What do Australia’s best restaurants and bars have in common?

Having worked across the world in bars and restaurants for the past fifteen years, I have learnt that there are commonalities shared between the best venues. Restaurants and bars do not become the best by accident. There are six key ingredients to creating an establishment that leads the pack. 

Consistency 

Consistency is key and applies to all areas of food and beverage including - quality, size and style. The experience the everyday patron has must be the same as what would be served to a discerning food critic. With the popularity of social media, every customer has a platform to leave an online review, to recommend the venue and the ability to post photos of their meal to Facebook or Instagram.

The top-notch restaurants and bars in Australia realise this and maintain consistency. This gives patrons the confidence to recommend the venue knowing that other patrons will have a good experience also. Maintaining consistency prevents customers feeling disappointed or that they have missed out when their second visit isn’t as good as the first, or they see someone else with a better meal or service.

Efficiency

The best establishments utilise technology to reduce administrative processes, including to streamline bookings, create rosters and make more accurate assessments of costs. This saves money and increases the time that managers can spend on the floor with staff and customers. The restaurants and bars that excel focus on and provide exceptional customer service, allowing time to talk to customers, observe staff, and impress customers with their food and drink. All of these things require time and money, therefore it is imperative that restaurants and bars plug the holes in their processes to free up resources.

Pricing

Correct pricing of a menu is essential and prevalent in all the best establishments. This applies to not only food, but also to beverages. Pricing a menu can be a balancing act, but when done correctly, it positions a venue for success.  A restaurant or bar must consider the cost of their ingredients and preparation time, but also price in a way that allows them to be competitive within their area. Ultimately the best establishments find a balance between profit margin and the price the customer feels happy with, so they can afford to be impressive and consistent in what they give their customers.

Training

When a server does not know the menu, is unable to tell their customers the specials and doesn’t come back and offer that extra glass of wine, it leaves a lasting impression on customers.  In order to be the best, you must have a well-trained team. Not only do the best restaurants and bars have a strong restaurant manager who leads by example, they also have highly trained and professional staff. Staff who know the menu and the sequence of service are much more likely to make the customer feel welcome and comfortable in their choice or restaurant or bar, and more likely to encourage multiple orders in a sitting. 

Feedback

Listening to customer feedback provides an opportunity to show customers that their opinions are valuable. The bars and restaurants that do this well find that their customers will likely return and also become much more loyal. They listen to constructive feedback and if that feedback consistency highlights the same issues, then those areas are explored in order to achieve improvement and become the best. 

Experience

Bars and restaurants are not just about great food and beverages. The entire experience must be considered. This is often achieved by the engagement of an independent expert to assess the establishment for ambiance, in terms of background music, scent, noise levels, lighting and décor.

The overall experience must include the appropriateness of the serving ware, utensils, comfort of the seating, an easy to read and interesting menu, cleanliness extending to the state of bathrooms, waiting times, visual interest, presentation and all the often-overlooked pieces of the customer experience puzzle that really do make a difference. The best establishments get this right as they understand that customers expect an experience, not just a nice meal.

When these elements are combined they create the foundation that all the best restaurants and bars in Australia are built upon. They create the essential framework on which establishments can then inject their unique concepts and visions to target their ideal customers and make a name for themselves as one of the best in the business. 

About the author - Cam Northway is the founder and Managing Director of Sweet&Chilli Australia, New Zealand and LA, along with being co-founder of new 2018 Chef’s Hat award winner Bondi bar and restaurant, Rocker. His ventures also include the soon-to-be-launched online home delivery business, Cocktail Porter, and part owning a London Pub.

For the past eighteen years Cam has immersed himself in the world of hospitality, including international experience working in multiple awarded restaurants and bars along with celebrity clients including Prince Harry, The Rolling Stones and Kanye West and major brands such as Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi, Red Bull, Schweppes and Hyatt.