Starting a restaurant? 5 harsh truths no one tells you
Jason Wang is the chef and owner of Xi’an Famous Foods in New York; what started as a takeaway location in Flushing in 2005 has now grown into 18 locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. A wonderful success story, certainly. But like (almost) every success story, it was preceded by a lot of blood, sweat and tears. In his cookbook From the Kitchen of Xi’an Famous Foods, Jason shares his lessons from experience. And believe us: these are five things you’ll want to know before deciding to start a restaurant.
Running a restaurant? Consider yourself warned
You must be completely crazy to start a restaurant, as Jason’s story in his cookbook From the Kitchen of Xi’an Famous Foods. makes clear. He speaks candidly about the important things you need to know before getting started. These tips will help you avoid pitfalls and remain realistic about what it really takes.
1. Your body will hate you
Starting a restaurant may sound romantic, but in practice it means that you need to know every little part of your restaurant and also be able to do everything yourself. Jason: ‘That means we work harder and longer than all our employees. Your feet burn, your back feels like hell, your joints hurt and crack, and you feel ten years older when you get out of bed.’
2. You’ll be yelled at and spat on
Don’t be naïve: if you open your own restaurant, you’ll also encounter the less pleasant sides of the hospitality industry. Jason: ‘Know what’s waiting for you: I’ve been yelled at and spat on, people have screamed at me, and I ended up in a fistfight with a drunk guy and one of his friends who were urinating against my restaurant around closing time.’
3. Money isn’t the solution
In many industries, an extra bag of money can solve a lot of problems. In hospitality, things often work differently. An additional investment won’t necessarily make a bad location, inexperienced staff or a lack of customer loyalty any better. This is one of the biggest pitfalls when opening a restaurant. Jason: ‘Unlike in many other industries, money isn’t the solution to every problem.’
4. It’s dirty
Before you think: Yes, I’m going to start a restaurant, first try unclogging a full grease trap with your hands. Go ahead and smell it too. If you’re still enthusiastic afterwards, the hospitality-industry DNA is probably genuinely in your blood. This may well be the most underestimated reality of starting a restaurant.
5. It’s boring
Many aspiring hospitality entrepreneurs dream of coming up with new dishes every week. In reality, success is about consistency: serving the same dish again and again, in exactly the same way and with the same flavor. That’s what brings your guests back.
Just cook at home
Starting a restaurant means working incredibly hard; it’s physically demanding, sometimes dirty and often less creative than you think. But if it’s in your blood, it can also be the best job in the world. Still not in the mood for sleepless nights, grease traps and difficult customers? Then just cook at home with Jason Wang’s cookbook. For example, make the best pineapple chicken ever. A party on your plate, without having to smell the grease trap.
Title: From the Kitchen of Xi’an Famous Foods
Author: Jason Wang and Jessica K. Chou
Price: €34,99
Publisher: Fontaine
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