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Friday, November 30, 2001
If we can keep up revenues without it, is it necessary to play host to a large dining room?
Inspiration today comes from Pizzetta 211, a gourmet pizza shop whose physical size betrays it monumental popularity. Tucked away in the residential Outer Richmond, the restaurant has no more than four 4-top tables, four bar spots and a couple of outdoor seats, all in a space slightly smaller than the living room of my apartment. And that includes the kitchen, too. How is it possible that such an arrangement would bring in the revenue necessary to stay alive? Answer: with with the crucial combination of good food and good word-of-mouth.
Obviously, with less space, there's lower overhead and fewer salaries to pay. But there are also fewer chances to earn money. So you bring up the cost of your merchandise, right? Nope. Individual pizzas at Pizzetta 211 all cost less than $13. With wine and dessert, my total bill came to just over $20. The fact is, they can keep their costs down because they rarely see an empty seat. On the Wednesday night I visited, all seats were taken until about a half hour before closing. And even then, I heard an employee blame the rain for the lack of a complete sell-out, a daily occurrence.
Going for the strategy of a low profile and dedicated following -- essentially a choice of quality over quantity -- is a risky move. But, hey, so is opening any restaurant. This way, the payoff is so much more fulfilling in the end. We could dedicate all of our efforts into building an intimate, comfortable place for people to gather, instead of worrying how to fill up 50 seats every night. If it works, we'll have a restaurant on our hands that people cherish as their own little secret.
Of course, before that all happens, we'll need to come up with that holy grail, that magic bit of cooking wizardry that'll bring 'em back for more and make 'em tell all their friends and neighbors. Fortunately we have some time to work that part out.
posted by sandor weisz at 7:25 PM | Comment?
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