Talk of the town
Red Snapper restaurant in Bristol has just received the results of its first four months trading and has made a profit.
It is Caterer & Hotelkeeper's open day at Red Snapper and 25 local restaurateurs and students have gathered to hear how John and Jo Raines started up the restaurant nine months ago.
John has been momentarily called outside to talk to BBC Radio Bristol about why he is holding the open day.
"It is because we are a Caterer Adopted Business," he tells the interviewer. "It helps other people out and gives them ideas for starting up."
"I managed to say Red Snapper quite a few times but I can't remember much else. We are going to get hold of the transcript," he says once the interview is over.
The open day has generated a fair amount of press interest. A journalist from Commerce magazine has arrived and is keen to do a profile of Red Snapper. The South Wales and South-west of England edition is distributed monthly to managing directors along the M4 area.
Other guests at the open day hear John and Jo explain how they went about finding the property, buying equipment and organising accounts with suppliers - while knowing that the purchase could fall through at any moment.
Their talks are followed by an informal question and answer session: guests are keen to hear whether there have been any nasty surprises.
John and Jo explain that there has not really been anything that they didn't expect, although John concedes: "The extraction for the kitchen ended up costing us twice over. It is the only thing we would have done differently."
The Raines also explain to guests why they chose such a small restaurant.
"We wanted to start with something we could manage with minimum staff and establish a good reputation for food, rather than open a big restaurant to begin with," says John.
Local restaurateurs attending the day are interested to know where Red Snapper's customers are coming from. Although Jo does not keep a database she does occasionally ask customers how they came to hear about it.
"Lots of people don't say. It is best if people come because the restaurant has been recommended to them," she says. "We don't get a lot of walk-ins. It tends to be people who have booked."
The Raines are worried that the restaurant has built up a reputation of being a place where you have to book, however. This is because the first month of trading was so busy that people were turned away.
One guest asks if the Raines think serving a distinctly different style of food has worked to their advantage.
"We do the kind of food we would like to go and eat. It would be very easy to be safe," says John.
After the question and answer session John goes back to the kitchen to oversee the lunch preparation, while guests participate in a sherry tasting from Harveys of Bristol and a Belgian beer tasting from Nectar Imports.
The day ends with a two-course lunch of chargrilled vegetables (courgette, aubergine and red pepper) with parmesan shavings and duck leg confit with a wild mushroom and olive sauce, celeriac purée, new potatoes, celery and green beans.
The other main item on the agenda over the past month has been a determined effort to build up lunchtime trade.
"We want to build business up by reputation. It is difficult because there is so much going on in Bristol," says John.
The couple are going to start leaving leaflets in student halls of residence advertising a Sunday lunch of three courses for £10.
Other plans for drawing in customers include more advertising. The Raines are preparing an advertisement for Living in the West, a magazine going out to companies which are relocating to Bristol and Bath, people who are coming to live in the area, estate agents and property developers.
They are also looking into some mutual advertising. If this goes ahead, Red Snapper will display details of businesses such as florists and clothes shops in the passage leading to the kitchen. In return these businesses will display leaflets about Red Snapper.
One piece of particularly good news - potentially - is that Jo spotted a lone diner a few weeks ago who later revealed himself to be from the Michelin guide.
The inspector asked the Raines if they were interested in being listed but gave no indication of what he thought. He did say he had heard of the restaurant through Caterer, however.
The Raines will now have to wait till July to find out if they are still being considered. If they receive a questionnaire from Michelin during the summer it is seen as a good indication. The questionnaire states that Michelin "anticipates including you in the next guide" but this is no guarantee.
"We always go back a second time. An inspector could have a very good meal the first time and a bad meal the second," says a spokesman for the Michelin guide.
