BBC has always been one of my favorite channels. And there is a food-guru, foul-mouth-chef called Gordon Ramsay who’s on this channel. And his show, which is a reality show by the way, is fantastic. This man has a passion for his art. I call it art because he is such a personality that makes art out of his bread and butter. This is a guy who has struggled a lot when he started and has become what he has become today just because of his passion and hard work.
I recently watched a show of his where he ripped off a new one to one of New York’s finest restaurant owners. This is a lobster place and is run by three owners. Out of the three one is, what is called in economics, a sleeping partner. But the food industry is such that you can succeed only if you get your hands dirty. You have to have total commitment to your work because it is such a rewarding profession if you look at it like that. Many restaurateurs have the dream of making a quick buck and becoming rich by investment alone. But the restaurant is like your child. And when someone praises your child there can be no other happy moment. It is in search of these moments that restaurateurs attain success.
There are many many aspects and requirements of the restaurant business according to some of the articles on the web. But the most common one is putting yourself in your customers’ shoes. What do I want when I go visit a restaurant? I want a good ambience when I enter the restaurant. I want to be able to feel like I want to order food, so ambience and location are the prime parameters when opening one. Then I want to enjoy my food, the dish that I order should taste just like I imagined. So fresh ingredients, a secret recipe, wholesome food is a must. The people who come to your restaurant have a fair idea of what they want to eat and if you surpass their expectations then they will come back for more and spread the word. This is what we all want, whether it is a restaurant or a doctor’s practice. So food is the life of a restaurant and should be the soul of it too. The menu should also be a short menu of about maybe 30- 35 items. This prevents confusion in the minds of the customer and plus it gives you a chance to hone your skills if you cook or oversee the cooking at your place. And it is a must to follow a theme for your restaurant. That gives it a feeling of home and comfort.
The biggest problem with the restaurant industry is an unhappy customer. And there are a lot of those out there. But the majority of them just enjoy their food and appreciate the service if you are a candidate for that appreciation. Dealing with a customer is the most important thing in this type of business. It is very important to listen to and understand the customer’s complaint or concern. This is an opportunity for you to improve upon your skill. Feedback is the impetus for growth. Understanding a customer’s complaint and making it right for him/her will give him a feeling of being important and in turn will increase his feeling of belonging to your place. Add in a freebie here and there and that makes them a loyal following.
Pricing is also one of the key ingredients of a successful business. The price that you charge for your dish has to help fund your entire payroll, electricity bills, maintenance costs, cost of food and your own take home pay. Usually that is a markup of 35 percent. But that depends of the menu item you serve. And if the quality is good and much appreciated then people don’t mind to shell that out for an evening of enjoyment.
There are a lot of research avenues that you can access for this sort of business if you are really interested in it. And who knows, one fine day you would have your own show on TV and could call somebody an “ARSE” for not being able to run their show right. Gordon Ramsay, you have given people something to think about and I always was a polite and good customer who tipped handsomely, but now I really know what you guys go through to put food on our plates. Kudos to you and your kind!!
