Establishing your restaurant

Before you even think about an opening date for your restaurant, you need to sit down and work out a meticulous plan - a military operation isn’t planning enough!

Here’s a checklist which I use to help me sense check that the right plans are in place:

• Are there any clauses in the lease which might be prohibitive to what you want to do with your business?
• Have you secured the correct building regulations?
• Have you applied for your drinks licence?
• Do you have the correct health and safety certificates?
• Will there always be a first aider on site?
• Have you and your solicitor checked and understood all the legal documents?
• Plus many other eventualities that may arise!

Once you’re satisfied that you have these procedures ticked off, your most important consideration will be what is it all about? Ultimately, in my opinion it has to be about money and if you want to survive the first few years never lose sight of this.

Maintain a humbleness and clarity of thought at all times, keep to your vision and don't be side-tracked by anyone or anything. 

However, as I mentioned in my last blog, you need to be prepared to make compromises so identify the areas which you are prepared to be flexible about.  This could be anything from the price of the paint on the walls to the tableware to the wine list. Knowing in advance what you’re happy to sacrifice will help you to maintain focus on the important things. 

When we first purchased Simpsons in Edgbaston it could have been a wine bar, bistro, brasserie or restaurant. The main priority was to make a profit, which is a good way to test your decisions. Fortunately we fully believed in what we were doing and soon found our feet. That was 20 years ago at the back end of a recession. 

Your team is your biggest asset so think about how you would like to be treated as an employee and what kind of boss you want to be.  If you plan to lead by example be prepared to clean up the toilet after someone has chucked up!  Draw on your experiences of the good and bad times and use this to influence your management style. You’re only as good as your staff; each member of the team needs to be thought about and nurtured every day.  

As a chef or restaurateur you want to be the best, set out your stall based on your experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s a US-style diner or a Michelin-starred restaurant, you need to be confident in your abilities and focussed on excellence. In my view, it’s best to stick to what you’re good at, don’t over complicate things.

At the end of the day, restaurants are straightforward enterprises - food is delivered at the back door, prepared by chefs in the kitchen and served to customers who enter and leave by the front door and pay on the day! It’s people who can make it difficult - staff and customers.  By appointing good people and relying on your network of helpful and reliable contacts you are well on your way to making your business a success. 

Setting up a restaurant - striking a deal on your restaurant site

When asked what’s important when finding a new restaurant site, most people would answer with the three ‘Ps’ - position, position, position. However, I have a slightly different take...

If you’re offering great quality food and service and good value for money, people will travel to you.  For me, the most important consideration is whether the property fits within a prudent and conservative business plan. Ask yourself, ‘Is there a way out?’, ‘Can it be redeveloped for anything else?’ and most of all, ‘Can you make money out of the deal?’.  

Always stick to your guns when choosing a site, it might be a fantastic location but if the rent is sky-high then you’re going to struggle to make a profit.  Running a business is hard enough, without you being burdened by huge rent or a high mortgage. There are some great deals to be had in commercial property at the moment and you’ll be surprised by what you can afford.  However, if it’s your first purchase then it’s likely that the vendor will have more experience than you and you’re not going to out-fox an old pro, even in this market.  Call in the advice of friends and family and remember the building is not the be-all and end-all. If it doesn’t work out, then move on to the next one.

My most recent purchase is The Cross at Kenilworth, where I know the area well and I could see its potential as a business. For me, it ticked all the boxes; it was an existing restaurant in a good catchment area, had a lovely big garden and was at the right side of town for what we wanted to do.  At the moment, there aren’t any other businesses in the area offering the same style and level of food and service that we’ll be providing so the timing was good too. Let’s hope that I’m proven right. 

The Cross at Kenilworth which we recently refurbished

My first restaurant was a different story, I had my heart set on an old bakery in Kenilworth, however for various, mostly practical, reasons it didn’t work out and when we realised that it wasn’t going to happen we bought Simpsons in Kenilworth. The rest is history but at this early stage in my restaurant career, I learnt that you’ve got to make these decisions with your head, not your heart.  Making a bad property purchase early on in your career isn’t the end of the world but it will make your next deal more difficult.

When opening a restaurant, it’s fine to put your heart, soul and passion into fantastic food, quality drinks and warm service but make sure you use your head for all the business and financial decisions. If you’re confident that you have a bargain then you’ve made a good start. However, remember, you don’t need to have the best of everything.  As I’ll highlight in my next blog, getting a restaurant up and running will require a good number of compromises.  

Setting up on your own? You might want to read this...

