If you’re a person who has read the book Eat, Pray, Love, you will understand the section about eating too many who own a restaurant. In our world these days, food has become a fashion accessory you wear. Its beauty took in beautiful angles for Instagram and Snapchat, showing the world how amazing life can be. We adorn our food based on its unthinkable ideas; toilet bowl restaurants, de-constructed coffee, and an extreme collection of vegan diets.
However, this would be a customer’s perspective, and my question is: How would you react if you’re the brains behind the whole success?
As a restaurateur, you eventually lose your love for cooking and fall prey to overnight fame and stress. After weeks of exploring Bosnia and its food culture, I’ve put together a collection of advice that might help you enjoy owning a restaurant and making food for the rest of your life.
1. Food Should Always Be The Priority Over Money
In our world these days, money has always seemed to take the highest priority. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the restaurant business revolves around money and popularity. Many chefs started making food due to passion; however, eventually became slaves of profit.
Gordon Ramsay, who, from my point of view, is the Father Of Food, never failed to stress the importance of focusing on the quality and the taste of the food instead of the income. He firmly believes that for a restaurant to be successful, love and passion should be portrayed through the food and not the check.
It’s a lesson many restaurateurs forget over time. Therefore if you’re finding it hard to rekindle your cooking spirit, go back to the first kitchen you started and reminisce on why and how you fell in love with making food. You’ll be able to find the kitchen diva in you yet again.
2. Creativity Is Never The Final Destination
Often enough, I hear from the new age hipsters that the best way to make food is by being creative; however, my trip to ancient Bosnia proved otherwise. Creativity is a crucial aspect, especially in our current world; however, remembering our past and trailing back in time could be the point of view many restaurants might need these days.
As time passed, we found many gastronomic restaurants around us, but we had slowly forgotten how food was created. We have slowly started leaving behind traditions and the history of how food was made. This has led to the extinction of traditional cuisine.
As they say, creativity lies in the eyes of the beholder; find out your roots and bring that back to your restaurant. I can guarantee that it will give your customers and you the satisfaction and joy needed to be part of the food industry.
3. Prioritize Your Employees First
When you’re a boss, it’s easy to forget how to be humble; while many disagree, it’s psychologically proven that humans tend to indulge in power. Over the years, many companies have practiced openness and trust as part of the company growth. Therefore, employees and bosses are bound by protocols that keep them equal and satisfied.
These have also become the practice of many restaurants as they realize the importance of hiring great people and keeping them as they progress. When your restaurant reaches a point of passive income, you would need employees who aren’t working for the benefits but working for the love and loyalty of the company. This attitude allows you to expand and grow without the fear of being betrayed, increasing your restaurant’s profit, keeping your clients happy, and allowing your employees to prosper.
If you’re a person who has trouble communicating, allow them to speak to you first and then give yourself time to talk to them about it. Always remember that a great restaurant is in the hands of great employees.
4. Always Make Sure To Have A Financial Planner
Over time, a well-known or growing restaurant will start gathering passive income. This becomes prominent when you start reaping huge profits and have the capacity for expansion. It’s an accomplishment and often a break many restaurateurs would’ve spent their entire life waiting for.
However, with greatness comes responsibility and stress for financial organization. The best advice is always to have a trusted financial adviser or auditor. Avoid family and friends because there’s always a fine line between business and relationships, and often working together with people you love could end up disastrously.
Therefore, hire someone who’s known for their organization, has great experiences, and one you know that you can rely on. I suppose your instincts should be your best teacher regarding this matter.
Generally, being a restaurateur allows you the freedom to be creative and will enable you to live the dream life if a certain balance is maintained. These tips will be of great use for those who are growing and looking forward to being part of this industry.
