Our Sunday tasting was a success I believe. We had great, honest comments. I was worried folks might go easy on us, but they all seemed to be paying close attention to the food.
Quality comments about all courses helps me to refine seasonings for a wider group and hopefully for the general dining public. Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos with Lydia running food, clearing plates, doing a few dishes and moderating the conversation and me chained to the stove. Maybe we'll have to enlist some enthusiastic shutterbug friend of ours to document the evening next time.
We were given lots of great input on how and why people choose certain restaurants to frequent along with their biggest restaurant pet peeves. Knowledgable staff topped the pro list -- servers who are able to answer questions and make informed suggestions without being "preachy" or overbearing. Noise level was a frequent topic in terms of turnoffs. Our diners also offered suggestions on menu size as well as selection. We also briefly touched on price point. On that note, Lydia and I tried to beat the heat this week by going out. We settled on a favorite Italian spot. Great food and service but most of all a steady stream of air conditioning.
We both had a drink. To start, Lydia had a caesar and I had an oven-roasted tomato crostini with goat cheese. Then, we both had pasta entrees. $80 was the total. Now, I won't complain. We knew the cost before we sat down. But, $19.95 for gnocchi in vodka sauce is a little pricey. We both were full without being stuffed at the end of the meal, but it did bring up the question of price. I've been looking at some other top Italian spots around Seattle, too, to check out menu prices, and the restaurant we went to the other night is a bit on the high side.
Although both dishes were excellent and seasoned well, they were sort of small in respect to their cost. Maybe it's my reaction because being a kitchen guy, I know what they paid to create that meal in terms of food cost. And, they must be making a really nice profit per dish. I don't blame them or think less of the meal we had. They are very successful, and the food is delicious.
However, with La Bocca, we would like to appeal to a slightly larger audience by having our offerings fall in the $13-$15 range. Obviously, if we are using an expensive ingredient, we will have to price accordingly (e.g. dishes with more protein content will have to be nearer $20 most likely), but we are looking to keep the prices really affordable across the entire menu.
Our basic premise hasn't changed from the beginning. Give our friends, family and neighbors the highest quality product we can while making La Bocca an affordable option for everyday dining, all while providing a living for Lydia, myself and our staff.
Question: What price range do you look for in an Italian restaurant?
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Hi Patrick and Lydia,
ReplyDeleteMet you at Foodportunity and look forward to the opening of La Bocca. If the portion is too large, I will split with my dining companion therefore limiting the number of dishes I can try which limits my experience. While I eat leftovers, I won't pay for two entrees just to have leftovers. If the portions are smaller which I prefer, I don't want to pay so much I feel the meal is not a good value. I will make more frequent impulse visits if entrees are $15 and under but cost is secondary to delicious food.
Well, I know for us as a family finding an affordable restaurant with good food is not an easy feat! I personally would not want to pay more than $15 to $17 dollars for pasta, and even that I feel is a bit pricey since pasta in and of itself is fairly inexpensive as food items go. The sauce ingredients of course add in cost as well as the labor to make it and serve it, I understand that. $15 to $17 dollars a dish for our family is high end dining. Don't get me wrong though, I understand the costs behind the price. You have to pay your lease, your electricity, water, sewer, etc...plus food costs, then your wait staff, dishwashers, cooks etc. Not to mention the high cost of taxes for small business owners in washington state, then add in insurance, liquer licenses, etc and food costs have to go up in order to pay your overhead and hope to have a little extra for yourself at the end of the day. To get back to the original question, if you are looking for a place that families can go then I think keeping your menu under $20 a dish is a must, especially in these trying economic times. Good luck in picking your menu dishes and pricing it accordingly for your target audience!
ReplyDelete