Jay Eats Worldwide

Last week, I was invited to celebrate National Hamburger Day at The Counter in Studio City. I had been to The Counter before, but today was special and met a fellow tweeter who was a first timer. The menu is easy to follow and you actually build your own burger, well at least on paper. First you select the protein, then the cheese, other various toppings, a side sauce, and last is the type of bun you want. If you’re having a hard time deciding, don’t worry, they have signature burgers and sandwiches to choose from. Too many choices make me crazy sometimes. I get so confused when I see other restaurants trying to be everything to everyone. The food at these restaurants are usually horrible and thus end up closing. Would you be surprised if the pizza at a seafood restaurant wasn’t good? Doesn’t make sense to me. Attention Restaurant Owners: Pick something and do it really really well. In-n-Out hasn’t added anything to their menu in years and they’re still in business and GROWING! Being i...

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading a Los Angeles Times article about a pho restaurant. Pho (pronounced fuh) is Vietnamese rice noodle soup which I really like. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a restaurant review, it was about a family that bought a pho restaurant and they’re having a tough time surviving. At first I stopped reading it, since it wasn't a review. But since I'm in the business of helping restaurants, I ended up reading the entire article. The family spent a lot of money on this small restaurant and is located in an area that has 10 other pho restaurants. This doesn’t add up in my mind, but then again I don’t have the passion to make Pho. After the purchase was completed and the former owner left the business and most of the customers left too. Since a lot of them were his friends and he wasn’t there anymore, why go? Boy, this was a triple whamie. With this said and as someone who hates to see small restaurants close, I tried to get the word out and help this place t...

I love Lee’s Sandwiches and have been a fan for many years. I often visit the Rosemead location, this is a fairly new building with an ice cream counter, steam table for hot items, baked goods, etc. Lee’s Sandwiches is a multi-unit quick service company that specializes in Vietnamese sandwiches that bakes fresh baguettes and makes great sandwiches, in addition to other items. They have over 35 locations in 4 states. I usually go in early morning or late afternoon when the lines are short. This week, I went during lunch and ended up in a very long line, about 8 people. As I’m watching the cashier walk away from the register with each customer, I realized that the store layout is not set-up efficiently. One of the keys to retail success for sandwich places is to first have the customer order and collect payment first and then make the sandwich. Lee’s does this, but where they lack the efficiency is after a customer orders they pass by the ice cream counter and steam table. If they want s...

Last weekend, I read an article from The Bulletin by John Gottberg Anderson called “Teppanyaki cooking at Shoji’s.” This is a Benihana type restaurant where the grill cooking is the entertainment. For John and his party, it wasn’t a good experience. For me, John’s review was a typical one. Arrived at the restaurant at 6 pm, the place wasn’t crowded, but had to wait in the bar for 15 minutes. Seated at the table, but no drink order taken, wait another 15 minutes, etc. If you don’t care to get your customers seated with drinks right away, it’s downhill from here. During this visit, John and his party didn’t try the sushi, so they went back a week later just for sushi. He’s a better man then me, I would’ve never gone back. As a Japanese American and as a chef, I’m saddened about the current state of Japanese restaurants. Many owners are retiring and selling their restaurants to people who have no experience in the restaurant industry or think they know the cuisine. Everyon...

Last week, I was at an upscale restaurant having dinner. The restaurant had just opened for dinner service and a guy comes in and asks for the manager. He introduces himself as a “Marketer” and was at the restaurant to introduce his client’s product and started his pitch. This guy struck out on 3 pitches. As someone in the restaurant biz, you don’t come in during dinner service to “pitch” a product, Strike 1. Based on his presentation, it appeared that he had no idea what the restaurant concept was, who the clients were, or anything about the restaurant business, Strike 2. The funny thing was that he didn’t know much about the product either, the only information he has was a product sample, Strike 3. At this point, he tried to throw around buzz words, like he was in the industry. But when you don’t believe in what you’re saying, it sounds even worse. Hit the Showers, You’re Done! Just because you’re a promoter in the entertainment or fashion industry (as an example), doesn’t mean that...

When was the last time you flipped through the Yellowpages looking for a service or scanned the newspaper for a coupon? These days a lot of us rely on word of mouth marketing or recommendations. Are paper coupons a way of the past? With advertising budgets being slashed, how many of retailers can advertise in weekly mailers, coupon packets, and print media? How many consumers these days go through these types of media to find deals? I discussed this with a client this morning, he was asking what the impact of social media was on businesses like his? "It's HUGE!", I replied. Small businesses need to figure out a strategy that works for them and then to take the time to set it up. Many people think it's too time consuming to set-up something. I'll admit that the set-up will take awhile to get it the way you want it, but once set-up, it takes only a few minutes - just like checking email. Listen to the comments, wants and needs of the consumers. I've seen a coupl...

I work in the restaurant industry and have been to some horrible kitchens and dining rooms. Not that they're really dirty or need new equipment, although I've seen some pretty bad places, but that they need to be taken care of. Same with the customers who come in to eat, they need to be taken care of too. Service starts with a smile, a couple of recommendations from the menu or daily specials, and takes a drink order. Did the server suggest to save room for dessert? Was the water glasses refilled? In California, we have to watch our water usage, so servers should really ask first. If a first timer, explain what the restaurant's speciality is or a "Must Try" item . How many times have you been to a place and then afterwards someone asks you if you had the ____. You reply, "Oh, I didn't know that was their speciality." A year ago, I was in a small restaurant for lunch. It was my first time and I asked the server what she recommended? She answered with ...