Setting The Table

Few things in life are as powerful as food.

Since I stumbled into this business over 25 years ago, I have witnessed how powerful and important Restaurants have become in people's lives. Now, I am no sociologist, but my family and neighbors did not dine out anywhere near the frequency that families today eat out. You all know the statistics. I live them in my work. Millions eat outside the home every day, and millions more are taking home food prepared in a restaurant.

Restaurants. Welcome to my world!

It is a crazy business that I have spent more than half of my life devoted to. It’s hard work, its crazy customers, its maniacal owners, and its long, busy hours. It is some of the most interesting people on the planet cooking, running, serving and clearing your food. It is physical, intellectual, and very spiritual. It is fun, and it is how millions of people make a living in America. Including me.

Mostly, its just Food and Booze! And I love it!

This blog will be devoted to telling you why I love it. I have years of experience, and experiences, that I want to share. AND I want to hear about all of your restaurant experiences as well. This blog is for the 'Restaurant Nation' and for the customers we love.

What is it about Restaurants that make them so unique?

Here is what I think:

Restaurants are singularly experiential. They are personal, emotional, about engagement, and are always a dialogue between guest and provider. They connect people.

Restaurants are unique. Like other players in the marketplace, Restaurants are commodity businesses (charges for undifferentiated products), a goods business (charges for distinctive, tangible things) and a service business (charges for activities you perform). What sets great restaurants apart is the ability to move beyond those traditional models and become as well an experience business (charges for the feelings that customers get by engaging it) and a transformational business (charges for the benefit that customers receive by spending time there)

I live for the Moments that Matter – I understand and can identify the Moments That Really Matter for the Guest in the context of every Concept Experience and Sequence of Service. It is in those moments that all the truly great things that are ‘dining’ occur. It is how we in the business create Guests for Life!!! And it is what WE as ‘Servers’ live for as well.

I embrace the idea that restaurants are living, breathing entities and as such need to evolve and change to the needs of the users.

“Segmentation” and “demographics” may identify the markets, but only the Guest behavior can really tell you what to do to meet their needs. Listen to your customers! I learned this from Rich Melman. It is the smartest thing I ever learned...from the smartest Restaurateur that ever lived.

Restaurant critics are irrelevant. I have read very few that I think even like Restaurants, and fewer still that understand what Restaurants are all about. I listen to the diners. They know.

Personalize the Guest experience at every opportunity. And NO Flair!

Lastly, no one in my business likes to really admit this. We talk a lot about systems, and techniques and menu engineering and being ‘sales’ people and there is no crying in restaurants, and yada yada yada....but, Warmth and Kindness truly are at the Heart of Great Service. Warmth and Kindness are what makes Great Hospitality. Warmth and Kindness are what make Great Restaurants (customer loyalty, stars earned, awards won, profit earned and all).