The growth of a restaurant development leader : Sarid Drory: Sarid Drory is a specialist in the development, construction and growth of leading restaurant properties. Drory has lived and worked in New York City for twenty-six years building his food, beverage, and hospitality empire with his distinct mix of passion and acute discipline in one of the world’s top markets. See even more info at https://www.facebook.com/SaridDrory. Make sure that the restaurant serve an excellent food. Customers need to be delighted. The food should be superb and incomparable to any other restaurants. When we serve delicious and appetizing menu, the tendency is that we will have more and more customers in the restaurant.
Figuring out food costs on every menu item is hard work. It’s also essential to turning a profit. Make weekly inventories and number-crunching routine duties. Accurate food cost accounting helps you develop better menus, deal with price fluctuations and budget for seasonal ingredients. Organize back of house so that staff can work with maximum efficiency and minimum waste, Make sure everyone understands the important role they play in holding down food costs. Emphasize best-prep practices as part of in-house training, and assign rotating positions to monitor overall effectiveness. Consider hiring a restaurant cleaning service such as from ServiceMaster to keep the premises clean and safe for employees.
Since that time, Drory has cultivated a prestigious history of success in the New York City restaurant scene. His first purchase was Ye Waverly Inn from the family who had run the establishment for three generations. Due to his strategic upgrades to the restaurant, including the installation of the famed garden, Drory created a popular New York hot spot and tripled the revenue in three years. After 14 years for ownership, he sold Ye Waverly Inn for seven figures. Next, Drory bought The Cub Room restaurant from renowned chef, Henry Meer for $1.25 million. After a year of ownership he had increased the revenue by 70%. Totaling in 8,000 square feet, The Cub Room housed a 3,000 square foot dining area, a lounge with a bar which was further expanded by Drory, with 89 types of scotch and 94 types of vodka. An organic café occupied the third room, which became a favorite hangout area for New Yorkers. After about ten years Drory sold the restaurant for $2.5 million
Drory’s next restaurant and renovation project was Greenwich café, a 24-hour café, which became a well- loved spot by its downtown West Village community. Barbara Walters even chose the restaurant to host a 4-hour, on-location live show where the community played an integral part of the broadcast. The initial project cost for the restaurant was $350,000 and it was sold for $1.8 million, adding to Drory’s portfolio. Along with Lesly Bernard, best known for Pravda and Clementine, and Herb Wilson, formerly of Bambou and Jack’s Fifth, Drory next remade Greenwich into NYC, which was acquired for $2.2 million. Drory’s other projects have included two Italian restaurants, located in East and West Village, and called Tanti Baci. Drory brought in special cooks from a village in Palermo, Italy, where his father was raised, to enhance the romantic feel of the restaurant. The two restaurants were a big success after 14 years of operating and were sold for $1.8 million each.
One of Drory’s latest projects is Artisanal Bistro, located on 2 Park Avenue, noted as NYC’s first artisanal food entries. After acquiring Artisanal, Drory made many improvements in the first 40 days, including saving $1.2 million by cutting expenses and adding enhancements to the environment for the clientele that love Artisanal. Menu enhancements by Drory include offering 81 types of wine by glass to match the existing menu of 197 types of cheese; expert bakers from Breads to add to the wine and cheese experience; and increasing the wine selection list to include top shelf cognac and scotch. Drory hired Adam Tihany, the famed hospitality designer who originally designed the space, to renovate Artisanal. Additional contracts in the works include two downtown hotspots; Spitzer’s Corner on 101 Rivington Street and Los Feliz on 109 Ludlow Street. Spitzer’s was bought for $5.2 million and Los Feliz for $2.8 million. Sarid also bought the club Fat Baby for $3 million. Drory will be moving Artisanal to a better and bigger location on Park Avenue, because Sarid would like to share the space with a substantial retail space for cheese and pastries by Fall 2016.
Running a restaurant can be tricky, especially if you are a first-time restaurateur. This industry is fraught with problems ranging from budget issues to staffing shortages. However, you can have restaurant success with the help of these useful tips to get you going.
Appreciate Your Staff – When you show appreciation for your staff, they work harder for you. Offer bonuses for a job well done and let your team members know they can always come to you with creative ideas or concerns. Consistency – It is crucial to be consistent with your service, food quality and atmosphere. By maintaining friendly staff and having delicious fresh ingredients it shows your customers you care. Keep in mind that an occasional change is good to refresh the look of your restaurant and update your menu with new items. It should be appealing to the eye as well as appealing to the palette.