Yesterday, I was sitting in my office when a member walked up and knocked on the door.
“Lawrence,” he asked. “Was the lettuce soup your idea?”
At first, I wondered if I heard the member correctly—not sorrel, watercress, or spinach, but lettuce soup?
He continued: “I believe it might be the best soup I’ve ever tasted.”
With sigh of relief, I repliec, “You know, we need to save in every area of the club during this pandemic.”
There is no way would a business-minded leader would see lettuce soup as a viable product. But an artisan might see the potential in the ingredient’s simplicity and might then find a way to create something memorable from it.
Most times, the artist doesn’t approach his or her work worrying about the marketing of the product or perception of it to the customer. For them, the focus is on the pure craft of making something memorable. Creative minds work in different ways, which is the sole reason for having diversity in your staff.
But what if the artist needed to worry about selling or marketing the product first? My guess is they would play it close to the vest and prepare traditional favorites like chicken noodle or onion soup. But then what? Picasso may never have been discovered. iPhones may never have come to market. Lettuce soup may never have made it to our menu.
Our chef, Arnaud Berthelier, CMC, has the touch, feel, and extraordinary palette for memorable cuisine. His gifts give him a wide latitude for creative privilege. Don’t misunderstand, this is unique and rare, which is why stars are treated different regardless of team-centric philosophies.
During our weekly meetings together, Chef shares his passion and views. He expresses frustration that our members don’t see dining as a journey through unique ingredients. He doesn’t understand why octopus wouldn’t sell at the bar but thatchicken wings are so popular.
My role is to explain that here in Cleveland fine dining is not a daily occurrence. It is reserved for celebrations and anniversaries. The rest of the year, we must provide our members’ favorites. And, yes, that means chicken wings at the bar.
These are some of the greatest debates between GMs and Chefs. My rebuttal is always the same, “Chef, people don’t get tired of eating their favorite foods, but great chefs often tire of cooking the same items.”
I can always reign him back in with my Paul Bocuse comment, “The truffle consommé en croute is Mr. Bocuse’s number one selling item from the past twenty years at his namesake restaurant.”
A businessperson knows what sells, studies the sales report, and challenges the operation to secure classical preparation and control the regular item rotation. More often with my businessman’s hat on, not my toque, I challenge that a satisfied member knows what he or she wants even before opening the menu. An artisan wants to explore the boundaries, challenge the palate and kitchen staff while changing, sourcing, and preparing ingredients from around the globe.
Recently, we agreed to maintain three key proteins in our Grille Room. This will come as no shock to any of the readers that beef filet, chicken breast, and salmon filet are the winning proteins. Outside of those key center of the plate proteins, the kitchen can dance around the rest of the entrees modestly.
It’s the same conversation I’ve had to have with our sommelier. “Keep the brands people recognize,” I said. “Don’t take Wine Spectator magazine as law and respect varietals that have a long history of sales.”
Aside from that advice, I encourage these professionals to play within their monthly budgets, but to not be surprised when an emerging brand or varietals sell softer than the classics. Wine cellars can certainly be a waste of money if not managed correctly.
Maybe the key concern is the reality a of simple word: comfortable. This refers to our members experience at the club. We want our members to be comfortable here. It’s a magic term to a businessperson’s ear, but it might invoke fear and complacency in an artisan’s mind.
The moral of the story? Hire an artisan in the kitchen, but never get tired of talking business together. And alway engage your satisfied members for consistent feedback.