Do I qualify for a knighthood?

In this week’s Financial Times, Michel Roux, owner of the legendary Le Gavroche shared his three decades of experience, running what has been described as a “gastronomic revolution”.

Commenting on his decision to close the restaurant in January after 56 years trading, he commented; “it means so much to so many people but it’s in control of me – and that’s something I want to take back-I want to spend more time with my family”.

Although very few in the restaurant business can claim delivering a bill for three people for £70,000 (yes, £70,000!) or having a £2.5 million wine cellar, his motive in quitting is not unusual.

In a November survey by NatWest, they found that “balancing work and personal life“ & “mental and emotional well-being“ were two of the ten top pressure points in the restaurant industry.
The other eight stress issues were;
Generating new business,
Rising operational costs.
Seeking cost reductions.
Keeping up with technology.
Competition.
Cash flow problems.
Hiring and retaining skilled employees.
Supply chain .

Now, Le Gavroche is a unique operation with two Michelin stars. Running it is not “just day in and day out”, but as rather as Michel says “it’s every plate of food, every service. It’s a huge pressure“.

However, for many independent restaurants, it is actually day in, day out but nonetheless, they still experience huge levels of stress.

Their operations are relatively simple, with the accent on repetition rather than creation. Menu specifications don’t vary much, portion control is pretty good, staffing levels are fairly constant, but , and it’s a BIG BUT, they lack basic systems which allow them to track revenue, covers, average spends, stockholding, gross margins, and, ultimately, cash flow.

This all boils down to a chaotic environment, which is more by guess and by God than day in day out. 

In my experience with multiple restaurant groups, where, by definition, the owner is absent, we applied a series of measures to automatically control costs and provide analyses for action. These measures remove the chaos, allow delegation, help the work/life balance, and improve emotional well-being, the top two reasons for quitting, just like Michel.