My Story – Making a Success of Your Restaurant

By: Bev Walton, Food Writer and Restaurant Consultant.

There is no hard and fast rule in terms of making a success of your restaurant, other than very hard work and planning.  Entering into the restaurant business has to be seriously thought about and planned from start to opening. The most important issue is never rest on your laurels, once you ‘make it’, keep your eye on the ball and continue to progress, be innovative and remember your customers are all No. 1 priority. So many people have a dream of owning their own restaurant, but the dream should stop there unless you are prepared for what is to come. You can make a success, but real dedication is needed.

My first restaurant opened back in the early 1980’s – I was a classically trained chef that had worked around the world, front and back of the house and with sommelier training.  I spent time talking to restaurant owners, chefs with more experience than me, culinary experts and restaurant consultants who had been in business for many years. This was invaluable to me in making decisions about location, style, staffing, training and above all, constant inventiveness and attention to my product. I took jobs in restaurants that I would not normally work in, from low level to top level, to ensure that I had a complete picture of what to do, and certainly, what not to do! Other than being able to balance my own bank accounts, I had never had any financial training or qualifications – so an amazing accounting service kept me in the picture all the way through. Back in the 1980’s there were not many elaborate services available that could keep you up to speed on a daily basis with what was happening in the black or the red – with so many options available today, you should be ahead of the game.

Having gathered all the information I thought necessary, my first thought was to location and any surrounding competitors.  I found my first property – it had been a restaurant before, so the basic set up was there, in spite of having to completely refurbish, the building and mechanics were sound. It was not on a main thoroughfare with passing trade, but in a pretty village with reasons for people to visit the area – after all, they had to eat at some point? My only competitors were 5 other restaurants – 2 ethnic (Chinese and Indian), 1 Italian/Pizzeria, 1 cafe serving breakfast and quick lunches, and a pub serving lunch and dinner, specialising in traditional British food.

The foundation of the restaurant was the key – right location, different style of food and competitive pricing without running myself into the ground within 3 months. I stuck to what I knew – classical French dishes, ‘bistro’ style at the right price and equally so, my choice of Maitre d’ who would be my key to front of house and kitchen liaison – probably the most important hiring I have ever done in my life.

To keep costs down, I ran the kitchen myself for the first 6 months, until I was comfortable enough to increase overhead and have a chef in place who could continue with the quality food and style that we had established. I used family as staff AS LONG AS THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING. Cutting costs by using family members does not work if it is detrimental – dropping plates and serving the wrong drinks in the wrong way loses you customers very quickly.

In the beginning, we did heavily promote the restaurant to local ‘chimney tops’ – there were plenty of those, and to local businesses to get the customers through the door. We offered tasting menus, 5 or 6 courses, that demonstrated our menu, so that the customers would come back and try a full portion of one or two of the dishes. The menus were based on seasonality and local produce, so they constantly changed every three months, with the addition of specials every week. We ran monthly ‘festive nights’ or ‘celebration nights’ – all in keeping with traditional French food and coinciding with French key dates in the calendar – Bastille Day, the arrival of the Nouveau Beaujolais etc., all advertised several months before.

Opening hours were also key – Sunday night and Monday all day were very slow, so after the first few months we stopped opening on those days – a good way to cut costs without losing customers. Training our staff was continuous throughout, and is a ‘must do’ for all restaurant owners.

We never rested on our laurels, even when the restaurant was having to turn visitors away and we had waiting lists for weeks on end for weekend nights – sounds to good to be true, but this was real and had not been achieved easily.  Walking in to our restaurant was being transported to a little corner of France, right down to the decor, background music and of course, the food. We had established a real ‘niche’ in the area.

2 years down the line I had opened my third restaurant, using the same blueprint that I had adopted from the very beginning. Visiting my restaurants from my point of view had to be an all encompassing experience, from the second you walked through the door, to having your first drinks, to sitting at the table and enjoying a great meal, all of equal importance. In the early 2000’s I sold my group of restaurants with a little sadness, but a decent bank account. It was time for me to hang up my knives and help others turn their dreams to reality.

 Bev Walton
Food Writer and Restaurant Consultant.

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