Restaurant · Guide Updated July 2026

Start a Restaurant or Food Business: Free Course Guide

The full course is free. No email address, no upsell, no catch. Over 85 videos that Wilson K Lee previously charged thousands of dollars for are now on YouTube, broken into playlists, with downloadable templates in a shared Google Drive.

Here is what is in the course, why it exists, and how to get the most out of it.

Why Wilson Released This Content for Free

When Wilson started in the food and beverage industry, five or six years before this release, there was no blueprint. Nobody was teaching the actual how, only the what. How do you calculate food cost? What margins should you aim for? What does it actually take to open a location, then another one?

All the information available online told you what to do. None of it told you how to do it properly.

That gap caused real, expensive mistakes. Wilson’s words: “tens and thousands of dollars of mistakes throughout my entire journey.” Those mistakes continued until he documented the process, systemized it, and built a framework. That framework is what took 720 Sweets from a single shop to a seven-location international ice cream chain, and ultimately to an acquisition.

Once the business sold and Wilson shifted careers, he kept getting emails. Operators asking how to take the first step. People who couldn’t afford to spend thousands on courses, just like he couldn’t when he was starting out. His response was to pull the gate down entirely and put everything on YouTube at no cost.

What the Course Actually Covers

The content is a full A-to-Z guide on building a profitable food business from scratch. Specifically, it covers:

• How to create a profitable restaurant from the ground up
• How to sell food online
• How to market in the food and beverage world
• How to calculate food cost and understand your margins
• The step-by-step process of opening and operating an F&B business

Every template Wilson used in building 720 Sweets is included. These are the same documents he charged for in the paid course. They are available as downloads through a Google Drive folder linked from the YouTube playlist descriptions.

One Important Caveat About the Content

The videos were recorded in 2020. Some specific figures, platform details, or market conditions may have shifted since then. Wilson flags this directly so you are not caught off guard.

The business fundamentals, food cost math, margin targets, marketing logic, systems thinking, none of that has changed. The core framework is as applicable in 2026 as it was when it was recorded. Just apply current numbers where relevant. For example, as of 2026, opening a full restaurant in the US runs roughly $727,000 to $1,211,500, with a planning rule of having about 1.4 times your total build cost in cash before you sign a lease.

Use the course for the framework. Do your own current research on any vendor pricing, platform fees, or local regulations.

How the Content Is Organized

The 99 videos are broken into playlists on YouTube. Each playlist has a description telling you exactly what you will take away from that set of lessons. You do not have to watch everything in one sitting. Pick the playlist that matches your current question, watch those lessons, and use the templates alongside them.

The Google Drive folder holds all the downloadable documents. If you cannot find the link, go to the description of the main playlist video on YouTube.

Every Lesson, In Order

Both courses are below, lesson by lesson. Nothing is gated and there is no email wall. Start at lesson 1 of whichever course matches what you are building.

Profitable Restaurant Academy (56 lessons)

The full restaurant course. Concept, numbers, build-out, team, and opening.

