WHAT MAKES A RESTAURANT GREAT

I read an article by Ruth Reichl on her very fine Blog Paris by Mouth. It was about going to the famous old temple of excess restaurant L’Ami Louis with her husband and son. “A restaurant I’d been vainly trying to get into for years. Michael, my husband, was only moderately more enthusiastic. Another overpriced French meal, he grumbled, making it clear that this was his idea of hell. It was late when the evening ended. That, my son announced as we made our way back to the hotel, is a very fine restaurant.

But all you ate was French fries and chocolate cake, Ruth pointed out.

C’mon Mom, he replied. You know restaurants aren’t really about the food. Can we go back tomorrow?”

If it is not the food, what is it? And what makes one want to go right back?

The main thing for an operator to remember is that there is no “no” in hospitality. Say “yes” and then figure out how to make that happen. Then there are these:

Consistency: Not a case of nothing changing. Rather make the things that count remain the same.

Energy: The feeling that the place is alive with the feeling that someone is watching every component of the business. Nothing is assumed. Every murmur from the customer is amplified and acted upon. No mistake is repeated. A restaurant is a living thing. Stop feeding it and it will die. The customer wants to be part of this energy and commitment.

Ideas Aplenty: Trends in the U.S.A. and around the world should be assimilated only. Nothing should be forced, let those ideas that become naturally part of the energy.  All changes should have the customers in mind, not the ego of the people driving the ideas.               

Value for Money: The restaurant needs to find every ounce of profit, but remember the customer has a finite amount to spend. The best food and drinks in town for the average prices. Always VALUE.                                    

Community Awareness: Support the community by knowing who they are, knowing their names and needs, and staying involved.

Humility: We do not know everything – listen more. Our motto at Stars was ‘everything from black tie to blue jeans. And not something for everyone, but everything for someone.’

The Surprise Factor: Delicious food and drinks, surprise, surprise, should not be a SURPRISE. But the occasional freebee, the generous gesture to the staff, remembering birthdays and following through.

Quality of Ingredients: You get what you pay for, and the customer never forgets that. The best ingredients do not have to be expensive, but spend the money on intellectual capital, training, and technique.

Technical Skills: The customers want what they ordered.  

Décor: The impression as you walk in the door. It must be comfortable, sexy, and welcoming overall. Don’t try to outdo or out dress the customer. The décor is a backdrop to the customer and the community. Give it a place for pleasure and for business. 

Service: If there is a problem at a table with the food, the service staff and dining room management can make it right. No matter how good the food, inept or cynical service will undo everything. 

THE FIRST CONTACT:  Reception. Whether a person on the phone or a service like Open Table.

The manner in which the phone is answered, or the service operates tells you what is in store for you. Just as dirty windows at the entrance or old flowers tell you all you need to know.

Is the reception automatic, as in ‘not for three months,’ and ‘never between 6 and 10 PM.’

Is there a person or a machine?

Is anyone really and actually listening?

When asked if you mind being put on hold, are they asking the customer or telling them?

THE SECOND CONTACT – At the Door

Please don’t say “Do you have a reservation.” That’s a challenge.

Is it a greeting or a grunt? Is it friendly eye contact, wanting to see the customer, or is the customer an imposition? 

Does the door staff want to take a coat or umbrella or is that ruining their evening? Is the number or card given to the customer clean, not dog-eared?

How long does the restaurant hold a reservation? Is 20 minutes the period for both the restaurant and the reserved customer?

Does the host accompany the guests or do they cross the room before the customer is even out of their coats? 

THE THIRD CONTACT – At the Table

Is there a greeting from any of the service staff within the first 4 minutes?  If the restaurant is very busy, does someone still come over and say, “I am busy right now but I will be with you very soon?’

Is there eye contact, and a friendly and professional manner at the first contact by the server?

Is the customer the enemy or someone the server is happy to see?

Is the customer rushed, or does the server know your pace? Are you told about any specials, or the food or wine that has run out?

Is there any feeling at all by the customer that the server is paying enough attention to each table to know that the customers might be inebriated, might be jet lagged, might be fighting with each other, might be ill, and so on?

Is each of the tables in the area treated equally? Are others enjoying the restaurant?

Does the server give you a wine list immediately and ask you what cocktails you would like? If it is wine you want, does the server know anything about the wine list? Has there been training?

Is the server well-groomed and at ease?

When asked questions about the food and the restaurant, does the server know the answers and is comfortable and assured in answering them?

Does the server know whether the customer wants a lot of interaction or a little? Do they want to know the server’s name?

Do all the right utensils, napkins for food touched with fingers, special implements like oyster forks, get to the table before the food?

Is each course cleared before the next one arrives?

