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MitchMan
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Worked in the restaurant business as a cook, bartender, then as a manager for restaurants and nightclubs during my 20’s. I have always liked food and
I love to cook anytime, anywhere.
But, I don’t like going to restaurants much because 1) Don’t like paying for a meal where the cost is priced typically 400% of the cost of the
original food itself 2) only get adequate service 50% of the time, bad service about 30% of the time 3) food not delivered hot and fresh 60% of the
time, 4) food not prepared properly at least 50% of the time (for dinners it is at least 70% of the time) 5) I refuse to wait more than 15 minutes
before being seated.
When you take all that together, it is actually and statistically too seldom that one gets seated right away and gets good service and good hot food
prepared properly on the same visit, but you always pay 100% of the price! When you pay the restaurant price for the meal, you should get all those
things I mentioned above at least most of the time…not so at all in the real world, in Baja or in the USA. I gave it a try for many years. The
restaurant industry gets a big fat “F” from me.
I have noticed that the worse a person is as a cook, the more they actually like going to restaurants. Not a bad or immoral thing. Just saying a
generality, but it seems to be generally true in my observation.
The restaurant chain that I worked for focused on customer service and made it mandatory for managers to be out on the floor DURING the entire meal
times actually MANAGING and expediting things and made us personally responsible for food cost %, labor cost%, and pouring cost%. Over the years I
have noticed that restaurants rarely have managers/owners on the floor during meal times…no excuse for that, but it is rampant. Makes me short
tempered. I mean, where the helll are they during that time? I’d like to know.
To be successful in the restaurant business requires many, many coincident things being correct, more so than in other businesses:
menu, pricing, décor, proper/good food prep, cleanliness, good service, good location, effective promotion and advertising, direct cost control
(pouring cost, labor cost, food cost and portion control, frequent periodic regular inventories and good reorder procedures), internal controls
(monthly/annual accrual basis financial statements with budget and variance analyses, cash controls, daily guest check audit, guest check tracking per
food server, labor hours verification, no food take home for employees, back door locked except when there are deliveries during non-rush hours only,
check all deliveries against order/invoice) and optimum matching of these things to the market in its location. A material deficit in any of these
can spell doom for a restaurant.
And last and probably the most important is MANAGEMENT.
The most glaring and major deficiency of many restaurants is not having good management. A manager should know food, know the bar, know how to run
the floor, know how to manage his own time, know how to train, know how to hire, be proactive on all things, be perceived by employees as very
approachable, know how to discipline, how to inspire and reward, and know how to make sure all employees are always busy, always doing their
job…ALWAYS and at every moment. There should literally never be any slack time for anyone…ever. A well run restaurant should have a management policy
of cross training so that everyone knows how to help other people when they are busier than them and be required to step in to do so without being
asked; makes it more interesting for the employees, and really goes a long way in reducing labor cost, in fact, cross training provides the
opportunity for tighter scheduling which really keeps labor cost optimally low while providing good consistent service and product. Also, there
should always be constant oversight by knowledgeable management.
If the manager knows how to manage and hire people, there won’t be any slackers or thieves on staff for any material length of time, just disciplined,
busy people doing their job and it is the managers job to make sure thru his/her oversight that they are all doing their jobs at all times.
Yes it’s hard to find good help. But, a good manager can consistently take mediocre employees and make them good employees, and the good manager will
know whom to get rid of and knows how to replace them with someone who will take the training. As an example, some times a school can have a superb
athlete by accident from time to time, but in 99% of the time, it’s the coach that makes the difference for a consistently winning team, whether it’s
in a large school or a small school.
It’s not easy, but it’s fun.
But, like many, many businesses, believe it or not, many and certainly some are successful by luck, that is they get some things right by accident or
without knowing they are doing it right. They happen to have a great location and/or their menu and prices fit their market perfectly, they have a
great cook without having to pay him/her what they are worth, same for a hired manager, or their décor is a big hit by accident, they are providing a
type of restaurant where there is no competition near by…luckily the only game in town. Or, for some unknown reason to the owners, there is an
ambience by luck that draws more than their fair share of customers. It happens. Believe me, not all successful people know why they are successful;
they just know how they did it.
Just for the record, most all independently owned small retail businesses, including restaurants, are barely making it. If you think that lasting a
long time is the litmus test for success, then there are a lot of such ‘successful’ restaurants that are actually just barely making it for a long
time. That means they have been able to pay all of there expenses and there has been just enough profit left for the owner to live on and be
independent.
I have seen many restaurant locations that have had a succession of restaurants that eventually failed until a Chinese restaurant comes in, then it
stays open seemingly forever. That is because they have family (the entire family, extended members and all) work saving on labor cost then the
business can yield just enough profit to support itself. You know, some of their menu items are very labor intensive. Such Chinese restaurants that
I have been to usually have very reasonable prices.
