FRAN:  Last month when former White House Executive Chef Walter Scheib talked  of the exceptional support for his desire to be a chef that his mother gave him, he told a story about how she showed him that “it’s not just about the food”.  When he was eight, he made sandwiches and sold them in the neighborhood for 25 cents.  He proudly told her he had made $2.  She calmly sat him down and showed him that it had cost $2.50 to make the sandwiches.  He never forgot his lesson, and it leads to this month’s look at the hospitality and business side of the food industry.
    So, if you have ever wondered why a favorite restaurant with great food went out of business, this could be your answer.

WALLY:  Besides food, hospitality and sound business practices are the driving factors in a successful restaurant operation.  Assuming there is good food, if you’re not hospitable your business won’t go anywhere, but at the same time, if you are only hospitable and there’s no thought of the bottom line, you won’t stay in business either.  So you have to do that fine balancing act  -- responsible for the guests’ well-being and the memories they take away, but at the same time you can’t sell sandwiches for 25 cents when it costs more to make them.
    Every restaurant, bar or tavern has to consider three things:

1)      What sort of financial note will you need  for the space?  If renting space, how much will that add to your operating costs?  This sounds obvious, but it’s not that easy.  How much will you be paying for location, and is your business in the right location to attract the customers you want?
2)      Menu style –Are you going for family style or  pub food, which takes less training for cook staff and lower salaries or haute cuisine which calls for trained chefs and higher salaries.
3)      Style of products – Food like steaks and salmon, for example, are easily accessible, but if you are going to offer such delicacies as foie gras and lobsters, that will take special care in obtaining   and obviously cost more.  
Menu pricing also involves more than the cost of food.  There’s the “tabletop” cost and décor.  Are you going to have crystal, expensive dinner ware, linen cloths and napkins or a pub look with wooden tables and less than exotic silverware?
     High end dining doesn’t always mean the most profit.  Sometimes it is more profitable to run a less fancy place. Something you may have already heard  is indeed  true.  Restaurants make more money on beverages than food, and that doesn’t mean just alcohol.  Coffee, iced tea, soda and even water  make  money.  A $3.50 beer, for instance, may cost the house 75 cents.
    Take a hypothetical meal costing you $100.  Say, $65 for food, $35 for beverage.  The restaurant has probably made from 0 to $10 on the food, $20 to $25 on the drinks.
    Another factor in running a successful restaurant is getting to know your vendors.  A good relationship insures restaurateurs get the best and are at the top of the vendors’ delivery schedules.
 
FRAN:  That’s the same advice you gave people about getting to know the butcher and produce manager in their local grocery.  It’s smart and makes life a little more pleasant.If you then want some special item, you have a friend to get it for you.
 
Question for the Chef

What is your policy about tipping?

Wally:  I always tip 20 per cent, sometimes more.  What you may have heard about tipping is true, most servers and bus boys depend on tips for their salaries. Some restaurants give a small amount, but it’s the tips that make the difference. Usually when you bring this up, you get emails from diners about terrible service and from wait staff with horror stories about cheapskates.  If you have a genuine complaint, see the manager.  That person should be checking the house to see that all is going well.

Fran:  I’m glad to hear you say this.  I’ve never known anyone who is working or has worked on a wait staff who doesn't tip well.  They know the good and the bad.

Feel free to send your questions for the chef to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Walter Scheib is The American Chef. He lectures, gives demonstrations and serves as a consultant to numerous businesses and organizations. He is also the author of “White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen”, now in it’s fourth printing. Visit his website at The AmericanChef.com and read his blog. You will not be disappointed.

Chef’s Recipe

This recipe was so well received by Mrs. Bush that the Social Secretary would ask for it to be served on a regular basis, to the point that we had to ask her to cut back to avoid repetition.  Fresh peas make all the difference but if you are in a pinch, frozen will work.

Minted Pea Soup
Serves 4

1 ½ c. shucked fresh peas or frozen
1 T. butter
1/3 c. leek whites julienned
¼ c. onions diced
4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
¼ c. chopped mint
½ c. heavy cream
1 T. lemon juice
4 mint sprigs

1. Blanch and cool peas – reserve 2 -3 T. for garnish.
2. In a soup pot over medium heat, cook leeks and onions in butter until tender.  3 – 4 minutes.
3. Add stock and simmer 4 minutes.
4. Add peas and mint, cook 2 – 3 minutes until peas are tender.
5. In blender or with immersion blender, puree soup until very smooth; strain.
6. If soup is to be served chilled, cool quickly in an ice bath and then add cream.  If used hot, add cream, lemon juice.  Serve.
7. Garnish with reserved peas and mint sprigs.
 

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