There are long hours, grumpy customers, financial demands and all sorts of other issues. Still want to do it? Then i've got some tips, here we go:
Don't be arrogant. A lot of people open restaurants out of vanity, people who can't even boil an egg. That's like me buying a rugby club because i like the game. One of my biggest bugbears is that we don't need any qualifications to do it. People fall in love with an idea and don't want to learn their craft, which takes years, either time and commitment. Sure you're still up for it? Oke then we go to the next step hehehe.
Have we done our homework? The secret of a good local restaurant is knowing our customers and catering them. Do we research? Does the area need an expensive fine dining restaurant, or would it be more comfortable with a homely baked food place? Make sure we know the area, check out the competition and work out what their strengths and weaknesses are. What will make our stand out from the rest?
Choose the right chef. This is not an easy job, buddy. But a restaurant owner's best investment will always be in the chef, and if we haven't got that major asset in the kitchen downstairs, then forget it. The guy's got to be a motivator, be a leader, make our money. The chef got to bring customers back. Make sure our chef is up to the job. Are they a cocky young upstart who doesn't know if they're cooking chicken or beef, or a well-seasoned chef with vision and drive?
Who's in charge? You've got to trust the brigade that you're paying, and secondly bring them on, evolve them. Make them talented. Keeping hold of them, motivating them. If we are the owner then the responsibility ultimately lies with us. We need to know what's happening in every area of our business from the kitchen to front of house. Don't be a control freak though, all staff's opinions are valid too.
Communication and teamwork. Key to any successful restaurant is regular communication between management and the head chef. But it doesn't stop there, all the staffs have to be communicating well with each other and working as a team. Let's not forget the customers either, make sure we are listening to them too. At the end of the day they're paying your wages.
The menu. The more dishes, the lower the standard. Long menus lead to confusion for everyone. They can have chefs running round like headless chickens. Customers waiting or walking out, and all sorts of undesirable items going off at the back of the fridge. Start with a simple menu concentrating on quality produce cooked well and you're on to a winner. Our chefs will be more efficient, the diners will be happy and there shouldn't be much wastage.
Quality control. Mistakes stay in kitchen, mostly man. Ensuring quality and consistency in the kitchen is essential for a successful restaurant. Even if service is busy, it's not an excuse for sloppy plates of food leaving the kitchen. If it's not good enough, don't serve, it could ruin our reputation.
Keep it clean and organised. The important rule of cooking is our kitchen must be clean, sure and by clean i mean spotless. There's nothing worse than an unhygienic restaurant, and our customers won't like it much either if they end up with food poisoning. Make sure all of our staffs have the right hygiene certificates and set up a decent cleaning rota. Get to know our local environmental health officer - they'd rather help you than close you down. These point i got from Dinas Kesehatan hehehehe.
Be flexible. In the business we have to very aware that we have to react instantly to changing trading conditions: cutting down on overheads, reducing costs, tapering menus, we have to react straightaway, not wait. In today's climate we're producing figures weekly, not monthly, we have to be on top of what's happening. If something isn't working, swallow our pride and change it. flexibility is fundamental to any successful business, so try not to be too pig-headed. It might be our baby, butttttt that doesn't mean the customers will love it as much as we do.
Don't give up. One thing i need to see is the fight. The determination and the grit. When things get tough, it's hard to keep sight of our original dream. But if we work as a team, serve food we believe in and don't delude our self about how things really are, we're in for a better chance.
I believe always, if there is a will always be a way. These all i got from learning by doing. But most of all thank you so much for someone who always teaching me how to run this business well. From the deepest of my heart thank you so much Mr. B. I dedicated this entry to you.
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