67 / 76
Of course, all this does not guarantee
the star if then the Rigatone is
overcooked or the grouper isn’t
fresh. But both large and small
considerations that every customer, in
the end, will appreciate.
______________________________
BOX
ITALIAN STARS
8
3 star restaurants
41
2 star restaurants
293
1 star restaurants (source: Michelin
2017)
708
Thousand Euros is the average annual
turnover of a starred restaurant
6,300
Annual customers
112
Euro per capita expenditure
2770
Bookings generated at every starred
restaurant (source: JFC)
______________________________
BOX
Loves me, loves me not:
What do the guide inspectors judge
(and how to come out on top of a
visit)?
Yes
Atmosphere: elegant and cosy, with
well-spaced tables, comfortable
chairs and places for ladies’ bags.
Tablecloths and cutlery elegant but
not excessive.
Cuisine: the chef’s surprise and
a choice for allergy sufferers are
appreciated.
Service: to anticipate the wishes of the
customer without being intrusive. All
staff in the restaurant must be able to
provide information on any dish
Wine: a sommelier who can advise
the customer of the most suitable,
and not the most expensive, wine is
indispensable.
Bread: home made with different
types. The plate always replenished,
especially at the start of the meal
Bill: clear, honest and without
surprises.
No
Atmosphere: too minimalist is a no
but so too is too excessive.
Cuisine: menu too large or too
long to be read with three rows of
description.
Service: the waiters are too expansive.
The client doesn’t necessarily want to
talk about Milan or Renzi.
Wine: better a small but well centred
wine list than one full of wines
which are unavailable. Hand-written
cancellations or corrections must be
avoided.
Bread: Packaged breadsticks or
supermarket-sourced bread is a
mortal sin: bread is not an accessory,
but an integral part of a meal.
Bill: unwelcome and old-fashioned
charges on the bill for bread, cover
and service.
______________________________
BOX
BEHIND THE SCENES
How are ratings of Gambero Rosso,
Espresso, Identità Golose conceived?
In the book-pamphlet “Stop the
Cook” the journalist Andrew Cuomo
tells how the lack of remuneration
attributed to inspectors to compile
each review forces them to resort to
various tricks: to personally know
the chef – which happens frequently
– looking for an offered or heavily
discounted meal, or taking advantage
of lunch or dinner events to report
on the establishment. The former
compromises the independence of
the rating, the latter creates a half-
baked and inaccurate review. Then
there is the problem of a media circus
that tends to defend itself from bad
reviews because everyone knows
each other and defends each other.
______________________________
AT PAGE 18
Social and universal
judgement
Everybody on their guard against
making a blunder. Is the promotion
through social media a decisive
step? How does it happen? How
to manage such a demanding
task in real time? We have asked
three professionals from three
establishments. It showed a cross-
section that refocuses on the centre
of strategy of the relationship
between operator and customer.
By Riccardo Sada
Positive reviews, negative ratings,
the infinite ocean of information
contained increasingly on social
networks and less and less on the
institutional websites distracts, strays
and misleads. The sources taken
into consideration are various. There
must be clarity. As demonstrated
by an in-depth analysis conducted
by Trade Lab for the magazine
Mixer, the clientele gets information
through social media to learn more
about hotels, restaurants, pizzerias
and pubs-breweries, relative prices,
offers and the assessment of other
customers. In relation to food &
drink there is a flourish of images
(many) and videos (few) on social
media of moments spent both
inside and outside premises. And
then everything depends on the
target: contributions can come from
millennials (age range: 15-35 years)
or baby boomers (50-65 years). Each
gap, each niche is fundamental to
understanding the comments and
commentators on social media, in
this case belonging to more or less
famous restaurants. Qualitaly put
several questions regarding this to
three professionals of this sector
with a huge web presence and in
particular on social media.
The transition to social media in the
promotion of his establishment is a
decisive step? How does it happen?
Giuseppe Grasso of Bomaki in Milan
leads the way: “We started with a
strong attention to social media at
the opening in August 2013. The
development of the Nippo-Brasileira
proposal was already consolidating
in the city and competing with the
existing competition absent on
social and we began with a targeted
strategy on both Facebook and
Instagram, believing immediately in
the potential of both to support our
business”. Luca Spataro of Treebar in
Rome adds: “Luckily, pushed by the
younger employees who were more in
step with the times, we have had the
foresight to believe and invest in this
new opportunity of advertising and
marketing since the earliest months
of its introduction. The opening of
the Treebar Facebook page goes
back to 2007, in conjunction with the
explosion of the popularity of the
platform in our country”. Francesco
Petruzzelli of Saint Patrick in Barletta
points out: “Around twelve years
ago I realised that the web would
be the vehicle that businesses need
to promote their product, especially
when I entered the world of Facebook
with my personal profile”.
How is the social page managed
and who does it? Personally,
through a press office or a
dedicated person?
Grasso: “Marketing is very important
to us. For a business like ours it
really is an essential part and anyone
who approaches it without a real