First and lasting impressions

Following on from last week’s article on restaurants, I find that there is nothing worse than recommending or returning to a restaurant and discovering that the standards have dropped.

Restaurants are not and definitely cannot afford to be rollercoaster rides. They cannot blow hot and cold. The only difference that sets them apart from other businesses is that the product they provide is time-sensitive. A dining experience is something unique and cannot be relived. If one purchases a defective product, the seller is under a legal obligation to provide a refund. In the case of restaurants, what do you return? The experience? The consumed food? A refund will never replace a disappointing meal. 

In trying to discover good restaurants, I must admit that I have had more bad meals than good ones. During or immediately after a disappointing dinner, I have often wished I could have turned the clocks back and never stepped inside the offending establishment.

The difference between a restaurant that is a “flash in the pan” and a long-lasting institution depends on sustained hard work and a high degree of consistency. 

Factors other than the food and service that make a restaurant successful are, in no particular order:

-Location, although not an essential prerequisite, can tremendously help an average restaurant by providing a captive audience and reducing substantial promotional expense. A good site certainly will give a restaurant the edge over others. However, one must not forget that locations can easily shift with time, if or when other parts of town are developed or become more fashionable. 

-Philosophy and mission: These must be clearly stated and understood by all members of staff. Loose statements such as: “We want to serve good food” must be supported by infrastructure and thoroughly tested systems. They must be clear and ideally measurable. Returning customers are a sure measure of a business’s success.

-Staff training: This is essential in all kinds of establishments, old and new. Written records must be kept and staff training regularly reviewed especially with the introduction of new practices and recruits. For example, if the menu changes, the service staff should be made aware of amendments. When the customer asks: “What is the soup of the day?” a competent server should know. 

-Excellent communication between management and staff is essential. It enables faster implementations of agreed plans. It may take the form of regular meetings with heads of departments, general meetings involving all employees, or simple memos, etc.

-Leadership: There has to be a carefully chosen management structure whose primary task is to guide the rest of the team. Although employees need a certain degree of freedom in their dealing with customers, they must operate within learned and accepted company guidelines.

-Eye for detail: Team members must be encouraged to view the business with fresh eyes regularly. Dishes and accompanying vegetables, wines and beverages need to be served at the right temperatures. Other crucial details comprise the lighting and its intensity, the background music and its volume, fresh flowers, clean glassware, etc. One of my pet hates, defective lightbulbs, demonstrates a lack of care and pride in a place. 

-Innovation: Unless a business is failing entirely and in need of a brand-new image, a successful restaurant only requires a certain amount of tweaking. It may be a need to keep up with trends, the introduction of new equipment or improved systems. Staff and customers need to be encouraged to contribute new ideas with the help of regular questionnaires, comment cards, suggestion boxes, food and wine tastings, etc.

-Sustained assessment of operation: The saying “You are only as good as the last meal you served” is undoubtedly accurate and, although your ardent supporters may allow you the odd blip, one must not make the dreadful mistake of taking customers for granted. Every single visit by a client, old and new must start with a clean slate, a new canvas upon which a brand-new experience may be painted.

So, my professional advice to any prospective restaurateur is, having read the above:

“Close your eyes and dive head first!”