tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72702893769551838312024-03-19T04:56:06.478-07:00The Restaurant DoctorThe restaurant business from the inside out.The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-65658415683050058452014-11-06T07:09:00.000-08:002014-11-06T07:09:20.167-08:00We need to talk about fraud.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's an awkward subject that few people like to think or talk about but, if you operate a business, it is essential that you do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Statistics show that employee fraud is the most common type, and that cash businesses are most susceptible. There are certain controls which can minimise the risk, and in my experience, it is an area where restaurants are particularly weak.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I've come across employee fraud whilst working on company audits, and I've experienced it first hand when I was in the restaurant business. Without the correct controls in place, I may never have detected it and would have continued on in blissful ignorance. I know that many restaurants out there exist in this state.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you own a restaurant, then as an absolute minimum, you should:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Accept that fraud exists and could occur</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Implement strong controls and procedures</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Continuously monitor and control activities </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ensure there is clear segregation of duties so that no person is in a position to commit fraud, then cover it up.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I once worked with a client in the U.S who operated bars and restaurants. Initially, he had a major issue with me suggesting that if he didn't know whether his staff were committing fraud, then they almost certainly were. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Over time, when this proved to be the case, he was extremely upset that the person he trusted most was stealing from him. The experience completely changed the way he operated his business, and with the implementation of a few simple controls, he had the peace of mind that his exposure was greatly reduced. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It is very difficult to completely eliminate fraud but the risk can certainly be minimised. In my experience, although all situations are different, the following common threads exist in most cases of employee fraud in restaurants.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">No controls exist or they are weak and inadequate </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Employees are poorly managed and/or poorly treated</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Trusted members of staff have unresolved personal issues such as addiction etc. This is often completely covered up.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So the message is clear. As unpalatable as it may sound, if you operate a restaurant, you are already in a high risk business for employee fraud. If the opportunity exists for your employees to commit fraud, then it is quite likely that it is happening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you would like advice on fraud detection and prevention, please email me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">info@therestaurantdoctor.ie</span></div>
The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-29160476607138601852014-10-29T08:45:00.000-07:002014-10-29T08:45:05.052-07:00Memorable Meals - Part 2<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">No doubt you've all been on tenterhooks awaiting my top two most memorable meals, so here goes! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. The Sportsman, Kent, England 2008</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It was quite literally a toss of a coin between this meal and the number 1.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Faversham is and hour or so from London Victoria on the train, and a further 20 minutes by taxi takes you Seasalter on the Kent coast. It may seem like a lot of hassle for a pub lunch, but this is no ordinary pub.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Sportsman, on the face of it, is a modest old boozer located right on the beach facing into the North Sea. It is surrounded by marsh where the lambs they serve graze happily. This is one of the key features of Stephen Harris's cooking. The ingredients he uses are literally on his doorstep and are some of the best you will find anywhere in the world.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGqu8SogxhomkFu7yYC6jJrNCWnmrHKMHW891Wrgfk2H0xHt7BIUS9xly2ffZU2t2Q206gvZhGkIvuPe8YO2iLfOAokO0F1l3ZSJzqBe3xLuvsYD9f6mF_wCObvFizMgqfX4X5ul7JYE/s1600/Sportsman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGqu8SogxhomkFu7yYC6jJrNCWnmrHKMHW891Wrgfk2H0xHt7BIUS9xly2ffZU2t2Q206gvZhGkIvuPe8YO2iLfOAokO0F1l3ZSJzqBe3xLuvsYD9f6mF_wCObvFizMgqfX4X5ul7JYE/s1600/Sportsman.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sportsman, Seasalter, Whitstable, Kent.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When compared to some of the more elaborate meals I've enjoyed, the cooking at The Sportsman may seem simple. The acid test for me though, is that six years later I still remember every bite of every dish as if I tasted it yesterday. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Their tasting menu is available only on weekdays and as we were there on a Saturday, we chose off the á la carte. To start, I ate one of the best dishes I've ever tasted. Their spider crab risotto packs an incredibly intense shellfish flavour from the brown meat, offset by mild sweetness of fresh white meat. The balance of salt, savour, sweetness and the almost bitter intensity results in a flavour hit that is not easily forgotten.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLF_-ON1YYY2dobJ1a3J6mgniv3P74F8yPdQDOazzAAZQlH8dS3kHsQ9RpyJ5XppATZr469ZVoRUQvVvAftEwALqzOsu7cGto6O5FUakd_xNCwycNTT73c4IY7NqlMv4MmGniQp9l4M0o/s1600/Sportsman+Crab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLF_-ON1YYY2dobJ1a3J6mgniv3P74F8yPdQDOazzAAZQlH8dS3kHsQ9RpyJ5XppATZr469ZVoRUQvVvAftEwALqzOsu7cGto6O5FUakd_xNCwycNTT73c4IY7NqlMv4MmGniQp9l4M0o/s1600/Sportsman+Crab.jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spider crab risotto at The Sportsman, Kent</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The food here is very much produce driven and the abundance of seafood on their doorstep means the ingredient quality is spectacular. My main course of grilled slip sole with seaweed butter needed nothing else. Perfectly cooked fish less than three hours old with a sauce which enhanced it's subtle flavour. Seems simple, but I've never encountered anything like it before or since. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpe2BDq3gTIv8qIbmWZe_xP6RK2Q5bc1CN23Hm5QxVCdkq2M215kw4hyphenhyphenI6x4ELf3FFfU1kYY3D6c172Jp8UjHvTOC75xqDAez9bBrwmRrdwDbGGIOtUh0JCi7B1f3nMsgZMILXX2hYfR8/s1600/Sportsman+Sole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpe2BDq3gTIv8qIbmWZe_xP6RK2Q5bc1CN23Hm5QxVCdkq2M215kw4hyphenhyphenI6x4ELf3FFfU1kYY3D6c172Jp8UjHvTOC75xqDAez9bBrwmRrdwDbGGIOtUh0JCi7B1f3nMsgZMILXX2hYfR8/s1600/Sportsman+Sole.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sole with seaweed butter at The Sportsman, Kent</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Meat dishes and desserts proved to be at the same impeccable standard as the fish, and the atmosphere was so warm and welcoming that it was a wrench to head off for our train. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">They make their own butter, ham, chorizo, salt & cheese, among other things. These guys were creating menus from local, sustainable ingredients years before Noma made the concept fashionable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Sportsman won a richly deserved Michelin star a few years ago. On the basis that two stars are awarded for food which is worth a special journey, I can't think of a more fitting candidate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Mugaritz, Errentia, Spain 2009</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There are few high end restaurants in the world that divide opinion quite like Mugaritz. It seems that people either love it or hate it. As you can probably guess, we loved it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">San Sebastian is one of my favourite places on the planet, and a great destination for a short break. Whether it's the superb pintxo bars of the old town or any one of the plethora or multi starred restaurants, it's a must visit for food and wine lovers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Mugaritz is located outside the town of Errentia, about 20 minutes by taxi from the city. The quiet farmhouse type location gives little away about the cutting edge molecular gastronomy going on inside. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocKPyNa3_7KHy-0ScbtFOPlyOgoSoACtjYIpWzMsmPvgUAeeqyKxZl20EAHg9DCQhENCO1iLqbHaviHxy2xId98wxhmySw8jqOZ2_Mlelcm1zkxLqRAJeA_OuuywkYTVpgf9XOmb52TM/s1600/Mugaritz+exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocKPyNa3_7KHy-0ScbtFOPlyOgoSoACtjYIpWzMsmPvgUAeeqyKxZl20EAHg9DCQhENCO1iLqbHaviHxy2xId98wxhmySw8jqOZ2_Mlelcm1zkxLqRAJeA_OuuywkYTVpgf9XOmb52TM/s1600/Mugaritz+exterior.jpg" height="412" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The exterior of Mugaritz, Errentia, Spain.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before dinner we had champagne and snacks in the garden and were immediately impressed by the staff. Although extremely professional, they were relaxed and seemed to really enjoy their work. After their signature "edible stones" with aioli, we were shown into the calm, yet impressive dining room.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8dzmJIc2DaDY0iB_NbwFtLBzN9B7jJ3BnZreziyLwK-8EbXzNvB3S61Lxjg2VZpuVlOvPB4nzfz_cVLODCqeEJ4gWL5QRAx7h5EUHHsmiqbFYNQ3CPJeQl99lRP7uRs5B93iBxwsOlw/s1600/Stones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8dzmJIc2DaDY0iB_NbwFtLBzN9B7jJ3BnZreziyLwK-8EbXzNvB3S61Lxjg2VZpuVlOvPB4nzfz_cVLODCqeEJ4gWL5QRAx7h5EUHHsmiqbFYNQ3CPJeQl99lRP7uRs5B93iBxwsOlw/s1600/Stones.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Edible stones" at Mugaritz</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwL_EzKsJJ3zgz07RgTPSmkdu9H91r781bmK2tXpwuf4E2ehkcRO6UEnj2CFc0P7BrfAjAymImWkQ9qslpL_8_HovoIQLIVW55pI5rz4LVRXHHiWPhSSTswZ1NrD-8GYzOyRZLx5tu1A/s1600/Mugaritz+Interior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwL_EzKsJJ3zgz07RgTPSmkdu9H91r781bmK2tXpwuf4E2ehkcRO6UEnj2CFc0P7BrfAjAymImWkQ9qslpL_8_HovoIQLIVW55pI5rz4LVRXHHiWPhSSTswZ1NrD-8GYzOyRZLx5tu1A/s1600/Mugaritz+Interior.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dining room at Mugaritz</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We chose one of their tasting menus with matching wines and settled in for what was to be a stellar experience from start to finish. The professional yet friendly service continued throughout and the staff made us feel like they sincerely wanted us to have a night to remember.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Chef <a href="http://www.mugaritz.com/en/andoni-luis-aduriz/co-1276143453/">Andoni Adriuz</a> is a disciple of El Bulli and since he opened Mugaritz in 1998 has pushed the boundaries of modern cuisine. His techniques are widely used now but he has continued to evolve and is still at the forefront of his genre. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What impressed us most about his cooking was that in addition to being visibly spectacular, the flavours were bold and delicious. This was no exercise in style over substance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Every morsel we ate surprised and delighted us in equal measure, but a couple of dishes stand out in my mind. A "surf and turf" of sorts using crayfish, pig tails and Iberico ham was a carnival of flavour & texture, and their signature chocolate dish was the best I've ever tasted. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnkxqrrBa24nUFZu0-GduGimZUOVf3v67iJH4J8XoYsC30obOYr3vHZkbbIkStH_wNdMrOQL9diPINvLUing7AsVFknfreVoXFqUOg8-TZrgFBGHo9LY_dPQY0S_yyXmlLxvLneC4Nws/s1600/Pork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnkxqrrBa24nUFZu0-GduGimZUOVf3v67iJH4J8XoYsC30obOYr3vHZkbbIkStH_wNdMrOQL9diPINvLUing7AsVFknfreVoXFqUOg8-TZrgFBGHo9LY_dPQY0S_yyXmlLxvLneC4Nws/s1600/Pork.jpg" height="640" width="586" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork & crayfish at Mugaritz</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouY8FVr9FmFrm-kWOmHzuRl75CzGsQy7MDuV017NgL_7_PAviIMdffc_-sig-6YUEQfTJuEY39KhoiRUVaFhURq4ltmOcZoQq4STD0_lyAxw440y57Lx_iSHFThh6P3c38cDr6FeI17M/s1600/Mugaritz+chocolate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouY8FVr9FmFrm-kWOmHzuRl75CzGsQy7MDuV017NgL_7_PAviIMdffc_-sig-6YUEQfTJuEY39KhoiRUVaFhURq4ltmOcZoQq4STD0_lyAxw440y57Lx_iSHFThh6P3c38cDr6FeI17M/s1600/Mugaritz+chocolate.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The signature "Chocolate Bubbles" dessert at Mugaritz</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There was a playful side to some of the dishes with items on the plate turning out to be radically different than they appeared. This created an interaction between staff and guests and helped foster the relaxed and convivial atmosphere. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On a tour of the kitchen I will never forget how calm and quiet it was, especially given the number of chefs. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Mugaritz seems like a great place to work, and Andoni Adriuz seems like a genuinely nice man. In my opinion, this is one of the key factors which made our experience so unforgettable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As I mentioned at the outset, the most memorable meals are usually the result of multiple factors falling into place, but at the core of every single one are the basics....great food & service. Trends may come and go, but these fundamentals will never go out of fashion.</span></div>
The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-21589754223520646762014-10-22T04:50:00.001-07:002015-01-13T01:26:48.906-08:00Memorable Meals <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What makes a meal memorable? I've pondered this question for years and have yet to come up with a definitive answer. From the time we were old enough, my significant other and I worked, saved, travelled and dined. She is still putting up with me some 24 years later, and we've clocked up a lot of great meals in that time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For me, there are a lot of variables which contribute towards a memorable dining experience. Context and expectation are certainly key factors, as is the mood of the diner. For example, the same plate of jamon and olives is likely to taste infinitely better with a warm Spanish breeze in your face than on a rainy Tuesday somewhere off the M50! Also, when dining whilst on holiday, you are more likely to be relaxed and overlook small issues that may irritate more easily if you had to be up for work in the morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Over the course of this post and the next, I will attempt to list my top 5 most memorable meals, in reverse order. It's a bit like naming your favourite albums, in that it could change easily depending on how you feel at a particular time. I've eaten some simple meals that have personal significance and are memorable for reasons far beyond what is on the plate. A tomato bruschetta in San Gimignano springs to mind. For that reason, I've tried to pick meals where the food was at a similar level, and the overall experience was very special. As rough criteria go, it's the best I can come up with!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So here goes....before I change my mind again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Thorntons, Portobello, Dublin 2001</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before moving to The Fitzwilliam Hotel, Thorntons were located on the canal at Portobello. At the time, the front of house was headed up by Olivier Meisonnave more recently of <a href="http://www.dax.ie/">Dax</a>. A young Graham Neville, currently head chef at <a href="http://www.restaurantfortyone.ie/">Restaurant 41</a> was behind the stove. