My business partner had never owned a place before we opened our place last year but had opened two other places in Manhattan working for someone else. This not only gave him experience but more importantly, a record of success, connections, and an entrance to the industry. Fine Dining in NY is very much an insider scene. not to mention pretty incestuous, even if it is "Casual Fine Dining" as you mentioned. The reason I mention this is, one of our partners joined our team to get into the industry. He may have only been an investor at first, but now he has the experience, the connections, and a huge success under his belt. Having the business experience that you possess is incredibly important to planning and opening a place. Many teams actually lack that (perhaps we did). It is a huge piece of that mysterious NYC fine dining puzzle of success, but do not overlook the other pieces mentioned, which are key to your success after you open. So perhaps instead, or along with, of an intership, you may want to find a team that is well on their way to opening a place that has what you envision in yours, two star food and exceptional service etc. As we are now in the middle of opening our second place, we find ourselves facing the issues you face all over again. It is slightly easier having been down the road before, but only slightly. I very much look forward to hearing about how you handle the hurdles ahead, as I know it will certainly help us.
