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FEB. MAR. 2018
VI
MAGAZINE
It’s an idea which borders on the
happy hour buffet practice , today’s
apericena (combined aperitif/dinner).
Better: it is a tasty challenge offered
to the customers.
The difference between an All You
Can Eat and the other is simply in
the service offered by chefs, waiters
and barmen: this type of dinner must
offer fun as well as food. There are
rounds of pizza, rounds of pasta,
rounds of all sorts and mixed rounds,
new names that break out among
young people, the trend lovers. On
holiday the Italian adores the all-
inclusive, which borders on unlimited
food.
The catering entrepreneurs constantly
evaluate all types of products.
The goal at the end is to interpret the
wishes of customers and try to satisfy
and expand them.
We have involved some restaurants
deployed along our peninsula to
investigate the matter.
Specifically, Antonio Espo sito of
Il Pappamondo 2 in Rieti, Luigi
Canella of Tourlé (three outlets in the
province of Milan), Cinzia Nebuloni
of La Sidreria in Milan,
How do you make ends meet with
the All You Can Eat concept?
“By focusing on the items not
included in the offer, you can manage
and optimise the flow and finances,”
Esposito advises. Canella, on the
other hand, talks about quantity: “A
lot counts on the basis of the goods
purchased from the suppliers: large
orders can make great proposals”.
Those who offer formulas like these
often have a menu that doesn’t
change much in the short term: “We
change the menu every month -
explains Cinzia Nebuloni - then we
get better prices with suppliers by
ensuring their purchases of a certain
level. In addition, the variety of
dishes offered in the menu is limited,
thereby reducing stocks and waste.
It is necessary to pay attention to
fixed costs and not to offer a location,
tableware and furniture of the highest
level, as well as a demanding cellar.”
Every day involves a lot of juggling
for the Sio Cafe. “But there are no
leftovers, if you pay great attention to
the production in the kitchen.”
But how do you maintain high quality
with reduced personnel and service?
It is all a question of originality,
management and order of goods,
relationships with suppliers and
attention to detail.
Why is the All You Can Eat formula
proposed in particular by Asian
restaurants?
“They focus on quantity, on the
large number of customers,” warns
Esposito. “And then because they
cook fish and respect a menu that
is very well known by people,”
says Canella. Nebuloni highlights
that the classic Chinese restaurant
goes through a period of decline:
“Many have changed the formula
and another reason could be that
not all their staff speak English well,
the relationship with the customer
is reduced compared to the typical
restaurant”. Sio summarises: “After
all, Asians were the first to invest in
this formula”. But is there a difference
between an All You Can Eat and a
buffet?
Table service is not a trivial matter,
“in the case of a buffet there is none”
Esposito claims. Nebuloni’s view soon
follows: “In a buffet you have to get
up several times to serve yourself and
often the most tempting dishes are
finished quickly. Usually the buffets
are offered by bars that have smaller
tables than restaurants and single-use
dishes.” Then there are the premises
that propose a fixed cost for the
consumption of a drink. Whose main
goal is? To attract new customers.
The average customer expenditure is
already pre-set.
“There are practically zero errors
on the bill, you don’t forget to
include a course and neither is one
mistakenly added, to the customer’s
disadvantage,” explains Nebuloni. In
addition, the number of employees is
lower than a traditional restaurant: an
à la carte menu requires more staff
in the restaurant and kitchen with
higher costs. Some useful strategies to
optimise an All You Can Eat proposal.
Concentrate on personalisation.
Esposito ‘soars’ with pizza by
the metre, “which is spectacular,
beautiful to see and great to eat.”
Tourlé is ethically correct, never
opens up against other competitors
but hunts for virgin locations. La
Sidreria instead proposes thematic
evenings to its customers, offering
new and original dishes every month
that can attract everyone.
THE NUMBERS
Often the fixed price is related to
the cost of renting the premises. A
restaurant with about 100 seats needs
at least 7 employees (3 chefs, one
person at the till, 1 runner, 1-2 people
for cleaning service in the restaurant).
The initial investment is thus around
300,000 euros. The turnover forecasts
annual takings of around 800,000
euros.
TARGET
Teenagers, university students, young
people, white-collar workers, groups
of mums: the fixed and popular price
is popular with everyone. The old
habit of customers not finishing their
dishes is almost a memory.
IMPORTANT...
- Skill
- Personal aspiration - Courage
- Initial economic resources - Good
and ample location
- Passion for the formula