By Scott Mechura EBS FOOD COLUMNIST
I
see it all the time: people in professions that couldn’t be more different from
the restaurant or bar industry, like Wall Street or dentistry, deciding to buy
or open a restaurant.
“I
think it would be fun,” they say. Whenever I hear that, I cringe. And then I
start to piece together how I’m going to intervene and dissuade them as quickly
as possible.
Don’t
get me wrong. There is tremendous fun in this industry but it doesn’t just happen. For the most part, the general
public has no idea the level of work, teamwork, perseverance and challenges
that go into a restaurant before you open each day.
If
you received an inheritance from your deceased uncle who had distant ties to,
say, puzzle master Erno Rubik, and you’re dead set on quitting your engineering
job to open a restaurant, let me give you some advice:
Restaurants are
stressful.
I’ve
known more than one person who left what they felt was a stressful career to
open a restaurant, only to have them pine for the days at their old job.
Take
famous NYC chef David Chang. He left a life on Wall Street because the stress
was getting to him and he opened his first restaurant. A friend of mine who
interviewed with him said he was tenser than comedian Lewis Black delivering a
punchline. So if you think you were burned out before, hold on to your hat and
learn to meditate, ASAP.
Business is fleeting.
The
number of restaurants that make big money are so few and far between it would
shock you. You can catch lightning in a bottle, have a captive audience due to
an incredible location, or have been around so many years that every debt and
investor is paid. But even then, it can be gone in the blink of an eye. Never
ever take your success for granted.
The numbers are tight.
Know
your numbers and pay attention to them. I can’t tell you how many restaurants have
amazing food, cocktails and culture, only to close because they weren’t making
money. Don’t ever think that just because a restaurant is busy or full that they’re
making money. Those two things coincide less often than you might think. Good
atmosphere or food may get people in your door, but it’s consistent business that
will keep those doors open.
Learn to get handy.
Things
break, leak, malfunction and die all the time. Are you going to call a company
for service and travel time on Saturday night when a dishwasher breaks down, or
instead learn how to check fuses and learn where reset buttons are? Or learn
the WD40/duct tape rule?
Cooking is one small
part of opening a restaurant.
Just
because you are a great cook at home or everyone loves your lasagna doesn’t
mean you’re ready to run a kitchen. I know a lot of people who can change the
oil in their car but aren’t mechanics. And cooking on demand, day in and day
out, is harder than it seems.
Work in a restaurant
first.
Many
trades and disciplines come with apprenticeships. Doctors, engineers and even
culinary schools insist on it as part of their curriculum, and with good
reason. Immerse yourself in the industry first and try your hand at working in
at least three different restaurants or bars if you really want to open one.
Get a job as a cook, server or bartender. Follow a manager around. Interview
owners. Whatever you need to do, do it. You need real experience before you
jump in.
What’s
the best thing that could come from all of this? That you hate the restaurant
industry and decide it’s not for you. Why is that the best thing? Because the
worst thing that could happen is you discover you hate it after you have
already committed to a business lease and invested all your uncle’s
inheritance.
Scott Mechura has spent
a life in the hospitality industry. He is a former certified beer judge and
currently the executive chef at Buck’s T-4 Lodge in Big Sky.