I think the trickiest part for the restaurant owner is to decide how to compete, whether it is by way of price competition or quality competition or
ambience/décor or uniqueness of cuisine or blitz promotion. Let’s face it, it is a zero sum game meaning that just because a restaurant opens up,
doesn’t mean that more people will decide to eat out, it means that there is a finite number dining people with more than enough restaurants to serve
them already, so, it is a question of “how does the owner woo them to leave the other restaurants and go to his/her restaurant instead”?
I have one more business left in me. It’s going to be a little restaurant and/or a cantina. Got spreadsheets detailing everything. Just have to
decide how I am going to take customers from other businesses. Is it going to be: price, superb food quality, unique cuisine, super attractive
décor, unique décor, superb service, great location (high rent), perpetual Blitz promotion/advertising campaign, or some combination of the preceding
and have enough capital to sustain net break even for one year and depend on word of mouth (which is my preferred way to do it). In my view, if you
can’t achieve break even for the last twelfth month of the first year, you guest wrong and it’s a failing proposition. It’s a gamble. In my view,
it’s worth the gamble. It’s actually fun to be in business for your self. If you haven’t tried being in business for yourself, you are missing out
on a prime life experience.
Actually, I don’t think that you can call yourself a true conservative unless you accomplish having been a successful entrepreneur.
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monoloco
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Great points MitchMan, I am very seldom impressed with restaurant food, just too spoiled from the quality I'm used to at home.
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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gnukid
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All points very well said!
The fact that places like La Paz are notorious for hit and miss restaurants has much to do with the fact that the great cooks are at home having a
great time with family and friends.
If you want a good meal, invite friends over or get yourself invited to a house party. Party at Mitch's!
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weebray
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You pretty much covered the bases here M Man. I will add one other critical factor you have not mentioned - parking. My son has a restaurant on
Sunset Blvd. in LA. It is a fairly good North American style Mexican restaurant. It has one thing that sets is apart from the hundreds of other
eateries on Sunset. It is wildly successful because it has it's own off-street parking lot. My original post about WTF burgers demonstrates this, no
parking. Trust me, most people will not walk a block to have a meal, in fact, they really prefer not to even get out of their car. Within 20 min. of
downtown LA you can hike in unspoiled wilderness if you are willing to get out of your car and walk 10 or 15 min.
Every beautiful beach in the world needs a few condo towers - NOT.
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MitchMan
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monoloco and gnukid, you guys got it right. Great food consistently at home...and the service is great. Beats the heck out of going to restaurants
for me too...and the price is right. I agree, visiting with friends over a good meal at home is better than the distraction of a crowd around you.
weebray, great point. There are my ostensibly great locations, see them almost every day, but without adequate parking or requiring prospective
customers to hike to your location and you will lose them as customers. It's a no go. Good point.
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mulegemichael
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mm...i consider myself a successful entrepreneur having started several thriving businesses from scratch....but i sure as hell do not consider myself
a "conservative"...just what in the world does that have to do with anything?...those subjects just have absolutely nothing to do with each other!
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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motoged
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| Quote: | Originally posted by MitchMan
Worked in the restaurant business as a cook......
Actually, I don’t think that you can call yourself a true conservative unless you accomplish having been a successful entrepreneur.
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MM,
I thought you were making sense until the "conservative" comment 
Waddya mean?????
I am a successful entrepreneur in my own little world and would not consider myself a "conservative", unless you mean "conserving and not wasting".
Don't believe everything you think....
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Bajahowodd
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Geez. If you are on the road, as many of us our, you can't invite friends and family to cook at home.
Lets talk about the good restaurants along the way on Mex 1.
From my experience, for dinner, the restaurant at Jardines cannot be beat in the area. For breakfast, try Ed's Bajas Best.
In Santa Rosalita, El Muelle rocks the town.
On and on.....
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bajaguy
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Too many great places in Ensenada to list
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Geez. If you are on the road, as many of us our, you can't invite friends and family to cook at home.
Lets talk about the good restaurants along the way on Mex 1.
From my experience, for dinner, the restaurant at Jardines cannot be beat in the area. For breakfast, try Ed's Bajas Best.
In Santa Rosalita, El Muelle rocks the town.
On and on..... |
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
Too many great places in Ensenada to list
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Geez. If you are on the road, as many of us our, you can't invite friends and family to cook at home.
Lets talk about the good restaurants along the way on Mex 1.
From my experience, for dinner, the restaurant at Jardines cannot be beat in the area. For breakfast, try Ed's Bajas Best.
In Santa Rosalita, El Muelle rocks the town.
On and on..... |
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I totally agree about Ensenada. But I don't consider Ensenada to be "on the road".
I should also mention Domingo's Place in Loreto.
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Bajahowodd
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Katiejay99
There is a new restaurant here in Todos Santos. I can't even remember the name of it but I thought I would try it out. I went over and the owner and
the waiters were all sitting around outside and as I walked up I told them I wanted to check out what they have.
So the waiter came over and handed me a menu which surprised me as I thought they would want me to go inside and sit down. Then the owner said he
would give me free flan for dessert. I told him thank you but I really don't care for Flan. Then he said the special was some asparagus thing and I
told him I don't like asparagus. Then he recommended something that I had no idea what it was and he explained that it was great and had spinach
inside of it. Um, I don't like Spinach, either.