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thorntons Portobello : First 2* in Ireland. Source - Thorntons Website</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The restaurant had just won it's second Michelin star, the first in Ireland to do so, and we went to celebrate our anniversary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It was one of those perfect nights where the planets lined up, and everything fell into place. We ordered the tasting menu and as we knew Kevin & Muriel, a couple of extra courses arrived from the kitchen. The food and service were at a level we had never experienced in Ireland before. The stand-out dish that lingers long in the memory was scallops & foie gras with ceps and black truffle. In the wrong hands it could have been overpowering, instead it was flawless cooking and the perfect balance of rich and delicate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Kevin Thornton is one of the best Irish chefs of all time and anyone who is interested in food but has not experienced Kevin's cooking, should put that right as soon as possible.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">4. El Cellar de Can Roca, Girona, Spain 2010</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We went to Girona for a weekend on the recommendation of our friend and food journalist, Corinna Hardgrave. At the time, Can Roca had 2 Michelin stars and were pushing hard for a third. Since then, they've gone on to reach 3* and No. 1 in the World 50 Best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The earliest reservation they accept is 9pm and it was unusual to be only diners in the room at 9.05pm...especially with a long, multi-course menu to come. They had a choice of three tasting menus, which by international standards were cracking value. From memory, the one we chose was 10 courses plus extras for about €100.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Dinner started with a bonsai olive tree being wheeled to the table. Hanging from the tree were caramelised olives stuffed with anchovy gel. The slight crack of the coating yielded an umami hit of warm anchovy that kick-started the taste buds into life. This was followed by a series of snacks before the first course from the menu arrived.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Over the next four hours, we enjoyed course after course of technically perfect, beautifully balanced food. As with most tasting menus, some dishes stood out more than others and even now I remember the sole. It was deceptively simple yet near perfection. Immaculate fish coupled with strong flavours that managed to elevate but not overpower. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sole with Mediterranean flavours at El Cellar de Can Roca</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The restaurant is located in an unassuming suburb of Girona but once inside the gate, the stunning courtyard building and cool, contemporary setting set the tone for a very special experience.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stunning dining room at El Cellar de Can Roca</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Obviously this is very much a special occasion destination and for most people, myself included, probably a once in a lifetime meal. If the opportunity ever comes your way...grab it with both hands.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. Gregan's Castle, County Clare, 2010</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'd never heard of Gregan's Castle until friends of ours, who really know their stuff, raved about the food. County Clare is one our favourite places in the world so we needed little persuasion to hit the M7.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The hotel has real charm and we immediately felt at ease. We'd been advised that in order to really experience the talent of chef Mickael Viljanen, we should opt for the tasting menu. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBkYKccBOs4s9Qo6lMN877kqy9OGnn7fEw82NgbnQbOJhvJxa041AzBOXbxoVgiVaF66ddIBzYEjUStii43Z2UetBgoZ1qnZ43WCU9EwNRDHWgq39ShlDJzpOd9TSH014XlYGwk5vmC0/s1600/Gregans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBkYKccBOs4s9Qo6lMN877kqy9OGnn7fEw82NgbnQbOJhvJxa041AzBOXbxoVgiVaF66ddIBzYEjUStii43Z2UetBgoZ1qnZ43WCU9EwNRDHWgq39ShlDJzpOd9TSH014XlYGwk5vmC0/s1600/Gregans.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gregans Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When we took our seats in the modest dining room, it was difficult to foresee the gastronomic treats which lay ahead. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The savoury beetroot meringues with smoked eel set the tone for what was to be a game changing dinner. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Much of the cooking was rooted in the French classics but the techniques and processes were like nothing we'd seen in Ireland before. Every dish managed to be original and inventive, but most importantly, the flavours worked and each mouthful was utterly delicious. It's rare to find a tasting menu without a single bum note, but this was flawless.</span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0fvOG9iHgibcvEFs4bo5lZlx8Uz7Zef5ppemOZiYVN_avTjpRyh5bZ88wREp1inmaF-GMsoMjt4bUqpzKirUwmkgjQMqfbZDi-DXEhJ736JAGS3-_u7BS-osTO1Tzpgk7jbkFS4byUc/s1600/Greenhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0fvOG9iHgibcvEFs4bo5lZlx8Uz7Zef5ppemOZiYVN_avTjpRyh5bZ88wREp1inmaF-GMsoMjt4bUqpzKirUwmkgjQMqfbZDi-DXEhJ736JAGS3-_u7BS-osTO1Tzpgk7jbkFS4byUc/s1600/Greenhouse.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mickael Viljanen's cooking - Inventive, modern, but always delicious</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Mickael has since departed the Burren for <a href="http://www.greenhouserestaurant.ie/">The Greenhouse</a> in Dublin and continues to push boundries. For my money, he's the most talented chef working in Ireland at the moment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to wrap up this post now as it's getting a bit long. Stay tuned for the next post which will follow shortly, and feature my top two most memorable meals. </span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-25457034037190218402014-10-06T07:54:00.000-07:002014-10-06T07:54:19.579-07:00The facts about restaurant no-shows<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I started working in a restaurant at weekends and school holidays when I was 15 years old. It may come as a surprise to some given my *ahem* youthful appearance, that this was all of 27 years ago!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The problem of people making bookings, confirming on the day, and then not turning up, was as big a problem then as it is now. The difference now is that it gets reported more thanks to social media. This may just prove to be an important factor in reducing the problem over the long term.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The first reaction of most people when they hear about it is </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">"why not take credit cards and charge a fee for no-shows?" This is a perfectly reasonable suggestion but difficult to implement in practice here. The reason is that there are specific economic factors which need to exist in order for this to succeed. Demand must exceed supply. This is the case at Christmas time which enables restaurants to requests deposits and credit card confirmations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My own view is that we do not have a large enough pool of diners in this country, nor do we have a sufficiently well developed culture of dining out. It has certainly improved but I still think that too many Irish diners are indifferent about their choice of restaurant. Price is the biggest driver for many.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Like most restaurants, we had a big issue with no-shows in Alexis. We decided to pilot a scheme for four weeks in 2011 to try combat the problem. We planned to take credit card details with every booking and charge a fee of €25 per person for confirmed bookings that were unfulfilled. It was a spectacular failure and we abandoned it after two weeks. We found that regular customers only very reluctantly gave their details, while others were outraged and simply went elsewhere. It appeared that we succeeded only in getting our customers' backs up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I've read a few suggestions on Twitter and various other media recently about what can be done to eradicate the problem here. Most are unworkable, mainly for the reasons outlined above. International destination restaurants such as Grant Achatz's <a href="http://www.nextrestaurant.com/">Next</a> in Chicago can get away with selling tickets. I suspect that Irish restaurants fighting for business to survive would have a harder job.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So what can be done to solve the problem in Ireland? I don't believe there is any one "quick fix" solution. In my opinion, the best chance of reducing no-shows in the long term in education. The more the issue gets highlighted in social and mainstream media, and people become aware how damaging it is for small businesses, the better chance of it eventually becoming frowned upon and socially unacceptable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the meantime, restaurants can look to take credit card details for peak times like Saturday nights to ease the burden. In addition, they can over book to compensate for inevitable no-shows. This has to be carefully managed however, and must never penalise guests who arrive on time for their reservation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The restaurant business is tough enough without having to deal with this unnecessary and avoidable problem. Genuine issues can always arise, but in many cases it is caused by people either staying in the pub or else booking several restaurants and deciding last minute which one to go to. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Every time I read restaurants tweeting about it, I remember how disheartening it was. It's one of the very few things I don't miss about the business.</span><br />
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<br />The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-19619417398425562272014-09-24T07:58:00.000-07:002014-09-24T07:58:10.513-07:00Bloggers ; No rights without responsibility<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My last post seems to have upset a few people. I received a lot of emails and messages about it, many of them from bloggers. They ranged from mildly miffed to incandescent with rage, the majority falling somewhere in between.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On foot of the apparent confusion about the points I was trying to make, I thought I'd clarify my position. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The relationship between bloggers and restaurants has changed considerably over the last few years. In the UK it is not unusual for food bloggers to be flown off to exotic cities and destinations in return for reviews of their experience. This practice operates on a smaller scale here, with bloggers mainly being invited to dine in restaurants in return for a review. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I can see all sides of this relationship as I organise PR events for some clients, I used to operate a restaurant, and now I write a blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I have no difficulty with bloggers being invited to restaurants or events. If I invite bloggers to an event, I do so with a completely open mind. If they attend, enjoy themselves, and write a good review, that's the best case scenario. If they do not enjoy themselves, then I would have no issue whatsoever with them expressing that view on their blog. I have far more respect for those who give their honest opinion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I believe strongly that in order to exercise your right to express your opinions on a public forum, you are duty bound to be honest. You should also declare that you are an invited guest. People may rely on the information you provide, so as a minimum you should be truthful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There is plenty of anecdotal evidence about bloggers approaching restaurants looking for payment in return for a positive review. The reverse also seems to happen. Either way, both parties should hang their heads in shame. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I know from experience that there are PR companies out there offering x amount of positive reviews on Trip Advisor as part of their package. They should also be ashamed of themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In summary, if you have a blog, the absolute minimum people have a right to expect, is that you declare when you are an invited guest and that your opinions are honest. If they are well written and well informed, then so much the better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Hopefully this clears up my position on the matter. Please feel to use the comment function below or email me on info@therestaurantdoctor.ie if you wish to share your views.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-45208895701376427222014-09-11T07:52:00.000-07:002014-09-25T00:36:35.444-07:00Everyone's a Restaurant Critic...<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It would appear these days that no matter where you are in Ireland, if you throw a stone, you'll hit a restaurant critic. The spawning of myriad blogs and review sites has meant every man and his dog now has an opinion, and isn't afraid to use it. I say this without any hint of irony! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For my money, those reviewing restaurants in this country can be broadly categorised as follows:</span></span><br />
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Professional critics with a good enough knowledge of food, wine & restaurants to write about the subject.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Professional critics with sketchy knowledge who could just as easily be writing about travel or gardening.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bloggers </span><span style="font-size: large;">with a good enough knowledge of food, wine & restaurants to write about the subject.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Bloggers who like going out but don't know very much at all about food, wine or restaurants.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Joe Public keyboard warriors who can't wait to get home from a restaurant to fire up Trip Advisor or Yelp.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Let's start with the professionals. Like any profession, some are stronger than others in their chosen field. It should be borne in mind that the role of a professional critic is to write entertaining copy as much as express their opinions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We have some excellent critics here but I certainly enjoy the writing of some more than others, even if I don't always agree with their opinions. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Some I don't bother reading at all. I was once asked by a professional critic if they could have their beef cheek cooked medium with the "gravy" on the side. Safe to say they fall into category two above.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blogs in the UK have emerged as a very powerful force in the industry. Bloggers such as </span><a href="http://www.elizabethonfood.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">Elizabeth on Food</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> and </span><a href="http://www.andyhayler.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">Andy Hayler</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> are taken every bit as seriously by top restaurants, as any of the major print media critics. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We don't have any blogs here with that kind of power and influence, but there are no shortage of armchair critics. I counted 21 restaurant review blogs without making too much effort. I counted 4 that were worth reading. The rest were either freebie puff pieces or more geared towards booze, the food element being little more than a sideshow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There are some questionable goings-on between bloggers and restaurants which sparked a huge debate in the UK recently. I hear that similar murky doings are now happening here. I have strong opinions on the issue which will be the subject of an upcoming post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I save my most bilious contempt for one particular breed of amateur critic. There are people out there who will sit in a restaurant, eat a meal, tell the staff everything was lovely, before shooting home to write a scathing review on Trip Advisor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is wrong on so many levels, but mainly because it is totally unfair on the restaurant who never get an opportunity to address whatever issues arose. Then again, maybe that's not the point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It also serves to underpin Trip Advisors' reputation as a flawed, skewed and totally untrustworthy source of information. A quick scan of their top 10 restaurants in Dublin will illustrate this point. Nothing against those listed, but if a tourist visiting Dublin relied on this information, they would miss out on most of the best dining options in the city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Before anyone screams "hypocrite" and points out that I have recently reviewed a restaurant on this very blog, let me clarify. I have no issue with reviewers, professional or amateur, once their content is honest, informed, and readable. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Reviews can give restaurants the oxygen of publicity that they may otherwise be starved of. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">From my own perspective, my review was a once off but I took the responsibility seriously and my views were 100% honest. I feel strongly that people should do likewise when posting their opinions in any public forum. </span></div>