Watch the whole playlist on YouTube

• How To Start A Profitable Restaurant: Timeline & Overview — watch
• 1.1 7 Deadly Mindsets That Will Kill Your Restaurant Business — watch
• 1.2 How To Start A Restaurant Business PROPERLY — watch
• 1.3 How To Overcome the HARDEST Restaurant Business Obstacles — watch
• 1.4 3 Alter Egos To Build A Successful Restaurant Business — watch
• 1.5 How To Create Your Restaurant Business Team Structure — watch
• 1.6 How To Craft Your Restaurant Business Blueprint — watch
• 2.1 How To Pick Your Winning Restaurant Business Concept — watch
• 2.2.1 The 4 Money-Making Restaurant Business Concepts — watch
• 2.2.2 Choose The Concept That Matches Your Unique Lifestyle — watch
• 2.3 How to Find Your Perfect Restaurant Business Location — watch
• 2.4.1 5 Pitfalls To Avoid When Creating A Customer Avatar — watch
• 2.4.2 How to Craft Your Restaurant Business Customer Avatar — watch
• 2.5 How To Get Into The Minds Of Your Restaurant Customers — watch
• 2.6.1 How To Create A Winning & Profitable Restaurant Menu — watch
• 2.6.2 6 Restaurant Menu Design Hacks To Increase Revenue — watch
• 2.7 How To Stand Out From Your Restaurant Competitors — watch
• 2.8 How To To Dominate The Competitive Restaurant Industry — watch
• 2.9 How To Validate Your Restaurant Business’ Mind Space — watch
• 3.1.1 How To Negotiate Free Rent For Your Restaurant Business — watch
• 3.1.2 How To Negotiate Things Other Than Free Rent — watch
• 3.2 How To Assemble Your Restaurant Business Build Out Team — watch
• 3.3 How To Source Your Signature Recipe For Your Restaurant — watch
• 3.4.1 12 Essential Restaurant Branding Assets To Create — watch
• 3.4.2 How To Find Good Designers For Your Restaurant Business — watch
• 4.1 How To Forecast Your Restaurant Business Revenue — watch
• 4.2 How Much To Invest To Start Your Restaurant Business — watch
• 4.3 Why The Number Of Restaurant Seats Matter For Your Business — watch
• 4.4 Variable Costs vs. Fixed Costs: What’s The Difference — watch
• 4.5 How To Calculate Your Restaurant Business Break Even Point — watch
• 4.6 How To Price Your Restaurant Menu PROPERLY — watch
• 4.7 How To Create Your Restaurant Business Financial Plan — watch
• 5.1 How To Attract Top Talent For Your Restaurant Business — watch
• 5.2 How To Hire Your ALL-STAR Restaurant Team — watch
• 5.3 How To Train Your Restaurant Staff With Ease — watch
• 5.4 6 Ways To Reduce Staff Turnover In Your Restaurant Business — watch
• 6.1.1 How To Build Your Restaurant Marketing Channels — watch
• 6.1.2 How To Grow Your Restaurant Marketing With Lead Magnets — watch
• 6.2.1 3 Types Of Marketing Content That Customers Love — watch
• 6.2.2 How To Create Content FAST For Your Restaurant — watch
• 6.3.1 How To Craft Your Restaurant Launch Campaign (Part 1) — watch
• 6.3.2 How To Craft Your Restaurant Launch Campaign (Part 2) — watch
• 6.4 4 Golden Pillars To Attract Consistent Restaurant Customers — watch
• 6.5 How To Create A Loyalty Program For Your Restaurant — watch
• 6.6.1 How To Seek Your 1000 Loyal Fans For Your Restaurant Pt 1 — watch
• 6.6.2 How To Seek Your 1000 Loyal Fans For Your Restaurant Pt 2 — watch
• 7.1.1 3 Tactics To Position Your Restaurant For Growth — watch
• 7.1.2 2 Advanced Restaurant Marketing Tactics For MORE Growth — watch
• 7.2.1 How To Get Free Press For Your Restaurant Business — watch
• 7.2.2 How To Craft Irresistible Press Releases To Get Coverage — watch
• 7.3 How To Increase Restaurant Sales With Food Delivery — watch
• 7.4.1 How To Get More Social Media Followers W/ Viral Contests — watch
• 7.4.2 How To Skyrocket Your Restaurant With Viral Contests — watch
• 7.5 3 Reasons Why Promotions Could Bankrupt Your Restaurant — watch
• 7.6.1 360 Ads: How To Grow Your Restaurant With Paid Ads — watch
• 7.6.2 How To Set Up Your 360 Ads For Your Restaurant Business — watch

Foodiepreneur’s Finest Program (43 lessons)

The food business course. Start here if you are not opening a full restaurant.

