4.2023 Edition

Editor: Justin Khanna​

Hey Reader,

I want to make the case for not making certain things "in house" - I know...seems counterintuitive, but hear me out.

This one goes out to restaurant or food & beverage owners/operators out there…when you present something to a guest and say:

“This is a 4-day preparation”

“We spend 3 days making this”

“That was aged for 2 years”

When you find yourself in the guest's position, how disappointing is it to receive that as a “spiel”, only to have it be indistinguishable from something “normal”?

James Clear had a great quote, “The world rewards you for value provided, not time spent."

I’ve been thinking about that a lot this week, in an effort to help you folks find more success and personally contemplate where the industry is heading.

It’s easy to thrust “time” out on stage as the star of the show. It’s objective, trackable, and easy to put in relation to things. “They only age their ducks for 7 days? Ours age for 14…”

Hospitality professionals often fail to account for what is actually “valuable” to the receiving end of their work (aka the customers & guests).

Ask most chefs or line cooks why guests come to their restaurant over the one down the street and most will probably comment something about the long menu structure, a time-intensive signature dish, or the speed of service. Considering chefs have close proximity to (and take a lot of justified pride in) the food, they’ll lead with that as the main value prop.

In reality, guests get massive value from everything else the restaurant does:

• They didn’t have to do dishes tonight
• You curated a menu for them; they just get to pick what sounds good
• They got to get dressed up and get out of the house
• You offered a great food AND beverage experience, which is outside their “normal” of just ordering food for delivery
• The allergy modifications you make allow them to comfortably bring loved ones (with restrictions) to come and have a great experience

Notice, the time you spent braising your short ribs has no impact on these details ☝️

This becomes increasingly important when you hear this quote from author Corey Mintz (previous podcast guest):

“Chefs should take their 30 item menu, and cut it down to 16. Outsource some of those things that you have been too prideful to admit that you don’t need to make yourself.”

He’s talking about two processes here, both of which (ironically) require time investments.

One involves applying an “essentialism” mindset to what you’re offering, and ruthlessly editing out what doesn’t get you excited or isn’t selling.

Secondly, the outsourcing. Support a small local bakery by getting your bread made by them instead of making it in house. Call up your friend who owns a pasta place and negotiate a weekly order of tagliatelle or extruded pasta from them instead of having one of your line cooks spend 2 1/2 hours a day on it. Get a high-quality butcher to make the pâté you serve on your appetizer menu and proudly feature them as a purveyor partner.

It’s going to be different from what you make now, I know. That’s the point.

Of course you make it differently than they do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do the work to collaboratively land on a spec for that item and buy it from them, wholesale. You can also garnish it differently, serve it in a unique way, or even use it as a base to a recipe you still finish yourself.

This obsession with everything being made in the four walls of the business is rooted in a lot of good intentions. Quality control, differentiation, proximity to the process, customization, uniqueness…I completely get it. I was asked to create a bread program from scratch at my last restaurant position - it’s wildly satisfying and super fun to do.

But if that practice comes at the expense of the length of your work week, your labor cost (or profit margin), or other details that the guest actually values, it doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Think about it like this - entrepreneur Leila Hormozi has a framework where she shares (and I’m paraphrasing):

“Every time I fail to delegate something that one of my team members could do, I’m robbing from them an opportunity to learn and grow”

Chances are, you’ve never even asked if you can get your mushroom-powder-infused extruded pasta made from that pasta place. But what if it wasn’t so looked down upon to ask? They get more revenue, you save time. They're designed for production, you're designed for experiences. Skill-task-alignment.

How different would our industry look if there were trusted partners in pasta, stock, bread, fermentation, etc., who were given opportunities to build businesses off the back of what you need?

Then you, as the restaurant owner, can lean into what you do best in providing a great guest experience, and the entire pie grows in your community.

On top of that, it allows folks that are obsessed with “the craft” of making pasta to be employed at that pasta place that focuses on quality and consistency (without the pace or push of a restaurant). Marcus from The Bear comes to mind…(yes, I’ve seen all your comments on that episode’s video!)

If the last few years has taught us anything, it’s that making more in-house isn’t a guaranteed path to better guest experiences, higher profit margins or more motivated/fulfilled teams.

I think about the work that Dry Aged Fish Guy does; where the relationship is more collaborative than "he's taking something away from us".

I suppose what I’m suggesting here is a different type of structure. It sounds complicated because the last 10 years of restaurants has become incredibly tangled and convoluted - and I want to see it get better.

Similar to how us humans used to live in tribes, became hyper-individualistic, and are now seeing the rise in popularity of “compound-style living”, I think the same could be possible for food & beverage businesses.

One change I plan on making is to not judge or diminish a restaurant’s product if it comes from a place they’re proud to partner with. In fact, I want to applaud it if it’s done well.