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The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-57265252498303323752014-09-04T07:43:00.000-07:002014-09-04T07:43:12.546-07:00Buying smart is key to success for restaurants<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Back in 2002 I was appointed financial controller of a medium sized construction company. One of my first projects was to design & implement a centralised purchasing system. This would replace the existing decentralised system of individual sites all over the country buying their own materials. The objective was to save 3% of the €25m per annum spent on materials.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before I got into any of the details I contacted two of the biggest and best companies in the industry and asked if I could sit in with their purchasing departments for a few days and learn how the market leaders operated. They kindly obliged and put up with me asking endless questions until I got a clear idea of how good purchasing systems work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The project took 12 months to develop and a further 6 months of tweaking to get right. It was worth the effort as it highlighted so many weaknesses in the old system and revolutionised the way the company bought. The target savings were exceeded and the system is still in use today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You may be thinking " so bloody what!?" but bear with me, there is a point to all of this!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Purchasing is a key area for any business, especially those with </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">high input costs, such as </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">restaurants . Regardless of the size of a business, the same basic principles apply. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In my experience, it's an area where restaurants can be weak and exposed. Ordering tends to be done on the back of a napkin and phoned in after service. Goods arrive, often during busy periods, are signed for by whoever answers the door. The invoice arrives, gets processed and paid. Shortfalls are often filled in by sending the KP to the local supermarket. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Bigger operations may have more structure, but I know for sure that what I've just described applies to a lot of small independent restaurants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">With a few small changes, requiring very little extra effort, restaurants can reduce their purchases by 10%. To put that into context, if a restaurant has a gross turnover of €15,000 per week, they will spend approximately €4,000 just buying food & drink. A 10% saving would deliver €20,000 per annum into their bottom line and, ultimately their bank account. When you add in consumables and other non food/drink purchases, this figure rises to €25,000. Not an insignificant sum, I'm sure you'll agree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It goes back to what I've said in many other posts about the skillsets required to operate a restaurant. I would never knock a great chef for being less than great in the paperwork department. Everyone should play to their strengths. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Purchasing is a skill that is very much valued by large organisations but often unrecognised by small ones. It can literally be the difference between success and failure for some small businesses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you think you could buy better or would like to find out more information, please feel free to drop me an email.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">info@therestaurantdoctor.ie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-61695972998146942682014-08-27T02:53:00.001-07:002014-08-27T02:53:23.182-07:00Restaurant Review: Etto, Merrion Row, Dublin 2.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is not a restaurant review blog.... for a few reasons. Mostly, because there are lots already out there and I don't think the world needs another one. Also, I have a lot of friends in the industry and I work with several restaurants, so in order to maintain those relationships, I think it's wise to leave the reviewing to others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On that basis, this may well be my one and only review. I don't work with Etto, nor do I know the guys behind it so my opinions are 100% impartial and written purely as a punter. This restaurant is by no means perfect but gets so many things right that I feel compelled to share my views.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You've probably gathered at this stage that I like place, so I'll get the negatives out of the way first before I start eulogising about the food. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">They were not blessed with much space so the seating area is tight. I'm short and weigh less than ten stone yet still find it difficult to squeeze between the tables. I can imagine they've encountered some issues with more generously proportioned people. The tight space and hard surfaces also make it quite noisy which means that you have to talk loudly to be heard. With neighbours in such close proximity, this makes intimate conversation a no-no ( I heard way too much about a fellow diner's medical issues recently). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So why do I like this restaurant so much? Mainly because I always leave there happier than when I arrived. This is my acid test for any restaurant. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The menu changes regularly and they offer a set lunch at€20/€25 for 2/3 courses or an a la carte option of small plates and larger main courses. This will prove considerably more expensive than the set menu option but value has two elements; price and quality. The ingredients on the ALC are notably higher end. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the most recent visit we both chose the set lunch despite being tempted by the squab on the other side of the page. Nevertheless, the set lunch is so appealing that there are no losers in the menu roulette game here. I chose a vegetarian starter of beetroot agnolotti with goat's curd and cavalo nero. The pasta was silky with just enough density to hold the sweet, earthy beetroot filling. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Toasted walnuts added texture and feather light, micro planed Parmigiano Reggiano </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">combined with the fresh curd to add a salty tang. The cabbage added both flavour and nice hit of iron to give the dish more substance. A really well thought out, well executed dish in keeping with the excellent vegetarian offerings the always seem to have here.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZriKi4AoWr8R1jFQos8XXNoq_BW5BGJGykY_rmPw7ui9n9nSMWyrYrCwr2_TqDDa7-pVxwpVjH8Y7FRc1tA7r19vDVcyWKiHaS1SoIjScxvd-V64PAQ7ZwuHhZ4AGgs5hDoSgLGN4Ck/s1600/photo+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZriKi4AoWr8R1jFQos8XXNoq_BW5BGJGykY_rmPw7ui9n9nSMWyrYrCwr2_TqDDa7-pVxwpVjH8Y7FRc1tA7r19vDVcyWKiHaS1SoIjScxvd-V64PAQ7ZwuHhZ4AGgs5hDoSgLGN4Ck/s1600/photo+(3).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bad photo of a great dish. Beetroot agnolotti.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The other starter was that Piedmontese classic, vitello tonnato. I find this dish always tastes better than it sounds. Wafer thin slices of veal in a creamy tuna mayonnaise with capers. I told you. Thankfully, it's a delicious dish and this version was no exception. The capers were deep fried which transforms them into crispy taste explosions but also makes them less acidic. A minor gripe would be that the dish needed more acidity and fresh capers would have provided it. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGELcoMSg0ZP54RBBnx-LsAEqGiaxn-gcX7L5SsqjPgr5TfCrXjSbaRPHLBWYVzTt9e8sUkr87OtEv3W30lTNp-l4V_EHhmgwEPwQvnXZl_kKIwyaLdN6fNRpbnwSVXxPPFXiVQDhpWis/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGELcoMSg0ZP54RBBnx-LsAEqGiaxn-gcX7L5SsqjPgr5TfCrXjSbaRPHLBWYVzTt9e8sUkr87OtEv3W30lTNp-l4V_EHhmgwEPwQvnXZl_kKIwyaLdN6fNRpbnwSVXxPPFXiVQDhpWis/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vitello Tonnato. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">By now the space had filled but service from the three FOH staff never missed a beat. They've clearly figured out the flow of the room and glided around without a hint of stress, even when clearly busy. They were well versed and interested enough to answer any questions from their guests and seemed to really enjoy their work. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Main courses were pork and hake. Pork came in the form of a thick organic chop which had been griddled on the outside and was perfectly medium rare in the middle. I've huge admiration for restaurants with the courage to serve pork pink as I know from experience how challenging it can be. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The quality of the pork was superb and a</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> punchy romesco sauce, which managed to be both rustic and refined at the same time, elevated the dish way beyond the sum of it's parts. Some beans and greens balanced the dish and roasting juices added meaty savour.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb24laXlKpNqgLtEF01LkwyzEF2fgld_3S8fgUJh47I8lkfRXXt4zOg2V5ZwTr29GtCvXQmWd2GGc5Vxe8ObKzvVX4DAyfiVf0F7MrqA1isAtRvAGTcGwd9Xf_QObQu0WgvB4OAUZKvaU/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb24laXlKpNqgLtEF01LkwyzEF2fgld_3S8fgUJh47I8lkfRXXt4zOg2V5ZwTr29GtCvXQmWd2GGc5Vxe8ObKzvVX4DAyfiVf0F7MrqA1isAtRvAGTcGwd9Xf_QObQu0WgvB4OAUZKvaU/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Organic pork chop with romesco sauce.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The hake dish summed up on a plate what this restaurant is all about. The fish was clearly spanking fresh and cooked just at the point, giving a buttery crust on the outside and translucent, barely cooked flakes in the centre. Sounds simple, but I encounter perfectly cooked fish rarely enough for it to stick in my mind when I find it. The bold accompanying flavours of brown shrimp and a velvety purée of trompette mushroom & truffle transformed the dish into a show stopper. Without question this dish was firmly 1* Michelin standard.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk45uZsNL4ZLSTTttnytv-eGCh90Rk1KBifd6ZYKlqGkyxcaHzyl17qdzuKWXUoLU8l2WtomnLQSyjGY9iwynO1e9GeHucVJmOFxCDF2jrUVMj96-OJVy2T3oh8aHI1W2KS9P-34otks/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk45uZsNL4ZLSTTttnytv-eGCh90Rk1KBifd6ZYKlqGkyxcaHzyl17qdzuKWXUoLU8l2WtomnLQSyjGY9iwynO1e9GeHucVJmOFxCDF2jrUVMj96-OJVy2T3oh8aHI1W2KS9P-34otks/s1600/photo.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hake with new potatoes, brown shrimp & trompettes.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The wine list here deserves special mention. Unsurprisingly it leans heavily toward Italy but the rest of the old world, especially Spain, is also well represented. Some very classy European wine makers are listed and while this is inevitably reflected in the pricing, there are some real gems if you know what you're looking for. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As it was lunch time, we stuck to glasses from the short list on the board. It was a limited choice and my garnacha from northern Spain wouldn't have been my first choice with the pork but stood up well to the robust flavours. As I had some left, I chose the cheese of the day instead of dessert. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Clonmore is a firm goats milk cheese from Cork and had a mild flavour that would have benefited from not being in the fridge. Truth be told, we'd have just as easily skipped dessert although the delicious warm greengages with toasted almond ice cream were comforting and moreish. A couple of short, perfectly extracted espressi rounded off a memorable lunch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I note that Etto won "Best Casual Dining" at the Food & Wine Awards recently. I'm not sure that this category does justice to what these guys are doing. The staff and setting may be casual and relaxed but make no mistake about it, this is a serious restaurant. I mentioned in a blog post recently about the rise in "casual fine dining" in London. I predict that we will see a lot more of it here over the next few years and restaurants like Etto & Forest Avenue are leading the charge. I know that there is Michelin pedigree in the kitchen at Etto and this clearly shines through in some of the dishes. It may be too soon for them this year, but they could be an outside bet for a star in the future. For me, their food is certainly worth a special journey. You heard it here first!</span></div>
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The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-78349702722241194772014-08-18T08:38:00.000-07:002014-08-18T08:38:05.180-07:00Is the customer always right? <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The short answer to this is yes. Except for when they're wrong. <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/article/restaurant-common-mistakes">This</a> piece in Bon Appetit magazine spells out some of the situations where the customer may not be always be classified as "right". I've experienced some of these first hand but can happily report that they are very much the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of guests dine out to enjoy themselves and when they are met half way by staff who are keen to make that happen, the foundations of a long and happy relationship may be laid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The key point here is that it's a two way relationship. Paying customers have the right to expect good service and restaurateurs and service staff have the right to expect good manners in return. The most common area where this breaks down, is when guests arrive late or do not show up, without letting the restaurant know. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I used to find this particularly stressful around Christmas time. I recall a particular incident when we had turned away over 100 customers as we were fully booked, only for a party of 20, who were confirmed earlier in the day, not to show up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A Galway restaurateur took to twitter recently to make his feelings known about no-shows during race week. The matter was picked up by the local newspapers and sparked a lot of debate about the issue, and how it was handled. Personally, I didn't agree with the way he went about it, but I could certainly sympathise with how he felt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Many people in the industry feel that credit card deposits should be taken to secure reservations and only refunded if the table is cancelled. This is fine in theory but I know from experience that it's tough to implement in practice. In addition to this, the market is so competitive that very few restaurants are prepared to risk alienating potential customers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In order to combat the problem of no-shows, some high end restaurants in the U.S are now selling tickets for a reservation. Nothing like payment in advance to focus the mind when it comes to fulfilling a restaurant reservation. I'm not sure this would work anywhere else in the world other than the U.S. Some restaurateurs Stateside seem to get away with far more than most people would be prepared to put up with as guests.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.finediningexplorer.com/nyc/brooklynfare_1.php">This</a> review of 3 Michelin Starred Brooklyn Fare on the website Fine Dining Explorer, illustrates exactly what I mean. Cesar Ramirez clearly runs his operation with an iron fist and prioritises his own ego over the paying customers who keep him in business. When you include tax and tip it's about $300 per head for food alone. Regardless of how good the food is, I don't think I'd forgive myself for paying that amount of money to be treated like that. I've been lucky enough to eat in a few 3* restaurants and have always encountered the highest standards of service and professionalism.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzlQj7B73F4drOEMm-xFePl3UBDwmhuxS2MsqpqEkNgygQ7ll2xAjYNmoDK2jGhxyA7pIQbNdqIz9h60FG2NokdEOzGHZH7juZWUWe4d8-fNyV2tAtyU6zljDvITlyhTs4v0RqlYUWrA/s1600/Kitchen+Table+at+Brooklyn+Fare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzlQj7B73F4drOEMm-xFePl3UBDwmhuxS2MsqpqEkNgygQ7ll2xAjYNmoDK2jGhxyA7pIQbNdqIz9h60FG2NokdEOzGHZH7juZWUWe4d8-fNyV2tAtyU6zljDvITlyhTs4v0RqlYUWrA/s1600/Kitchen+Table+at+Brooklyn+Fare.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare... Zero Tolerance Dining. Source: thedailymeal.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">David Chang's <a href="http://momofuku.com/new-york/ko/">Momofuku Ko</a> has a reputation for similarly hostile service and lack of respect for their guests. I've had a few experiences myself in New York restaurants where service staff were abrasive to the point of rudeness. I think it's a New York thing and locals accept it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">They have such a strong culture of dining out in NYC, and have no problem queuing for 2 hours to get a seat in the hottest new restaurant. In order to do so, they put up with a certain amount of being taken for granted. The demand/supply relationship in Ireland is the opposite way around, partly because we do not have such a strong eating out culture. This may go some way to explaining why you hear more about the disrespectful behaviour of customers rather than restaurants in Ireland. Also, we just wouldn't put up with it here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The overall point that I am trying to make is that neither customers nor restaurants get it right all of the time. There is a happy medium which needs to be struck in order for both parties to get the most out of the relationship. Customers should feel valued and welcome from the moment they first contact the restaurant. In return, they should notify the restaurant of a cancellation when they can't make it, and be polite and civil to the staff when they can. It doesn't sound like much to ask from both parties. </span></div>
