Bob Puccini

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Caution = Successful Restaurants

In the last two months I feel as though I have moved from a gentle jog to a full-on race against time. Proposals are going out right and left. We are finally switching gears from slow to fast, and the problem is that everyone wants a deal . I think we are starting to arrive at the real new economy; one where clients want more, faster, and want to pay less on a longer payment plan. This... More

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The Blame Game

These are definitely difficult days, budgets are tight, mistakes have a tendency to be overblown, and sensitivities are tender. Blame. In my business you see a lot of blame. Finger-pointers are everywhere. Owners blaming operators. Operators blaming the economy, or excessive value-engineering as directed by owners. It is about as effective as a dog chasing its tail. Classic blame stems... More

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Hotel Design Is Language

Design is language. Several years ago I read a book by Paul Ekman, “Emotions Revealed,” an exhaustive study of how people communicate through both small and large facial movements and how to read them. It taught me that although we all think we communicate through language, there are a number of other “languages” we provide people to understand how we feel and... More

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Don't Settle For Ugly Ventilation Systems

As a designer of restaurants and kitchens, I occasionally get frustrated by rules. Understandably, rules frequently exist for a reason, but on a recent business trip I again came across one of the most beautiful kitchens I have seen in a long time, this time in Istanbul. I find it particularly curious that here in the U.S. it is virtually impossible to find a kitchen with a ventilation... More

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He Who Benefits, Pays

We were recently asked to advise on the renovation of a leased restaurant and bar, both of which were located in a recently sold and renovated hotel. The hotel renovation matched the mood of the new owner, highly contemporary in that trendy sort of way. The restaurant is 10 years old, locally popular, highly successful (pays 7% rent and a management fee to the operator) and is up 10% this year... More