Clients often ask me why I don't open my own restaurant. The easiest answer comes in the form of an old joke. How do you make a small fortune in the restaurant business? Start with a large fortune. (Insert rimshot.)
Seriously, though, I don't have any interest in risking hundreds of thousands of dollars on a restaurant. I worked in enough cafes, boutique eateries, diners, and hotels to last me a life-time; I just plain prefer to work as a personal chef.
But if I had to open a restaurant - if by some strange chance I got an inheritance from an unknown rich uncle who stipulated that the money must be used to open a restaurant - I can think of a few features it would have to include. So here, without further ado, is a description of my dream restaurant.
The Menu
I would want to alter my menu on a semi-daily basis. Depending on where this restaurant is located, I'd want the ability to print a new menu every day, if possible, made up only of dishes composed of ingredients that are in season, locally-harvested or produced, and hand-picked by an army of ingredient shoppers. An example would be using the biggest and tastiest Gulf shrimp I could find at a seaside restaurant in Louisiana to make a ceviche first-course, reserving the shells and other throw-away bits to create a shrimp consomme to serve as a second-course.
The Decor
Again, the precise decor of my dream restaurant would depend heavily on my location. In my opinion, the best furniture and decorations are those that are easy to keep clean. I like simple lines, classic black and white colors, and big open spaces. Ideally, my restaurant would seat three-dozen or so at a time, so I could tailor each table's meal to their individual tastes.
The Staff
In my experience, a restaurant is only as good as its staff. For my tiny elegant space, I'd want to have a staff of waiters at a ratio of two servers for every diner. They would be well-versed in all of my ingredients, experts at pairing wines and beers with food, and all totally gorgeous. As for the kitchen staff, give me a hard-working group of ten young students and I'll give you the best restaurant you've ever seen. It's all about leadership.