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<br />The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-80372695042698778622014-08-08T03:09:00.000-07:002014-08-08T03:09:44.170-07:00Do restaurants get a raw deal from the media? <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jul/28/tricks-restaurant-menu-boost-profits">This</a> recent article in The Guardian got me thinking about the media's apparent obsession with the restaurant business and how journalists often seem to write about the subject with a slightly negative bias. I get that it's an industry which grabs the public's imagination. The miriad television shows based around it confirms that. What I don't get is where the suspicion and mistrust in much of commentary emanates from. It must come from somewhere, right? No smoke without fire and all that?<br />
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There are countless numbers of books written by "experts" who promise to lift the lid on what really goes on behind the scenes in restaurants. I've part- read most of them ( I only ever seem to get 20 or so pages in before giving up ). They generally trot out the same tired old nuggets of wisdom like "don't order fish in a restaurant on a Monday". Ground breaking stuff. The reality is that what happens behind the scenes in restaurants is not anything like as glamorous or shocking as the books or newspaper articles would have you believe.<br />
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When I publish my book entitled " What really goes on behind the scenes in restaurants", I don't expect it to make the best sellers list. Chapter one, "Dishwasher", will go into detail about how the dishwasher has broken down for third time in a month and the repair man is late, despite having promised to be there at 10am sharp. The chapter is balanced on a knife edge going into the final page as we find out whether or not it was repaired in time for lunch service. Things really start to hot up in chapter two when the new waiter doesn't turn in for his first shift. You get the picture. <b><i>This</i></b> is what really goes on behind the scenes in most restaurants.<br />
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So, back to my earlier question...where does the idea that restaurants are out to fleece their guests come from? I'm guessing that there are spurious tactics employed by some restaurant chains ( independents, in my experience, do not put anything like that amount of planning into menu psychology etc). It has all the hall marks of large scale strategic planning in board rooms by faceless people in suits. I'm further speculating that whistle blowers over the years have divulged these strategies to anyone who will listen and the whole thing has snowballed from there.<br />
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That is not to say that selling techniques do not exist in the restaurant industry, as they do in most industries. The difference is that journalists do not consider it newsworthy that a bicycle salesman has convinced someone to purchase a lock to go with their bike. If a waiter sells a side order with a main course however, it's deemed to be part of some Machiavellian scheme to shakedown diners.They seem to forget that it's a business. If I'm a restaurateur and I buy 20kg of fresh fish today and it doesn't sell tonight, then I'm going to put it on as a special tomorrow. I'm running a business. I'm not about to throw out an expensive commodity that will still be perfectly good to eat tomorrow. I genuinely don't understand why is that the genesis of so many newspaper articles and books.<br />
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So, before I get savaged by all the hacks out there lining up with examples of sharp practice in restaurants, let me add that I fully accept that there are exceptions to every rule. Some restaurants, especially in tourist destinations where they are not reliant on repeat business, go out of their way to rinse as much money as they can out of their customers. However, the overwhelming majority of restaurateurs, and I know many of them in this country, work extremely hard to survive and value every single guest who comes through their door. They wouldn't survive long if they engaged in some of the shenanigans suggested in the Guardian article and countless others filling column inches with increasing regularity.<br />
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Now I'm off to finish my book. If I manage to sell the film rights, I'm hoping Kevin Spacey will play the man who comes to change the filters in the kitchen extract.The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-54333684487239992382014-08-01T04:01:00.001-07:002014-08-01T15:26:56.171-07:00The Next Big ThingI've seen lots of food trends come and go. From the 90's penchant for CalMed i.e tall food, pesto, sun dried tomatoes and tapenade to the current leaning towards foraged ingredients and new Nordic cuisine. In between we've seen gourmet burgers, bangers, bbq, and burritos. As I've mentioned in an earlier post, Dublin tends to follow London, usually with about a five year lag. So what's the next big thing for Ireland? That's the question that canny operators are asking themselves and trying to steal a march on the competition.<br />
The following graphic charts trends over the last 12 months and, if you'll forgive the pun, gives plenty of food for thought.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogvmBSjZVansb_agDrnjBKpD7I54fCOsUB0nmCGaSI1obIKXIGljeG0qS8IJ7HtgeDKuYhZWacftGBVlN_xphgbXq6HbCJpgxCS6dFHLOfGMPMspdBJ2ZoNW9bkPgzMfZrszXTSE3JcE/s1600/Menu-Trends-with-Allegra-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogvmBSjZVansb_agDrnjBKpD7I54fCOsUB0nmCGaSI1obIKXIGljeG0qS8IJ7HtgeDKuYhZWacftGBVlN_xphgbXq6HbCJpgxCS6dFHLOfGMPMspdBJ2ZoNW9bkPgzMfZrszXTSE3JcE/s1600/Menu-Trends-with-Allegra-logo.jpg" height="640" width="204" /></a></div>
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Breakfast/Brunch has now firmly established itself as strong market and is clearly being taken more seriously by most operators. Small plates and sharing boards seem to be lasting longer than most people predicted. It appears we've realised that "tapas" as a concept can not really work here so we've developed an improvised version that suits us better. All the indications are that bbq is still hot, despite pulled pork having achieved ubiquity...the food equivalent of cocktails in jam jars.<br />
Our consumption of chicken continues unabated, I suspect driven by 16-20 year olds who seem have an appetite for little else. UFC and KFC go hand in hand. All day dining is proving very popular and when coupled with speciality coffee seems to be a recipe for success. As we all become a little more health conscious those catering for specific dietary requirements and providing super food options appear to be thriving...yet still like a sly "dirty burger" now and again.<br />
Large scale ventures which a friend refers to as "disco restaurants" seem to be thriving in Dublin City Centre, I'm not sure they would survive elsewhere.<br />
Ingredient specific ventures such as Burger & Lobster, Duck, or Pizza & Porcetta are becoming increasingly popular. The predictability of this model make them very attractive for investors.<br />
So to return to my earlier question, what will be the next big thing here? As the economy starts to grow over the next few years, I predict that casual, affordable fine dining will catch on here. This a big trend in London right now and the success of <a href="http://www.forestavenuerestaurant.ie/">Forest Avenue</a> suggests that the appetite is already here. I've been banging on for years about the lack to top quality casual Italian here that doesn't involve pizza. Places like <a href="http://www.trullorestaurant.com/">Trullo</a>, <a href="http://www.boccadilupo.com/">Bocca di Lupo</a> & <a href="http://www.artusi.co.uk/">Artusi</a>. I'm surprised this hasn't caught on here. Maybe next year will be the year my prediction comes true...even a stopped clock is right twice a day! I also see the increase in pubs serving good food and craft beer continuing, although the quality of both is a little inconsistent at the moment and needs to improve if it's going to stay around for the long term.<br />
It's a very exciting time for the restaurant industry in Ireland at the moment and I feel we'll be heading into the next upturn with a more established base of people who eat out. As we become more discerning about our food and drink choices, the quality of what's available should continue to improve. That can only mean good things for diners and operators alike.<br />
<br />The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-25410235728509169142014-07-24T10:03:00.002-07:002014-07-24T10:06:02.036-07:00The Ten Commandments of Good ServiceRecent surveys conducted by <a href="http://www.zagat.com/">Zagat</a> across the U.S found that the number one complaint from diners about their restaurant experience was bad service. I suspect the same survey carried out here would yield similar results. Most people will forgive problems with their food if the service is excellent, few will be as forgiving if the reverse applies.<br />
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It's a hugely important element in any restaurant or café's business yet so many do not give it the attention it deserves. Many leave their servers to their own devices in which case their business is only as good as their weakest employee. As I've mentioned before, it baffles me why something so critical to the success of a business is overlooked so frequently.<br />
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I've delivered a lot of structured training programmes for FOH staff over the years and written several training manuals. All were tailored to specific types of business but some core principles apply across the board. These are the fundamentals of service which I refer to as the ten commandments.<br />
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<li>The customer is king. Never forget it. Sounds obvious but very often staff need reminding, especially in busy restaurants where guests can often be taken for granted.</li>
<li>Love what you do and always try to improve. You need to have an inner desire to please and make people feel welcome and valued in order to succeed in hospitality. </li>
<li>Engage with guests, smile and always make eye contact. They should have your undivided attention at all times. Nothing worse that an indifferent waiter looking around the room while taking your order. </li>
<li>Keep your head up at all times in the room. Very common problem in restaurants is staff walking around the room looking down, usually to avoid being asked for something.</li>
<li>A warm welcome on arrival and genuine thanks when leaving are essential. They are basic good manners and book-end the guest's experience.</li>
<li>Be switched on and focused for service. It's like being on stage so you have to be well prepared and ready to perform...even when the restaurant is quiet. Ever noticed how the service is better in busy restaurants?</li>
<li>Understand the difference between "serving" and "looking after" people. Any one can bring a plate or glass to a table without heart. Looking after a guest means consciously thinking about their needs and making them feel special.</li>
<li>Always be honest with guests. This covers everything from not spoofing about menu items to not trying to sell them what you know they don't need.</li>
<li>Be professional at all times, even when engaging with very friendly guests. Never cross the line into over familiarity.</li>
<li>Take pride in your appearance at all times. From a crisp shirt to spotless fingernails, anything less than pristine is unacceptable.</li>
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These are the basic values that I have always tried to instil in my staff and others I've trained. It can be difficult at times because so many service staff are not looking to build a career in the industry but merely passing through en route to somewhere else. </div>
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Working as a service professional has never been viewed as a career in Ireland in the same way it is in other countries like France, for example. This saddens me as I have huge passion for the industry and think it can be hugely rewarding, in every sense, for dedicated people who want to succeed. Maybe some day it will change...</div>
The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-63841771916242200612014-07-16T06:20:00.001-07:002014-07-16T06:20:52.589-07:00So you want to open a restaurant....?Firstly, ask yourself why? If your motive is purely to make money or you've no experience but just always fancied the idea then turn back now. If you're a great cook and friends always tell you at dinner parties that they'd "totally pay for your food" and that "you should open your own restaurant" then please ignore your friends and continue to be a great home cook. I'm generally a glass half full kind of guy so please don't think I'm being negative for the sake of it. The fact is that the restaurant business is extremely difficult, even for experienced operators. Rank amateurs stand little or no chance. Without strong industry experience and a single minded drive to succeed, you should reconsider and save yourself more physical, financial and emotional stress than you could possibly imagine.<br />
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If you're still with me, then I'm assuming you have experience in the restaurant business and can call on expertise to fill in the gaps in your skill set where required. Right then, where do we go from here? You've probably got an idea in your head and hopefully have put enough thought into it to have a good understanding of what type of restaurant you'd like to open and where you plan to set up shop. Let me say at this point, that you should now be prepared to live and breathe the project night and day for the foreseeable future. </div>
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<b>Location, location, location...</b></div>
