Lifting the Curtain

Opening and operating a restaurant is quite an undertaking. Starting any new venture is challenging, but the restaurant business poses heightened complexity. It takes strong and organized leadership with a compelling story, along with the ability to interpret that story for others, to bring a business venture to life. We often equate the opening and operating of a restaurant to all that it takes to produce, open, and operate a theatrical performance, to help people understand all the effort that is required to succeed. Just like people in the theatre, restaurant people are passionate about the work they do and the experiences they help to create, be they behind the curtain or in front of the curtain. The curtain in this case represents the wall that separates the front-of-the-house from the back-of-the-house.

It starts with a story.

The beginning of a restaurant is very much like the beginning of a play. It starts with a story. Successful restaurateurs act as the playwright, they create the story that becomes the experience. Once the story is created, a set must be designed that takes care of all the characters, i.e., employees, customers, vendors, and other supporting players. A well-designed restaurant sets the stage for ease of operation and a comfortable guest experience. Similar to a well-designed stage set that takes care of all the actors and helps to expand the story for the guest. 

A compelling story and a great design are just some of the parts that go into a business plan for a restaurant or theatrical production. Budgets and pro forma cash flow are created to show that the idea is an engaging, sustainable, and profitable one. Market studies are used to show that there is an audience for what is being created. A marketing plan is crucial. This helps to tell your story, to whom you are targeting and how it will be accomplished.

Marketing is Storytelling

Once funding is obtained, construction can begin. At this point a play will begin to hire actors and begin run-throughs of the script. This is one crucial difference in a play when compared to a restaurant. In the restaurant, only the set designers and builders are hired. On the startup team there may be a few leading actors, perhaps the chef, the manager and one or two other employees who are a part of the story from the beginning.

While the set for a play is being built, the actors rehearse for opening night. Their rehearsals can last anywhere between one to three months.  In the restaurant this time is usually used for testing recipes and developing the menu, along with fine tuning the overall design of all functioning parts of the facility.

Tech Week is very much like the week before opening a Restaurant

Tech Week for a play is very much like the week leading up to a restaurant opening. All the people involved in the play begin to work together to make sure all blocking, sound and light cues are done correctly for the maximum effect. The property masters, choreographers, directors, electricians, sound technicians, and stagehands are all working together to create a magical experience for all involved. In the restaurant this week leading up to opening is when all the employees begin their training for service, cooking, mixology and overall kitchen and restaurant operation, many of them meeting each other for the first time. Most new restaurants don’t have the budget to begin this process any earlier. This is the one disadvantage in opening a restaurant.

There is only one week to get to know each other, the overall story of the offer, the menu, the drink lists, the managers, and owners and somehow behave like a cohesive team. This week the service staff are trained on the POS System (Point of Sale/Cash register) and the chefs begin working with all new equipment that they must get proficient with and build muscle memory around. On a fast-paced kitchen line, the chefs rely on muscle memory or embodied knowledge of the menu, the equipment and the kitchen layout and flow.

Things will go Wrong – Anticipating them helps to mitigate them

There are usually small disasters on opening night in both the theatrical performance as well as the restaurant. The actors have a slight advantage over restaurant workers on this night, and most of the directors, choreographers, and tech people have experience, and might even know one another. This is not true in the restaurant. Our actors (servers, back servers, bartenders, and managers) have only had a week to get to know each other, the offer, the menu, and the story of the experience we are attempting to create. Opening night at a restaurant gets even harder because we are creating our offer on the fly for each guest. And the script is different in quantity and product each night because it is up to the guest to decide the props we will be using and the menu items we will be creating, all based on what they are ordering.

While a theatrical performance may become a smooth-running show within a week, it takes a restaurant about three months to get the show running smoothly each day/night. However, just like in show business, there are things that can and will go wrong in almost every performance. It is how well the team reacts to each situation that separates the truly great performances and the truly great restaurants from the run-of-the-mill productions. From sets falling and props not functioning correctly to dropped dishes and equipment failure, it is a well-functioning team that gets the job done every day with the customer/audience member being none the wiser to any and all malfunctions.

Any great story needs great story tellers to make it come to life. In the theatre it comes from the director’s vision and how the entire team works together to create that vision. From choreography, set design, and lighting design to the lead actors and the minor players, the entire team is essential for the magic to happen. In the restaurant it is the same, just characters are different. Strong leadership and a compelling vision combined with exceptional storytelling, management, and teamwork help to create enjoyable experiences that help spread the word and keep audiences/customers coming back for more.

It should all look easy

While most theatre goers are not inclined to think about all that goes into a performance, so too you will find that most patrons at a restaurant will not think about all that it takes to open and operate a well-functioning restaurant. To them it should all look easy. And in most cases, it is this illusion that makes for truly exceptional performances, both on stage and in the dining room.