What entrepreneurs can learn from chef Jose Andres
For those not in the know, Jose Andres is a chef who owns several restaurants in the Washington DC area. I saw him on TV the other night and found myself more interested in his business acumen than his cuisine (but then again, I’m not much of a cook).
I was particularly intrigued by the “restaurant” that was profiled on the show: minibar by Jose Andres. I use the term restaurant loosely, because minibar is small - really small. It is, in fact, a bar with exactly six seats. Three chefs work behind the bar preparing and serving 30-35 small courses to their six guests. It looks to be as much theater as it is dining.
There are two seatings nightly. At a cost of $120 per person, the place can’t hope to pull in more than $1,440.00 per night. Subtract food costs, supplies, salaries, rent, and who knows what other overhead, and you aren’t left with much.
So why does Andres bother? Because it makes a great story. It makes people talk. It gets him on TV. It’s no accident that Andres incorporated his own name into the name of the restaurant.
In addition to the word of mouth and celebrity that it generates, I’d be willing to bet that Andres sees minibar as a lab of sorts where he can get inspired and experiment with new ideas on a willing audience. I imagine that minibar patrons are open minded and happy to provide lots of useful feedback about new creations.
Some observations:
- Andres is passionate in a way that is convincing. Sometimes he’s over the top, but he’s never phony.
- Andres has fresh perspective on things every one of us relates to on a daily basis. He made me rethink a tomato, fercrisakes.
- I’ve never seen an ad for minibar. I’m only aware of Andres from seeing him on TV. And, I’ve seen him on a number of shows.
- Andres is not a poser - he’s actually great at what he does. He even beat Bobby Flay on Iron Chef.
- I’ve never eaten at minibar or met anyone who has eaten there, but I already believe that it will be sublime when I do eventually go.
- He widely publicizes the fact you should make reservations 30 days in advance. This builds mystique and intensifies the experience (and probably cuts down on having to disappoint walk-ins). You can’t just casually say, “Hey, wanna go to minibar tonight?” You have to plan in advance, which creates anticipation; it gives you something to look forward to for months.
- He could probably franchise minibar, but he doesn’t. Presumably, he doesn’t want to be like Wolfgang Puck with his “gourmet” stands at the airport. He is intensifying demand by limiting supply.
What can we learn from this:
- Don’t just be great at what you do, be passionate about it as well.
- Have a unique perspective about things normally considered ordinary by your customers.
- Forget about advertising. Figure out how to get publicity.
- Instead of increasing capacity to meet demand, spread the demand out over time.
By the way, if you ever make it in to minibar, please try that little mojito yolk thing and let me know what you think. It looks yummy ;-)