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Starting a high profile new restaurant (after closing another)

gfron1

By gfron1
in Restaurant Life

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gfron1

gfron1

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2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

When you have a moment,  a couple of questions based on previous discussions here.  First, what did you decide to do about music?  From listening to some of Dave Arnold's rants on Cooking Issues, it seems like such a difficult thing to manage both control and rights. 

I have a well-trained, commercially licensed pandora station that uses Brett Dennen as my starting point. All songs are mid-tempo, mid-pitch, with only about one in 10 being popular enough to be recognized. We've been testing various volumes to try to encourage  noise, but not so much that folks have to yell to hear each other.

 

And as for those "golf tees," don't worry yourself too much. Nothing will fall off them. They are simply for serving macaron, bonbon, caramels and such. That area is an add-on for post-dinner.

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

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Toliver

Toliver

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They almost look like mushrooms popping up from the forest floor (a foraging theme!). Just beautiful.

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“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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Duvel

Duvel

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2 hours ago, Toliver said:

They almost look like mushrooms popping up from the forest floor (a foraging theme!). Just beautiful.

 

That was my first thought as well ... such a lovely sight, especially with dimmed light. Bit of a fairy tale forest feeling !

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gfron1

gfron1

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Two weeks of service under our belt and we're settling in pretty quickly. Last night was packed in the dining room and Justin and I handled the crowd efficiently. The biggest challenge we're facing right now is for our Bev Mngr to keep up with pairings. In a traditional restaurant with servers this room would be broken up between at least two servers, but for us, Justin and I set and clear, and Chris, our Bev Mngr, handles all things liquid with the support of our Hospitality Lead/Hostess. We're not too far off what we need for service quality, but it just takes one person to talk to Chris as he's preparing drinks at the bar to slow him down enough to clunk up the works. I think much of that is simply learning each others' pacing/timing. Justin and I already have that down having worked together for two plus years, but Chris is a new pacing.  The other thing that is happening is folks lingering. We're mostly fine with that (after all we did set things up for people to watch and engage with us), but I think its a bigger issue of us needing to do something to help guests know that the experience is over and they can leave or move out to the bar. We do all the normal things like deliver the ticket and receipts, clear dishes, verbally thank...but at least half are hanging out as if they're waiting for something else - so we're working on our speech at the end of the night.

 

Next up is getting more people to eat at the bar. The press is most excited by the tasting menu, but we crafted a bar menu that can grab equal attention, yet we've only had maybe a half dozen bar diners a night so far.

VegPancake.jpg.3bd9a1a9e615eb7b2584d1481348f727.jpg

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

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heidih

heidih

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Can you get local bloggers to talk up the bar menu/experience? As to to the linngering - you might have to be more assertive "would you like to check out great lounge with complimentary coffee?. We have another reservtion at this table"   Service issues - like any marriage/relationship there is a settling in period. until the dance is perfected.

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teonzo

teonzo

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17 hours ago, gfron1 said:

The biggest challenge we're facing right now is for our Bev Mngr to keep up with pairings. In a traditional restaurant with servers this room would be broken up between at least two servers, but for us, Justin and I set and clear, and Chris, our Bev Mngr, handles all things liquid with the support of our Hospitality Lead/Hostess. We're not too far off what we need for service quality, but it just takes one person to talk to Chris as he's preparing drinks at the bar to slow him down enough to clunk up the works. I think much of that is simply learning each others' pacing/timing.

 

Are you preparing each drink from scratch for each party (a party of 4 reaches course #3, so your Bev Mngr prepares those 4 drinks from scratch at the last minute), or are you working on a whole batch basis (pick the bottle and pour it in the glass at the last moment)? Since you are a perfectionist aiming for top quality then I assume your goal is to make everything from scratch for each course for each party, but working with a ready-made batch is not a compromise by default, there are cases where the drink matures and gets better. So I would try to work more on that side, given that with your business model you know in advance what customers will be getting at your table. When you will have high turnover at the bar you'll be "forced" to hire another person, so things will get smoother.

 

 

 

17 hours ago, gfron1 said:

The other thing that is happening is folks lingering. We're mostly fine with that (after all we did set things up for people to watch and engage with us), but I think its a bigger issue of us needing to do something to help guests know that the experience is over and they can leave or move out to the bar. We do all the normal things like deliver the ticket and receipts, clear dishes, verbally thank...but at least half are hanging out as if they're waiting for something else - so we're working on our speech at the end of the night.

