Hook-a-duck or Rollercoaster…

Restaurant life can often turn out to be either one of these two fairground rides if not both.   
In our first few years of business, being new to the restaurant business and business in general, I must admit that I foolishly and naively viewed any new restaurant opening as a bit of a threat. The launch of Perfect Pizza in York, the first chain outlet to come to town, gave me an irrational fright. I honestly thought that it was the end of Krimo’s as I stupidly reckoned that Hartlepool couldn’t sustain more than one restaurant. Looking back and leafing through TripAdvisor, one will discover that there are nowadays close to two hundred eating out establishments in town and that’s without those yet to be listed.
That pizza place couldn’t have been perfect after all. It came and went within months of opening just as we saw many others do the same over the years.
Apart from pubs or hotels serving food and Indian restaurants, there weren’t very many stand-alone restaurants in Hartlepool in the late 80s. Readers may remember when the French restaurant La Brasserie opened in Church Street in 1986 with its unforgettable chef, Didier.  It lasted a couple of years then was later taken over by Didier himself. It has had a few makeovers over the years and is now known as Baan Thai. Other places that came and went for various reasons were Paris, in Seaton Carew, opened by someone known to many as “Nick the Greek”. It did not last long and was reopened later as the Albert House, a well-regarded restaurant whose kitchen was under the charge of a capable chef called Geoff. 

At the Co-op roundabout, some of you may also remember Fannelli’s Italian restaurant. I didn’t have the chance to try its fayre seeing that it only lasted a few months before closing.

I often wonder what makes a restaurant or as a matter of fact, any business at all. The following is my thoughts (not out of a manual) gathered over 30 years in the restaurant business. A great ride if you are up for it! The reasons behind the success or failure of a restaurant can be clear as mud. However, following a few essentials will give a new business at least some chance of surviving its first year. These are, in no particular order: Food, Service, Hygiene, Décor and Atmosphere.

Each of these five elements demands a minimum level below which the operation may severely suffer.

Hygiene comes top at 100%. Anything less is unacceptable. There was a time, and I am sure that this test applies when you could tell a restaurant’s hygiene by checking the toilets. Our Adam, in his early years, having heard us mention this once, made it his mission to rush to the bathroom as soon as we entered a restaurant. He came back running to report on their state. His word became gospel. 

Next, comes service including customer care. No one ever wants to go back to a restaurant that does not treat its customers fairly. I tweaked an old motto to: “The customer is always right until he’s left.” to make it memorable to the staff. 

There are times when things do go wrong but, as long as they are dealt with quickly and efficiently, then customers usually forgive human error. If the service is continuously erratic, the restaurant will suffer in the short or long run.

Restaurants serving reasonable food at good value prices for the type of cuisine they offer will always have the edge over those that promise a lot and fail to provide it. Regulars will accept a little blip every now and then but new customers usually give a wide berth to restaurants that do not deliver on their promises. Flowery menus need to present just what they promise to do.

Décor and atmosphere may matter to some more than others but let us not be fooled into accepting inferior food and service just because the music is good or the dishes are served on bin lids. 

The only thing that one usually remembers is whether the place was clean, the food tasty and served with a genuine smile.