Watch the whole playlist on YouTube

• 1.1 The Roadmap To Start A Successful Food Business — watch
• 1.2 How To Get Set Up Your Food Business Right — watch
• 1.3 Legal Requirements To Start Your Food Businesses — watch
• 1.4 How To Leverage Food Delivery Apps For Your Food Business — watch
• 2.1 How To Find Ideas & Inspiration For Your Food Business — watch
• 2.2 How To Choose The RIGHT Food Product To Sell — watch
• 2.3 How To Add Variety To Your Food Menu — watch
• 2.4 How To Identify Your Client Avatar For Your Food Business — watch
• 2.5 How To Research Your Competitors To Be Unbeatable — watch
• 2.6 How To Test Your Hero Item Before Launching Your Food Business — watch
• 2.7 How To Choose A Great Food Business Name — watch
• 3.1 How To Create Your Competitive Advantage And Dominate — watch
• 3.2 How To Package Your Food Products Right To Get More Sales — watch
• 3.3 How To Source Your Food Packaging Effectively & On Budget — watch
• 3.4 How To Calculate The Right Price For Your Food Product — watch
• 3.5 How To Craft Your Winning Food Menu — watch
• 4.1 How To Calculate Your Fixed Costs For Your Food Business — watch
• Food Business Variable Costs: Why Most Entrepreneurs Get This Wrong — watch
• 4.3 How To Determine Your Food Business Startup Costs — watch
• 4.4 How To Calculate Your Breakeven Point For Your Food Business — watch
• 5.1 How To Create Memorable Designs For Your Food Concept — watch
• 5.2 How To Find A Great Designer For Your Food Business — watch
• 5.3 How To Bring Your Food Business Designs To Life & Cheaply — watch
• 6.0 2 Ways To Set Up Your Instagram Food Business — watch
• 6.1 Ultimate Guide To Successful Food Business Operations — watch
• 6.2.1 How To Take Food Orders On Instagram For Free — watch
• 6.2.2 How To Take Food Orders On Instagram (Paid Option) — watch
• 6.3 How To Choose The Best Payment System For Your Food Business — watch
• 6.4 How To Fullfill Your Food Orders FAST & WELL — watch
• 6.5 How To Set Up Your Instagram Shop (Paid - Shopify Only) — watch
• Boost Your Food Business Orders With Instagram Profile Tweaks — watch
• 7.2 How To Create Instagram Highlights Easily & Effectively — watch
• 8.1 How To EASILY Create Social Media Content For Your Food Business — watch
• 8.2 How To EASILY Plan Your Food Photoshoot — watch
• 9.1 How To Pick Best Instagram Hashtags To Grow Your Food Business — watch
• 9.2 How To Save Time By Scheduling Instagram Content — watch
• 10.1 How To Get Your First Customer By Pre-Launching — watch
• 11.1 How To Work With Influencers To Promote Your Business For Free — watch
• 11.2 How To Run Instagram Contest Giveaways And Grow Your Following — watch
• 12.1 How To Leverage Holiday Campaigns To Grow Your Food Business — watch
• 13.1 Simple Proven Templates To Begin Work With Influencers — watch
• 13.2 How To Get Press For Your Food Business — watch
• 13.3 How To Land Brand Deals That Attract More Customers — watch

Who This Course Is Built For

Wilson built this from direct operating experience. He was not a consultant who advised restaurants from the outside. He opened a shop, made expensive mistakes, fixed them, built systems, then opened six more locations across two countries, and sold the chain. The course reflects that firsthand experience.

If you are considering opening your first food business, whether a restaurant, a dessert shop, a food truck, or an online food brand, the fundamentals in this course apply. The context is mostly brick-and-mortar retail food, drawn from the ice cream and dessert world, but food cost math, margin targets, and operational systems work the same way across formats.

If you are 13 years old dreaming about a food truck one day, the most useful thing you can do right now is start learning these fundamentals and yes, start saving. The costs are real and significant. The earlier you understand the numbers, the better prepared you will be when the time comes.

What Wilson Asks in Return

Nothing financial. His only ask is this: if you find the content valuable, leave a comment on the video so he knows it is helping people. That feedback tells him the resource is worth keeping available.

No email. No subscription. No paid tier. The templates, the videos, the framework, all of it is free.

The Bottom Line

The single biggest reason food businesses fail in the first year is not bad food. It is a missing framework: no understanding of food cost, no system for tracking margins, no plan for what opening week actually looks like. Wilson built that framework the hard way, through costly mistakes running 720 Sweets to seven locations. He then packaged it into a paid course, and he has now released all of it for free because he wishes someone had done the same for him. Use it. The knowledge is there. The only variable is whether you act on it.

Watch the full video

Source — YouTube · the full breakdown, free

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