What Makes A Great Restaurant?

These days you hear of many new restaurants coming up and then soon after shutting shop.Why does that happen? What's going wrong? What makes a great restaurant? How can they last?

Here's what I think....

1.Great Food.Today everyone has an interest in food.Watching television and the internet has exposed us to various cultures.People travel more than ever before and know what's authentic and what's not.They expect nothing but the best.They want consistency.If one chef is excellent and the other chef is not,the customer may be happy one day and not so happy when the other guy cooks.

2.Hygiene.This is paramount.The food should come in clean crockery and cutlery and the waiters should be clean and well groomed.It's also important that the kitchen is clean and with a suitable temperature else the food will spoil.The weather has changed nowadays.What's worked in the past may not work now.Instituting new instructions necessary.Any food handler who is ill is going to pass on infection to the guests.Important to re-emphasize these issues to the staff.If a guest gets a stomach upset,he is not going to return and will tell others.If there is a water cut or electricity cut,better not to serve people rather than have hygiene compromised

3.Customer Service: Service with a smile.Showing respect to the customer and taking his suggestions seriously,rather than personally.No one wants stewards constantly hovering around them but standing at a reasonable distance and checking at regular intervals is great.Customer satisfaction counts in the long run.That also includes value for money.

4.Quality: When the quality of food is good,the food is bound to taste great.Freshness of supply tells on the product.If a restaurant uses substandard food in order to make profit,it will backfire on them.Adding unnecessary preservatives,baking soda or MSG to enhance color and flavor of food will cause the customer to feel bloated,have headaches and abdominal pain or diarrhoea.The only way to have fantastic food is to have the right chef and fresh and good quality ingredients.At times,there might be an error,best for the restaurant to admit and rectify rather than refusing to acknowledge.

5.Nutrition: Today several people have health issues such as Diabetes,Heart Disease,Cholesterol Problems.When the menu includes options for them too,it's a great way a restaurant shows its contribution to making our world a better place.Making healthy food tasty speaks volumes about a good chef.In the USA,there are pamphlets in every restaurant about the nutritive content of every dish.Wish we could have it here.

6.Positive Atmosphere:People come to relax.When they are surround by soothing (not loud) music and the colours around make them happy,they will return.Need not be luxurious to be successful. Adequate space between tables and chairs makes for an enjoyable meal.No one likes being packed like sardines while having their food.

7.Cuisine: People are willing to explore various cuisines but nothing like having traditional food of any country rather than fusion.

Which restaurants come to mind when you think of any or all of these qualities?