What to Look for in a Restaurant When You Go Out to Eat

Janak Bhawnani, Vice President of Operations at Easton Group of Hotels talks about the hotel business and what to look for when you eat in a restaurant.

Janak, whenever I ask you about the hotel business, you tell me you are in the business of hotels not in the hotel business please explain?

At hotel school, it was all about being the maître d’maison, giving service, treating guests with care. It was never driven by the bottom line, but about guest satisfaction first and money second.   In the past, hotels were owned by the brands or by families that were proud to own the assets and they passed on the know-how and reputation from one generation to another.

Today, we have schools teaching students the “business” of hotels earning them the BBA & MBA designations.  It is all driven by the institutionalization of our trade. More and more REITs and pension funds are buying up the assets and are keeping them for a shorter period of time only to extract value and then sell to the next highest bidder.  The Joie the Vivre, maitre d’maison concept is less existent as it is all driven by the bottom line.

At your hotel you run a big food and beverage department, how important is food to your business?

Food is a very important component of our business at my current hotel. We are a big box; convention hotel and the food is about 30% of our overall revenues.  With people becoming world travelers, it is important that we cater to varying palates, hence our offering has to be geared seasonally to inspire our guests to dine with us consistently and use our catering facilities regularly.

As you enter your fourth decade in hospitality how has food changed?

Food is no longer just for eating and surviving.  It is now an experience! Chefs today are getting younger and more experimental.  We have a huge number of restaurants that serve “inspired”, “fusion” or “trendy” cuisine from around the globe. With human movement around the world increasing, so has the dynamism in the culinary world.  Gen X and the millenniums are so well-traveled and well versed with food and are internet savvy that they can make or break a restaurant’s reputation.

When you design a menu and source food do you keep local purveyors in mind?

Absolutely! We think global but also use most local purveyors. This is to keep the local economy strong. It also helps with consistency & freshness.  Examples: – tomatoes from Leamington, meat from Bruce County, foods and fruits from Foodland Ontario.

Fads come and go in food, what is something that will always be consistent?

I strongly believe that good quality fresh comfort food will always be in demand. In this part of the world, steak, salad, Chinese food, pizzas, and pasta will always remain in demand.

As a GM what do you eat daily to stay healthy and have the energy to work the long hours?

I eat a small breakfast of coffee and whole-wheat toast, a cup of soup and salad or a sandwich for lunch and an early dinner freshly prepared by my wife keeps me going for a 12-14-hour day.

You have bought and sold a few restaurants, what are the advantage of a franchise rather than starting on your own?

A franchise has a higher success rate as it is a proven system. They train you about the product, marketing, how to deal with staff, other aspects of their daily activities and give ongoing support to the business for success.

Franchises bring brand awareness with their names from day one. The customer knows what they are getting which will help increase sales. By buying a franchise, you are actually buying a turnkey business that is ready and waiting for you to start. Negatives are:  Fees for buying the franchise and ongoing fees that you need to pay to a franchiser. The entrance fees are usually very high and there are fixed costs every month/year for using the brand name. Also, you have no freedom to change the product line, the decoration of the store or anything else in a franchise system. It is very restrictive and you need to follow certain rules in order to protect your franchise license.

To start one’s own, you need innovation and creativity. Do it if you are a highly creative person full of different ideas and you want to make these ideas a reality. This will allow you professional freedom and growth. When you have your own business, you can work anytime you want. Also, depending on your business, you can work anywhere you want. You don’t need to report to other people.

Be careful of a higher failure rate, unfortunately, startups have a higher failure rate compared to franchise businesses. One in four fails within their first year, half of the remaining fail within five years and approximately 30 percent of the remaining in the last ten years. Therefore, it is very risky to launch a startup.

How you find balance with your job and your family?

Over the years I have learned that both have to be in harmony to be successful. I as a rule do not talk about work with family and family at work. This helps me focus and make sure that I give 100% to each. Also, I use my outlook calendar to its fullest as I schedule my days and try not to change so that I do not miss any milestones in both.

One of my readers wants to know what to look for in a restaurant when they go out to eat?

When trying new restaurants look for harmony; in the décor, ambiance, service, food quality, presentation and of course imagination of the chef. Did it deliver what it promised!

Photo Credits: Kristian Angelo Nick Fewings Elle Hughes bantersnaps Monika Grabkowska Eugene Stephanie McCabe Alessandro Cavestro