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The location of your premises is crucial to the success of your business. You should have your research done and a find a place that will work for the type of business you plan to create. Be sure to check out the existing competition in the area and the type of people the area attracts. If you are depending on footfall, then stake out your target premises over a period of weeks at different times of the day and night to determine if there is sufficient volume of people passing your door. Once you are happy with the premises, meet with the agents/landlords and establish the following:</div>
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<li>Whether the lease is new or existing</li>
<li>What the rent review & break clauses are</li>
<li>If the lease is designated for restaurant usage</li>
<li>What type of licences previously attached to the premises</li>
<li>That the premises has the relevant fire/environmental permits in place</li>
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These are the basics that will determine if your initial interest should go any further. Once you are happy with the outcome of the initial meeting and the rent is within your budget, you should engage a solicitor to work through the lease clause by clause and negotiate the best possible deal on your behalf. Clauses such as access for deliveries and waste disposal conditions are ones which you may not have thought of, but can be deal breakers. Be prepared that this process can be frustratingly slow but in the meantime, you've plenty to be getting on with!</div>
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<b>Get with the plan...</b></div>
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The next step is to prepare a business plan. There are plenty of templates available on line. Some are too detailed, others not detailed enough. The plan should detail every element of your business and should fit broadly into the following sections:</div>
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<li>Company & People</li>
<li>Products & Services</li>
<li>Market & Marketing</li>
<li>Financial Projections</li>
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The business plan may be required by third parties such as financial institutions in which case, you should also include a one page executive summary at the front ( bankers don't like to wade through lots of pages and are more likely to put your plan in the "maybe" pile if you give them a good overview at the start). Your financials are going to have to stack up and should be prepared on a "worst case scenario" basis. Optimistic projections are never a good idea as, in addition to making you look naive to third parties, they will cause problems down the line when the first inevitable curve ball arrives. There are plenty of items which you won't have factored into your projections so it's always a good idea to seek professional advice. Even if you have funding in place, I guarantee there are at least 10 areas you haven't considered in your financials.</div>
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The plan is not just for raising finance however. As you work though every area of the operation and get it down on paper, you will find that the idea begins to evolve and develop and by the end of the process should have crystallised into a clear business model. Chances are, you will find yourself going back to it time and again as you move forward with the project. </div>
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<b>Spread the word...</b></div>
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By now, you should be crystal clear about what you want to achieve and how you are going to go about it. Now it's time to communicate that message to your future customers. It's an exciting part of the process as your idea starts to have an identity and you can finally visualise your restaurant. A good marketing plan is essential and should begin 3-6 months before you plan to open. It should be targeted specifically at the customers you want to attract. In order to get this right, you must know exactly who your target audience are and crucially, where they get their information from. This may be one more area where you will need to enlist the help of a professional. As a minimum before you open, you should have the following in place:</div>
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<ul>
<li>A good website that is mobile friendly and gets your message across strongly. Your opening times, menus and contact details should be easily accessible and and require little or no navigation. </li>
<li>A strong social media presence on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram </li>
<li>Good, clear branding that sells your concept and is consistent across all of your media</li>
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If you have engaged a PR company, you may also have some print media exposure prior to opening and if your budget allows, perhaps a glitzy launch bash too!</div>
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<b>Attention to detail...</b></div>
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Depending on the condition of the premises and what you're trying to create, you may also have a large building project and fit out to contend with, while all of the other areas need attention too. This is why I mentioned earlier about living and breathing the project 24/7. You will also need all the help you can get - preferably from experienced industry people ( Friends and family are great but simply won't think of all the areas you need to cover).<br />
While your marketing plan and building programme are in full swing there are some critical areas that need your attention. You need to recruit staff & suppliers, and finalise your menu & wine/drinks/coffee list. Hopefully you already have key staff either on board or in mind, otherwise they will prove difficult to recruit due to the labour shortage in the industry. Choose your staff carefully as they will be your most important asset. Once your staff are in place you need to push on with the final preparations which will include, but may not be limited to, the following:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Finalise your menu, test all dishes and adjust if necessary.</li>
<li>Prepare detailed costings for each menu/drink item. Your fixed overhead will determine what GP% you need to achieve to break even and therefore will determine your selling prices. This is an important stage and you may need professional assistance.</li>
<li>Depending on the type of restaurant, you may need recipe cards printed.</li>
<li>Make sure all relevant licences & permits are in place as this could delay your opening</li>
<li>Get POS system installed, programmed and tested.</li>
<li>Organise cutlery/crockery/glassware. Make sure they are suitable for your business and fit comfortably on your tables.</li>
<li>Test all new equipment thoroughly as you do not want to find out that the grill doesn't work on opening night!</li>
<li>Prepare your sequence of service. This is what happens from the time the customer walks in to the time they leave. It covers every step of FOH service but should also detail every aspect of the food service from where the food comes out to where the empty plates go back in.</li>
<li>Arrange staff training. You should have as many sessions as possible before opening. These should start with the basics and get more detailed each time. By the time you're open, every staff member should be completely comfortable with the menu, wine/drinks/coffee. They should also have bought into the ethos of the restaurant and fully understand what you're trying to achieve.</li>
<li>Finalise your systems. Everything from reservations to purchasing, accounts, payroll, stock control, HACCP, cleaning, cashing up, opening/closing must be planned & communicated to staff. If you have strong systems in place from day 1, you stand a far better chance of succeeding.</li>
</ul>
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<b>And finally...</b></div>
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The whole process outlined above could take a year or more to come to fruition and will almost certainly test the limits of your patience. However, it is worth taking the time to plan in as much detail as possible pre-opening because in my experience, areas that are not right from day one are seldom ever right. Your hard work and commitment will be rewarded with an enormous amount of satisfaction once you open the doors and finally see your dream come to life. From that point on, the hard work really starts!!</div>
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I'll finish off with a couple of useful hints. It is worth while learning a few plumbing/electrics basics as you will be amazed how much you'll spend calling out tradesmen. All notions of glamour go out the window the first time you have unblock the loo!</div>
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People are well meaning and everyone will tell you what you should be doing. Nod politely and ignore 99% of the crazy notions you'll hear! Stick to your plan and of course listen to your customers but filter out the non relevant stuff.</div>
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Once you get up and running and are happy with the operation, factor in some time off for yourself...it's important to avoid burn out and you'll be amazed how energized you'll feel afterwards. </div>
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I wish you the very best of luck...like everything in life, you'll need a bit of that along the way too.</div>
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The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-35674621557734051902014-07-07T09:21:00.000-07:002014-07-07T09:21:02.860-07:00My Top 5 Favourite Menu ItemsI had a little whinge in the last post about menu items which make my heart sink so I though it only right in the interest of balance to get the positives out there too.<br />
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Like most people who have been in the business, or indeed who eat out regularly in decent places, I can tell at a glance if a menu has been written by a chef who is serious about his or her food. In no particular order, the following are a few dishes and ingredients which make my pulse quicken when I see them on a menu.<br />
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<b>FRESH SHELLFISH</b></div>
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Let me more specific. I love shellfish when it arrives in alive and kicking. Not frozen crab, chemically soaked scallops in tubs or those awful rubber shrimps. There is no substitute for the real thing and although expensive, if treated correctly is worth every penny. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OfobS9gEpOeVhVF-IGOf8q6lpI_6UVR4fRyAo461i7ThzMPvIyPYBwsAijzzxAd03R4WQb88YM3cevNp1_biCv8F5q49sgZDjD-WP33G9vuRqJ22Ce2udoQ7KDKrxKr4Qn8Yrk41FYg/s1600/Sportsman+Crab+Risotto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OfobS9gEpOeVhVF-IGOf8q6lpI_6UVR4fRyAo461i7ThzMPvIyPYBwsAijzzxAd03R4WQb88YM3cevNp1_biCv8F5q49sgZDjD-WP33G9vuRqJ22Ce2udoQ7KDKrxKr4Qn8Yrk41FYg/s1600/Sportsman+Crab+Risotto.jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crab risotto at the Sportsman in Kent. One of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. Source : Sportsman Website</td></tr>
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<b>BAVETTE</b></div>
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I don't eat steak very often and almost never order it in a restaurant but if I see bavette I will almost certainly go for it. It has a little more resistance than the more tender cuts but more than makes up for it with he flavour it delivers. Served rare with crispy chips and bernaise sauce, it's up there with my death row last meals!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRJamLFPJxUSlOGcHmBu44_1UaxhS7ka-wUh6a14HaBlp4V0HbyJbO0glKnolsUYwSc5esT1noJb1t2XUS9gdycfPwR8dnMMOmMJK7xOvX2M8nuwfnw6IDkpVKbMhPkKV27_AA8ckpUc/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRJamLFPJxUSlOGcHmBu44_1UaxhS7ka-wUh6a14HaBlp4V0HbyJbO0glKnolsUYwSc5esT1noJb1t2XUS9gdycfPwR8dnMMOmMJK7xOvX2M8nuwfnw6IDkpVKbMhPkKV27_AA8ckpUc/s1600/photo.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not quite bavette but this underblade in Etto Merrion Row was absolutely superb.</td></tr>
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<b>OFFAL</b> </div>
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I'm instantly drawn to any type of offal and applaud chefs who are brave enough to list it on their menus as I know it can be a hard sell. Veal liver is a particular favourite of mine and any part of a pig. Especially the head meat. Anyone who takes the time to slow cook a pig's head and meticulously pick the meat out when still hot, burning their fingers in the process, deserves all the support they can get!</div>
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<b>WILD GAME</b></div>
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It's becoming increasingly difficult to get wild game in restaurants as health & safety authorities require more packaging and labelling. A lot of game is now farmed but for me, the flavour does not compare to it's wild cousin. When eaten in season with some serious red wine all is right with the world. </div>
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<b>GOOD VEGETARIAN</b></div>
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I mentioned in the previous post that I reckon the vegetarian options in a restaurant should be appealing enough for meat eaters to order them. I love to see vegetables getting the same treatment as every other prime ingredient and will order it without hesitation if some thought and TLC has gone into it. </div>
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Let me know what menu items turn you on. For now, I'm off for something to eat as I've broken the golden rule of writing about food on an empty stomach! </div>
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The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-69039178468741563402014-06-25T08:18:00.000-07:002014-06-25T08:18:44.973-07:00Top 5 Pet Peeves on Restaurant MenusI love it when I open a restaurant menu and know straight away that the chef is trained, serious about what he or she does, and likely to send some good cooking my way in the near future! Sadly, this is a rare occurrence these days and all too often the polar opposite applies. As I've mentioned previously, dining out is limited for me these days so I tend to just head for places that I know will deliver the goods.<br />
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Before I get into what is the closest thing to a rant you're likely to find on this blog, I must preface my list by stressing that these are purely personal peeves so feel free to shoot me down and add your own comments if you wish. So in no particular order, the top five issues which make my heart sink when I open a menu are as follows:<br />
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<b>1. FARMED MEDITERRANEAN SEA BASS </b></div>
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I know it's cheap, but it's also flabby and tasteless. We have cheap local fish in Ireland like mackerel, gurnard & pollock. They are wild, far tastier and you'll be supporting Irish fishermen to boot. If you're serious about your menu, do us a favour and leave the bass in the Med!</div>
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<b>2. SAME OLD VEGGIE OPTION</b></div>
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I've nothing against beetroot and/or goats cheese but seriously....give them a break for a while! There are thousands of great vegetarian dishes that do not involve the usual suspects. Your veggie option should be attractive enough for meat eaters to want to order it. </div>
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<b>3. OUT OF SEASON INGREDIENTS </b></div>
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So your opening menu blurb tells me about your dedication to using local produce in season. Then why are you using asparagus in October? All too often Irish restaurants, even some good ones, leave produce on all year round yet still spout about their "seasonal" ethos. </div>
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<b>4. BLACK PUDDING & EGGS</b></div>
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If it's not breakfast or brunch, these have no place on your menu unless you're a café. I'm completely over the black pudding/scallop combo and also the egg cooked for hours in a water bath. They are cheap, require no preparation, and are the last bastion of the lazy restaurant chef in my opinion. </div>
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<b>5. IMITATION </b></div>
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Whether it's new Nordic, foraged weeds, or molecular gastronomy, some chefs can't seem to help jumping on the latest band wagon. It NEVER works. You become the culinary equivalent of a karaoke singer! Use the freshest ingredients you can find, cook from the heart, find your own style, and you won't go too far wrong. </div>
