As every restaurant manager knows, the reputation of his establishment is often closely tied to the way it is depicted online. If consumers review the restaurant favorably, these positive accolades can quickly translate into new business and repeat visitors. If they don’t, a restaurant can lose business faster than it takes to post a one-star review. Consumers, ultimately, are increasingly checking Websites such as Yelp, Urbanspoon, and Google Places before going out to eat, and even a couple mediocre reviews can have a very real impact on the dining decisions that they make.

A restaurant that offers good food and solid service can benefit from the free advertising that a review service offers. But even the most reputable dining establishments will get their share of less-than-satisfactory reviews – reviews that bluntly criticize the food, décor, service, price, or any other element of the restaurant. Most managers would probably agree that such criticisms, although to be expected, are unnerving nonetheless.
When you see a negative review, how should you approach it? What should you do? In most situations you’re going to want to respond directly to the review online. This may appease the consumer who gave it, and it can reassure others that you are committed to quality and that any negative experience was likely an aberration.

Here’s a step-by-step approach for dealing with negative reviews:

Step 1: Decide whether to respond

Most negative reviews can be broken down into two broad categories: those that criticize the reviewer’s experience and those that are unhappy with the restaurant as a whole. The former should receive a response while the latter, in most cases, should not. Consider the following two reviews:

A. “Ordered the risotto. It came out sticky, soggy, and tasteless, and the waiter refused to take it back. Very disappointing.”

B. “This is a dark, unappealing, crowded restaurant. You’d be far better off shopping at your local grocer or stocking up at BuyEmergencyFoods.com. Don’t eat here.”

Both of these reviews are highly critical, but only A should merit a response. The reviewer in A gave the restaurant a chance (unlike reviewer B) but simply had a bad experience. Your response may convince them to come back. Along similar lines, a person who reads both reviews is likely to give more credence to A, considering that this review was more specific and factual. You want, then, to respond directly and show the experience to be an aberration.

Step 2: Apologize

Every direct response should begin with an apology, even if you don’t believe that your restaurant or any of your waiters did something wrong. Make sure that you apologize for the “bad experience” that the reviewer had – not for a specific dish or other shortcoming.

Step 3: Note the Experience as an Aberration

Then, you should explicitly convey to the reviewer and to other readers that the experience described was not a usual one. If you were responding to review A above, for example, you may want to say “normally our risotto is very well-received” or “our waiters are expected to take dishes back that do not meet your satisfaction… I will look into this.”

Step 4: Keep Open Channels

Finally, you should end your response on a positive note by making one of two offers. You can offer either (a) that the consumer call to discuss any issues with you personally or (b) more generally, that you hope they visit again and are sure that they will have a better experience when they do. This will demonstrate your desire to concertedly correct the criticism and forge a better relationship in the future.

Following these four steps can help you appropriately respond to negative online reviews. These reviews are unfortunate, but they are ultimately just another part of doing business in the digital age. By being prompt, apologetic, and confident in your response you can negative much of the negative publicity that such a review generates.

It’s always nice to get in the good graces of the apple of the one-with-the-money’s eye. In other words: the children. Although some restaurants are designed for adults to get away from the children, many restaurants offer a menu and a setting that is appropriate for children. If this describes your restaurant, it is important that you do not take this for granted. If you have a place that is welcoming to children, use that to your advantage.

Parents are always looking for a good place to take the entire family, but there are constantly disagreements. If you think back to your childhood, you remember the constant “I want to go here” and “but I don’t like that I like this” type of chatter in the car. Kids have a hard time agreeing with other kids, but there are ways to help ease the situation. If you make some changes that will help bring your restaurant to the front of a child’s mind, everyone will be happy (except for maybe your servers). Consider a few of the ways you can make your restaurant more child friendly:

5 Ways to Make Your Restaurant Appealing to Children

1. Offer Traditional “Kid” Food – No child is going to want to go to a restaurant that only servers fancy blue cheese burgers and lightly breaded tilapia. Make sure that you have plain, traditional choices for the kids. This would typically include dishes like mac and cheese, cheeseburger, personal pizza, and chicken fingers. Kids are usually picky eaters, so there is no need to impress them with anything “unique.” In fact, most probably won’t even notice the food when going out to eat unless there is nothing for them to choose from. Then, you’d better believe they will notice.

2. Kids Menu – A kids menu should be about more than just listing some food items that might interest children. Give them something to do on the menu such as a crossword puzzle, picture to color, or some tic tac toe squares. This will keep kids occupied which will be pleasing to the parents who are also sitting down to a meal at your restaurant. If you’re nervous about children writing over your things, consider providing placemats or a paper tablecloth.