So, I asked if I could have a seat and maybe just drink a beer and make a decision. He said the beer was not cold yet.
I left and went and ate somewhere else. |
Your mama should have tried harder to encourage you to eat vegetables. Seriously.
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MitchMan
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motoged and mulegemichael;
what I said does not mean if you are a successful entrepreneur you MUST be a conservative. If you carefully read the passage, you will see that.
What I said was that I couldn't see how a PERSON can "call" themselves a true conservative without having been a successful entrepreneur. I didn't
say that if you have been a successful entrepreneur THEN you ARE a Conservative.
If you "casually" read what I wrote instead of using a strict interpretation of what I actually said, then it would be very easy to achieve all kinds
of incorrect interpretations, such as: I am a conservative (absolutely, positively, unequivocally not true), being a successful entrepreneur is good,
being a conservative is good, each and every successful entrepreneur is a conservative, all non-conservatives are not successful entrepreneurs,
everyone should be or aught to have been an entrepreneur, the statement advocates both entrepreneurialism and conservatism (which the statement did
not say).
Actually, I deliberately and carefully prefaced my statement with "I don’t think that...", which means what I said was an opinion and not a
proclamation of objective fact at all, one way or the other, just an opinion.
Now, as to what my motivation was for including that statement, well, that is another thing all together. But, no one asked that question
[Edited on 11-1-2014 by MitchMan]
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Skipjack Joe
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| Quote: | Originally posted by MitchMan
Worked in the restaurant business as a cook......
Actually, I don’t think that you can call yourself a true conservative unless you accomplish having been a successful entrepreneur.
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I take this to mean that you can espouse conservative values but until you are a successful entrepeneur it's just talk.
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rts551
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
| Quote: | Originally posted by MitchMan
Worked in the restaurant business as a cook......
Actually, I don’t think that you can call yourself a true conservative unless you accomplish having been a successful entrepreneur.
|
I take this to mean that you can espouse conservative values but until you are a successful entrepeneur it's just talk. |
How do you fit n Mitch? you were only the cook. or were you a self-employed cook?
[Edited on 11-1-2014 by rts551]
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MitchMan
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Skipjack ... you hit it pretty much right on the head.
rts551, not sure what you mean as to how I fit in?...in what, as what?
I started out as a cook, then went into bar tending, then went into restaurant management. Spent much of my twenties doing that stuff. BUT, nothing
in my posts in this thread says that I a was a restaurant owner and therefore I was thereby an entrepreneur. In fact, I never said, so far in this
post, that I was either a restaurant entrepreneur or simply an entrepreneur. NOW, I will say that I have been a successful entrepreneur, just not in
the restaurant industry (sold my business when I was fifty and immediately retired) and that I now own income property and teach part time.
Please note, that no where in my posts in this thread have I said that I am a conservative. I am definitely not what is commonly known as a
conservative. However, just like most people, there are some things that I believe and do that could be considered so-called conservative, as it is
with most other people. For example, I drink water and so do all conservatives. You know, things like honesty, thriftiness, entrepreneurial
endeavor, having a work ethic, being fair, believing in God, love of family, faithfulness, etc. are not the exclusive domain of conservatism,
although, there are many who think that they are solely and only conservative characteristics...and they would be, have been and will always be wrong
about that.
Also, those characteristics are possessed and practiced by many liberals and progressives and social democrats and in no way counters nor interferes
with nor is inconsistent with nor contradicts being a liberal nor being a progressive nor being a social democrat.
[Edited on 11-1-2014 by MitchMan]
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rts551
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| Quote: | Originally posted by MitchMan
Skipjack ... you hit it pretty much right on the head.
rts551, not sure what you mean as to how I fit in?...in what, as what?
I started out as a cook, then went into bar tending, then went into restaurant management. Spent much of my twenties doing that stuff. BUT, nothing
in my posts in this thread says that I a was a restaurant owner and therefore I was thereby an entrepreneur. In fact, I never said, so far in this
post, that I was either a restaurant entrepreneur or simply an entrepreneur. NOW, I will say that I have been a successful entrepreneur, just not in
the restaurant industry (sold my business when I was fifty and immediately retired) and that I now own income property and teach part time.
Please note, that no where in my posts in this thread have I said that I am a conservative. I am definitely not what is commonly known as a
conservative. However, just like most people, there are some things that I believe and do that could be considered so-called conservative, as it is
with most other people. For example, I drink water and so do all conservatives. You know, things like honesty, thriftiness, entrepreneurial
endeavor, having a work ethic, being fair, believing in God, love of family, faithfulness, etc. are not the exclusive domain of conservatism,
although, there are many who think that they are solely and only conservative characteristics...and they would be, have been and will always be wrong
about that.
Also, those characteristics are possessed and practiced by many liberals and progressives and social democrats and in no way counters nor interferes
with nor is inconsistent with nor contradicts being a liberal nor being a progressive nor being a social democrat.
[Edited on 11-1-2014 by MitchMan] |
well said
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