Piccolo Teatro - the next Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmare!

….and what a nightmare it was too!

Bad management can ruin a business and when that bad management comes from the owner then you are really in the crap!

Piccolo Teatro was a vegetarian restaurant in Paris. But the adage of “build it and they will come” does not work!

Gordon and the team went out onto the streets with a little help from some can-can girls to drum up business and create a buzz around the streets of Paris. As a business owner you need to market your services effectively.

The biggest problem with Piccolo Teatro was the owner Rachel - she was lazy, uninterested and did not have any sense of urgency. She was also waiting on the tables but took no pride in the customer service side of things.

In order to make money in a restaurant you need to run it like a business. Now that may sound obvious but you need to think about the systems you operate, customer service, sales opportunities, sales training, marketing, finance - you name it! You can’t just run it like a hobby when you feel like it.

I was actually writing this blog when the show was on and when Gordon went back the restaurant was closed! I was not shocked though!

Set yourself up for success and the success will come. Piccolo Teatro had bags of potential if run in the right way - the owner had a new talented young chef but the owner was lazy and when your head people have no commitment then you are onto a loser.

Sean Mc
PS Good on you Gordon for giving the young chef the opportunity to work with your team in London - at least you can spot talent!