Does the right food get put in front of the right customer the first time without questions?

Does the server wait before everyone is finished to remove the plates? That’s a tough one, because there is no common agreement about this.

Is it the server bringing food, clearing, attending the needs or the bussers or another server and, if so, is it a total surprise for the table being served?

Are the plates removed in the correct fashion, or stacked haphazardly for removal?

If there are delays in the kitchen, does the server avoid the table or continue to talk and monitor the table?

If there is a problem, does the server deal with it right away and/or get a manager?

If the customer has a complaint, does the server listen and follow up?

THE FOURTH CONTACT – The Menu and the Table

Is the menu clean?

Is it the right one – the day and lunch or dinner as appropriate?

Can one read the menu easily?

Do the descriptions reflect what is on the plate?

Does the menu offer the customer the possibility of a full meal or a light one and with enough choices?

Are the prices on the menu suitable for the kind of restaurant?

Is the glass and dinnerware chip, stain, free? Are the tablecloth and napkins clean?

THE FOOD

Is the food when it arrives visually appealing? If it is fish can the customer smell it as it arrives?

Are the plates for hot food, hot? For the cold, cold? Are the share plates hot or cold or room temperature if they are supposed to be?

Is the food properly cooked – the meat at the temperature the customer asks for? The fish as it should be. Is the risotto tender, the vegetables perfect, and the pasta al dente?

Does the food reflect what was on the menu?

Is the food what it should be? Are the flavors true, clear and identifiable? 

Is the food worth the prices on the menu?

THE WINE

Is the list legible with the print big enough for the light level in the dining room?

Can the customer understand how to read through the list? Is it logical or whimsical?

Can the customer find the wine that fits the food they are having?

Are there enough selections in each of the price categories so that the customer does not feel forced to purchase a wine beyond the budget?

Is the list both familiar and challenging and exciting? Or is it just another wine list?

Are there non-alcoholic drinks on the bar list? Are there cocktails, wine by the glass, wine flights, after dinner drink lists?

Does the wine list contribute to the style of the restaurant?

THE FULL EXPERIENCE –Not just Décor, but Ambiance

The ambiance is the sum of all the elements of the restaurant, which should be all the parts in balance.

How is the sound of the room? If music, is it at a good level, can you hear it? Is there a good buzz but no more in the room?

What was the customers’ first impression of the décor? Is the décor so expensive and elaborate that it makes the customer feel intimidated and under-dressed?

Are the customers pleased and excited when looking around the room?

Is the restaurant clean? The carpet swept. The upholstery clean? The windows clean?  When using the toilets, is the floor clear of water and towels, the towels stocked, toilet paper, tampons, and tissue all there in appropriate containers? Is there soap. And is it all check throughout the service?

What does the air smell like? Do the filters in the HVAC need changing. Is the air fresh, clean, and freely moving?

Are the tables the right height for the chairs – especially in a booth? Are the tables firmly bolted to the bases and the chairs steady and not broken?

Do the tabletop settings live up to the reputation and the prices?

THE FINAL EXERIENCE – Leaving

Is the bill brought when you want it should be? Does it come back in a timely fashion? Did the server know when to bring it and who to bring it to?

Did the server thank you and say good-bye in a professional and friendly way? Or did the server chase after you for a bigger tip?

Did anyone at the door acknowledge your leaving and say thank you?

After the customer leaves, does he/she feel that it was an overall good experience because all the answers to the above are positive?

And finally, did the restaurant do what it pretends to do? No matter how many silver cloches raised simultaneously off the single fava bean on a 14-inch white plate, if it did not, the restaurant pretentious.

AT HOME

For your guests at home, have some cold champagne or prosecco or low-alcohol French cider in a big ice bucket so that one can pour a glass the moment the guests enter. You or they can take care of other drinks after that. And have some leftovers toasts ready to come out of the oven. You can take any leftovers and mix them with cream, milk, yogurt, or sour cream, and spread them on slightly stale bread and serve them up. Here’s my easiest.

CHEESE TOASTS

1 cup            leftover cheeses

¼ cup            milk

4-6                 slices of stale ‘rustic’ loaf bread, crust-less, 1/2 –inch thick

herb flowers

freshly and coarsely ground black pepper

Take all rinds of the cheeses, put aside for soups, and dice and/or mash up the cheese to a paste with the milk.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and the broiler to high.

Spread the cheese mixture on the bread, put the slices on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove and place under the hot broiler for 3-5 minutes until slightly golden. Remove and cut into bit-sized pieces.

Sprinkle with fresh rosemary or thyme flowers, and with the pepper. Serve with starched, cotton, plain white or very pale green cocktail napkins.