Opening a restaurant is difficult even for professionals. I had a neighbor who was managing one of the more successful restaurants at the Mall of America, who decided he wanted to do his own thing. He bought a restaurant in the downtown of our small suburb and spent months renovating it. I don't think it was open more than 3 months before he threw in the towel and declared personal bankruptcy.
> Even though their pizza isn't really as good as the fancy pizza place at the mall
They opened the "not best pizza option" and "nTH restaurant option".
Opening a restaurant is a good example of what to avoid if you want to be resilient in the face of bad luck. It's a fragile and brutal business even in the best of times.