For the Want of a Third-Party Opinion

For the Want of a Third-Party Opinion

             Independent restaurant operators have always been the backbone and life blood of the hospitality industry.  They bring a passion for food and service in the belief their concept is the answer to a void in the food and beverage offerings within their community.  This independent spirit is common among restaurant operators regardless if they intend to open just one unit or potentially thousands.  The premise is “build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door” and of course a healthy helping of ego may be involved as well.

            These entrepreneurs have a vision of what they can bring to the industry (and the table, no pun intended) and food service community at large.  It may be introducing a cuisine that’s new to our shores, a service style addressing a consumer need or combing both with complimentary or peripheral products or services to create an entirely new concept.  No matter the success of previous industry leaders we will always be able to rely upon the fact that new “thinkers” will emerge to lead the industry forward.

            About six months ago I had the good fortune to meet a couple of these new, creative thinkers, two partners bringing a new concept to life.  I had approached them with the offer of a complimentary meeting to review our range of services.  While they welcomed my approach, they most politely turned down the offer.  A quick word about their concept is necessary, they combined craft beer, wine, food, E-cigarettes/vape and live music in a beautifully renovated space along with a full complement of flat-screen HD TV’s for sports fans.  They were targeting young professionals (millennials?) and from the selection of amenities, food and beverage offerings it appeared they were on target.

            The partners were young (nothing wrong with that) in their late 20’s to early 30’s and they brought their creativity, energy and passion for the hospitality industry to their new vision.  As a “seasoned veteran” of the industry I thought they had created a truly unique operation and had brought a great team together to execute that vision. One thing as an independent they lacked was the benefit of a support team which all chain operations feature with tested experts in every phase of the operation from marketing to operations to purchasing and beyond.

            Not to be self-serving I noticed that they could have benefited from a third party with many years of culinary, marketing and operations experience.  While they created a wonderful concept they were suffering from the tunnel-vision that comes from inexperience or lack of knowledge within a specific aspect of the hospitality industry which this time was real estate OR location, location, location not to beat a dead horse.  By locating on an access / frontage road to a major highway they didn’t consider traffic patterns consumers would use to seek their food, beverage, vape and sports entertainment fix.  In an event we observe in this industry a new and promising operation closed within six months of their initial opening, much too early a demise.

            While I had no “skin in the game” I do kick myself a little for not pressing more at my initial approach to those two partners.  Parents understand their children don’t realize how smart the former are until the latter group age to their 30’s.  I’m old enough to remember the phrase, “Don’t trust anyone over 30”, and that’s part of the learning curve of life as well.  As consultants we know not all operators welcome us or even understand our value; however, if you’re interested in learning another perspective reach out at www.themenuspring.com and we’ll be happy to sit down with you for that complimentary meeting.