Reason #1 for failure of a restaurant is undercapitalization. That can mean anything from not having enough funds to complete the start up phase required to open, to insufficient reserve to provide funds for operating costs until profitable. As a culinary instructor in a prestigious Charleston college, I was always taken back when my culinary students answered the question, how are you going to fund your restaurant, with the response, “my parents are going to help me”. What? How much is the rent? ...
There is a long standing belief that restaurants fail at the rate of 90% in the first year of operation. That myth was promulgated by a “rock star” chef entertainer in the 1990s and spread like an e-virus around the country. The truth according to academic studies performed at Cornell University, the University of Tennessee and UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management is that the failure rate for an independent restaurant is 27% in the first year of operation, 19% in the second year and 14% in ...
Restaurants tend to develop a language of their own and the longer you spend in the business, the more it begins to sound like your native tongue. I routinely catch myself uttering “coming behind” when I’m passing slow old ladies at Wal-Mart, rather than politely saying “excuse me.” Here are some samples of Restaurant-ese: Murdered- This refers to food that has been ruined, usually by overcooking. Radar Love- Putting food in the microwave. ...
The food service industry might not seem glamorous, but there is definitely an unspoken dress code. Two employees wearing the exact same attire can convey two totally different images. Here is a list of ways that restaurant employees typically make fashion blunders. Wearing black pants if you’re not the chef. This rule applies to cooks. It is highly disrespectful to wear black pants in the kitchen unless you are an Executive or Sous Chef, regardless of whatever kind of laundry ...
Some industry insiders are predicting that the age of fine dining and haute cuisine is on its way out the door. From my experience, I don’t think that’s an entirely inaccurate call. There are certain elements of true fine dining that are slowly fading away. Fine dining indicates a certain amount of pomp, not just from the wealthy customers, but primarily from the cooks and chefs. I remember a time when cooks and chefs walked around with such a culinary arrogance and snobbery ...
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