WHY

Why do we do what we do. What drives us to want to open and run a restaurant?

For me it feels like its in my blood. It’s thrilling to open the doors, welcome people I have never met and make them feel comfortable enough to trust me to create a great experience for them. Once seated, the challenge of creating that great experience is exhilarating! We listen to their likes and dislikes and steer them to menu items that wow them. We make sure the timing of dishes is such that allows them to enjoy each course, not feeling rushed – each dish arrives as the last has been enjoyed and plates are cleared, ready for the next course. Beverages are refilled almost like magic and the final course is the perfect ending to an amazing meal with exceptional service.

When all goes well, that is exactly what the experience is like! I love the guest interaction, it’s a thrill to exceed expectations. Creating that scenario isn’t as hard as it seems – with the right training, your crew can pull this off night after night.

That is the other part I love about the restaurant business - the relationships that are built with the crew. The restaurant crew feels like family. You pull each other out of the fire daily by running food to co-workers’ tables, getting drink orders for tables that aren’t on your station, and clearing each other’s plates to ensure proper timing of courses. The kitchen staff steps in when the grill guy needs help, preps their team-mate’s mise en place when she is behind, and steps in the dish pit and works the machine for the dishwasher while he rinses and racks the dishes.

It's a stressful business because it is so time sensitive. But when the last customer is served, the stress melts away. It is a “high” when you pull it off, when you made it through a busy night and all the customers left happy. It makes all that “in-the-moment” stress worth it. And you pulled it off together! You couldn’t do it by yourself, you needed the host, bartender, server, busser, prep-cook, line-cook, chef and dishwasher.

That is why the restaurant industry is so special. And I am glad I’ve been part of the experience.

Here's to your success! Joan

Looking for help with your restaurant? www.yourrestaurantmaven.com joan@yourrestaurantmaven.com