I have recently written here about how food evokes nostalgia, and how nostalgia evokes emotions. When we ingest food ( and drinks!), we are literally putting sources into our bodies. Hence, you can regard food (and drinks!) as a core energy fuel. My preferred fuel sources are vintage champagnes, Belgian fires, mayonnaise and battered fried chicken as my cheat accomplices behind my commitment to MyFitness App. These bad boys don’t zap my energy low – rather they inject me with happiness and the friendlier side of me…
What are yours? I am a staunch believer in pairing good food with good drinks in evoking happy emotions.
HOW TO LEAD A TEAM. An outstanding team management strategy is your key in the restaurant business.
Recently I have been working with my bar team in creating a fun pairing of cocktails and bites. I won’t bother going into detail into what the cocktail above comprises of, but all I can say is that it is pretty, tasty and fun. How do you feel just by looking at it? I feel happy because I am proud of my team’s creation. Every effort that goes into creating food and drinks excites me.
WHAT MAKES A BUSINESS SUCCESSFUL. Sheer hard work. Passion. And creativity.
By nature I am not a chef, food stylist nor a mixologist – but from a bystander’s point of view, I’d like to provide opportunities for those who persevere in this industry. The food business is currently hingeing on a self prolific destiny through celebrity chefs, restaurateurs and media personalities as marketing ploys. Recently I have come across dire cases of personal branding which I think is utterly poorly distasteful.
We are not eating Gordon Ramsay. We are eating food. There is one simple philosophy whereby if food is good, people will come back for it. Emotions through ingestion should govern our basic laws of nature and desire. I shouldn’t think returning customers should repeatedly pacify a person who c conceived, invested nor backed a shitty restaurant. Sadly, in our deteriorating national economy, I have seen cases whereby even when the food sucks, there will always be suckers. Restaurants that thrive for every other reason but the food. The socialist in me screams unfair for those who persevered hard in this industry.
STARTING A RESTAURANT IS HARD. To start a successful restaurant is even harder.
Admittedly the food industry is one of the toughest – the turnover rate of failing businesses is amongst the highest within the retail, hospitality and service sectors. You may have come across this fundamental business mantra: the more aggressive you are, the more successful you are. But can aggression sustain the culinary word?
All we need is a little humanity back in the food industry. Despite the integration of technology into fast food chains, restaurant businesses are still driven by a living team consisting of manpower which makes things work by creating, innovating and strategizing. Without humans, there would be no emotions fed into the foods we create.
I love to believe in people. And I’d love them to believe in me, too.
While managing a restaurant, let’s not forget that the culinary world will always be driven by humans, not machine.
ruyi@orientalrestaurants.com.my