This obviously doesn’t give The Willow’s Inn’s Costco chicken a pass, rather, it removes the stigma that folks will get ostracized or labeled as not being “legit” if they increase their outsourcing. Other businesses do it all the time, and we should too.

How cool would it be to see the rise in popularity in “trusted prep partners” who take some load off of restaurant’s prep lists, mental load and walk-ins? This exists in large restaurant groups, but why isn’t it available for the single-location restaurant?

If you folks know of places that do this well or where this is exemplified, share the website or contact info of the operator, because I want to interview them for the pod.

If you end up taking action in your business after reading this, let me know - I’d love to know how you use this insight!

Top Hits 💥

​Ulterior Epicure writes on The Menu​

The recently released dark comedy horror film 'The Menu' on HBO Max satirizes destination dining and highlights the pressure placed on chefs and restaurants to fulfill impossible expectations in the mainstreaming of extreme foodieism. The movie is widely legible to general audiences and is a commentary on the culture surrounding elite dining.

The Dark Side of Foodieism

While this glimpse behind the scenes was once novel and exciting, it has long since devolved into something very different, something very silly, and worse, corrosive. Producers, other media supernumeraries, and, most egregiously, food journalists, succumbed to the allure of access they created for themselves in the restaurant industry. And, instead of remaining faithful to their journalistic duties, writers and editors turned from investigating and reporting to cheerleading. This unfounded fanaticism among the media wasn't troubling enough, chefs and restaurant industry workers bought the narrative too. And together, they created perhaps the most terrifying creature of all, the insufferable gastronaut groupie.

Our Take: The movie may not be a cup of tea for many, and it may also deeply infuriate some long-time industry veterans too. But this satire, filled with dark comedy, made it stand out the most! I bet some of you have been in Chef Slowik’s shoes at some point of time in your career - where you dislike every “wannabe” trying to overly sell or attach to the true passion of cooking. It's been a blast to not just enjoy the movie, but to see the conversations this piece has stoked in the process.

​The 17 Most Hotly Anticipated Restaurant Openings in America for 2023

“While much of the restaurant world this week has found itself occupied with a place announcing it was closing (hint hint!), around here we’re much more focused on what’s getting ready to open. All around America we’re expecting to see exciting concepts, from a Michelin two-star chef going out on his own, to a pasta master trying his hand at steak, to a longtime pop-up that’s finally going to be a brick-and-mortar operation.”

Our Take: The-Noma-News came as a shock, and many said “Of course this day was coming… the economy is not great… the big R word!” But it is not all bad news in the industry. Many have also realized the “right time” to open something new is NOW! If the caliber of restaurants that came out of the 2008 financial crisis taught us anything, it's that scarcity, constraints, and the willingness to be resourceful can often lead to much more compelling businesses.

​How Central Ohio Got People to Eat Their Leftovers​

The average U.S. household wastes nearly a third of the food it buys. This community is nudging its residents to change their habits.

Three months later, researchers once again surveyed residents, and Mr. Graeter once again dove into trash cans. Respondents reported wasting 23 percent less food than they had initially. Although there weren’t enough residents who let their trash be audited for a statistically significant sample, Mr. Graeter’s dirty data dump reinforced the campaign’s effectiveness: Food waste volume had declined by 21 percent.

Our Take: What gets measured gets managed, and big changes start with small steps at home. We have all been been made aware multiple times of the food-wastage issue in the restaurant world. Don't be surprised at what's possible to do at seemingly small scales to result in big impacts - versus attempting to convince folks to "overhaul" their entire lives.

ICYMI 🙌

​This Place Called Kato in LA - I went to Chef Jon Yao's Los Angeles 1-Michelin starred restaurant and was not disappointed - have you been to Kato?

Watch my in-depth commentary on my experience in the latest YouTube video. There is also a shorter version on my Instagram!

This Week, We Learned… 🧠

​The Definitive Ranking of Restaurant Perks - Who gets what perk, what perks matter most, and five dining etiquette tips that’ll help you hack your way up the restaurant status chain.

​How to Make Scrambled Eggs the Way Kenji López-Alt Loves - This distinct recipe promises velvety, custardy, soft-scrambled eggs.

​Killer Food Copywriting - Who says the menu should be a booklet or single-paged, with consistent design? Why can’t it be fun and creative?!

Comment from you folks:

To Peep 👀

​Who’s Hiring? - January is a good time to apply for jobs! Certain businesses have taken care of their financials and realized a scope for better human resources. Kickoff your new year by crossing off this career-related goal!

​Stone Notebook's "Little Book Of" - A new stationary collection from the popular notebook manufacturer, with this edition focused on mushrooms.

​Steelport's Saya Engraving - The Portland-based knife company is now offering laser engraving on their best-selling knives!

Quote I'm Pondering 💭

Thanks for reading, as always,

👊Justin​

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