A few years ago, a friend mentioned a show called No Reservations and touted the originality of the show’s star.
Intrigued, I checked it out. In one of the first episodes I watched, Anthony Bourdain visited dive hot dog grilles in New Jersey. I completely identified with that (being a product of that fine state) as I marveled at his audacity. He was brutally honest and upfront with everything he said and I was impressed that he had no issues with dining under $10.
Hello, not everyone goes to La Bernadin every week! And there’s nothing like a good old fashioned hot dog, laden with cheese, chili, onions, or whatever your fancy is.
Bourdain’s show included some world travel too which was just as fascinating as his romps in the states. Wisely, he would rely on a local accomplish for help with language barriers and to show him the ropes. Together, they’d explore street markets and cheap places that are unlikely to be listed in Fodor’s.
While he was never outright rude on the show, his cocky attitude suggested he could be. After all, he’s a New Yawker who attended high school in New Jersey (double whammy).
He is an industry.
For Christmas, one of my gifts was a book, Kitchen Confidential. This is the book that put him on the map; it documents his life “in the trenches”. Sounds kinda boring, right? Nope. It’s Sex and Drugs and Rock ‘n Roll: Full Throttle! The term screwing is about more than a cap on a bottle of olive oil here. Who knew about the shenanigans going on behind those kitchen doors?
The read is blunt, honest, entertaining, and may make you squiggle in your seat. Get used to the “F” word being used often as both a verb and an adjective. It may be there as a noun too.
Oh, but there’s more! If you’re involved in the food industry, in particular a restaurant owner, all those “little secrets” are laid out on the table. So that’s how you make a profit off of five day old fish? And now I know how twenty cents worth of garnish aids in charging an additional three to four dollars for a plate of food.
Who knew?
So, what IS it about this guy? He’s not in his thirties sporting rugged good looks, he’s showing signs of wear and tear, smokes like a chimney, has attire that suggests “I don’t give a crap about anything" (because he doesn't), and heck, most of us had no clue who he was five years ago. How does he get away with that?
He is himself.
And that teaches us all a valuable lesson. Your brand’s foundation stems from you. It is created by you, it is guided by you, and it evolves because you do. It’s not something that you aspire to: It’s what you are today. It projects your personality. It grows from your passions for the product or service. So let it show.
No compromises!
Now excuse me while I log in to Amazon to order his latest book.
Anthony Bourdain likes listening to LOUD music while cooking, including this band (I like the Ramones too)...
Please let me be wrong! I think the new restaurant by me (let’s call it “Sidewalk Café”) is going to fail. The food I’ve tried there is tasty; that’s good.
And why do I think this?
That location had a major failure before they moved in. It could be enough to keep some folks away.
Right from the start they’re using Val Pak. Offer people 20% off at your new restaurant. Will this work? Well, it will “train” people to EXPECT 20% off, ALWAYS. What happened to longer term strategy building a reputation instead?
The clientele dining there. I've dined there several times and have rarely seen anyone dining there under the age of fifty. Are they all bringing Val Pak coupons? Where's the rest of the world?
The atmosphere. Well, there’s no theme and not much décor so while clean and pleasant, it’s not exciting.
After a couple of months, the service is still sketchy. On my last visit I was told that it would “be a while” for my food even though the place wasn't crowded. My dish came in a timely fashion anyway. On my first visit I sat outside and it took them 45 minutes to turn on the heater. Meanwhile I was close to shivering. Hope they’re better rehearsed at using those devices now. That same evening I ordered trout and was served salmon to me. The waitress told me I got a good deal because the salmon cost more! Uh, ok.
The website shows few photos of the food; which of course, should be the star! Accessing the menu is cumbersome; you have to click on each listing for the description and the price.
Their social media sucks.
Sidewalk Café has 14 fans on Facebook and 9 followers on Twitter. Every single post is about their specials. I have seen this so many times…they are using these outlets as a sales tool! But it gets worse. The twitter feed is prominently displayed on the front page of their website. The last tweet says“68 days ago”on it. On my last visit I spoke with the owner. I offered up ONE piece of advice:
“If you’re not going to use your social media accounts, delete them. Having them just sitting there is going to hurt you in the long run.” I elaborated a bit more and pointed out the 54 days (at that time) lapse in tweets. The reply? “Oh, my son was doing that”. THAT, my friends, is a tragedy; why recruit your kids to do something they don’t know how or don’t WANT to do? Social Media is a serious commitment. And sadly, my advice has not been followed.
Let’s say there’s a miracle and you happen to land on their page. What would your reaction be when you see tweets that are 68 days old? Is the food just as stale?
During another visit I handed my card to the owner and told him what I do for a living. He said “Can I pay you with free meals?” I replied with a firm “No”. Obviously, social media is on the back burner for him. If he only knew how cookin’ Sidewalk Cafe could be through social media. Oh, don’t get me started!
All of this comes on the heels of my finishing a great read, Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (I’ll have a post about HIM soon). I mentioned this culinary celeb to the owner and he had never heard of him.
That’s a shame. The book relays a scenario about how some restaurants start; the owner has already had a career elsewhere, however, when throwing parties his friends devoured his cooking with glee and said time and time again “you’re so good at this; why don’t you open a restaurant?” and so he does. His friends come and eat for free or for little money. And when times get bad and the freebies cease, the “friends” disappear.
I’ll stop by the restaurant again. I don’t want to see them fail. The owners seem like really nice people!
