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Blog
It's All About The Experience
October 10, 2008
I had an interesting experience in Madrid recently at the hotel where I was staying.
Did I mention we just opened our office there? It is one of my favorite cities world over and I’m having fun trying new restaurants on every visit.
The hotel where I stayed on my last visit leases corner space to a restaurant, an international chain, that one could say is getting long in the tooth as a concept, but here in Madrid it still has a line out the door most days for lunch and dinner. On another corner at the same 5-star hotel, there is the hotel restaurant, which is more upscale - but empty most days and frankly not busy even for breakfast. How can this be if there is clearly demand in the area for dining?
I don’t want to say why the 5-star restaurant isn’t getting the business, but I want to make some observations about why not. It’s all about understanding the market and what the people in that trade area want; I believe in looking at the best demonstrated performance of restaurants in the market. If a restaurant is busy and popular in your trade area, or has difficulties, there is a lesson to learn. If a concept is successful in your market, there is no reason you can’t be too. Accomplishing this feat just takes understanding what is going on in the successful concept and what is absent in yours.
I won’t go into the myriad reasons that winners win and losers lose, but I will say that in the restaurant business it is not just about food. My European partners say the same thing; it is the experience. Some hoteliers still think it is about the food, or a fancy wine list, or stern servers in tuxedos. Some think sitting in what amounts to a fancy breakfast room with tuxedoed servers is what it is all about. While this style of restaurant may have worked 30 years ago, a lot has changed in what guests demand these days. I guess if tuxedoed servers were the key, they would have lines out their door too.
By the way, here are some of my favorite restaurants in Madrid:
Restaurante El Charolés
Posted by Bob Puccini on October 10, 2008 | Comments (1)
In response to: It's All About The Experience
jason commented:
Thank you very much Bob. i love reading your blogs. But what is the Experience. What are the key points that i should be looking at. I have so many ideas for restaurant on paper. How can i no if there will work when built. if i am designing a concept for a new restaurant i don't want to be the same as the guy next story. If you can help it would be good or if you no of some books that i can read that might help me. Regards Chef Jason If you can Email it to me at chef-jason@hotmail.com