The restaurant that NYC needs

C

Collin W

Collin Wagner
Long time reader. First time poster.

Small, 20 seats. Cozy. Wood. Unpretentious. Tiny menu, say 5 dishes a day. Fish, meat, veg, salad, pasta and soup. Changing often on no whim, just what is fresh and good. Yes local and market driven, 100% homemade. But without the in your face or pretention. Just doing it because it's whats right.

Wines btg a la verre vole. No list, open anything if you commit to a glass.

The place you could celebrate at or go on a cold winter Tuesday.
 
Paging Brooklyn ten to fifteen years ago...

I doubt the economics would work, even in Brooklyn, given what rents are today.
 
originally posted by Collin W:
Long time reader. First time poster.
Click to expand...

Who on earth?...

To answer your question (at least if it is a question?), that kind of setup sounds interesting - almost like the "bistro du coin" bachelors would eat at in the 19th century - but do you think it would be feasible in our time? It might be hard to work, financially.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Collin W:
Long time reader. First time poster.
Click to expand...

Who on earth?...

To answer your question (at least if it is a question?), that kind of setup sounds interesting - almost like the "bistro du coin" bachelors would eat at in the 19th century - but do you think it would be feasible in our time? It might be hard to work, financially.
Click to expand...

Yes. Smaller is better. Even in Manhattan, with the largest name or eater press, it's hard to fill the dining room nightly or during lunch service. Run the numbers right for 30 guests a night, golden. Obviously profits would be low, but profits would be had.
 
originally posted by Collin W:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Collin W:
Long time reader. First time poster.
Click to expand...

Who on earth?...

To answer your question (at least if it is a question?), that kind of setup sounds interesting - almost like the "bistro du coin" bachelors would eat at in the 19th century - but do you think it would be feasible in our time? It might be hard to work, financially.
Click to expand...

Yes. Smaller is better. Even in Manhattan, with the largest name or eater press, it's hard to fill the dining room nightly or during lunch service. Run the numbers right for 30 guests a night, golden. Obviously profits would be low, but profits would be had.
Click to expand...

Um, your original post seems like a cocktail-napkin business plan that doesn't take into account the cost of the lease (as Brad aptly pointed out). I have run the numbers over the years - in fact in my last restaurant gig, that's about all I did, but 30 ppl per night?! I guess with a prix fixe at $150+ you might do it, otherwise the place you describe needs to turn 3.5 times at least and it'd still be a stretch. I'd get some serious advice from folks ITB before puttin' da cash down. Please, don't start out saying "profits would be low." I'd get a really good restaurant financial consulting firm to look at the spreadsheet of your business plan, IMHO.
 
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Collin W:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Collin W:
Long time reader. First time poster.
Click to expand...

Who on earth?...

To answer your question (at least if it is a question?), that kind of setup sounds interesting - almost like the "bistro du coin" bachelors would eat at in the 19th century - but do you think it would be feasible in our time? It might be hard to work, financially.
Click to expand...

Yes. Smaller is better. Even in Manhattan, with the largest name or eater press, it's hard to fill the dining room nightly or during lunch service. Run the numbers right for 30 guests a night, golden. Obviously profits would be low, but profits would be had.
Click to expand...

Um, your original post seems like a cocktail-napkin business plan that doesn't take into account the cost of the lease (as Brad aptly pointed out). I have run the numbers over the years - in fact in my last restaurant gig, that's about all I did, but 30 ppl per night?! I guess with a prix fixe at $150+ you might do it, otherwise the place you describe needs to turn 3.5 times at least and it'd still be a stretch. I'd get some serious advice from folks ITB before puttin' da cash down. Please, don't start out saying "profits would be low." I'd get a really good restaurant financial consulting firm to look at the spreadsheet of your business plan, IMHO.
Click to expand...

Just to double down with brother mark, issues 1, 2 and 3 are your lease, your lease, and your lease. Then you get to worry about controlling your other costs.

That aside, sounds like a place I'd enjoy going. We do something similar here in Durham, but the lease rate is much lower than NY.
 
Although not identical in concept, is not The Ten Bells close to that vision (minus the BTG deal)? Granted, I've only been once, and that on the night the cook quit....

Mark Lipton
 
You really can't do this in NY. Either it's a hit and no one can ever get in, so the Disorder type would still wish NY had such a place. Or it fails for all the reasons described here.

NC sounds like a good place to do it. Or Oregon for that matter.
 
This is basically the gastropub plan, right?: a background menu of staple dishes but anyone with smarts orders off the chalkboard, plus a small carefully-chosen drinks list.

But you'll need more than 30 covers.

ETA: Ah, not gastropub... ramen house!
 
originally posted by Vincent Fritzsche:
You really can't do this in NY. Either it's a hit and no one can ever get in, so the Disorder type would still wish NY had such a place. Or it fails for all the reasons described here.

NC sounds like a good place to do it. Or Oregon for that matter.
Click to expand...

Colin, yes. You'd love Oregon.
 
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