My brother's restaurant 'La Gaviota' is in trouble...

[portslade seagull]

I think the problem may be that a load of punters have paid for a year's worth of meals up front but can't stand the new chef. All this and no chance of a refund!

But once that year is up they won't be renewing unless the menu takes a drastic turn for the better

 

[Albion Ranger]

Isn't one of his problems that he keeps changing the menu? He should find one that most of his customers (?) like and stick to it.

 

[The Birdman]

My brother, who is a stubborn man, owns a restaurant but it is going downhill fast and I don't know how to help him.

He has other business interests and pays his wife a big salary to run the place while he's not around. She thinks she's running a swanky eaterie in Mayfair judging by the high prices she charges, and the place is immaculate.

My brother used to have a top chef and the Spanish cuisine he prepared was very popular, but they fell out and the chef went on to be successful at another restaurant. His replacement was also good but they also fell out, whereupon he hired a third chef. This guy had been briefly successful in London but had had something of a nervous breakdown and was eager for a second chance.

The problem seems to be the food. My brother has got rid of some old favourites off the menu and his wife seems to have gone for cheaper ingredients. The chef has introduced some strange choices and they don't seem to have gone down well with the punters. Consequently a lot of them have stopped going and the place seems very empty at times.

In fact the food, if I'm honest, is disgusting. Nothing tastes good, and I take my family more out of a sense of duty than anything else. The Sous Chef has been there a while, he's loyal but hasn't got the talent to step up. I know my brother doesn't want to have to hire another chef again, and I think he feels sorry for this one. I'm worried he's losing money and will make more bad decisions, or be forced to sell. The way things are going what used to be a wonderful, popular family-run will be turned into a McDonald's, and that would be a shame.

Get him to stock piglets pies will be able to get cheap deal soon.

 

[Lower West Stander]

How about building a hotel next to the restaurant to provide more income opportunities?

May cost a few quid but if its all about profit, could be better than changing the menu.

Speculate to accumulate as they say.........

 

[Frutos]

Very clever.

 

[maltaseagull]

I'm sure that telling the world the name of the restaurant and that the food is dire will have helped enormously

 

[Blackadder]

How about a change of track? The foreign menu is no longer working, so get a chef who has good experience of English cuisine.

I would recommend one that has a proven track record in this country. One that has experience of one of the top restaurants. He will know the market and hopefully avoid any pitfalls.

Hope that helps.

 

[portlock seagull]

You need to appoint new caterers and put some PIES on the menu.

10/10 thread by the way Mr OP! Worthy of NSC gold

 

[John Bumlick]

i'm not in town very often but i try to visit this place when i am (i used to be a regular at one of its previous locations). i understand the comments about the chef and the other staff, but i think the problems run much deeper than that. i mean, they don't even let you drink your wine or beer in your seat, for christ's sake! having said that, i will be going again soon but i'll probably get drunk beforehand so the fare on offer will seem a little more palatable.

 

[portlock seagull]

Also, ask your brother to try and find out what happened to the 'crockery-money' because restaurant problems often start there in my experience?

 

[Dr Q]

Sadly, still not been to this restaurant. I'm planning at trip later next year when eggs are on the menu though!

 

[jimbob5]

Sadly, still not been to this restaurant. I'm planning at trip later next year when eggs are on the menu though!

As long as you don't put all your eggs in 1 basket making your future dependant on Micheline Stars.

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

Sadly, still not been to this restaurant. I'm planning at trip later next year when eggs are on the menu though!

Is Russell Slade coming back then?

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Is the cutlery as plastic as the customers that are staying away?

Ooooh, yes!

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

As I understand it, there's a quite horrible smell about the place which management continue to blame on their wholly unsuitable fans.

With the restaurant boasting as many as 27 fans on its inventory, an audit has revealed that only 15 of these are actually installed.

 

[Gullys Cats]

My brother, who is a stubborn man, owns a restaurant but it is going downhill fast and I don't know how to help him.

He has other business interests and pays his wife a big salary to run the place while he's not around. She thinks she's running a swanky eaterie in Mayfair judging by the high prices she charges, and the place is immaculate.

My brother used to have a top chef and the Spanish cuisine he prepared was very popular, but they fell out and the chef went on to be successful at another restaurant. His replacement was also good but they also fell out, whereupon he hired a third chef. This guy had been briefly successful in London but had had something of a nervous breakdown and was eager for a second chance.

The problem seems to be the food. My brother has got rid of some old favourites off the menu and his wife seems to have gone for cheaper ingredients. The chef has introduced some strange choices and they don't seem to have gone down well with the punters. Consequently a lot of them have stopped going and the place seems very empty at times.

In fact the food, if I'm honest, is disgusting. Nothing tastes good, and I take my family more out of a sense of duty than anything else. The Sous Chef has been there a while, he's loyal but hasn't got the talent to step up. I know my brother doesn't want to have to hire another chef again, and I think he feels sorry for this one. I'm worried he's losing money and will make more bad decisions, or be forced to sell. The way things are going what used to be a wonderful, popular family-run will be turned into a McDonald's, and that would be a shame.

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

been in there a lot over the years and it has certainly had its ups and downs but did become very good a couple of years ago like you say.i struggle to remember the food being as bad as it is at the moment though and i think i will give it a miss for a while which is a shame.Once a restaurant loses regulars it can be very hard to get them back so your brother needs to act quick.

 

[W.C.]

Living out of town it's really hard for me to get down there often but when I have made the trip I've enjoyed it. Not been in almost a year though.

One thing that's always been bad though is the take away service. You'll put in an order, they'll send it off, then, it's as if they stop en route. I'll ring in again to refresh their memory, and off they go again, only to stop, with me sitting around twiddling my thumbs, waiting for them to deliver. They say it's the traffic.
Then there's the times I've rung up wanting to hear what's on the menu. Silence.

The keep saying it's going to improve.

 

[DavePage]

can we link to the beans thread, seems to be the missing ingredient

 

[Eggman]

I know this place.

Like many have said a few years ago it was fantastic fare. A real treat. I believe they even had a waiting list for seats.

I moved out of the area for a year and came back around a month ago.

I could not wait to book my usual table at the venue on my return. I have to say it wasn't as it used to be. The starter was ok but the rest of the meal was very sub - par.

I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps the head chef was away and an amateur was in the kitchen?

So I returned. The place was half empty. Not a good sign and so it proved. A very bad meal this time. Dreadful infact.

It's sad to see. The food is so much worse but the prices seem to have gone up? WTF.

Oh. And it turns out the chef delivering that slop IS the head chef and not an amateur ...unbelievable