3. Offer Desserts – Just about every child loves some kind of dessert. If you can offer a scoop of ice cream with every kid’s meal you will surly capture the hearts of every child that walks through your restaurant. If you’re concerned about health, make sure you offer alternative desserts and side items such as a fruit. This way, it’s in the parent’s control and not your restaurant’s hands.

4. Have a Kids Night – Consider having a kid’s night once a week where you really go all out with the kid friendly activities. Try giving out raffle ticks for prizes or purchasing a wheel kids can spin on their way out to win prizes. I have also seen restaurants hire a balloon maker or a magician for one night per week. After all, what kid does not like prizes and magic?

5. Establish Connections – Every adult likes a manager who really gets to know them and check up on their experience at the restaurant. What many owners do not realize is that kids feel the same way. Go around and talk with the kids and ask them about their meals. If they keep coming back and you keep chatting with them, you’re sure to have a friend for a long time to come.

What it comes down to is this: You want to be the restaurant that all the kids can agree upon. Sometimes all a parent wants is for the kids to agree, so when it happens that’s usually where the car is headed. In the end, it can actually be a lot of fun to offer options for kids.

Photo Credit: insidenorthpoint.org

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to postage meters. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including telemarketing to small businesses and entrepreneurs for Resource Nation.

It turns out that tipping Italy is a bit of a mixed bag.

What when and where you tip largely depends on where you are. Generally speaking most people are paid a decent living wage and tipping tends to be more for exceptional service. Tipping is not expected and often the would be gratuity is included in the bill or in the form of a cover charge. Sometimes the service charge is included in the bill and it’s under position called COPERTO – the cover charge. In a sit down restaurant it is customary to leave a 10 to 15% over the service fee for superior service and as in the US, cash is generally preferred over credit card tips and leaving it on the table is fine.

In an obviously very small, family run trattoria, with family members in the kitchen, family members serving you, family members at the cash register, it is not comfortable for anybody for you to tip, as it would be if you ate at a friend’s home and left a tip. Family-run restaurants take great pride in making you feel like you are in their home.

It has been observed that taxi cab drivers in some of the more dense tourist areas such as Rome have been a bit spoiled by better than average tips simply due to their passengers not knowing the standards.

If you get great service from a concierge it may warrant a €10 – 20 tip or for a chamber maid, €1 – 2 is sufficient.

Newsweek recommends the following tipping situations:

• Pizzeria: €1 for each person, unless you are alone, then leave €2 or €3
• Restaurant: About 5 to 10 percent
• Taxi: Round the bill up, if you’re feeling generous and the taxi driver took the short route
• Hairdresser: About 5 to 10 percent
• Hotel porters: €1 to €5
• Bar: Maximum €2

Resources: ClassicItalian.com, Tours-Italy.com, ricksteves.com, msadventuresinitaly.com and Newsweek

A Tip20! original article.

by Tom Mason, Founder Tip20.com

CBS has a new restaurant sitcom and the pilot aired on Monday night. This half hour irreverent new comedy is called 2 Broke Girls and features two waitresses in a Brooklyn, NY diner. One waitress, Max (Kat Dennings) has worked there for some time and survived the revolving door of low standard servers that have come and gone. The other, Caroline Channing (Beth Behrs), is the daughter of a wealthy but crooked and busted business man ala Bernie Madoff. She has no serving experience, but is  armed with a degree from Wharton and is willing to try to work her way back via the serving job.

The restaurant called the “Williamsburg Diner” is managed/owned by a tiny Asian man named Hon Lee, who has assumed a clever new first name “Bryce”, to fit in better with the American culture. The diner was alegedly purchased by Lee from the Russian mafia 8 months prior. There are a few additional minor characters, Oleg the lecherous cook and Earl the cashier that sits by the front door and spouts one liners. Max also has a second job as a babysitter for a “Manhattan Socialite Diva” who has twins “Brad & Angelina”.

Caroline earns Max’s trust when she rejects a come on from Max’s ripped boyfriend and tells her about it. The girls decide to become roomies and get together to start a business selling the delicious cupcakes that Max makes. They need to raise $250,000. The show ends with a cash total on the screen that rolls from $000 to $387.25, indicating that this will a running theme during the series.

