THE KEY
INGREDIENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL RESTAURANT, BAR OR NIGHT
CLUB FROM A CUSTOMER’S AND BUYER’S PERSPECTIVE
From my many years experience in owning, operating
and selling many restaurants, bars and nightclubs
the points that set a successful operation apart
from its competitors are an operator’s commitment to
consistently upholding the following standards:
1) serving quality food and beverages,
2) providing good service,
3) maintaining a clean environment and keeping all
of the equipment well maintained and
4) providing a strong price/value experience to the
customer.
Businesses that have been around a long time have
undoubtedly committed themselves to consistently
maintaining the standards indicated below.
1) Serving quality food and beverages –
Customers will always remember the quality level of
the food and beverage they get in deciding whether
they wish to continue to patronize a business again
in the future. Today there are many mediocre food
operations and when a customer has a positive
experience with good food this will encourage him to
return to the business as a customer again.
2) Providing good service – Customers are
very sensitive about getting good service. I know
from past experience as a customer, as well as from
the experiences of many customers I have spoken
with, that if the service is really good that this
positive experience will help neutralize some of the
negative experiences the customer may have had
during his visit to the business. In other words if
the food was not at its best but the customer
received excellent service, in many cases, the
customer will feel that his overall dining
experience was a positive one and he will return to
the business again.
3) Maintaining a clean and updated environment
and keeping all of the equipment well maintained
- Customers notice the cleanliness of a restaurant,
bar or night club –both in the front and back of the
house that they can see. Restrooms are also a key
element in the whole experience of dining as a well
maintained and updated environment helps a business
to keep or enhance its value. Buyers appreciate the
hard work it takes to keep a business in tip top
shape and makes it more palatable for them to offer
a fair price. Keeping the equipment well maintained
goes along with cleanliness. Equipment in good shape
and
good working order almost always enhances the
customers and buyer’s experience when interacting
with the operation. This is especially true for
buyers as the condition of the equipment sets the
tone to a large extent in the buyer’s interest of
the business.
4) Providing a strong price value experience to
the customer – A strong price value relationship
is the experience the customer has in terms of
whether or not he received value for the money he
spent in buying goods and services in the business.
If the customer feels he has received value he will
most likely return versus a customer that feels he
has not received value will not return.
There is an approximate 80% failure rate in the
restaurant, bar and night club industry. The 20%
that are successful have been so as a result of
their practice of performing all of the above
mentioned services to the customer on a consistent
basis. It follows that buyers are more inclined to
want to buy this type of business.
If you are thinking about selling your
business please consider using Restaurant Realty
Company as we have a very comprehensive marketing
program
which has resulted in a
close rate that is almost three times the national
average and
sales of over 600
restaurant, bar and nightclub businesses since 1996.
Wendy Brucker & Roscoe Skipper of
Rivoli & Corso
Wendy Brucker & Roscoe Skipper joined together in
creating their first European-style restaurant,
Rivoli in 1994. Brucker, a well-experienced
chef in the culinary arts, and Skipper, a ranked
Certified Sommelier, were matched for success in the
restaurant industry. Food and wine connoisseurs of
the Bay Area rapidly took a liking to this
restaurant. With its simple yet rustic décor paired
with extravagant in-season dishes and wine, it
became an upscale refection of their original idea
to open a restaurant mirrored on that of trattorias
and bistros in Italy and France. The restaurant has
been featured as a top 100 Restaurant in the San
Francisco Chronicle, as well as receiving a Three
Star review, has been in Gourmet Magazine, Bon
Appetit as well as many other publications.
Due to their success with Rivoli, they decided to
return back to their roots/ original idea of opening
a Florentine trattoria, an informal regional Italian
restaurant with simple yet delectable dishes.
Inspired by her recent trip to Florence, Brucker’s
attention was focused on the details and techniques
of their cooking. Restaurant Realty Company
assisted Brucker and Skipper in finding and
purchasing a restaurant located at 1786 Shattuck
Avenue in Berkeley. This is where their dream
transpired as they transformed the restaurant into a
simple two-toned beige and black setting with framed
authentic trattoria menus draping from the walls.
The menu, consistent with Corso’s décor and concept,
offers an array of appetizers, first courses and
second or main dishes, all carrying a characteristic
of simplicity. Where Rivoli’s dishes are complex and
layered, Corso’s dishes are simple and
characteristic of authentic Florentine cooking.
While Brucker works in the back of the house,
Skipper, in charge of operations is also reputable
when it comes to wine. His abundant knowledge
comes into play in recommending to patrons the
pairing of each dish with wine. This new venture is
sure to bring continued success and follow behind
the success of its elder, Rivoli.
