Want your ideas featured in my new elegant restaurant?

Question

I am opening up a restaurant and have some pretty good ideas..

--But I want to blow my customers AWAY!!

I want something that says "WOW!"

And...I won't be able to accomplish that without your help.

If you have even the smallest idea...or not even idea at that. An idea of an idea. Like a baby idea--hasn't quite formed yet. Or the thought of something...anything to blow people away. Even the smallest hint towards something.

Also if you have been to a restaurant saw something really cool, tell me about it. EVERY LAST COMMENT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED AND WILL BE REVIEWED!

If it is from lighting, to menus--or to the name of the place...let me know..

From paint colors or to meal ideas....

THAT IS GREAT TOO...If you really like an entree or food item and would like to share it with me do so. If you like an item and never find it in a restaurant...do share! Foods you like...foods you don't like. GREATLY APPRECIATED..ANYTHING YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE..JUST THE SLIGHTEST..DO SO!

THANKS
D.L

As with the prices go--I am brand new straight from college...a bank account of 15,000 plus my 200,000 dollar loan. My prices are going to have to be high at first. Not super high. But no entree will exceed 45 dollars. An average pricing will be about...ehhh..$18 a dish.

I have some pretty cool ideas, and as I progress and split all my earnings with my partner and brother, I will lower prices as they go on!

AGAIN THANKS--AND KEEP ME POSTED FOR ANY NEW IDEAS THAT POP IN YOUR HEAD.

ANY.

Answer 1

Have a website with pictures of how you are designing the restaurant? When you say elegant, do you also mean small and intimate? Also, have a menu already?

When I dine, the things that say "wow" to me are:
1. Outstanding food at a surprisingly affordable price. One of my favorite places in the world is a greasy-spoon diner. Everything that I've had on their menu is great and not expensive. I've probably eaten there 30 times. Elegant shouldn't mean, necessarily, expensive.

2. Good service. Please hire a staff that is sharp and able to read the different service needs of your guests. Each dining party is a little different. Having a service staff that can tailor their presentation and service to the individual table says a lot. Find good people, pay them well, and they'll reward you with keeping customers happy and returning.

3. Fresh ingredients.

4. A menu that changes. Don't get into a rut of keeping your menu the same all the time. Change as the seasons change. Take risks to try new dishes.

Answer 2

Ok, stay away from the buffalo heads on the walls if you have a barbecue place, please. Having a vegetarian menu is pretty good, even if the person isn't vegetarian who orders from it. Have books and magazines sitting in a basket by the door for kids, or if you are having a busy day and have some people who must wait. Dark colors, like maroon, brick, and brown, create a nice comfortable atmosphere.

Answer 3

i am from a rural area. 18 dollars is not high at all. i would pay more for a great dish. here is some of my ideas. hope they help. i personally love to have the owner and/or manager introduce himself and ask where we are from; makes me feel special. i am a big fan of pasta dishes! can't go wrong. my husband is a steak and potato man. i also will try anything once. where are you located?? are you planning on serving seafood? love seafood. i love this particular restaurant in Natchez ms. they serve a hot seafood over a cold salad. it is wonderful. i order a couple of slices of avocado with mine.
good luck.

Answer 4

A great wine list that actually has some good decent wines affordably priced would be nice.

A section for families with small children, I hate being sat next to the family table when I'm dining with my mate, and we were hoping for a quiet romantic evening.

A simple menu that you don't have to read a billion times to find something.

Wait staff that don't introduce their names, I hate when they come up all bubbly with their head bobbing side to side and say.. "Hi I'm Holly, I'll be your server this evening, if you need anything....."

A coat check.

I'll watch tis one in case I think of more. Good luck to you.

Answer 5

I've learned something about waiting on families. If you take care for the kids and go the extra mile when taking care of them, then the parents will be happy. Most of the time it's the kids that choose where they're going to eat and if they had a great time....they'll keep coming back for more.

Answer 6

i love, love, love the water fountain surrounded by fire, surrounded by (looks like green bamboo). inside, what intrigues me is deep rich colors, like chocolates, deep rich reds, dark mahogany wood (any dark wood). sconces should be magnificent with brass sculptures with flames burning constantly. have corner tables with drapery for a secluded romantic dinner. now is a good time to get into your own wine making and serve as your house wine. have it on display for sale. this will be a great marketing strategy. people will buy it just to gloat about visiting your great restaurant. OK. restrooms are so very important. it is such an intimate thing. play these rooms up. make your customers want to go to the restroom. have you ever had someone say, "did you see their restroom?" seldom if ever.

Answer 7

Have games at the table to keep your customers busy, or as a conversation starter. Try trivia. I would make the decoration better than a Fridays but not as nice as Sullivans. Just make it sophisticated and i think you'll get a wide variety!

Answer 8

Medium build. Toned. Taller than me. Well groomed. Knows what he wants. Not afraid to walk the walk and not the talk. Intelligent conversation. Doesn't care what others think or say. Open Minded. Not afraid to say what he feels and shows it. Someone who loves me for me. Respectable. Sense of Humor. Takes charge. Someone who can deal with the emotions of a woman.

Answer 9

I've got an answer and it has nothing to do with the business you want to get started; it has to do with making sure that one failure is overcome able, and you can try again without creditors hammering you personally:

Incorporate the business; and toss the loan that was made to you prior to incorporation.

Answer 10

spend extra money on your bathrooms, that will put your restaurant on the map and may even get you on a show :) don't forget to put in a piano bar to create atmosphere and elegance.