Rick Nelson, Star Tribune
September 29, 2005
One consequence of the celebrity chef's cooking-is-a-breeze mentality is that it has deluded us into believing that we all are just a dinner party away from the glamour, prestige and riches of restaurant ownership. But after observing seasoned veterans Stewart and Heidi Woodman devote a grueling 18 months -- six months longer than planned -- to coax their Minneapolis restaurant to life, here's a piece of advice: Don't quit your day job.
Developing and then running a first-rate dining establishment is a task best left to professionals -- like the Woodmans. After building their résumés in a bevy of New York City's top restaurants, the couple impressed locals during their yearlong, four-star stint at Levain in Minneapolis. ("The neighborhood restaurant has ascended to stratospheric new heights," raved this critic.)
In 2004 they moved on, this time with plans to open their own restaurant. The Woodmans knew what they were up against. The failure rate of new restaurants isn't the equal of, say, a new sitcom striking it rich on network television, but it's close. Yet their new venture, with its countless decisions, frustrations and joys, proved to be an adventure that exceeded their expectations.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/438/5640621.html
About Me
- Jeffrey Summers
- I am the expert you call when you need to learn how to increase top line sales, lower your operating costs, increase your profit margin, hire and train better managers and staff, evolve your operation into more and better ways of doing business, buy or sell a restaurant, improve your service, engineer (or re-engineer!) your menu, market your business better and less expensively, keep yourself from going nuts because you have no life anymore, open more and better restaurants, don't want to have to give up your first born child to pay a consultant and have more fun! My mission is to enhance the quality of life for my clients by providing the best products and services to help them achieve their personal and professional goals. I take great pride in my clients, my company, my commitment to service and the products I sell. I am a recognized expert in the hospitality industry with over 24 years of success at planning and executing strategies for delivering dramatic results, a former "GM of the Year" for 2 major, full-service, franchises, an Award winning Multi-Unit Executive with 2 of the largest restaurant chains in the U.S., published author, husband and father of two.