 

Maybe you can try saying something like "the Ozark winds are blowing behind the trees, where you will find rivers and crops" and point to the bar area behind the stylized trees. Put it like "we have other things for you there", not like "get out of here", of course. If my memory is right you are giving the printed menu on the Chinese takeout box with some goodies inside, so you are really giving something else to your customers if you do that at the bar and they do not order anything more.

 

 

 

17 hours ago, gfron1 said:

Next up is getting more people to eat at the bar. The press is most excited by the tasting menu, but we crafted a bar menu that can grab equal attention, yet we've only had maybe a half dozen bar diners a night so far.

 

Seems like a normal thing, since you built the hype on the tasting menu and the bar clientele is a different one to target. I wouldn't see this as a negative things, you have more room to fine tune your service pace. If you are facing some service troubles now, then those troubles would be much bigger had the bar been full.

You have great value for price at the bar, so it's just a matter of time and word of mouth (which is the best advertising). Give a couple of months to the casual clientele to come and spread word, then you'll be full, so you will face the exact opposite problem. And that's the time when the second restaurant bug will start to grow!

 

 

 

Teo

 

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Teo

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gfron1

gfron1

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You may have noticed I've been mostly absent for over a month! Yes, I've been doing long hours. We're just past the two month mark, which in our area means the reviewers are starting to pop in. All of our lingering construction projects are pretty well wrapped up (bathroom floor). The menu has already had a full turnover plus. That is the most common question we get - how often will the menu change? Well, Of our seven courses, we've switched up 11 so that should give folks a good idea. Our larder is also building and so much so that today I needed to type it out so I didn't lose control of inventory. We're actually doing quite a bit more than this, but these are the projects that have planned usage when they're ready.

53447700_ScreenShot2019-06-14at2_31_28PM.png.fdf7e51569c0030ed0b1fd29898bcffa.png

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

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teonzo

teonzo

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About the black locust ferment: is it made with the flowers or with the pods?

We are full of black locust trees here, using flowers is traditional but I never saw anyone using the pods, I don't even know if they are edible. Thanks.

 

 

 

Teo

 

Teo

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gfron1

gfron1

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On 6/14/2019 at 4:19 PM, teonzo said:

About the black locust ferment: is it made with the flowers or with the pods?

We are full of black locust trees here, using flowers is traditional but I never saw anyone using the pods, I don't even know if they are edible. Thanks

Flowers

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

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gfron1

gfron1

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19 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

That's wonderful!  Sexy picture, Rob!

It's the musky scent of rotting flesh wrapped around my shoulders...but thanks :)


The media sure loves that pic. Drives me crazy simply from a health code perspective.

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

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gfron1

gfron1

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2 hours ago, gfweb said:

Good article!

 

https://www.stlmag.com/dining/lowry-on-bulrush/?fbclid=IwAR1jMf-IxMBVXkCiNnTweayqbgq-vAmZo8yHTSufJEpVF8AOZP_DD8by7Fc

You beat me to it :) The editor called and said the reviewer was so excited about his experience that they didn't want to wait for the print edition in Sept, so they did a modified form for immediate digital release. That was very exciting to hear.

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

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chromedome

chromedome

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LMAO!

 

Yup...Like Alexander, you're fresh out of worlds to conquer. :)

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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Alex

Alex

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1 hour ago, chromedome said:

LMAO!

 

Yup...Like Alexander, you're fresh out of worlds to conquer. :)

 

Hey, I'm just getting started!

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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Smithy

Smithy

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"Wasp nests"...now, that's something not often seen in a restroom! :D

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
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IowaDee

IowaDee

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The currant issue of Real Simple magazine mentions Bulrush in a run down of places for foodies in St. Louis  They recommend it for cocktails made with Missouri botanicals.   Wish they had written up the food offerings too.!  If you have a copy, it is on page 64.  

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gfron1

gfron1

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4 hours ago, IowaDee said:

The currant issue of Real Simple magazine mentions Bulrush in a run down of places for foodies in St. Louis  They recommend it for cocktails made with Missouri botanicals.   Wish they had written up the food offerings too.!  If you have a copy, it is on page 64.  

I didn't even know about that one.

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Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

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