Restaurateurs....Do You Adjust Hours/Days?

[gulfporter]

We eat out a lot, usually one meal per day.  We are lucky to have a dozen+ non-chain restaurants within walking distance of our home.  We live in a small beach town which is a restaurant destination for the greater Tampa area.   Prior to our move here, we lived in a small lakefront village in Mexico which was a weekend destination for the greater Guadalajara area.  Prior to that we lived in a small mountain town in AZ that was a weekend destination for the greater Tucson area.  

 

Today is a Monday, but it's also a Monday holiday (Presidents Weekend).  However, the restaurants that usually close on Monday, remain closed today.  This is HIGH season (winter....and today it will be 75 degrees) and there are plenty of tourists afoot.  But 5 of the best eateries will be closed today!

 

I understand re: scheduling, etc., but in a FL tourist town that is pretty dead from May until October, why don't restaurant owners that normally close on Mondays, open up on "holiday" Mondays??  It's not like these holidays appear out of the blue....they are (usually) Federal/State holidays that are designated a few years in advance.  

 

 

[Tri2Cook]

I understand re: scheduling, etc., but in a FL tourist town that is pretty dead from May until October, why don't restaurant owners that normally close on Mondays, open up on "holiday" Mondays??  It's not like these holidays appear out of the blue....they are (usually) Federal/State holidays that are designated a few years in advance.  

The fast, flippant answer would be "because they don't want to" but there's more to it than that. Opening on a day you're normally closed involves more than just telling the staff they have to work. You have to be sure that enough people who normally expect you to be closed will discover that you're open to cover the expenses involved and make it profitable. So you either cross your fingers or pay to advertise it in advance and hope people notice. Bringing in a non-salaried staff with the additional hourly pay for working on a holiday and nobody showing up because they think you're closed can make a large dent in the numbers. The fact that you're in a touristy destination area would help lower that risk substantially but maybe not enough that the management feel it's worth doing. The restaurant where I work is normally open on Mondays but we're closed today. Mondays aren't generally the busiest day for us to begin with so opening on a holiday when a lot of people will assume we're closed just isn't worth it.

 

[gulfporter]

Tri2Cook: At least your restaurant is responding/reacting to today being a  Monday holiday, by closing, which makes perfect sense if the eatery depends on the business lunch crowd, many of whom may be at home today.  

 

It's the restaurants that do not pay attention to Monday holidays at all that I don't understand.  But it seems to be the norm as it occurred in the other two tourist towns we lived.  As a retired financial analyst, it just drives me batty to see businesses miss out on business!  

[gfron1]

I fit that model that you're talking about and we're normally closed on Mondays and surely am today. First, because we're non-chain, we need days off too, so even if we can fill the house, I've gotta get some rest. Second, as T2C mentioned, opening on a normally closed day means gearing up the kitchen a day early. In my case, I go in on Mondays to be ready to open on Tuesday. If I open special on Monday, that means I go in on Sunday...remember that day off thing?  So in the end, even if I could make a little more money, I've got to keep the balance (which I'm already not doing at 60-70 hour weeks).

 

All that said, this past year I opened on Memorial Day Monday which I had never done and we were full, and I i'll do it again this year, but only because the week following sucks for business so I"m going to close and go hunting.

[Tri2Cook]

we need days off too

Most definitely that. I haven't taken vacation time in over 12 years or a sick day since I was forced to for an emergency appendectomy ~8 years ago. Holidays are my vacation days that help me recharge and get me out of that "it's always time to go to sleep or time to go to work" feeling that can build up over time.

 

[gulfporter]

gfron1:

Here, even in 'high' season, Tuesdays are typically slow (compared to Thursdays through Sundays).  Would you consider opening on every Monday holiday, and closing on that same (usually slow) followoing Tuesday instead?  

 

I'd venture most of the tourists have little idea of what's typically open or not open here.  There are 5 Monday holidays a year...not a huge number, but in tight times why not make the adjustment (these holiday dates are set years in advance).  You could put up signs in your window a week or two in advance.  

