My husband and I were discussing this topic the other night and I thought it might make for some interesting talk here. We have both experienced (from both the professional and consumer ends) that when chef-owners hit on a successful restaurant formula they, most times, will try to open up multiple locations. When this happens they invariably loose everything, food quality, service, authenticity, MONEY and often, unfortunately, the business itself. My theory about why this happens is that the chef does it more to expand his/her ego and thinks less about the fiscal reality of the business (ie. the money). Face it , if restaurants cannot make money and show a profit quickly, they will not survive. I can't think of any reason for a good business to put that kind of additional drain on its resources other than for ego inflation. It seems that the only way to make a multi-unit venture successful is to franchise; but then the original spirit or uniqueness is lost anyway and the restaurant becomes and empty carbon copy.

[Chef David Simpson]

Very, very true!!!! Alot of people ask me "should I open my own restaurant". Not knowing the trouble with this venture is. I mean you'd have to be completely brain dead to open without enough overhead to bring you out of the ringer a couple of times. "There is nothing I hate more, then to see some poor sap lose everything he/she has worked for over some good comment he/she got over a dinner party".

If your good ,your good but open another one until that restaurant is secure. Make sence?

Judging by some of the reviews I've read, it seems TV chefs tend to fall prey to the same syndrome. A chef can only be in one place at a time. If someone else is running your business, expect the standards to be different than yours.

[cape chef]

Foodnfoto,

You make some very good points with your post. I remember a while back someone started a thread on who inspired you to become a chef. My reply was Andre sotlner of Lutece and Fredy Giridet. They we're always in there kitchens and there food was some of the best in the world. I believe ego has something to do with it...and many chefs get cought up in the whole "limelight" idea of mutable locations and big money backers. New York is a prime example. And then there are people like Drew Nienport that have multible locations...but they are all run independently as far as Chefs and Themes, And very successfully I might add. But to your point. If I go to Gotham I want Portole there, If I dine at le bernardin I want Ripert there.If I go to Gary Danko's in San Fran I want Danko there. and on and on. There is definatly something lost in the translation when the man peice of the puzzel is pushing spice blends and not pushing his/her staff
cc

Chef David:
I remember a funny essay by the economist John Kenneth Galbraith, about 30 years ago. He owned a vacation home in Vermont, and expressed his appreciation of the couples who left the New York rat race to open a nice little place in the VT mountains. They devoted their life savings to open a quaint restaurant and worked their hearts out.

Galbraith said the food was often wonderful, but they invariably went broke and returned to NY to build up another stake. They were immediately replaced by another couple doing the same thing, who also went broke...

He said the natives and the second-home crowd appreciated the subsidized dining and were always looking for the next incarnation of these places.

Mike

------------------
travelling gourmand

[shroomgirl]

In several restaurants I can tell who is cooking by what comes out.....makes me want to ask what day is their day off.

Trully a rude awakening when I realized umpteen years ago that the chef is not necessarily in house all the time. Some would argue that if the staff is trained it should be OK...but I agree with CC if I'm putting up big bucks and going to an out of town restaurant I want to know if the chef is in....

[holydiver]

Well shroomgirl you are right but a lot of them do it for money. I mean look at Emeril he has six restaurants cookbooks,shows etc. if I could make that much cash doing it I would too lol.

[shroomgirl]

Emeril~ lives in NYC, tourists eat at his places, it is NOT the food he made at Commanders Palace when he followed Paul Prudhomme.
David Reggerio came to St. Louis on a book tour a couple of years ago, he had 3 restaurants, a TV show and now this book....things fell apart for him not soon after. He's up and running again, for such a talent to compromise is sad.

$$$$ isn't everything.

[David Jones]

Foodnfoto, God bless the chef who wants to open his or her own restaurant - because they're my clients!!! I started a consulting practice almost three years ago, dedicated to helping chefs and others open restaurants. My clients find that my experience in the dining room and the business office is the perfect complimentto their own skills.

I don't have time to respond fully to your post, but I'll add more later.

[KyleW]

When Andre Soltner owned Lutece in NYC the rule was simple; if he wasn't on site the restaurant wasn't open. Now adays you don't really have to worry about running in to Emeril @Emeril's or Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill. I recently had dinner @Po in NYC. What a horrible experience. This was before Mario Batali bailed. I guess my feeling is that if you are going to put your name on the place (whether it is actual or theorhetical) then I woould like to see you there.