Sure, I have expressed this in several ways over the last few years, but here is a concise – ABSOLUTES list for private restaurateurs. These are the MUST FOLLOW RULES for those who wish to navigate the ever-changing, complex, and sometimes frightening landscape of restaurant operation. These are the rules of engagement that may not guarantee success, but they will guarantee a fighting chance. So, for what it’s worth…

[]       KEEP IT SIMPLE

Push aside the desire to have fifty items on your menu. You will never be great at anything if you offer the world. Keep your menu small and manageable. Work within the parameters of what is in season, at the peak of quality, and affordability.

[]       DO YOUR RESEARCH

Concept, recipes, ambience, service expectations, presentation, complementary items, beverage recommendations that make sense…Do the research first. Dot the “I’s” and cross the “T’s” -BE PREPARED!

[]       KNOW YOUR PRODUCT

Know the ingredients and how they work, understand flavors, and the impact that ingredient quality and maturity have on the finished plate. Practice, practice, practice until each dish has been mastered and is relayed properly to everyone involved.

[]       KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Understand the profile of your expected guest, your target audience. Talk with them, share ideas, seek their input, remember what they like, act on their comments.

[]       BE AUTHENTIC

Whatever your concept – do it right! A Mexican concept – understand the culture, their indigenous ingredients, their methods, traditions, and nuances that separate authentic from a mediocre attempt. The same thing with Italian, Venezuelan steak house, Chinese, Scandinavian, Cajun, or Pennsylvania Dutch. If you want to make authentic Buffalo Chicken Wings then spend time in Buffalo, work for free at the Anchor Bar, hang out with chicken wing lovers who live in different parts of the city…make it real enough that born and raised Buffalonians will think they are home.

[]       DO IT WELL

There is always room to be the best at anything.  BE THE BEST! Unless your guests are saying it loud and clear, then work harder to stand out from the crowd.

[]       HIRE THOSE WHO FIT

Yep, skill is important; where people have worked previously is important; whether your cooks have a culinary degree is important – but nothing is more important than knowing that they “fit” in your organization. Will they play well in the sandbox with others? Do they share your commitment? Do they love what they do?

[]       TREAT THEM WELL

You found them, you’re happy with their performance, they have become your best, raving fans…now treat them well. Pay them as much as you can, find a way to offer benefits, offer some time off, be reasonable with their schedules, and by all means – listen to them and embrace their ideas.

[]       ASK AND LISTEN

Ask everybody, just like Mayor Koch did when he held the reins in New York City: “How am I doing?”

[]       COMMUNICATE

Be an open book with your employees – share everything you can, let them know about financial performance and the areas where you need their help. Share your ideas about the future and seek their input. Celebrate their successes and do the same (except for confidential info) with your guests. BRING EVERYONE INTO THE LOOP so that they feel a sense of ownership.

[]       KEEP YOUR INVENTORY LOW

It has often been said that inventory is like money in your pocket. Sounds good from an accountant’s perspective, but money tied up in inventory can’t help you with marketing needs, benefits for your staff, improvements to your physical plant, or a little extra cash in your own pocket.

[]       KNOW YOUR VENDORS

Ahh…your vendors are like partners in the restaurant venture. They are responsible for caring about the ingredients that are so important to you, timely delivery of supplies, credit terms when you need them the most, finding the best deals, and even educating your staff about new and exciting ingredients coming on the market. Be kind, listen to them, have high expectations of them, and bring them into the loop. THEY CAN HELP!

[]       KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

Have the numbers at your fingertips so that you can make better decisions. What sells and what doesn’t? How does Tuesday business differ from Thursday? What are your sales per seat in the dining room? What time is business best? What percentage of your guests on last Friday were return customers? What is your percentage of waste? How long does it take your $20 per hour line cook to peel 20 pounds of onions for soup? Would it be more cost effective to buy pre-peeled onions or even hire a less expensive prep cook to do that type of work?

[]       ACT MORE, REACT LESS

Prep-planning is the most important tool in your bag of tricks. Don’t spend too much time putting out fires – this can pull you away from success.

[]       BE THERE

Sorry, if you want to be a successful restaurateur, manager, or chef then you need to be present. It’s great to seek life balance, and you should work to do just that through proper training and delegation, but ownership and management are not, nor will they ever be, remote positions. YOU NEED TO BE PRESENT!

[]       PROMISE LESS, DELIVER MORE

Exceed expectations – ALWAYS! Simple as that. Promises are cheap – action and results are what counts.

[]       THINK VALUE

In the end – look at your product, service, ambience, and price tag and ask a simple question from the guest’s perspective – Is it worth it? Ask this every day and then act accordingly.

There! Simple right? Well, if it were simple them more restaurants would survive the first couple years of operation.

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