And two other things you can learn from McDonald’s.

He has chops. And in large part all the angry is a feature of American TV. His British stuff was calmer and his first show was about moving to farm with his family to learn hands on how quality food is produced.

Yeah, Ramsey is a “for TV” asshole, and for a long time I avoided anything he did because of it. But the cooking videos he’s done online are awesome. He comes across as sincere and approachable. He explains techniques well and doesn’t over-complicate things. I’ve learned a lot from his how-to videos. 

What a lot of managers/owners don’t get is that, at the end of the day, one employee who can be depended on to show up and do his/her job reliably and competently for 10 years is worth more than 10 hotshot employees who make a big splash then leave for a bigger paycheck a year later.

I had that conversation with a friend a while back. Thought it would be fun to run a bar. But at he had the presence of mind to ask someone who knows what they’re doing (me!). Plus his interest is apparently rooted in the fact that he doesn’t know how it works and is mostly about learning how it’s done.

You will deal with employees who won’t be as passionate about your business as you are, and you’ll question why they’re not putting in 150%.

#3 on this list is by far the most important - people don’t realize that running a small business is like 10% “doing the thing the business exists to do” and 90% “admin bullshit you need to do to keep the lights on.” 

There’s a reason why McDonald’s is the largest fast food restaurant in the world and also one of the largest commercial real estate owners in the world.

One of my favorite anecdotes regarding opening a restaurant:

I think it’s that for some people, owning/running a restaurant or bar is a romantic idea. I’ve seen a few episodes of shows like Bar Rescue, and one of the most common themes on the show is that the owner of the bar got into the business because they “thought it would be cool to own a bar.”

After 20 years in the restaurant/bar business one of the things that still sticks with me is how many restaurant and bar owners have never worked in the business. This is a huge reason for the failure rate in the first 18 months being 75% instead of a lower number.

Perhaps it’s obvious, but a corollary to trying to start a restaurant without enough capital is spending way too much capital on start up costs. I work in construction and the number of restaurants I’ve seen move into a space that was completely renovated 2-3 years ago, only to then rip everything out and start over…

Good article. I’ve had the “you should start a restaurant” comment many times over the years but I’ve always resisted. Reading kitchen confidential all those years ago was a good idea. I still love to cook, but thankfully I get to do it on my own terms, and then eat it with my family every night.

Agreed. Asking friends to comp their work for you - in any industry - is a dick move. If they offer a “friends and family” discount, great, but people are trying to make a living here.

Good article - I would also suggest anyone that dreams of owning a restaurant should just go get a job in one for a year because that will give you an insight on the process without going into massive debt first.

you bring up rule #9: true friends will never ask for a comp — especially if you’re just starting out.

Oh, did he hit a nerve? 

He has a Michelin star. I’m pretty sure he’s in the right career path.

“If other people’s rude critiques are harmful to you psyche maybe this isn’t the career path for you?”

Because people are only rude in the restaurant business? 

Great, informative piece.