 

Based on past weeks with Monday holidays, every open eatery in our town will be mobbed today; tomorrow will be slow.  BTW....when I bought this up to several waiters and waitresses the past week, they ALL said they'd rather be working on a busy Monday holiday crowd than stick with the 'closed every Monday' schedule.  I talked to two owners about this and both said changing opening days once in awhile would throw the Earth off its axis and out of its orbit.  

 

Different perspectives for employers/owners v. employees v. patrons, I guess.  

Edited February 16, 2015 by gulfporter (log)

[gfron1]

gfron1:

Different perspectives for employers/owners v. employees v. patrons, I guess.  

Absolutely. In my case, I know my servers appreciate the time off, but that has more to do with the fact that we keep a very tight staff, so they work long hard hours too. But to answer your question, no. I'm not interested in opening more. I'm about at my limit and haven't had success over the past 7 years in bringing someone else into the kitchen to do my job. It has always ended in bad reviews and complaints. I don't want that ill will.

[AlaMoi]

.........the locals will "know" you're closed and are not apt to think "it's a holiday they might be open"

 

when the tourists can't find anyplace to eat and ask a local, see above....

 

"Closed Mondays" is "Closed Mondays" imho -

 

one could of course take the tactic "Seasonally Open All Week" - which would work, and the locals tend to know the seasons, no?

 

but if the standard is "Closed Mondays" the only likely patrons will be those who stumble by and see the lights on..... or...?

Edited February 16, 2015 by AlaMoi (log)

[gulfporter]

 But to answer your question, no. I'm not interested in opening more.

The question was: would you consider opening on the Monday holiday and closing on the next day, not opening more.  Same length of work week, just different days.  

 

It won't make sense for every eatery (those who count on business lunchers), but we've lived in 3 different tourist towns and I am amazed that owners aren't more flexible when 3 day holiday weekends occur.  And some of these owners are the same ones who have complained to us that 'times are tough' and business is 'bad.'  

 

FYI: during my career in finance my work weeks during various times (certain days every month, certain months every year) were never standard 8 to 5 days.  Worked late nights, weekends to keep our clients happy.  We adjusted our hours to both satisfy our clientele and to maximize our profits.  

[Tri2Cook]

We adjusted our hours to both satisfy our clientele and to maximize our profits.  

Restaurants do that too but at some point you have to decide on a sweet spot as far as hours go (unless you're going to be a 24/7 place) and stick with it. I find that customers get more annoyed finding you closed when you should be open than not finding you open on a day you're normally closed just because it's a special occasion. That's the problem with the "open the holiday Monday and close Tuesday instead" scenario. A few people will be happy they didn't have to cook their own meal on the holiday, a lot of people will be unhappy when they arrive for lunch on Tuesday and we're closed. Consistency is important in a restaurant... and not just with the food.

 

[gulfporter]

Tri2Cook: 

Consistent hours....OK, that's a good and understandable answer in most markets.

 

But....WHY is it always Monday 

 

Seriously.  I just reviewed the hours for a dozen restaurants in my beach town.  They are all within walking distance of each other (and my house).  

 

Here's the story: 

 

Of the 12: 

6 Closed All Day Monday

1 Closes for lunch Monday, but opens for dinner 

1 Closes Tuesday in season (Tues. and Wed. in off season)

4 Are Open 7 days (1 serves breakfast and lunch; the other 3 serve lunch and dinner)

 

Because it's a beach town most of these places close for a week or two solid in the off season (though often this is for updating/maintenance and the owner is still around overseeing the work). 

 

PS: We walked over to get lunch this afternoon, ha!  Lines at every place that was open!  Will be the same tonight.  

 

Even when Monday is NOT a holiday, in high season it's difficult to get a table on Monday here.  You'd think a few more of the Closed Monday places would pick another day as their closing day???   Just sayin'

[Edward J]

What are the State laws concerning pay for stat. Holidays?