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So that's my tuppenceworth! Let me know if you agree or disagree and if you have any you would like add in. </div>
The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-35417320783742380802014-06-16T04:42:00.000-07:002014-06-16T04:42:30.499-07:00Are you allergic to food intolerances?I have a love/hate relationship with clams. I love them, they hate me violently. I discovered this the hard way years ago after a plate of linguine with clams in Italy. Years later, I had to literally sprint from the table of a Michelin starred restaurant in Barcelona after unknowingly scoffing one. This is an allergy. For whatever reason, my body hits the reject button immediately when one of these creatures reaches my stomach. I've lived without them for years and truth be told, it's no real hardship.<br />
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Other people are not so lucky with their food allergies and intolerances. I couldn't imagine for example, not being able to enjoy the simple pleasure of freshly baked bread due to gluten intolerance. I know people who genuinely suffer from coeliac disease and it really is an awful affliction. I've also encountered people who think they suffer from coeliac disease but regularly bend the rules to suit themselves with little or no consequence. These fair weather food fadists devalue the plight of genuine sufferers. <br />
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Talk to anyone in the restaurant business and they will tell you about the explosion in food intolerances over the last few years. Every conceivable dietary requirement is being catered for on a daily basis. The majority of restaurants are happy to oblige, especially when given advance notice. It can be a difficult task for a restaurant when it is announced as the order is being taken. Opinions on the issue are many and varied, especially when you speak to chefs about it. Some are just prepared to cook what they have on the menu and view all requests for variations as an inconvenience.<br />
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In his excellent book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/It-Mustve-Been-Something-Ate/dp/0375727124">It Must Have Been Something I Ate</a> , Jeffrey Steingarten talks about the rise of food intolerances in the U.S in the late 1990s. He refers to a huge study into the effects of lactose intolerance, the largest of it's kind ever carried out. Of those who were chosen for the experiment, half were given lactose and half a placebo. The results showed that a sizeable portion of those given the placebo reported the same symptoms as those given the lactose. The overall findings were that approximately 2% of the huge sample presenting with lactose intolerance actually were genuine cases.<br />
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My advice on the issue to restaurants is always clear cut. Your default position should be "yes we can". The customer should always come first and the objective should be to make sure everyone leaves the restaurant happy. I used to drill into my staff that "no" should not be in their vocabulary unless every possible effort has been made to satisfy a guest's request. The majority of people will appreciate the effort and leave the restaurant happy and those who don't are usually beyond pleasing anyway. Not everyone in the business I speak to agrees with my position on this. Many feel that dropping everything in the middle of service to meet an unannounced off piste request compromises the service for all of the other guests in the room. I understand this point of view completely and if the service is going to go down to meet the needs of one guest, then of course it can not be done. However, in my experience this is a rare occurrence and should not be used as a convenient excuse.<br />
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The guests themselves have a role to play in making sure that they have the best possible experience when they visit a restaurant. If you have specific dietary requirements, you should give the restaurant as much notice as possible in advance of your reservation. This is not only basic good manners but will also be to the mutual benefit of all concerned. I vividly recall a lady one Saturday evening who announced when her order was being taken that she was vegan but also severely intolerant to gluten. It was 8.30pm and the restaurant was full to capacity with plenty of people still to arrive later. Needless to say the first response from the kitchen was unrepeatable but after a few minutes negotiation I went back to the table with the following three dishes for her:<br />
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<li>Gluten free crostini with broad beans, mint and extra virgin olive oil</li>
<li>Griddled spiced aubergines with smoked potato & chick pea salad and salsa verde ( no anchovies)</li>
<li>Roasted pineapple with fresh coconut purée</li>
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Hardly life changing dishes but delicious and a decent effort under the circumstances, I thought. She seemed happy enough and ate everything but two days later I received a stinker of a letter from her saying how she was disgusted that no choice was offered to her and only ate what she was given because she didn't want to make a fuss in front of her guests. I replied that I was sorry she felt that way but we had done our best under the circumstances and with prior notice in the future could offer her a choice of dishes. She replied that she would never be back so it wasn't an issue. I chalked it down to experience but it cemented for me that the guest in these situations could help themselves considerably by letting the restaurant know in advance.<br />
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My feeling is that food intolerances, both genuine and otherwise, are here to stay. Restaurants can help themselves by having good quality vegetarian and gluten free options on their menus as standard ( a break from beetroot and goats cheese would be good too!). In addition, put some thought and imagination into a few vegan and dairy free dishes that you can call on at short notice. You will never please everyone but being somewhat prepared in advance will take the sting out of creating ad hoc dishes without prior notice and will give your guests a more enjoyable dining experience. Surely that can only be a good thing.<br />
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The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-20353004869960575442014-06-06T05:47:00.000-07:002014-06-06T05:47:14.479-07:00Don't be a hidden gemI get a lot of feedback from restaurateurs about the challenges they face on a day to day basis trying to compete and grow in the current economic environment. Many have a difficulty squaring the media reports of economic recovery with the real situation they encounter on the ground. I will be doing a post about the top 5 challenges and how best to over come them in the next few weeks but this post highlights one recurring issue which seems to affect many.<br />
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All over Ireland there are honest, hard working restaurant owners busting a gut every day for modest returns. In a lot of cases, not enough people know they exist and even a 10% increase in footfall could have a significant impact on their business. Many of these gems will remain hidden until one day they have to close. This may seem a simplistic analogy but illustrates a very real dilemma. So how should they go about getting their message out there and why don't they just do it?<br />
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The reality is that many restaurants are operated by people with one specific skill set i.e chefs, business people, front of house etc. In some cases there are couples who may both contribute a different range of skills. In rare cases there are teams of operators who cover all bases. Regardless of the ownership structure, a proper marketing plan is essential to get your message out to the people you need to reach. Lack of time, expertise and budget prevent many from achieving this.<br />
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Large restaurants tend to use PR agencies and implement targeted marketing plans. Often with mixed results in my experience. This is outside the budget of most small independent operators who usually adopt an ad hoc approach to advertising & promotion. Random adverts in newspapers and magazines and a stab at social media seems to sum up the approach of a lot of small operators. This is unfortunate as there are huge opportunities available to make your voice heard and get your message across with little or no expenditure.<br />
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I've long since been converted to the powers of social media and as I do more in depth courses I can really see that it is now forming the basis of the marketing strategies of all sorts of global organisations. In relation to the restaurant business, this graphic underlines just how important Twitter is for restaurants in the UK.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1JfxfasHfH5PAhVJ2hPsIs19zNz1HdZ0-EBy9NG5N3HKO5BF7J6VS96DxZ26_4xuo9OEj9petgKp6QdwhAJctOdfFnmOfXYSrHZLHplRo60noWJvyAJ1RSe78eqzsxHKYVN9Yu-7ZJM/s1600/Twitter+Stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1JfxfasHfH5PAhVJ2hPsIs19zNz1HdZ0-EBy9NG5N3HKO5BF7J6VS96DxZ26_4xuo9OEj9petgKp6QdwhAJctOdfFnmOfXYSrHZLHplRo60noWJvyAJ1RSe78eqzsxHKYVN9Yu-7ZJM/s1600/Twitter+Stats.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
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In addition to Twitter, both Facebook and Instagram are very powerful tools for getting your message across. I always add a note of caution to clients beginning to use social media because when used incorrectly they will at best have a neutral impact and at worst will negatively affect your business.<br />
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There is an etiquette which should be followed and there are certainly some good practices that should be adhered to. Anyone on Twitter who has been on the receiving end of 20 tweets in a row saying "I just posted a picture on Facebook" will have an idea what I mean. When it comes to food shots, I can not emphasis strongly enough the importance of good quality images. A bad photo of your food is worse than no photo of your food. I regularly see chefs I follow post pictures that do not do justice to their food. I've made decisions not to visit restaurants based on the images of their food. It may taste a lot better than it looks, but lots of people will never bother finding out.<br />
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The explosion in Smartphone and tablet ownership in Ireland has seen a shift away from desktop and laptop web browsing and a meteoric rise in the use of apps as the first port of call for information. The game has changed completely as far as digital media for business is concerned. It is no longer acceptable to have a poor website or indeed one which is not mobile friendly. For restaurants, it's time to accept that your customers are accessing their information in completely new ways and in order to compete, you simply can not be on the outside looking in. The only investment required is time and energy so it seems foolish not to embrace it and ensure that your gem does not remain hidden.The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-27951676808901697042014-05-30T04:36:00.000-07:002014-05-30T04:36:42.396-07:00The Hipster TriangleAnecdotal evidence in the restaurant business suggests that there is a two speed recovery happening. The Irish market can be segmented into two main categories...Dublin City Centre and the rest of Ireland. This is the a mirror image of the recovery in UK where London is experiencing strong growth and with a few exceptions, the rest of the country remains flat. While there are pockets of activity dotted around the Dublin suburbs and other parts of the country, the centre of the capital is absolutely booming. No where more so than one specific part of Dublin 2.<br />
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There is an area of Dublin City Centre which runs roughly from lower Georges Street to South William Street and across to Stephen Street which is known locally as The Hipster Triangle. The nickname is of course tongue in cheek ( although there are more heavy beards, skinny jeans & interesting headgear per square metre than anywhere else in the city!). This area houses many of the busiest bars and restaurants in the city, and I suspect, the country.<br />
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The mix of venues is quite diverse but there is a specific demographic which make up a sizeable chunk of the bums on seats in almost all of them. Twenty and thirty something professionals, many of whom escaped the property crash and have plenty of disposable income, are driving the seemingly endless demand for cocktails, small plates & cool tunes. These are people who know exactly what they want and are looking for an overall experience which ranks above all else in order of importance. Food, drinks & sevice must be up to snuff but the sum of the parts must also add up to a great night out.<br />
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It's very interesting to observe this evolution, the blueprint for which was drawn in London approximately five years ago. Places like <a href="http://www.spuntino.co.uk/">Spuntino</a>, <a href="http://www.meatliquor.com/">Meat Liquor</a>, <a href="http://www.polpetto.co.uk/">Polpetto</a> and <a href="http://www.burgerandlobster.com/">Burger & Lobster</a> started a shift away from the usual dining experience. Young professionals who wanted more than a night in the pub but not the formality of a conventional dinner could now enjoy decent food, excellent cocktails, cool service and a rocking DJ. If the overall experience delivered on all fronts, then people flocked there in droves.<br />
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Meanwhile, the pace of new openings in D2 continues unabated and some substantial investment is clearly evident in many of them. It's fantastic to see savvy restaurateurs with their fingers on the pulse putting their money where their mouths are and creating such an exciting hub in the heart of the city. I've been out in this area a few times recently and have loved the vibe and completely get why so many people are attracted to it. I've tried most of the new openings and to be honest, there are highs and lows in the food offerings and prices reflect the high cost of doing business in D2 but as I've already mentioned, it's not about that. Almost all of them were packed and had an air of optimism about them which was generated by aspirational people having a good time. Once the overall experience hits the mark, minor glitches are overlooked.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Damson Diner</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">777. Image courtesy of French Foodie in Dublin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drury Buildings</td></tr>
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There is currently a new shift in the London market as those who drove the scene five years ago come of age and look for new experiences. This change is also driven by the resurgence of the financial services sector in London and the return of a demand for good food but with a little more opulence. Stuffy fine dining is defeintely on the decline but people like <a href="http://www.marcus-wereing.com/">Marcus Wareing</a> and <a href="http://www.jasonatherton.co.uk/">Jason Atherton</a> are making fine dining far more accessible to the masses. <br />
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In my experience, we track London market trends and I will observe with interest what direction the market takes here once the real economy finally picks up. In the meantime, I for one will enjoy the new buzz in the heart of my home town...even if I'm not nearly cool enough.The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-26380028573358867292014-05-23T08:07:00.001-07:002014-05-23T08:07:09.172-07:00I'll have the heart & soul please...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I mentioned in my opening post, I love eating out. I don't do it as much these days as I used to ( nothing like becoming a parent to put a halt to your gallop!) but I still follow restaurants and trends closely. I've found that the less I dine out, the more selective I've become. With opportunities more limited, I'm less inclined to take a gamble on a potential hit or miss experience.<br />
