Last weekend I was at one of my favorite privately-owned restaurants in the area and while the food was fantastic (it always is), our party left shaking our heads.
See, the owner of this restaurant is also the chef… not uncommon around here. The problem is that in many cases the chef does their best work in the kitchen and not behind a desk running their business, nor do they want to be there. I can rattle off restaurants around here like the alphabet that failed because the chef, who in many cases was great in the kitchen, didn’t understand how to run a business.
What makes this case especially disheartening is that the owner of this restaurant has been advised by trusted family members that they don’t need to advertise because it would make the owner look desperate! The family says that the food will do all of the advertising on its own, and while we all know how powerful word of mouth advertising can be, how do they expect it to happen if no one knows about the restaurant?
And that is exactly the problem that this restaurateur is having. The restaurant needs to clear X amount of dollars per week and its been a struggle because not enough people are walking through the door. A real shame since anyone that has been there will most likely give you a raving review of their experience!
Yet the owner doesn’t want to advertise because supposedly:
1. It makes her look desperate for business.
2. It costs too much.
Ironically, Hagerstown Magazine ran a story on the restaurant a few issues ago and the owner/chef saw a spike in activity, but didn’t think it was enough to purchase advertising in the magazine! I’m listening to the owner tell me this and I’m thinking, “WHAT?! Am I really hearing this?”!
I really hope that the owner comes around and realizes that at this point it is critical that they advertise consistently in order for the restaurant to survive. It would be a loss to the community if that restaurant closed; the food is fresh (nothing is ever frozen), homemade gourmet cuisine with a cultural twist.
If the owner did close the restaurant, they’d have to ask themselves, “did I do everything that I could have in order for my business to succeed?”. That might be an unsettling answer to live with.