I found the comedy to be quite funny and truly enjoyed the quips from Max to her restaurant patrons, laying it on the line and telling it like it is in a way that real servers only dream about. The humor is sharp and intuitive, yet at times sensitive and thoughtful. It is good to see some new restaurant humor out there and I have high hopes for this series.

Sybil Presley

Lifetime waitress Sybil Presley of Memphis, Tennessee has made it her mission to get a month recognized nationally as “Be Kind to Food Servers Awareness Month”

January is the proposed month and Sybil has been looking to join the National Restaurant Association and garner their support in getting a resolution passed. Congressman Steve Cohen is helping Sybil to get Be Kind To Food Servers Month nationally recognized through Congress. Also being sought is a concurrent request of proclamation from the President for the Be Kind to Food Servers Awareness Month.

Sybil explains; “Be Kind To Food Servers Month was created to elevate the status of waitresses and waiters and to establish a positive relationship between food servers and the dining public. To bring public awareness to what a food server goes through to get the customer’s food to their table. An on-going campaign to shine the spotlight on the pet peeves from both sides of the tray-food servers and customers,making both parties aware of areas that can be improved upon for better service for the customers and generate more tips for the waiter and waitress. Be Kind To Food Servers Month will help to gain more respect, patience and appreciation for the food servers of America!”

Sybil has also created the Be Kind To Food Servers Social Network and Support Group., Info can be found on Facebook.
She is looking for suggestions from food servers and anyone who has ideas on how they would like to celebrate the Be Kind To Food Servers Awareness Month in January. In August Ms. Presley hosted city-wide blood drives. The Life Blood mobile units came to area churches and there was a festival atmosphere with food vendors and entertainment. She invited food servers to volunteer and donate blood, and plans on keeping the blood drives as one of the annual events.

If the Bill is passed while she is trying to raise money to get to DC, She will still go and thank Congress and publicize the cause. Sybil points out “This is more than just a month, it paves the way for year-long projects that will benefit Food Servers.” Sybil has also started an on-going Be Kind To Food Servers Social Network. Sybil is accepting donations in any amount to help realize the goals of her movement.

You can read more about Sybil Presley at www.SybilPresley.com and she may also be contacted via email.

From chicagotribune.com by Ed Perkins, Tribune Media Services

The latest hidden mandatory add-on is a “health” charge added to restaurant bills. This scam cropped up first in San Francisco, but you can count on it to spread.

Nothing succeeds in the travel industry like a bad idea. The latest hidden mandatory add-on is a “health” charge added to restaurant bills. As far as I know, this scam cropped up first in San Francisco, but you can count on it to spread.

The rationale for this one is to cover the employers’ mandatory contribution to the City’s “Healthy San Francisco” health-coverage system. The charge actually is levied on employers, but at least some restaurants are adding a few dollars or percentage points to each customer’s bill to cover this charge.

The restaurants’ excuse for assessing this charge separately is to let customers know how much they’re paying for employees’ health coverage. That’s the same excuse hotels use when they add “resort” or “housekeeping” fees to unsuspecting guests’ room bills. It’s the same excuse airlines would use to exclude fuel surcharges from their advertised fares if the Department of Transportation would allow them. And it’s sheer nonsense. Employees’ health insurance is no less of a cost of doing business than rent, property taxes, food costs, security services and all the other inputs businesses require to operate. To single out health care for a separate surcharge is unwarranted.

The restaurants adding this fee self-righteously proclaim, “It’s not hidden; we print a notice on our menus.” But that, too, is nonsense: Presumably, restaurants could apply that same rationale for extra fees to cover the cost of electricity, heat or linen service. I haven’t seen any reports yet that San Francisco hotels are adding a similar charge. But hotels aren’t shy about piling on other fees and charges.

So far, I haven’t heard of “health” fees anywhere other than San Francisco. But, as noted, bad ideas travel fast, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it copied in one form or another by restaurants in other areas.

What can you do to avoid this fee? Presumably, not many of you would feel strongly enough about this minor scam to get up and walk out of a restaurant the minute you saw a notice about such a fee. And you probably wouldn’t feel like making a fuss when you’re paying your bill, either. But when you leave, you can certainly let the restaurant know that you resent this deception and that you won’t be returning.

I’ve noted before — and you have undoubtedly found out firsthand — that hidden mandatory fees have become a bane of travelers and of consumers generally. The reason seems clear: As more and more of you use the Internet to compare prices, suppliers find it increasingly important to make their first-screen prices look as low as possible. As a result, they’ve taken to carving out part of what should be the true base price and instead adding it in only later — sometimes before you buy, sometimes not until later.