Phase 1 - Having a vision

I recently bought my first pub restaurant and teamed up with Purity brewery to launch a new bar concept.  It adds a couple of new hats to my portfolio and certainly keeps me busy.  On one day last week I was at The Cross in Kenilworth at 9am, at Simpsons for 2pm then in interviews for Purity Bar and Kitchen staff until 10pm. I get a huge kick out of all my projects, from talking walls with builders, discussing Champagne with suppliers to addressing HR issues - variety is the spice of life!

I’ve worked damn hard to achieve what I have and I’ve learnt plenty along the way. I’m hoping that sharing some of my own experiences might motivate a few fellow chef entrepreneurs to succeed in their solo ventures.

Not a week goes by without a new high profile restaurant opening and I most definitely understand why chefs want to run their own show.  However, in reality it takes more than great cooking to run a successful operation. Setting up your own restaurant requires heaps of admin, patience and determination and to be in with a chance you need to be very clear about why you are doing it. Your vision about what you are going to do and what it will bring are essential to your business plan and will impact your decisions at every stage of the journey.

My reasons for setting up my first restaurant were to make money and to be in charge. Starting off in my own gave me a sense of freedom, a fantastic feeling of the shackles being removed and the reassurance that I didn’t have to answer to any more idiots! My goal ‘to make money’ helped to inform decisions such as the size of the site (I wanted at least 50 covers) to how much initial investment I would need.

I truly believe that if you get the basics right, the restaurant will grow and it helps to accept that you don’t need to have it all to begin with. In my first restaurant I bought everything second hand except for the chairs because I couldn’t find any I liked.  Likewise, my ambition wasn’t to serve the best food in the world but to be good enough to keep the customers coming and to make a profit. I made sure that we had a great, well trained team who understood our vision and in turn passed the restaurant’s values onto our customers.

It might not be brain surgery but as a chef you don’t necessarily have the skills or the experience to address all the challenges that you’ll be faced with.  This is when your contacts, family and friends will come into their own; from finding a location to making introductions to the right suppliers.  A good network really is priceless and having the right people around you will help you to transform your vision into a reality.

Next month I’ll be sharing my thoughts on striking a deal and finding the best location - watch this space.

Have modern apprenticeships lost sight of our craft?

News that the National Apprenticeship Scheme is already over-subscribed caught my eye.  As a former stagiaire, I applaud any scheme which makes it easier for young people to enter the industry.  However, the cynic in me does question whether these schemes are a way for the government to massage unemployment figures or another short-term, ‘high profile scheme’ to make them look progressive.

I am lucky that as a stagiaire, I was trained by a ‘master’ - a chef who had himself undertaken a comprehensive apprenticeship scheme and had subsequently trained and qualified to develop upcoming chefs.  This training covered all the elements of cooking and meant that those undertaking the course would graduate with a good grasp of the craft and qualified to enter into any sector of the industry.  

Apart from the apparent shortage, one of my main concerns about modern apprenticeship schemes is that they only give chefs a limited taste of the profession.  Regardless of the industry, the introduction of NVQs did away with the structure and substance needed to give young people a proper grounding in their chosen career.  As a result, we have lost at least one generation of Masters and the legacy is a lack of quality control and further generations of inadequately trained apprentices. 

In this country we are lucky to have the likes of Chris Galvin, Brian Turner, John Williams and Steven Doherty who have trained with the best and who are sharing their know-how with up and coming talent.  However, there are many chefs now who have climbed up the ranks without gaining experience in the different elements of cooking and without being exposed to structured training.  Talented as these chefs are, I question whether they can deliver the same experience and mentorship as we received from the masters many years ago.  

I feel strongly about the importance of apprenticeships and believe that a good chef is a craftsman of the culinary arts. Like many chefs of my generation, many whom like me are Academicians, I want to make sure that this craft is properly taught to generations to come.  Call me old fashioned, but I do hope that after our generation, the true craft does not die out.  

World's 50 Best 2013 - Style over Substance?

As with any restaurant list, the World’s 50 Best has its fair share of critics but aside from the Michelin results, it is one of our industry’s most eagerly anticipated awards.

Unfortunately, this year I found the list slightly surreal. Whilst I believe that El Cellar Can Roca is a worthy title holder which has rightfully earned its place, there are many others which seem to have come from nowhere. 

As a chef, proud to have spent years training in some of the UK’s top kitchens I actually find it quite insulting that the likes of Restaurant Sat Bains, The Square, Hibiscus and L’Enclume don’t make the list. 

