RESTAURANT BUSINESS: HOW IT LOOKS LIKE
PART 1
Restaurant, bar, patisserie, coffeshop, café, bistro etc — all these places are united by the Hospitality industry.
People come to visit and such visit makes them your guests, pure and simple. At this point it doesn’t matter which time they’re visiting: first, second or 21st — they’re still your GUESTS. On the opposite, they may stop visiting any time when there is no HOSPITALITY.
People choose which place to visit based on the comfort and cozy ambience they’ve experienced there, these terms are very personal of course and depend on each guest. Comfort and coziness are built with plenty of instruments:
Materials or colour in the interior, proper lighting, zoning, seating areas, floral arrangement, comfortable temperature, fresh air and absence of any unpleasant odor.
All these steps are preparation for the HOSPITALITY. BUT PEOPLE, WHO HOST THE GUESTS — are one of the most important and powerful instruments. Altogether or individually, they can maintain all the efforts, either smooth things over or ruin the impression of the guest.
PART 2
I believe everyone has ever invited friends or family to visit. I mean, the occasion when you prepare to meet with your guests. For many of us it’s fun and stressful at the same time, simply because you have to be well-prepared. Let’s make parallel with having guests at your home party and in the restaurant. LET’S MAKE IT CLEAR: THESE 2 SITUATIONS ARE MUCH ALIKE! BECAUSE WHEN YOU OPEN YOUR OWN PLACE YOU DON’T EVEN NEED TO INVITE GUESTS, YOU’VE ALREADY DECLARED THAT YOU’RE WAITING FOR THEM.
NOW let’s walk through the main preparation steps:
Home: you come up with a menu (which ingredient to use, what to cook and drink)
Restaurant: you come up with a menu (which ingredient to use, what to cook and drink)
Home: go grocery-shopping, buy drinks or order a delivery
Restaurant: go to purchase all the necessary ingredients and drinks, or order from a certified supplier
Home: all the groceries have arrived to your place, start prepping to make your dish/drinks on the party day
Restaurant: all the ingredients have arrived to your place, start prepping to make the dishes for the orders
Home: do thorough cleaning in house or apartment, as a clean place would please your guests
Restaurant: do thorough cleaning in your place, as it would please your guests
Home: come up with a proper outfit to meet-and-greet your guests at the party. If there is no suitable clothes in your closet — run to the nearest mall and buy something nice. Otherwise prepare the outfit you have, so it’d be prim and proper
Restaurant: come up with a proper outfit to meet-and-greet your guests. Prepare your clothes, so it would be neat, clean and pressed.
ADDITIONALLY, you naturally take care of yourself as well: to be clean (body, hair, hand etc.), smell good and have a smile on your face. So you’d look in the mirror and would like you own reflection.
I THINK, it’s clear that all these steps are recurring, day in, day out, as in the Restaurant we’re talking about a business model and not about one-time HOSPITALITY ACT.
Part 3
Here’s one more analogy between your house guests and guests in the restaurant, as it is still fitting.
The table is set, all the dishware is ready, drinks are chilled, there is no unpleasant odour, only the right smells. Everything is on its place — you’re clean, neat, well-dressed, with fresh breath and sparkle in the eyes, as if you’d hug and kiss yourself. Let’s get to the next thing.
Home: keep phone by your side, so you’d help the coming guests to find the place. Yes, online map and GPS-navigator are the life-savers, BUT THERE’RE DAYS WHEN YOUR GUEST MAY NEED MORE HELP! It’s important to know how to get to your place by all means: by car, foot or public transport, in case your guests may get lost.
Restaurant: keep phone by your side, so you’d help the coming guests to find the place. Yes, online map and GPS-navigator are the life-savers, BUT THERE’RE DAYS WHEN YOUR GUEST MAY NEED MORE HELP! It’s important to know how to get to your place by all means: by car, foot or public transport, in case your guests may get lost.so it would be neat, clean and pressed.
Home: you greet and welcome your guests to enter the place. You smile, filled with joy. Help to take off the coat or show where the cloak room is. Give a brief tour around your place, so your guests would feel welcome, because when you know where you are you feel safer and more comfortable. YOU DO THAT BECAUSE IT’S YOU WHO KNOWS THIS PLACE THE BEST! Walk the guests to the table/party room.
Restaurant: you greet and welcome your guests to enter the place. You smile, filled with joy. Help to take off the coat or show where the cloak room is. Give a brief tour around your place, so your guests would feel welcome, because when you know where you are you feel safer and more comfortable. YOU DO THAT BECAUSE IT’S YOU WHO KNOWS THIS PLACE THE BEST! Walk the guests to the table.
Home: everyone is seated, the food is on the table (at least the starters), but you need to tell the guests about the following courses and the drinks. SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE BEST WHAT’S BEEN COOKED AND PREPARED. Then you take care of the guests: bring, plate, open and pour.
Restaurant: the guests are seated and start reading the menu, but you need to tell them about the food and drinks. SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE BEST WHAT’S THERE FOR THEM. Then you take care of the guests: bring, plate, open and pour.
IMPORTANT:
People traditionally don’t come to visit empty-handed
Home: guests bring gifts: flowers, drinks, sweets or dessert
Restaurant: Guests bring you money
Part 4
So, everyone is having good time: eat, drink and chat.
In this regard, I’d like to share some experience I gained over decade of working in the restaurant. What is the dining area in general, as I see it.
Restaurant Dining Area is an Improv Theatre, where the entire room is your big stage. There is the main play (concept, ambience etc.), all the staff play their roles and send the key message of the play.
Then there is every separate table as a little story played, even of 1 person. It has some personal story too. The stories can be different as the different people would be the guests in the restaurant. Every guest has his own character, personality and mood. THE MOOD IS AN ALTERNATING QUANTITY AND CAN CHANGE TO ANY SIDE BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE RESTAURANT.
Every guest has come due to his own reasons: romantic date, hunger, dinner with a friend, girls party, family gathering, business meeting and so on. And there is a separate play at every table.
Any front of the house employee (head manager, manager, hostess, waiter, barmen and such) should be able to read these stories at every table. IN THIS RESPECT IT’S UTTERLY IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW AND SEE YOUR GUESTS ALMOST ALL THE TIME. It’s essential, as the staff has to get involved in the guests’ private space, in order to create the best ambience suitable for each single play at each single table.
This industry is one of the few where people let to enter their private space and draw them to the general hospitality play.
