01Phase I
Business plan & feasibility
Concept, market, unit economics, capital plan. A document investors and lenders take seriously, and a model we hold ourselves to.
Deliverable · Investor-ready plan
Ideas, engineered for profit.
VenueLQ takes hospitality concepts from the first sketch to the first profitable quarter. One team handles the plan, the space, the build, the launch, and the numbers.
Hospitality consulting · Ottawa, Canada
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Hospitality consultants · Ottawa
Most consultants hand you a deck. We hand you the keys, the team, and a business that already works.
VenueLQ is a hospitality consultancy based in Ottawa that takes ideas all the way to profitable businesses. Restaurants, bars and lounges, hotels, salons, event venues: if guests walk through the door, we know how to build it.
We write the plan, find the space, handle the legal work, direct the architects and designers, run the construction, develop the menu, secure the permits, import the furniture and equipment, hire and train the team, automate the systems, and coach the managers until the numbers prove the idea.
What we do
Every stage. One accountable team.
Twelve stages, four phases, and the same people from the first spreadsheet to the first profitable month. Scroll to walk the build.
I
Concept & capital
Before a single wall moves, the numbers have to work.
02Phase I
Site & lease
We find the space, run the traffic and demographics, negotiate the lease and the landlord's work, and protect you in the fine print.
Deliverable · Signed lease
03Phase I
Legal & corporate
Incorporation, partnership and shareholder agreements, licensing structure, insurance. Set up once, set up properly.
Deliverable · Corporate structure
II
Design & build
Architects, designers and trades, run as one crew.
04Phase II
Architecture & interior design
We brief and direct the architects and interior designers so the design serves the concept, the flow of service, and the budget.
Deliverable · Issued-for-construction drawings
05Phase II
Permits & approvals
Building permits, liquor and food licences, health, fire, signage, patio. We file, chase, and answer every question so opening day isn't a paperwork question.
Deliverable · Permits in hand
06Phase II
Construction
Tendering, contractor selection, schedule, site supervision, holdbacks and change orders. We manage the build to the drawing and to the dollar.
Deliverable · Substantial completion
07Phase II
Furniture, fixtures & equipment
Sourcing and importing furniture, kitchen and bar equipment, lighting and smallwares, landed and installed on schedule.
Deliverable · Installed & commissioned
III
Launch
The menu, the people, and the systems that hold them together.
08Phase III
Menu & concept development
Award-calibre menus and beverage programs engineered for margin: costed, tested, and trained before the doors open.
Deliverable · Costed menu & recipes
09Phase III
Hiring & training
Managers, chefs, bartenders, front of house. Recruited, contracted and trained to a standard, with the HR paperwork done.
Deliverable · Opening team
10Phase III
Systems & automation
POS, reservations, inventory, payroll, scheduling, reporting. Wired together so the business runs on data, not memory.
Deliverable · Live operating stack
IV
Prove
We stay until the numbers say we're done.
11Phase IV
Management coaching
Weekly on-site coaching for your managers: service standards, labour and cost control, reading the P&L, leading a team.
Deliverable · Managers who run it
12Phase IV
Profitability & ongoing support
We stay through opening and the ramp-up until the business is proven profitable. After that, ongoing support is yours if you want it.
Deliverable · A proven business
Scroll to walk the build
What we build
If guests walk through the door, we build it.
01Restaurants & cafésFrom neighbourhood cafés to fine dining.
02Bars & loungesCocktail bars, speakeasies, wine bars, nightlife.
03Hotels & boutique stays
Boutique hotels, inns and serviced suites.
04Salons & spas
Hair, beauty, wellness and med-spa concepts.
05Event venues
Halls, private-dining rooms and multi-use spaces.
From neighbourhood cafés to fine dining.
02Bars & loungesCocktail bars, speakeasies, wine bars, nightlife.
03Hotels & boutique staysBoutique hotels, inns and serviced suites.
04Salons & spasHair, beauty, wellness and med-spa concepts.
05Event venuesHalls, private-dining rooms and multi-use spaces.
We stay until it's profitable.
One team, zero handoffs.
Plan, lease, legal, design, build, launch. Every stage is run by the same people who wrote the plan, so nothing is lost between consultants.
We build it. We open it. We run it in.
We are on site through construction, behind the pass on opening night, and in the office for the first P&L reviews.
Paid to prove it, not to present it.
The engagement doesn't end at the ribbon cutting. It ends when the business is proven profitable. Ongoing support is available after that.
Optional ongoing support: monthly performance reviews, menu refreshes, hiring, and expansion planning.
About us
The people behind the build.
Operators, builders, designers and finance people who have opened venues themselves and know what the first year actually looks like.
Questions
What owners and investors ask us first.
Where do you work?
VenueLQ is based in Ottawa, Ontario. Most of our projects are in the National Capital Region, and we take on hospitality projects elsewhere in Canada case by case. Tell us where the venue is and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right team for it.
How much does it cost to open a restaurant, bar, salon or venue?
It depends on the concept, the size and condition of the space, and how much the landlord contributes. The feasibility stage exists to answer this with a real number before you sign a lease or commit capital: a costed build budget, an opening budget, and a cash-flow model you can show a lender.
What does "until it's profitable" actually mean?
Our engagement doesn't end at opening. We stay through the ramp-up, coaching the managers and reviewing the numbers, until the business hits the profitability targets we agreed on in the plan. After that, ongoing support is optional.
I already have a location, or a business that's open. Can you still help?
Yes. We join at whatever stage you're at: a signed lease that needs a design and build, an opening that needs a menu and a team, or an operating business that needs systems, cost control and management coaching.
Do you work with investors as well as owners?
Yes. Our business plans are written for lenders and investors, and we can sit beside you when you present them. We also advise investors who want an experienced operator to build and prove a concept before they scale it.
Inquire
Bring your idea to life.
Tell us what you want to open. We reply within two business days with a first read on feasibility and a proposed next step.
- hello@venuelq.ca
- Studio
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Received. Thank you.
We'll come back to you within two business days. In the meantime, keep sketching.