In my book, the powerhouse of great cuisine has always been Europe. It concerns me that in a bid to open up in new markets, The World’s 50 Best list is neglecting our culinary heritage which was about provenance, quality and skill rather than wizardry, strangely named dishes and surprise. 

I don’t doubt that there are fabulous restaurants in Brazil, Mexico and China but I’d like to know which criteria are used for restaurants in these countries to earn a place on the list.  As emerging markets, their culinary culture is less well known and as such is likely to have the ‘excitement’ factor.  However, it isn’t realistic to expect Restaurant Magazine readers to travel to Brazil just to dine at the sixth best restaurant in the world. 

I’m lucky to have dined in top restaurants in many countries but one of the most  memorable meals I’ve enjoyed recently was at L’Enclume. Quite frankly I’m stunned that it doesn’t get a mention. Does the fact that one of our most impressive, innovative restaurants isn’t considered worthy of the list mean that the UK is once again falling behind?  Or is Cumbria not exotic enough a destination for the judges?

It's time to get real

On Monday, I was lucky to be among the Bord Bia guests at a special lunch reception at the Irish Embassy.  The purpose of the lunch was to remind guests of the quality of Irish grass fed beef and to celebrate Team UK’s fantastic achievement in the Bocuse d’Or.

I was particularly interested in a speech by one of France’s most celebrated butchers, Jean Denaux, who exclusively imports Irish Hereford Beef and sells it to some of the country’s best restaurants.  His knowledge of every stage of the supply chain is impressive and it is credit to the Irish farmers for winning over such a genuine and influential ambassador. 

I’m a proud member of the Scotch Beef Club and it is always good to witness excellent examples of husbandry such as those practised under the Scotch Beef and Bord Bia labels.  However, as has been proven recently, in this country there is still a lack of transparency when it comes to labelling our produce.  ‘Outdoor reared’, ‘Red Tractor’, ‘Farm Fresh’. ‘Freedom Food’ - all give the impression of higher standards but vary significantly in terms of farming practice and the quality of the product.  

Many chefs these days know what to look for in the raw product but if you don’t have established relationships with suppliers, selecting the right meat can be a challenge. In the US, the meat sold under the USDA scheme has been meticulously graded not only to reassure the customer that the product is correctly labelled but to reassure of its quality.   This means that when a chef buys Prime Cut Meat, he or she knows that they are paying a premium for a young, well-fed beef cattle which has plenty of marbling and will be juicy and tender as a result.  

In my view, only when a similar system of such clarity and transparency is implemented in the UK, we will truly have the confidence that customers deserve.  In fact, I urge all members of the British meat industry to join forcing in reviewing existing processes and to come back with a clear system which makes it easier for chefs and customers to buy quality, fully traceable meat. 

Is Luke Thomas a case of too much too young?

It appears that Luke Thomas created a social media storm following the broadcast of the BBC 3 documentary, Britain’s Youngest Head Chef last night. However, love him or hate him, there’s no denying that the young chef has been taken on a ride. 

Mark Fuller might well say that Luke spoke like a 30 year old but knowledge of food and running a kitchen is not something that you’re born with.  As in any profession, I truly believe that to become a master of your trade a chef needs ten years’ experience working in a commercial kitchen.  

To me, Luke’s story is a by-product of our celebrity-obsessed society and despite his apparent maturity, his hunger for fame and success has been exploited by someone pulling the strings for his own gain. 

Luke’s desire for fame and ambition to win a Michelin star display some of the worst traits of our trade.  A chef sets up a restaurant because firstly it’s his or her profession and secondly because he/ she needs to make money.  At Simpsons, we’re very lucky to have Michelin recognition but it’s even more important to be recognised by our thousands of customers. Of course, we appreciate the positive power of media coverage but what use is that when the restaurant closes down?

Luke won the Futurechef competition, which is a fantastic award for young people. However, I have a chef in my kitchen who won a the best commis prize in the world’s most prestigious competition and he’s still working under half a dozen others. At 23, Kristian has ambition but he also has a team around him, showing him new skills, challenging him and mentoring him so that in a few year’s time he will be ready to head up his own kitchen. 

As a long standing governor of University College Birmingham, I’ve seen many potential young culinary stars come and go but without exception, those who have made it to the top have done their time. It’s not easy being a chef and to be considered a true talent you need to earn the respect of your peers and colleagues - which does not happen overnight.  I’m sure that Luke has bags of talent but at the age of 19 he just doesn’t have the credibility.