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This got me thinking about why I gravitate towards certain places. They may be a completely diverse cross section of restaurants but a common thread links them all together. The best way I can think of to describe this common denominator is that they put their heart and soul into what they do. Whether it's a coffee, a sandwich or a high end dinner, if it's done with care, attention and love it stands out.<br />
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I follow a lot of chefs on Instagram and Twitter and can usually tell in one image if someone is cooking from the heart or plating food that they think is on trend. The increase in Nordic style linear presentation on gun metal coloured plates & bowls is noticeable. So too is the use of foraged ingredients. Also, the majority of dishes seem to involve a water bath, a Thermomix, and lots of chemical compounds. Done properly all of these elements can make for a wonderful dining experience. The problem is that very few people can do it properly and majority are doing it because they see so much of it on television and in books. Most of the amateur cooks on Masterchef now even seem to bring a water bath, Thermomix, and <a href="http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/info/ultra-tex">Ultra-Tex</a> as standard.<br />
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I'd eaten this style of food done well in other countries but the first time I experienced it in Ireland was a few years ago in <a href="http://www.gregans.ie/">Gregan's Castle Hotel</a> when Mickael Viljanen was cooking. Mickael has since moved to <a href="http://www.thegreenhouserestaurant.ie/">The Green House</a> in Dublin and is the only chef that I've seen in Ireland perfect this style of cooking. The reason for this is that he cooks from the heart and in every dish you can see his personality on the plate. This is never true of chefs who try to imitate.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brill, sprouts, cockles, truffle, gewurtztraminer, sheep's sorrel. Source: Mickael Viljanen</td></tr>
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If you look at the food of any great chefs, you can see their personality coming through. In a lot of cases this is because they are cooking food they love to eat. If I see a dish cooked by <a href="http://www.campagne.ie/">Garrett Byrne</a> for example, I could probably identify it as one of his without knowing who cooked it. Another good example is <a href="http://www.restaurantfortyone.ie/">Graham Neville</a> . They both have an individual style because they are cooking the food they want to cook and not imitating what they think is the latest fashionable trend.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Garrett Byrne original. Source: Campagne website</td></tr>
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Although I hate the term, I love the concept of the Gastropub. It's a model that is done extremely well in the UK and one of the finest meals I've ever eaten was in <a href="http://www.thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk/">The Sportsman</a> in Kent. The food is all about great produce and is simple, honest and cooked from the heart. Our produce here is every bit as good and I often wonder why we don't have more pubs in Ireland serving quality Irish produce, cooked with a bit of love and care. Time and again I see chefs in pubs either making no effort or else trying too hard to recreate what they think is Gastropub fare instead of cooking from the heart. I went into a pub in the West of Ireland for chowder and a pint of Guinness a couple of years ago and was served an "amuse bouche" of "venison lollipops". There are a few notable exceptions of course. The food at <a href="http://www.lmulligangrocer.com/">Mulligan's</a> in Stoneybatter never disappoints and <a href="http://www.wildhoneyinn.com/">The Wild Honey Inn</a> in Lisdoonvarna is excellent and the food is certainly cooked with passion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoked eel, beetroot & horseradish at Wild Honey Inn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venison with trompette mushroons, kale & pumpkin at Wild Honey Inn<br />
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There is a real buzz about the restaurant scene in Dublin City Centre right now with lots of new openings over the last few months. There is a definite movement and from what I've seen and heard and I will start to try some of the newer places with some confidence that there is real substance behind them. I recently had lunch in <a href="http://www.etto.ie/">Etto Merrion Row</a> and it summarised much of what I've been trying to get across in this post. On the face of it the food is simple but it is clearly cooked by someone who loves to eat. Every dish was made with the pleasure of the diner in mind and every morsel brought a smile to my face.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pic doesn't do justice but this dish was stunning. Underblade of beef with cabbage & mushroom duxelle at Etto.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cod with clams, saffron potatoes & chorizo at Etto. </td></tr>
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So the moral of the story is this folks...if you're getting into a food business, put everything you have into the food you produce. No half measures. Check out places at the top of their game and get inspired. Get a sandwich in <a href="http://www.juniors.ie/">Juniors</a> , a coffee at <a href="http://www.3fe.com/">3FE</a> or both in <a href="http://www.brotherhubbard.ie/">Brother Hubbard.</a> Enjoy an awesome pizza at <a href="http://www.realitalianfoodies.com/la-cucina">La Cucina</a> or the fish striaght from dayboats in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harrys-Restaurant/287755862602">Harry's</a>. Thankfully there are lots more places all over Ireland now who put their heart and soul into what they do day in day out. Seek them out...we should cherish and support them.<br />
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The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-41118272658952448092014-05-19T04:05:00.000-07:002014-05-19T04:05:26.838-07:00Time to take stock...Picture the scene...you've been packed all day for Sunday lunch and that dreaded last service of the week looms on Sunday evening. Not too many in the book but with last minute bookings and walk-ins you get slammed again! Like a heavy weight boxer in the 12th round, you stay on your feet just long enough to get the last main courses out. Then it's over with and just as your thoughts begin to turn to frosty beer you have an unexpected and not very welcome moment of clarity....end of week stock take!<br />
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This is not far from reality for many restaurants and for those who actually do a weekly stock take, the quality of the information gained can often be questionable. In my experience, this is one area which is absolutely critical for a restaurant but is a major weakness for many. Even those who go to the trouble of counting their stock accurately and regularly, many do nothing with the information except establish their re-ordering requirements.<br />
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So why is it so important and what should you do with the information? Well the stock on your shelves and in your stores and fridges can run into thousands of hard earned Euro in value and every item should be properly accounted for. In addition, you can not calculate your Gross Profit margin correctly without accurate opening and closing stock figures. Most importantly of all, you need to know if there are any stock variances and if so, why. This essentially means establishing if every item which you purchased was sold and if not, is it still in stock. I have found that the process also throws up a lot of other valuable yet unforeseen information. Over the years I've used the same simple method and have discovered employee fraud, supplier fraud, staff errors, and previously unknown glitches in POS systems.<br />
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As an example, here's another scenario. It's Saturday night and the room is full. There are lots of tables ordering drinks but the POS terminal has a queue of waiters already looking to key in orders. With customers getting impatient for their drinks, one staff member decides to show some initiative and shout his drink orders to the bar person with a view to keying them in once the terminal becomes free. Drinks are served and the staff member moves on and forgets to key in the drinks. Customers don't get charged and you will never know about it unless you calculate your stock variances at the end of the week. Items not being charged for, accidentally or otherwise, is a very common problem and if left unchecked can amount to thousands in lost revenue annually.<br />
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This may all sound a little obvious but in reality, very few restaurants are on top of this issue. The reason is usually because they are too busy. Chef/owners are up to their elbows in chicken carcasses and FOH owners are snowed under with paperwork and staff issues! It's an easy trap to fall into but a difficult one to get out of.<br />
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There is a very simple, user friendly weekly routine which helps ensure every item of stock is accounted for, down to a single bottle of water. In most cases this will improve GP% and will almost certainly highlight problems that you never even know you had.<br />
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For further information please email me at info@therestaurantdoctor.ie<br />
<br />The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-91028591168523910232014-05-15T03:57:00.000-07:002014-05-15T03:57:18.438-07:00The Art of Service<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my 18th birthday my girlfriend saved up and brought me to the old <a href="http://www.restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie/">Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud</a> ( when it was located behind BOI Baggot Street). I was working part time as a waiter in a good restaurant at the time and was a bit obsessed with the whole business. I read countless books about Michelin starred restaurants around the world and was beyond excited to finally get the opportunity to dine in one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The excitement was mixed with mild terror as we were about to enter the high church of gastronomy in Ireland. Dressed in my dad's jacket and tie, I was acutely aware of looks from other, more experienced diners as the hostess brought us to our table. The manager came over and I suspect immediately spotted us for what we were..a couple of nervous kids!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We needn't have worried. What followed was a master class in the art of service from the best in the business. Stéphane Robin was then, and in my opinion still is, the bench mark that all service industry professionals in Ireland should aspire to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He immediately put us at ease. It was very clear from the outset that we were as important to him as every other guest in the room and he made us feel like we really belonged there. We ordered the tasting menu and he seemed genuinely impressed that we had such a detailed knowledge of the ingredients. We ate squab, veal sweetbreads, brill and scallops amongst other things and Stephane organised a special dessert for my birthday. We left on cloud nine and the whole experience has stuck with me vividly ever since. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stéphane Robin. <br />Source: Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud Website</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Service has always been as important to me as food in a restaurant. During my time in the business, we had a service meeting every Saturday where any issues arising that week were ironed out. We also had a service training session every fourth Saturday where attention to every detail was covered. This included everything from the basics of greeting people through to matching wines with every dish on the menu. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nowadays when I go out, whether for a coffee or to a restaurant, I can spot trained staff straight away. Sadly it's the exception rather than the rule and it often baffles me why some operators clearly spend a lot of money on their fit out, put a lot of thought into their food and wine offering but completely overlook training their service staff. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've worked with two restaurants recently on their service and the key to improving the service in both cases was fewer staff.....but better staff. A lot of busy places think that flooding the floor with waiting staff is the way to go but it isn't. In most cases, staff will switch off if there are too many as they feel that someone else will spot what they don't. Careful selection of experienced, professional waiting staff, coupled with structured training, is the key to good service. A warm smile is the starting point. A smaller number of well trained staff will also earn more tips so the whole cycle generates a motivated, happy crew and a good atmosphere. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The central focus of every talk or training session I give is the customer. Still to this day, I use the experience of my 18th birthday all those years ago as my inspiration. Trends will come and go in the restaurant business but qualities like that are timeless. </span>The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-78236702237505651332014-05-12T04:56:00.001-07:002014-05-12T04:56:57.557-07:00The Alexis Story. Part 2<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A random call one day from the owner of the local cab firm we used got me thinking. He was politely enquiring whether we were using another firm and if so what could he do to win back the business. He reckoned we'd gone from calling 20-30 cabs on a busy Saturday night to less than 5. I explained that we hadn't used anyone else and asked him if he could send me details of the decline in cabs called over the previous six months. At the same time, I examined our customers' spend per head over the same period. The accountant in me couldn't resist putting both sets of results onto a graph and the outcome was very interesting. Two very similar curves appeared. The amount of cabs called declined at a roughly the same rate as spend per head. I called it the taxi index.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the following few weeks I observed regular customers who usually took a cab home and noticed that many who usually enjoyed aperitifs and a bottle of wine, were sticking to one glass of wine as they were driving. I knew many of them well and from speaking to them established that they were tightening their belts either as a direct result of a drop in income or as a precautionary measure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was the trend for the first few months of 2010. We were busy enough numbers wise but people were noticeably spending less. There was also a drop off in frequency of visits from those in the "squeezed middle" who made up a sizeable chunk of our customer base.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We set about trimming our overheads and planning how to generate more revenue. We trialled some dishes using higher end produce such as lobster & foie gras in small quantities and the reaction from guests was overwhelmingly positive. By now there were a huge number of local restaurants competing in the mid range bistro market. I read one journalist at the time who called it the "the pork belly wars". The feedback we were getting told us that people wanted something different and were happy to pay a little extra for it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In mid 2010 we introduced a midweek tasting menu with optional wine pairings. It proved to be very successful and increased revenues from Tuesday-Thursday. This was a welcome boost as spend had started to slip further as the year went on since the emergency budget in April 2010 and the looming threat of the third austerity budget in December of that year.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foie gras and crispy rabbit shoulder from the midweek tasting menu</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loin of veal with girolles from the midweek tasting menu</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was no doubt about it that the country was gripped by recession and austerity at this stage but heading into Christmas 2010 we had a very busy December to look forward to. Or so we thought. December started out like any other, lots of group bookings and office parties. Then it snowed, and it snowed and it snowed some more! All of a sudden the cancellations started and before we knew it, we'd lost over 2,700 covers. Like most other restaurants and retail businesses, Christmas 2010 was one to remember for all the wrong reasons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aside from the freak weather, our original business model was beginning to look vulnerable for the first time. There was simply not enough volume to support it and with further austerity budgets planned there was nothing to suggest that would change in the medium term. There was a risk of sliding into territory where no business wants to be - having a declining share of a declining market.