Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/898117
The secret of success in the restaurant business is repeat customers. When a new place opens, flush with public relations and critical noise, it's impossible to get a reservation. The front door is jammed with "samplers"—people who want to be the first to try the new place. They want to say to their foodie friends, "Have you been to XYZ? No? I was there last night." For the first month or two, this is the story. A crush at the door. An overworked reservationist. Eager diners waiting at the bar for their turn. Availability on Open Table of bookings only at 5:30 or 10:45. The restaurateur is congratulating themself all the way to the bank. In the third month, things subtly change. There are 7:30 availabilities on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fewer people are camped at the bar. What's happened? The "samplers" have moved on. New places have opened and the crowd has migrated like a herd of caribou. This is the crucial moment in a restaurant's life: Be the proverbial "flash in the pan," or turn some of those "samplers" into regulars. How do you do that? Start out by being good. That seems like a simple enough thing to do, but it really isn't. To be good, really good, you have go all out—no corner-cutting. Don't look at costs and try to save a few bucks with second-rate ingredients. Do the very best that you can, work hard, and you may be rewarded with a treasure trove of returning customers. But being really good is not quite enough. You have to coddle and woo these potential regulars. Greet them like long-lost rich relatives, escort them to a great table, offer them a special wine or a special dish, schmooze them. Know their likes, their dislikes, their allergies, their favorites (there are great computer programs that will do some of this for you). Intuitive software is helpful, but you have to be engaged and present at all times to really be successful. Opening a restaurant with a great chef and a first- rate professional staff is a start. Following through and building a lasting business is much more difficult. Anthony Dias Blue The Secret of Success LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 4 / the tasting panel / november 2017