By Larry Mogelonsky, MBA, P. Eng. (www.hotelmogel.com)
Chefs are creative individuals and I’m continually blown
away by what these professionals can do when challenged to explore their
passion. But a restaurant needs some marketing sensibility if it going to
thrive, especially in a hotel or urban capacity where there are numerous other
independent and more agile operations to compete with.
While some executive chefs are themselves tremendous
impresarios or, dare I say, celebrity chefs, many others need to be reined in
so that the menus are in stride with what the market wants and so that they fit
with the dining outlet’s theme for an easily digestible brand narrative. One
aspect of this is whether or not to replace the most popular dish, something I
recently encountered at a property for which I was asset manager.
The argument in favor of this substitution was that a new
season called for a whole new menu in order to truthfully advertise it as such.
And as political as any other organization, most of the senior team at the
resort did not want to besmirch their camaraderie with the executive chef by
testing his ego. But even though it may not be the chef’s favorite, if it’s the
guests’ favorite then isn’t that what counts?
This is where I had to step in and apply some marketing
wisdom as well as some statistics. The item deemed most popular was
corroborated against POS sales data and a myriad of anecdotal evidence scraped
from online reviews to verify it as a bona fide ‘signature dish’ (although if
we had a social media aggregating platform this could likely have been used as
well).
From there, it was a matter of explaining that many people
don’t just choose or suggest a restaurant solely by its ambiance or culinary
style. Friends will say to one another, “Go [here] and make sure to try [this
dish].” The two thoughts are intrinsically linked. Or a follow-up question to
an inquiry about where to eat may be, “What should I order when I get there?”
Such dialogue helps to paint a more vivid picture of the experience diners will
have when they ultimately arrive, thereby helping to convince them to go there
in the first place.
Hence, when an executive chef presents a new menu to me, I
am very hesitant to replace a top-earning item, even if that chef insists that
‘people are bored with that one’ or ‘it’s out of season’. Quite the contrary,
the reason why it’s bringing in the revenues is because it’s perennially
popular or an olive branch of consistency to the unadventurous. In removing
that item, you may in fact be turning off customers who are coming specifically
for it.
Just imagine the feeling of abject dissatisfaction when a
first-time guest is enticed to visit one of your dining outlets because of a
singular, must-try dish, only to arrive and not see it on the latest menu.
However much a server attempts to assuage said patron with a, “Don’t worry as
this new one is similar,” or “It will be back in season very soon,” that
customer isn’t coming back ever again. It thus becomes a matter of expectation
management, particularly as a restaurant’s reputation may be bolstered by that
signature dish.
Finally, there’s the halo effect to consider. Namely, in a
group scenario, one person may be gung-ho about trying your infamous signature
dish, so much so that they convince the rest of the more easygoing party to eat
there. In this case, if you lose the dish then the whole party may end up
elsewhere.
Just as I am skeptical about removing top performers from
the menu, so too must you be. However, this does not preclude a totally rigid outlook
on seasonal changes, and I would advise starting with the 80/20 rule whereby
the bottom 20% of your dishes should almost definitely be on the chopping
block. Beyond that, there are many other ways to balance a restaurant’s
approach between unbridled creativity and marketing wherewithal, but please
consider the ramifications of replacing any such cash cow.
About Larry Mogelsonsky
Larry Mogelonsky
One of the world’s most published writers in hospitality, Larry Mogelonsky
is the principal of Hotel
Mogel Consulting Limited, a Toronto-based consulting practice. His
experience encompasses hotel properties around the world, both branded and
independent, and ranging from luxury and boutique to select-service. Larry is
also on several boards for companies focused on hotel technology. His work
includes five books “Are You an Ostrich or a Llama?” (2012), “Llamas Rule”
(2013), “Hotel Llama” (2015), “The Llama is Inn” (2017) and “The Hotel Mogel”
(2018). You can reach Larry at larry@hotelmogel.com to discuss hotel business
challenges or to book speaking engagements.
Media Contact:
Larry
Mogelonsky
Email: larry@hotelmogel.com
Website: http://hotelmogel.com/
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