your business from the competition

The hospitality industry has fierce competition. Having a mission statement will help you identify why customers should choose your business over another.  

For example, you may want to establish yourself as only using locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. From viewing your mission statement, customers will know why they are paying more, and studies have revealed that 73% of people would accept higher prices when choosing consistent and quality ingredients.  

How to write a restaurant mission statement

There is no hard-and-fast formula to use when creating a restaurant mission statement.  

Taking a look at some of the examples we have included you will see that they can range from a couple of words, to a couple of sentences.  

Get started with the following questions:

• What kind of restaurant do I plan to open?
• What will my venue do differently to others?
• What kind of restaurant do I not want to be?
• What unique value do I offer customers?
• What value do I offer the community?
• What is the restaurant's overall goal? For customers, employees, managers and owners. 

Example

A very basic way to get started is to talk about what your mission is as a verb. 

• Our mission is to (insert verb here)
• Our mission is to make guests laugh
• Our mission is to share our culture and traditional recipes with our customers 

With that basic statement including a verb, you can expand on it with your wider business values. 

• Our mission is to be the most sustainable restaurant by choosing local ingredients, composting food waste and eradicating single-use packaging items. 
• Our mission is to create the most family-friendly restaurant in Brisbane by offering great food at affordable prices, friendly service and by offering child-friendly services.  

Review the competition

One of the best places to start when looking to write your restaurant mission statement is to get inspired by the competition. Seeking out restaurants that have a similar mission to yours can inspire your creativity and give you a solid starting point.  

It’s also wise to check out the mission statement of successful and famous restaurants in your area. There could be some tips or secrets that you could incorporate into your mission statement. 

Consider your future customers

Who is your target audience? What will those customers be searching for in a dining experience? What do those people value in their lives and the establishments they frequent? 

These are all important factors to consider when drafting your mission statement. Whether your customer demographic is students, business workers or families, the statement will reflect their desires.  

Make it unique

There is a difference between being inspired by, and directly copying, a restaurant mission statement. You want to distinguish yourself from the competition and give them the impression that your establishment is unique and fresh to the market.  

You want your mission statement to sum up your vibe, communicate your culture to customers. This is why you don’t want to follow other mission statements and craft your own unique take that expresses what you’re aiming to do.  

Restaurant Mission Statements Examples 

Fast Food Restaurant Mission Statements

1. McDonald’s: We’re Here to Feed and Foster communities. We know there’s a big difference between being in a community, and being part of one. That’s why we work every day to make a positive impact on the thousands of places we call home.
2. Krispy Kreme: To make the most awesome doughnuts on the planet every single day.
3. 7-Eleven: A success story fueled by customers’ needs.  “Give the customers what they want, when and where they want it.”

Cafe Mission Statement examples 

1. Starbucks: To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time.
2. Blackstar Coffee Roasters, Brisbane, Australia: Blackstar’s Vision is to stimulate the transition to sustainability. To caffeinate the movement towards a sustainable economy.

Casual Dining Restaurant Mission Statements 

1. Riceboi Sunshine Coast, Australia: Always fresh, always local, Rice Boi is your go-to Japanese Izakaya feel dive bar.
2. Chipotle: Real ingredients, real purpose, real flavor.
3. Sweetgreen, Various locations worldwide: We believe the choices we make about what we eat, where it comes from and how it's prepared have a direct and powerful impact on the health of individuals, communities and the environment.

Fine Dining restaurant mission statement 

1. City Winery (Brisbane, AU) A Winery in the heart of the city. City Winery Brisbane is a working micro-winery sourcing grapes from across Australia's key growing regions, bringing them to the city where Winemaker Dave Cush will create delicious wine. 
2. L'Enclume, Cumbria: Expect the best seasonal and local ingredients, handled with passion and creativity. 
3. The Fat Duck, Berkshire: The Fat Duck is a restaurant unlike any other, a place where food is not what it seems. We focus on providing a high quality gastronomical and multi sensory experience focused on innovation and consistency.

Pub Mission Statements 

1. Stalwart Brewery, Sunshine Coast Australia: The Stalwart Brewing Company dream is to provide a consistent, high quality range of ales to the community using great tasting Sunshine Coast hinterland water, fresh grain, hops and yeast in every batch. No preservatives or additives. Just love and dedication in every hand crafted brew. 
2. The Half Moon, Herne Hill UK: We take pride in offering some of the finest food in Herne Hill. Our superb dishes throughout the week are prepared using the finest seasonal ingredients, which we source locally wherever possible.

Family Friendly Restaurant mission statements 

1.  The Cheesecake Factory: To create an environment where absolute guest satisfaction is our highest priority.
2. Nando’s, various locations worldwide: Our main aim is to simply create memorable experiences for everyone who has a bit (or a lot) of Nando’s in their life – our customers, communities, founders and suppliers.

Looking for a Point of Sale System to get you started on your restaurant journey? 

Your point of sale system is the heartbeat of your business. The POS system you choose will also need to align with your values. 

• Integrate with over 100+ business tools to facilitate better marketing, improved customer loyalty, and simplify accounting
• Accept credit, debit, gift cards, and contactless payments
• Manage your store from anywhere with 24/7 cloud access

Speak to an experienced Epos Now consultant to learn more about the system today!