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was time for a new plan. We listened very closely to what our customers had to say and the same points kept coming up. The restaurant was too noisy when full, people wanted more of the new cooking we introduced with the tasting menu, and the room needed to be more comfortable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With this in mind I did a new business plan and we set about putting that plan into action. We decided to refurbish the room and soften the acoustics and take our food, wine, service and coffee offering up a level. We would reduce the capacity to 80 and deliver a more comfortable dining experience. With the middle market now bursting at the seams with restaurants, we planned to create a new market for which there was clearly demand for a product that nobody was offering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We got a designer and acoustics engineer to come up with a new look and upgraded the cutlery, crockery, glassware and table ware to fit the new plan. Over the following four months we met with new suppliers of top quality artisan produce and put together a new list of exclusively natural wines. This would be the first such list in Ireland if I'm not mistaken but more importantly, the quality of the wines right through the list was phenomenal. We recruited new staff to key areas and up-skilled existing staff. We also upgraded he kitchen with the new equipment needed for some of the processes the new menu would entail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It was an exhausting few months trying to make sure that every detail was right but the new energy gave everyone a lift. I had a strong social media following who were keeping up to date with the progress of the project along the way. Our staff training was far more detailed than before and we spent weeks going through the new sequence of service to make sure everyone understood what we were trying to achieve. We were lucky enough to have a fantastic team and everyone got on board with the new ideas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, after months of planning and tweaking, in late September 2011 we were ready to launch.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for relaunch 22nd September 2011</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a soft opening as I'm a firm believer that if you're not 100% right than you can not expect people to pay 100% of the price. We offered 25% discount for the first few days until we found our new rhythm. I'm glad we did because the opening night did not go well. It started with the electricians accidentally cutting the cables to the docket printer in the kitchen meaning the first few orders did not go through. We discovered this 20 minutes after the first orders were taken. This put us on the back foot and we never really recovered. It was one of those services that happen from time to time that you have to chalk down to experience and move on from. Thankfully, over the next few days we improved each day and after a week or so had the food and service at a level we were happy with.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rabbit tasting plate from the new menu</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitter chocolate tart with salt caramel ice cream and espresso mousse</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Within the first few weeks most of the national critics had been in and thankfully the reviews were all very good. Bookings were solid and the new model was starting to take shape and hold it's own. Most importantly of all, the reaction from the majority of our regular guests was very positive. However, people are naturally resistant to change and we got it in the neck from a few for not having some of the old favourites like fish and chips on any longer! There was also some scepticism over the new wine list as many of the wines were new to most people but over time things settled down. A lot of new regular guests who had never been to the old Alexis started to come which was very encouraging.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, we were going into 2012 with renewed optimism and a determination from everyone to work as hard as possible to keep improving. The start to the year was steady if unspectacular and we worked harder than ever to keep the figures right and the customers happy. As the year moved on, this became more and more difficult and it became apparent that the severe budget of December 2011 and the threat of the worst one yet still to come in December 2012 had made even those with plentiful disposable income more cautious. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were still busy but the spend per head required to cover the increased overhead of the new project kept dropping as each month of 2012 passed. We tried everything to generate new business and whilst there were short term peaks, it proved very difficult to get a sustained run. A business that was usually quite predictable had become the complete opposite which made planning very difficult. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second half of 2012 was very tough. It was new territory for us and with Dun Laoghaire now in terminal decline as a business town, many of our regular Christmas parties were either greatly reduced or cancelled altogether. We worked right through Christmas,closing only for the 25th and 26th to try compensate for the shortfall in pre-Christmas trade but it was too late. I prepared a detailed set of accounts in early January and it became apparent that the business was no longer viable and we'd have to close. It was absolutely heartbreaking and the hardest decision that either of us ever had to make but some times in life the right decision is the most difficult one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were devastated for the staff, suppliers and all of our friends and family who had supported us from the very beginning. For me personally, it was the most physically, emotionally and financially draining experience I'd ever gone through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whole experience, both good times and bad times, was hugely educational and I've taken a lot of positives out of it. </span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had many offers since Alexis closed to get back into the business in all sorts of different capacities. I'm now working in a consultancy role with a number of restaurant clients helping them to improve their businesses. It's very interesting to see the range of challenges facing restaurants in 2014 but thankfully I've been able to help solve a lot of their problems and put structures in place to make their operations run more smoothly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without doubt, my experience in Alexis has given me a much clearer insight into all of the key areas which make up the big picture of operating a restaurant successfully.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As that guy said to me years ago....it's all experience.</span><br />
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<br />The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-83655591751426943172014-05-07T05:36:00.000-07:002014-05-07T05:36:33.661-07:00The Alexis Story. Part 1<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Someone once told me that there is no such thing as bad experience, it's all just experience. I never fully understood what he meant until I'd opened a restaurant in the calm seas of Celtic Tiger Ireland and then had to navigate though the choppy waters of the recession a few years later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The idea to open a restaurant came about in 2005 when my brother Alan and I were discussing the lack of decent places to eat in Dublin south of Ballsbridge. We both lived in the Dun Laoghaire area, and lamented the lack of a local spot that served good quality food but was affordable enough to drop into after work midweek if you didn't fancy cooking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The light bulb moment happened and after months of planning and fine tuning I'd a business plan done and we were on the lookout for premises. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We found a vacant space for lease in early 2006 that ticked all the boxes. It could be quickly refurbished and had capacity for 120 diners. The only sticking point was a complex leasehold which took months to negotiate. We finally signed the lease in December 2006 and after a refurb and a new kitchen, Alexis was born. We named the business after Alexis Benoit Soyer the Victorian chef and humanitarian who's core belief was that you could eat very well for modest money with a little imagination. Alexis opened it's doors on February 25th 2007.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the final coat of paint before opening</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final touches before opening </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Opening Day at Alexis 25th February 2007</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The model was simple. Take the very best local, seasonal produce ( before it became a marketing cliché) we could get our hands on and create simple yet delicious bistro dishes for about €15 per main course. Fish was not listed on the menu but based on what was available fresh on a daily basis. In order to keep our food costs right we did a lot of butchery ourselves, making sure every part was utilised and used less popular fish such as gurnard, pollock, ling, whiting and megrim. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything about the place was quite pared back and devoid of any bells and whistles. The project would sink or swim based on the old fashioned ideas of good food and service at the right price. The business model hinged on 600 covers per week to break even and we had allowed ourselves 6 months to get to that stage. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We enlisted the services of wine consultant and Irish Times journalist John Wilson to put together a short list of interesting wines which would sit happily beside the food and service we hoped to deliver. The last few weeks before opening were a blur of late nights, early mornings, late tradesmen and staff interviews. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first few weeks trading were about finding our feet and quickly discovering that no matter how meticulous you think you think your planning is, there are always unforeseen issues which pop up once you go live. For example, equipment will almost always wait until the worst possible moment before deciding to sit down so improvisation becomes a skill that has to be mastered quickly!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trade was building very slowly to begin with as we hadn't done any advertising. Our first review was a positive one by Angela Flannery for The Irish Independent in late March but one weekend in April 2007 the game changed. We received a stellar review from Tom Doorley in The Irish Times on a Saturday and from about 10am the phone exploded into life! The following day Lucinda O' Sullivan's praise was equally enthusiastic in her Sunday Independent column. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Braised beef shin with Burgundy garnish...an Alexis staple<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Overnight the phone started to ring constantly and to be honest we struggled to cope with the demand. We had a huge problem managing the sheer volume of reservation requests and had to be mindful of the fact that we were still only open six weeks. We agreed that the quality of our food and service were paramount and limited the capacity until we were satisfied that we could deliver the quality we set out to achieve. We were full several weeks in advance which enabled us to plan accurately and build up the numbers over time. By August 2007 we averaged approximately 1,500 guests per week and most importantly, our systems had bedded down so the food and service were at a level we were happy with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The profitability of the business so early in the project meant we could fast forward the works which needed to be done but were long fingered as they were not in the original budget. We built new toilets, staff changing rooms, a proper office and a drink store. The level of business continued through 2008 and we later added a patio area for outside dining and extended/refurbished the bar. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The success of the venture didn't escape the notice of the awards people either and we were nominated for several. In 2008 we won Leinster Best Restaurant at the Food & Wine Magazine awards. It was all starting to feel a bit surreal but in a very nice way! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alan and I had both been involved in the restaurant industry for a long time before Alexis and we certainly did not get carried away. The old business idiom " beware of the good times" was firmly in our minds and the busier we became, the harder we worked to continuously improve everything we did and keep our systems right and costs tight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was little by way of local competition when we started off but by 2009 restaurants had began to mushroom around the area and there was a natural levelling of demand. We had built up a strong base of regular customers so were still full every weekend and midweeks held their own. We began opening for lunch and after a few months developed a steady trade with a nice mix of business people and locals. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, by the end of 2009 there was a definite sense that the recession was starting to take hold. Small businesses in Dun Laoghaire were closing with increasing regularity and many of those who remained open had made some staff redundant and implemented pay cuts for others. It was the same story nation wide and the media was awash with bad news. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From our perspective business was not at the heady heights it had been but we were still ahead of our forecasts. The question on our minds at that stage was whether the original business model would continue to be sustainable once austerity measures began to bite. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As 2010 approached we were about to find out......</span></div>
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The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270289376955183831.post-80528565250519736072014-05-02T02:26:00.000-07:002014-05-02T02:26:06.888-07:00Hi, I'm New Here.....So this is my first ever blog post. My name is Patrick and I love food. More specifically I love eating it. Especially in restaurants.<br />
I've been lucky enough in my life so far to have eaten in a lot of restaurants. These range from the local go-to places to some of the world's best and everything in between. Regardless of the experience, I've learned something from each and every meal I've ever eaten.<br />
When I wasn't eating in restaurants I was usually working in them. As a teenager I peeled veg, scrubbed pots and bused tables. In later years I've managed and operated my own place.<br />
You've probably guessed at this stage that I've a bit of a thing for the restaurant business and you'd be right. It can be a physical and emotional rollercoaster ride at times but I can think of no other business that can generate the sheer adrenaline buzz you feel when you've just finished a busy service and have a of a room full of happy guests.<br />
So check in if you want to read my thoughts and observations about the business. If you feel inclined to give me some feedback, that would be much appreciated too.<br />
I'd like to sign off my first post by saying a huge thank you to <a href="http://www.babaduck.com/">Aoife Ryan</a> and <a href="http://www.olwendawe.com/">Olwen Dawe</a> for being so generous with their time and advice and a merci beaucoup to <a href="http://www.frenchfoodieindublin.blogspot.ie/">Ketty</a> for final the push to get the blog moving!<br />
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<br />The Restaurant Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10167350569308568211noreply@blogger.com4