Who on here had a 'Coffee Shop' Plan B?

[TestMangler]

I'm sure I read the restaurant rated the best in the world for several years in a row could only open a few weeks a year as it lost money hand over fist.

Have most of Ramsay's places not gone down the pan in fairly spectacular fashion too ?

[fullyautomatix]

Have most of Ramsay's places not gone down the pan in fairly spectacular fashion too ?

Most of the profits in these restaurants come from upselling expensive wine. There is some serious profit margin in some wines. Once the wealthy started to cut down on wine his profits were wiped out. He closed several but has managed to hang in there.

The El Bulli story is different. They never made a profit. Every year he closed the hotel for 6 months to concentrate on creating a new menu for the year. I also think there was just one sitting a night. They were fully booked for the year within a day of starting the booking. But imagine the costs, they had more chefs in the kitchen than customers.

[Gibbon]

Most of the profits in these restaurants come from upselling expensive wine. There is some serious profit margin in some wines. Once the wealthy started to cut down on wine his profits were wiped out. He closed several but has managed to hang in there.

The El Bulli story is different. They never made a profit. Every year he closed the hotel for 6 months to concentrate on creating a new menu for the year. I also think there was just one sitting a night. They were fully booked for the year within a day of starting the booking. But imagine the costs, they had more chefs in the kitchen than customers.

Yep, but the trick is to go for the cheapest or a quite expensive one; house wine if they have it. The biggest mark up is on the 2 - 5 cheapest as this is where most people buy not wanting to look cheap by ordering the cheapest.

[d000hg]

Have most of Ramsay's places not gone down the pan in fairly spectacular fashion too ?

I don't know about most but I've definitely heard him say he's taken big losses.

Watching them on TV, the prices they pay for top ingredients is pretty extreme. Although a £90 steak is taking the P a bit, but then good restaurants have a LOT of staff.

[Freamon]

1. Get the basics right
2. Choose something to differentiate yourself and focus on being extra strong in that area