How to prevent your recipe from being stolen

[i_love_u_food]

at first i'm apologize for my bad english, coz i'm asian people.

well anyway to all restaurant owner, just wanna share to all that recipe is the most important thing that we should keep it for our own restaurant, but the truth is there are many recipe stealer wandering around this world.

so i'm just thinking if you have more than 4 restaurant branches in the same brand, how did you prevent your recipe being stolen by other recipe outlaw

[phatch]

Can't be done. Even people just eating the food can often figure out the recipe pretty closely. And a careful taster and cook, such as a chef, will do even better at figuring it out.

Phil

[gonefishin]

Originally Posted by i_love_u_food

at first i'm apologize for my bad english, coz i'm asian people.

well anyway to all restaurant owner, just wanna share to all that recipe is the most important thing that we should keep it for our own restaurant, but the truth is there are many recipe stealer wandering around this world.

so i'm just thinking if you have more than 4 restaurant branches in the same brand, how did you prevent your recipe being stolen by other recipe outlaw

Hello there,

I think I've read that recipe's fall under an evolving rule rather than an invention. Where the words of a written recipe may be able to get a copyright, but the ingredients cannot. I suppose you could argue that it's a matter of perception, but I see very few recipe's truly being unique anyways.

The more important thing to me is preparation, technique and ingredients. I wouldn't worry so much about the recipe itself.
But that's just me
take care,
dan

[GhettoRacingKid]

A place I worked with the owners (husband and wife) were the only ones who knew the reciepe to make there pizza suace and there dinner sauce.

They premeasured the spices, salt, herbs, pepper and all that and had it in bags that way who ever had to make the sauce jsut needed to open some cans tossin some oil olive and mix in the pack.

but liek others have said. peole can figure it out.

[kuan]

You have more to worry about than a recipe. People can steal your idea and make a better recipe.

[RPMcMurphy]

the way i see it is "everything has been done before at some time or place" (for the most part)

also, a recipe is nothing more than that...a recipe.....it's like Davinci or any other artist writing down on paper "how" they painted the mona lisa.....

sure....100 people can take that paper, and "reproduce" there own "mona lisa" but are they going to be the "same" as davincis? no.....are some even going to be better? yes.....but in whos eyes?

[shakeandbake]

Originally Posted by i_love_u_food

...that recipe is the most important thing that we should keep it for our own restaurant,...

I disagree with you. The recipe is only one part of the dinning experience that keeps customers coming back. Many establishments carry the same menu items, but atmosphere, customer service, pricing, location and a bunch of other factors are involved with keeping and attracting customers.

[i_love_u_food]

yeah right, i think thats right.
even some of the customer can predict the ingredients and make it more yummy.
for me it's really disaster. your recipe being stolen, and than they make it a lot more delicious than your original recipe, than in no time you got bankrupt.

enlighten me please

[i_love_u_food]

Originally Posted by shakeandbake

I disagree with you. The recipe is only one part of the dinning experience that keeps customers coming back. Many establishments carry the same menu items, but atmosphere, customer service, pricing, location and a bunch of other factors are involved with keeping and attracting customers.

i don't know if i mistaken the book.
but there are different type of restaurant
1. who serves food
2. who serves place
3. who serve price

mine, is number one, so if my recipe being stolen by other, it will be a disaster for me in no time

enlighten me please

[foodpump]

Most of these people are talking about a white-tablecloth type restaurant, where the dining experience is just as important as the food.

If you make something that people want, and it sells well, your competition will try to immitate it. How many knock-offs of Coca cola are there?

As one poster, ghettoracingkid, said, the most practical thing to do is to make all of your sauces, spice blends, soups, etc. by yourself and in advance, your employees won't need to know what's in there. I've worked for bakers who had "secret recipies" and kept them secret even when they wnet on holidays! How? All the dry ingredients went into mix "A"-I didn't know what they were, how many, or what the amounts were, mix "B" had the spices and leaving agents, and "C" had all of the liquid ingredients.

But if you have a popular dish, it's only a mater of time before your competition tries to immitate it.

[morcheller]

There are no secret recipes!
If people imitate your recipe; thank them. They think very highly of your talent and speaking of talent; you need to keep exercising it. Personally, I write 3 to 5 new recipes every week. When I say write I actually mean adapt. I change the spicing to suit my current clientèle. I change the protein to make the best dish at the best price. I change techniques to match my kitchen's style.
Never rest and never rely on a single recipe! Customers are fickle and will change at the drop of a hat. Be sure to maintain continuity but, add something new and get the customers feed back. If they are indifferent to it or hate it then drop it. If they love it roll in it. Make it until sales slow down and then move on. But, never worry about someone stealing your secret recipe. If that's all you have then you better get to work.

[AllanMcPherson]

My Chef put it me kind of like this. I could go and open a place down the street and "steal" any number of his signature dishes. That would be low, to be sure, but would really mean that its time for him to innovate. The best way to prevent theft is to be constantly changing. If your business is dependent on an unchanging recipe(s) that is the risk you take, that somebody will "figure it out" and duplicate your success. And face it, if your house recipes are so good people will try to "crack your code." Even if you suddenly find yourself surrounded by imitators offering the same dishes you can still do it better. If somebody is stealing your ideas (and success) the odds are they are just looking for a quick buck. Likely they are not using the best ingredients and technique if this is their motivations. Competition (fair or otherwise) forces us to improve and evolve.

--Al

[i_love_u_food]

@foodpump
@morcheller
@AllanMcPherson

wow thanx a lot for the helps sir, i think about it and it's true that every restaurant have to inovate themself, it's just a matter of time for the recipe for being stolen, so we have to know the exact move, i found it quiet interesting to do so.
well thanks a lot for the contribution

[kuan]

Unless you are Paul Bocuse, then you can serve the same Bresse Chicken for 98 years and still have people flock to your restaurant.

[i_love_u_food]

Originally Posted by foodpump

Most of these people are talking about a white-tablecloth type restaurant, where the dining experience is just as important as the food.

If you make something that people want, and it sells well, your competition will try to immitate it. How many knock-offs of Coca cola are there?

As one poster, ghettoracingkid, said, the most practical thing to do is to make all of your sauces, spice blends, soups, etc. by yourself and in advance, your employees won't need to know what's in there. I've worked for bakers who had "secret recipies" and kept them secret even when they wnet on holidays! How? All the dry ingredients went into mix "A"-I didn't know what they were, how many, or what the amounts were, mix "B" had the spices and leaving agents, and "C" had all of the liquid ingredients.

But if you have a popular dish, it's only a mater of time before your competition tries to immitate it.

mr.foodpump, if i have more than 3 branches restaurant for the same brand, can i use your ingredients theory, so my employees can't steal my recipe, and consider you're a professional chef i wanna ask you, can you predict kind of ongredients and the exact amount of ingredents of some recipe just to look, smell and taste it

thx before sir