Tim And Nina Zagat Beg You Not To Open A Restaurant

Tim and Nina Zagat (Esthr's flickr)

Tim and Nina Zagat, who should know a few things about the business after publishing their guides for 30 years, would like you to be aware that opening up a restaurant from scratch is, generally speaking, a terrible idea. It isn't that they don't think you are a good cook, or have a good concept, its just that, well, the restaurant business will eat you alive. So today they turned to the Journal to try and disuade potential restaurateurs. And they have some reasonable points:

"There's a 60% probability that you will fail within three years or less."
If you do open one, you'll need to have a good eye for real estate and interior design (to get the people to come in and stay in).
You'll also need to be a good shopper, since if you "Buy too much and you'll be literally throwing your money in the garbage a few days later. Buy too little and you'll run out."
If you are planning on doing the cooking, you better make sure you are ready because "serving hundreds of people à la carte is totally different than cooking a meal for a few friends. It's also nowhere near as much fun."
A restaurateur also needs to be a good leader, since in the end all of the staffing choices come from top.
Oh, and you'll also have to be a good host, which is not as easy as it sounds.
Did they mention you'll need to be up on the internet as well? Because "Good reports on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube will be increasingly important to your success." (Note that the Zagat's refrain from mentioning their online arch-rival Yelp).
Oh, and be prepared to give up any semblance of a life you may have had. The hours required to open a restaurant are grueling and never-ending.

So the next time you are thinking about quitting your job to open up that wings and oyster joint in the sure-to-be-the-next-Williamsburg neighborhood of St. George, Staten Island? Please stop and think about it long and hard—a job is a tough thing to find these days (but good call on the wings and oysters, dude! They are a great and uncommon combo!).

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By Garth Johnston in Food on April 7, 2011 2:52 PM

Comments [rss]

Guest

They didn't mention Yelp because Yelp's policies are such that a business can have a yelp page without their knowing it, and be taking a beating (or not) from reviews. Yelp has its uses, but people using it should beware.

Also, wings and oysters leads one to the porcelain god much quicker than beer then liquor.

angry_pickle

Because Yelp is about reviews and experience not paid promotions and vague generic wording. I much rather use Yelp than Zagat any day.

Guest

Both sites have their pros and cons. I just think Yelp's policies destroy their true intent. I've never heard someone complain about Zagat, but I know too many people that have had problems with Yelp abusing their business accounts.

And Zagat is not really how you described it. Zagat takes reviews from anyone, whether you're a paid subscriber or not, and then puts together what they deem an overall amalgamation of those reviews to describe each establishment.

Fofofofofo

I find that Yelp is often an outlet for people to whine. People seem more likely to review a bad experience because they need an outlet to vent. Yelp's okay for your average person. Zagat and Michelin are more for fine dining.

SliceOfLifer

I agree, Yelp is for dollar menu, reality-TV, G.E.D. type folks

Fofofofofo

Yeah, that's EXACTLY what I meant.

BoogieDown

Anthony Bourdain goes into hilarious detail about this phenomenon in "Kitchen Confidential".

Rocknrope

What phenomenon?

BoogieDown

People with zero to little experience in the restaurant industry thinking they should open a restaurant because they are "foodies", have a "thing for French country decor", etc. You should read the book. It's hilarious and, in my opinion, the best thing he's ever done (I think he often comes across as pretentious on his show).