Being in the position I'm in now, I talk to many, many people who come in to check out all the paraphernalia associated with starting up a restaurant. They see shows like "Top Chef", "Iron Chef", "Rachel Ray", (insert any Food Network show), etc. and somehow get the notion that "Gee, that looks easy and glamorous and rewarding!". Some I just want to slap upside the head like Cher in Moonstruck. [GET OVER IT! Whump!] Others, I want to put my arm around their shoulders and talk to them like a father to a kid wanting a dog. "You'll get tired of it soon, it takes all your time, let's start small with, like, maybe a fish. I'm a bit gentler than that, after all, I'm there to sell all that stuff. I do, however, see a lot of these folks leave with the glassy stares of someone in shock.
Mind you, many of these people do about 1 hour of homework before showing up with scraps of paper littered with lists, diagrams, and words with big ???'s next to them. Those are the slappable ones. They watch way too much Food Network, Home and Garden TV, and QVC. They've never seen the inside of a Williams and Sonoma, let alone a real working kitchen. They ooh and ahh over the stainless steel saute pans and stock pots, not knowing most kitchens use cheaper aluminum. They ogle the Vulcan char-broiler and flat-top, until realizing you can buy a decent used car for the same price. Bone china plates and German crystal would look super on their non-existent linen tablecloths, but alas, chinese plates and Libby glasses would better suit their meager budgets. Lord help them when they encounter the hurdles thrown up by local, county, and state administrators! The romance fails quickly, they quietly go back to their "so-called" mundane lives, and we never see them again.
Then there are the ones who've done their homework. They worked as a waiter/sous chef/assistant manager at XYZ restaurant most of their working life and want a place of their own. They walk in with a thick binder full of notes and lists and pictures torn out of Saveur, Food and Wine, and Restaurants and Institutions . They've saved their pennies, worked two jobs, driven an ole' beater for years to finally be their own boss. These are the ones I want to succeed, and pass on tidbits of insider info: how to impress the Health Inspector; where to spend their meager budget smartly (and yes, if they can get something cheaper somewhere else, I tell them where); what areas are begging for a good bistro. They've been in the trenches and know it's a marathon, not a sprint, and are not afraid to put in the sweat equity required to start a budding empire.
None of those TV shows will tell you all of this. Some magazines may touch on some of it. Networking with other restaurant professionals is the real key to starting your own Spago or Commander's Palace. Read all the books you can on the subject. Just don't be a Rocco and self-destruct on national TV. That was just sad.
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3 comments:
The newbies are lucky to have you in their corner.
So true! In fact I was asked just yesterday “How do you know how much food to buy?”
It’s a calculation based upon dry storage, cooler and freezer capabilities plus fresh ingredients times number of diners. Reservations allowing for cancellations/no shows and walk ins.
With a diner..it’s more complicated. It’s all Walk-ins! More research required to have enough food on hand for what MIGHT be the numbers.
That was one of Chef’s favourite jokes… If Chris Walken showed up..does he count as a “walken” hardy har har.
It’s more than “I make a great lasagna. Let’s open a restaurant!”
Thank you for posting this.
I'm glad you're there to give people a dose of reality. Sadly, the "Wow, it's easy and glamorous" line of thinking doesn't just apply to the restaurant business. I make dresses as a hobby, and every so often I meet a poor naive person who thinks, "I can sew, so I can start my own label! People will pay me so much money because it's made by the designer!" In their haste, a few have even launched websites, with 1 or 2 (or even 0) pieces of merchandise. The ones I root for have "done their homework" like you said. They have a portfolio of designs, ready-made samples, a list of suppliers, a fee schedule, advertising, etc. They know the reality is they'll be spending time at the machine, and not be surrounded by a coterie of fawning clientele, unless they become very, very, lucky.
Sorry for the essay; I ramble on sometimes.
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