4 Secrets that Restaurants Aren’t Telling You
Hey you! Yes you.. reading this article here. Ever thought about being a Chef, or owning a restaurant with waiters in sharp looking suits scurrying around the floor serving great food to the masses? Consider these words then:
Hot Waiters. Mystique. Lies. Turn over. Fast movers.
Sounds like something straight you’d expect in a movie or perhaps a one night stand with a hot Waiter that you’ve been eyeing. Believe it or not, these are some of the secrets that restaurants aren’t telling you – until now.
On the weekend I came across an intriguing book called 1,001 Things They Won’t Tell You
So check this out – here are 4 real restaurant secrets – spoken by Chefs, Restauranters, and Hospitality Consultants themselves:
1. “It’s more about the flash and flair than the filet mignon.”
As any restaurateur will tell you, going out to eat is never just about the food; it’s about the overall experience. At legendary Aureole Las Vegas, for example, spandex-clad “wine angels” climb up and retrieve bottles from a 42-foot-tall spirits tower. The thinking behind the spectacle: “Anything that gets patrons’ attention will get them to spend,” says restaurant designer Mark Stech-Novak.
Indeed, facing tough economic headwinds, restaurants are working every available angle to maximize profits. Even fast-food outlets get into the game, setting up a high-stimulation environment for customers – “It encourages faster turnover,” says Stephani Robson, senior lecturer at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. “Specifically, the use of bright light, bright colors, upbeat music, and seating that does not encourage lolling.”
Although seemingly innocent, even menus are rigged. “We list the item that makes the most profit first so it catches your eye,” says restaurant consultant Linda Lipsky, “and bury the highest-cost item in the middle.”
2. “There’s something fishy about our seafood.”
Even when you pay top dollar for a seafood dish, you might not get what you’re expecting. About 70 percent of the time, for example, those Maryland crab cakes on the menu weren’t made using crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, says James Anderson, chairman of the Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the University of Rhode Island. Because of high demand, crabs are often from other eastern states or imported from Thailand and Vietnam. (Look closely at the menu: “Maryland-style” crab is the giveaway.) It’s a matter of opinion about whether that means poorer-quality crabs, says Lynn Fegley, biologist for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. But it certainly smacks of false advertising.
There’s also the problem of outright substitution—inexpensive fish, such as pollack, getting passed off as something pricier, like cod. How widespread is the problem? In 2006 the Daytona Beach News-Journal sent fish samples to a lab to prove that 4 out of 10 local restaurants were pawning a cheaper fish as grouper. The same lab also checked seafood from 24 U.S. cities and found that, overall, consumers have less than a 50/50 shot at being served the fish they ordered.
What can you do? Ask where the fish comes from. “If they’re not sure if the fish is from Alaska or Asia, I order the beef,” Anderson says.3. “Our specials are anything but.”
“I’m very careful about ordering my food,” says Rick Manson, owner of Chef Rick’s restaurant in Santa Maria, Calif. If he orders oysters, Manson says, he’ll offer multiple dishes on the menu that use oysters, “to make sure I use every one of them.” Nonetheless, countless variables can leave surplus ingredients at the end of the day – which often become tomorrow’s special. “It could be the chef legitimately wants to try out something new,” says Stephen Zagor, founder of consulting firm Hospitality & Culinary Resources. “But it could also be something nearing the end of its shelf life that needs to get out of the kitchen.”
How can you tell a good special from a bad one? Watch out for “an expensive item used in a way that’s minimizing its flavor,” Zagor says, such as a lamb chop that’s been cut, braised, and put into a dish where it’s a supporting player. Pastas, stews, and soups containing expensive meats are also suspect. “There’s an old saying in the restaurant industry.” says David A. Holmes, VP and director of Out East Restaurant Consultants. “Sauce and gravy cover up a lot of mistakes.”
4. “You might not want to eat here on a Monday.”
If you think that Monday, when restaurants tend not to be crowded, is a great time to eat out, think again. “You’re being served all of the weekend’s leftovers,” says Francis, coauthor of How to Burn Down the House. Most kitchens prepare food on a first-in, firstout basis, meaning whatever is oldest gets served first. It’s a way to ensure that everything on the menu is as fresh as possible.
The system works great most days, but it can run into a little glitch over the weekend. Distributors typically take Sunday off and make their last deliveries Saturday morning – which means that by Monday, any food not used over the weekend could be three to four days old. And it will be served before the same ingredients arriving in Monday’s delivery.
What to do if you wish to dine out on a Monday? Ignore your instincts and go to a place that’s perpetually crowded. “If you are open 24/7 and busy all the time,” says New York–based chef Lucia Calvete, “all your ingredients are fresh all the time.”
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Fascinating stuff huh? It’ll certainly make me think twice about dining out on mondays and tuesdays and ordering the special of the day! If you’d like to learn more, please visit Smart Money to discover more restaurant secrets.
Thanks for sharing such a nice post
This may seem strange but I couldn’t see the image above, I am using FireFox 2. anyways, what I read was very good and I enjoyed it. I was thinking about print it out, do I have permission to do that?
Hi Lucas
That’s a bit strange about not seeing the image as I’m a FireFox user as well. :S
The original article comes from Smart Money, and you can print it out by going to the Smart Money link in my article. When you’re on the article, scroll down to the bottom of the article and there’ll be a button that reads “Print This Article”.
Great info. I should know…
So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager
Fascinating post
Going to look for the expensive item in the middle of the menu from now on!
#4. is particularly good when it deals with seafood, and fish in general. Don’t order fish, oysters, crab, lobster, etc. on a Monday if you want it to be fresh– it’s likely been sitting around for a few days.
Another good idea is to ask an opinion of a restaurant from someone working in the food industry, ex. someone who sees the kitchens of restaurants. If the person figuratively turns green at mention of a place, perhaps you should avoid the place(restaurant, hotel…)
That’s a great tip, Thomas! It especially helps if they turn green if they’ve worked there before. As a student I worked in a fine dining restaurant and I didn’t approve of one of their practices. For some reason, when ever we did the coffee and teas, the sugar would be green. I would always try to tip all the green gunky stuff out of the sugar tin so it wouldn’t land in some poor unsuspecting customers sugar bowl but the Captain wouldn’t care and would put the green sugar in the customers sugar bowls. Disgusting, really!