Home
>
Public Relations
>
Why Restaurants Go Out of Business

Why Restaurants Go Out of Business

Recently someone asked me why so many restaurants go out of business. I answered that too many people open a restaurant because it's their dream.

A number of years ago I was walking along the street near my home and office. I came upon a brand new Continental-type restaurant down a few steps from the street, very atmospheric. Standing outside was the chef/owner with pride of ownership written all over him. We fell into conversation, I congrat- ulated him, mentioned I was a publicist and he invited me in to talk.

He explained that he was originally from New York, had spent the last decade or so working as a chef in Florida at some of the top restaurants there. His dream was to open his own place and he decided to do it in New York. His financial "backer," if you could call him that, was a friend in a completely unrelated field with very shallow pockets who had no idea opening and running a restaurant was such an expensive project.

The owner/chef (we'll call him John) should have known better but thought he could open on a shoestring. A very short shoestring. He hired a waiter who agreed to work for tips and a Spanish-speaking (only Spanish-speaking--no English) busboy. John felt that since the place was so small, no more than 12 tables or so), that as enough of a staff. I asked about someone to greet people at the door. John said that the kitchen door would be left open and he could run out when people walked in.I'm serious! He desperately needed a publicist, among other things; he said he'd scrounge up the money somewhere, and against my better judgment, I went to work. I tried his food and it was really wonderful. Unfortunately, while this man could certainly cook, he had no idea how to run the front of the house and didn't even have too firm a grasp of the economics of pricing his food. After less than two weeks, his one waiter disappeared so he was left with a busboy who couldn't speak any English trying to work as a greeter and a waiter.

One evening during this time I called the restaurant and there was no answer. Wondering whether my client had gone out of business without telling me, I grabbed mt coat and ran down to investigate. The place was dark and closed with no sign. As I walked away, two men walked up, planniung to dine there. They saw it was closed and said, "I guess they went out of business." The next day I spoke to John and he said he hadn't gone out of business but there was some big sports event that night and he figured there wouldn't be much business so he might as well close for the night. I explained to him that you can't close without at least a sign and many people probably assumed he had closed for good.

John admitted he never thought of that.

I was able to drum up a fairly gratifying amount of business, critics' reviews (the New York Times reviewed it on radio) and a mention in one of the gossip columns. After two months I could see he had no idea what to do so I quit and the following month so did he...he went out of business.

This should give you some idea why restaurants close.

Miriam Silverberg is founder and president of Miriam Silverberg Associates, a boutique public relations firm in New York City. Listed in Who's Who of American Women, she has lectured extensively on how to create publicity and is a contributor to professional journals.

best cleaning company Highland Park ..

In The News:

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Why Restaurants Go Out of Business

Public Relations