Here in B.C. It,s one and a half times the normal pay.

Sometimes its just a calculated decision to open on stat holidays~increased salaries vs. expected income for that day. If you cant make a buck with the increase in labour, why open?

[Tri2Cook]

But....WHY is it always Monday

 

I'm not an expert on eating habits around the world but in the area where I live and work, Mondays are definitely the slowest day overall. Of course there is the occasional really busy Monday and really slow Friday but that's by far the minority. We're open on Mondays because our lunch crowd from local businesses is a large part of our customer base but if we were going to close on a weekday, that would be the one. If you're going to have a day that you're closed, you have to go with what's going to be the most financially sound over the entire year, not just what might be best for a couple months out of the year. I could see being open 7 days/week during tourist season in an area like where you live but that entails hiring temporary seasonal staff and banking on the tourists covering the additional expenses plus profit (otherwise, why bother?). Maybe your local restaurants have already tried it at some point in the past or talked to those who have and decided it's really not worth it big picture.

 

[AlaMoi]

a local bank has both Saturday and Sunday hours.

 

but they are closed legal/bank holidays.

 

so, I suspect the suggestion that they open on a Monday legal holiday but then close on Tuesday to make up for it, wouldn't fly.

[pbear]

Another thing to consider is deliveries.  Most restaurants have limited storage space for perishables.  Getting through Sunday is tough enough.  Monday, for many, is a bridge too far.

[longroper]

a principal difference between finance and the restaurant business is that no one has to buy, deliver, store, and prepare highly perishable goods in finance.  opening the door of a restaurant for a day costs time and money that you may not recoup.  opening on a day you are ordinarily not open on costs even more time and even more money, particularly since most people are not on salary and could easily be running into overtime.  a restaurant is part service business, part factory.  flexibility in a factory is more expensive than flexibility in a pure service operation.

 

there are any number of reasons why a particular restaurant is not open on a particular day, but in the case of any place anywhere that's been reasonably successful for any length of time, they are not likely to be that the restaurant is not attempting to maximize its profit.  but maximizing profit and maximizing the number of customers you serve are not the same thing. 

[MattyC]

I wanted to add something, just because to me it's such a loaded question, but I think for the most part, people answered it. It's a lot of things, not just one, and it's not a simple answer. Staffing, storage, consistency - everything that's been mentioned is a factor, but also, at least with some demographics, how much $$ is left at the end of the weekend? I mean, in most cases, generally the big money spending time is during the weekend - whether it be restaurant or otherwise - so having an extra period to blow money, or in the case of normal Mondays, coming back to work along with being lighter in the wallet, influences people going out. No matter where I've worked, Monday's are the slowest. Chances are restaurants have tried it, and it just doesn't work save for a few select places. Sure, it is rough on the people who have the time and can afford it, but I know when I was in my 20's, even late 20's there wasn't always a lot left in the bank start of the week, and I wouldn't get paid until Wednesday-Friday. Why open when the majority of the people are starting their week back to work, broke, and can't stay out late due to work in the AM?

 

Adding on the what other said, getting prep and product back up to par is a project on Mondays - even if produce delivers over the weekend, chances are proteins and dry goods don't, so early on you get that back up. And days off? There was a stretch last year I went 122 days without a day off until Thanksgiving hit - opened the restaurant at 9 AM every day, left once my staff had left at midnight, every day. Sure, lot's of people in my area looking to dine out on Thanksgiving. I know a few restaurants that made a killing. But we needed a day off. Sometimes it just comes to that, regardless of profit and customers - gotta keep staff happy, or at least semi rested.

 

A lot of what I'm talking about is more just about the general inquiry about Mondays, but it applies to 'Holiday' Mondays as well. Changing schedules, deliveries, prep, time off - it all factors in. I guess bottom line is that if it really was worth it for the restaurant, they'd open, but in a lot of cases it's just not, despite how it looks from the outside.