Probably, everyone at least once in his life dreamed of opening his own restaurant. However, the restaurant business is a troublesome business, very delicate and has many nuances and tricks. By the way, in Europe restaurateur is a very honorable specialty. To master it, you need to learn many skills and get a huge amount of knowledge.
Who is a restaurateur?
The founder or owner of a chain or one restaurant is called a restaurateur. This is an entrepreneur who developed the concept of the restaurant and founded it in accordance with it. The restaurateur is called not only the owner of this catering establishment, but also the manager. Moreover, he should be not only a good manager, but also a creative person, an excellent psychologist and esthete. Of course, the head of the restaurant should also have the talent of a marketer and PR manager. He should treat his restaurant not as a catering establishment, but as a special place where people come to get a lot of unforgettable impressions, have a good time and relax, having tasted something original and new. The achievement of the desired result should be facilitated by the original interior, impeccable service, and exclusive serving, and incredibly tasty and unusually decorated dishes, and music conducive to relaxation and appetite, and much more. Naturally, the restaurateur is more than a creative profession, although it seems to many that the main thing in this matter is the ability to understand the culinary subtleties. It is no coincidence that many experienced restaurateurs compare their establishments with the theater, themselves with the director, and visitors and waiters with actors. That's who a restaurateur is! Isn't that a great profession?
Qualities that a restaurateur should possess
It turns out that there is a whole list of qualities that a person should be endowed with, who wants to establish his own restaurant business or become the head of a ready-made restaurant. Here they are:
- creative thinking;
- organizational skills;
- stress resistance;
- good memory;
- responsibility and obligation;
- good health;
- rich imagination;
- leadership skills;
- desire to give pleasure to others, etc.
If you want to open your own restaurant, then take a closer look at yourself: do you possess many of these qualities? If not, then you better find a good manager trained in such a profession as a restaurateur. This, believe me, will be the best way out.
Restaurateur Tasks
Of course, the main goal of the restaurateur is to organize his business in such a way that it generates income. To do this, firstly, to attract customers, and then to impress them so that they wish to become regular visitors to the institution. And no matter how attractive the atmosphere, no matter how polite the staff, however, the most important feature of any restaurant is the kitchen. This means that the restaurant must have a highly professional cook. The profession of a restaurateur does not oblige him to be an excellent culinary specialist, but he must have a delicate sense of choice for the chef and other staff members, naturally, in accordance with the concept of the restaurant.
Where to study as a restaurateur?
In Russia, especially in large cities, there are a large number of restaurants of various categories, from luxury to simple eateries. Nevertheless, there is not a single state university where anyone could get the profession of restaurateur. However, people who want to learn this specialty and become professionals can be content with education in parallel areas, for example, choose the specialties "Tourism", "Social and cultural services and tourism", "Economics and enterprise management", "Economics and management of tourism enterprises, etc. Actually, those who have decided to seriously engage in this matter go abroad to receive a diploma. There are many serious universities in the world in which the specialty of restaurateur is given much more importance than in our domestic ones. While many local entrepreneurs, when opening their own restaurant, are guided by their inner instinct or the knowledge that they gained when visiting restaurants abroad, then in Europe, America or East Asia (China, Thailand, Japan, etc.), this type of business is much more scrupulous. The restaurant cannot be managed by a person who does not have a sufficient level of knowledge.
Is it possible to become a professional restaurateur in our country?
As noted above, in state universities of the Russian Federation there is no way to get a restaurateur diploma. So how to become a restaurateur without leaving the country? Recently, in view of the relevance and popularity of this profession, courses have been opened in many large cities of Russia for those who wish to conduct their restaurant business more competently. For example, in Moscow at the MBA city training center there are courses of restaurateurs. At the end of these students receive a certificate or diploma restaurateur. There are also training centers that provide training for specific specialties that are necessary for the restaurant business, namely:
- courses for restaurant owners;
- courses for restaurateurs;
- courses for top managers;
- courses for administrators;
- master classes for bartenders;
- training for HR professionals;
- master classes and courses for waiters, etc.
Cook and restaurateur
In fact, the restaurant achieves the best results and receives the "Michelin Red Guide" star when the restaurateur and chef make up a strong alliance and act in the interests of the establishment. However, history also knows many cases where the chef, not content with his position in the restaurant and having accumulated enough money and knowledge, decided to open his own restaurant. Of course, many talented chefs understand that the success of a restaurant largely depends on their ability to cook. Of course, there is some truth in this, but the well-being of the restaurant depends not only on the delicious food served in this institution. In order for the institution to flourish, many details are important, including trifles. Therefore, the chef, who decided to leave the restaurant and establish his own business, should be careful not only with regard to the taste of food, but also with regard to all the details of housekeeping. Having gained enough experience, he can go free swimming and open his own small restaurant. However, as a rule, after some time, the chefs are bored with administrative and managerial activities, and then a certified restaurateur comes to their aid. This is the best option for the successful functioning of the restaurant, because everyone should do exactly the thing that he knows best.
Famous restaurateurs of the past
The French claim that the world's first restaurant was based on their land, while the Spaniards say the opposite, however, according to reliable sources, the very first restaurant in the world was Chinese. A restaurant menu was also invented there. Nevertheless, France should still be considered the birthplace of real gourmet establishments for a pleasant pastime and eating. In this country, cooking is equated with art, and skilled chefs are considered poets. The most famous restaurateurs of the past are Robert, Borel, Bignon, Beauville, Riesch and others. As you can see, many of them are French.