Currently, mandatory extra hotel fees are far more troublesome than restaurant fees. Trip-Advisor (tripadvisor.com) posts more than 72,000 traveler reports of unexpected hotel fees of various types. Although some of those reports obviously cover the same hotels, the number of hotels resorting to this deception has got to be in the thousands.

Normally I write about practical information travelers can use, and I avoid taking “there oughta be a law” soapbox positions. But it seems to me that hidden mandatory fees are becoming prevalent enough to warrant some sort of government action. The Federal Trade Commission has the authority to police deceptive advertising, but it moves at a glacially slow pace and even then gives wide latitude to miscreants. What consumers need is some sort of overall national “buyability” standard for advertised prices, along with robust enforcement authority. Certainly, such a requirement is workable; it works pretty well right now for airfares.

Copyright © 2010, Tribune Media Services

Smoking ban hasn’t led to any citations

The Daily News By Rhiannon Meyers

GALVESTON — After more than two weeks, Galveston’s smoking ban has gotten a little hazy.

While some bars and restaurants are complying with the new law banning smoking indoors, on patios, decks and on sidewalks in front of restaurants and bars, smokers continue to puff away in banned areas across Galveston.

The Galveston Police Department has not issued any citations for smoking.

Most restaurants and bars have banned smoking indoors, but many business owners are turning a blind eye to those who light up on patios and decks, Dennis Byrd, president of the Galveston Restaurant Association and owner of The Spot, said.

Some Galveston establishments continue to allow smoking indoors, and that’s causing some problems for restaurants and bars that are attempting to comply with the indoor smoking ban, Byrd said. The Spot’s waiters, waitresses and bartenders have had trouble explaining to people that smoking is banned citywide, he said.

“We’ve got some customers who come in and say: ‘I don’t understand. I just smoked in a bar downtown,’” he said.

On Wednesday night, smokers lit up unabashedly at the Poop Deck, 2928 Seawall Blvd., and at Melrose Pub, 2002 Postoffice St.

Galveston resident Steve Parag said the smoking ban has influenced his decisions about which places he chooses to patronize. He said he stopped drinking at the bar at Salsa’s Mexican Restaurant, 4604 Seawall Blvd., despite the “fantastic margaritas,” when the restaurant banned smoking. But he said he still spends money at the Poop Deck, where he can enjoy a can of beer and a cigarette without being harassed.

Like many opponents of the smoking ban, Parag said the city council should have left it up to the discretion of business owners to allow smoking or not.

But Rex Bell, who owns Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe, 413 20th St., said he loves the ban. The former smoker said while he’s noticed other Galveston bars continue to allow smoking, he was ready to ban cigarettes at his establishment, which has live bands that often request to play in a smoke-free venue. Patrons haven’t complained much, and he’s had little trouble with the ban, Bell said.

But Byrd said the ban has caused major problems for members of his wait staff who feel uncomfortable telling patrons they can’t smoke on the patio, especially since waiters and waitresses often take hits on their tips when they tell customers to snuff their cigarettes.

“All we get is negative feedback,” he said.

Byrd said while he has no plans to return ashtrays to The Spot’s patio, he is considering letting smokers light up on the patio and instructing his staff to pick up the cigarette butts off the ground.

“I think we’re following suit with everyone else,” he said.

The outdoor ban largely has been ignored since the ban went into effect. Although smokers can’t light up within 15 feet of businesses’ front doors or open windows, smokers have been puffing away on the sidewalks along The Strand and Postoffice Street, and on decks and patios throughout Galveston since Jan. 1.

The police have said it is not a priority to enforce the smoking ban. They said they will respond to complaints, but they have to witness a person smoking in an area where smoking is banned to issue a ticket.

The offense is a class C misdemeanor — the equivalent of a traffic ticket — and comes with a $100 fine, unless the violation was done “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly,” which in that case, could come with a fine of up to $2,000.

The ordinance allows the city to ticket a person who owns, operates or controls a public place that fails to comply with the smoking ban. The offense comes with a $200 fine for the first violation, a $400 fine for a second violation and a $500 fine for each additional violation.

However, city spokeswoman Alicia Cahill said police have no plans to ticket the owners of establishments that allow smoking in banned areas.

Bar and restaurant owners have complained about the ordinance, which they said will harm already struggling island businesses.

They repeatedly have asked city council members to amend the ban to allow smoking on decks and patios. Council members on Dec. 10 amended the ordinance to allow smoking in stores specializing in tobacco products. That amendment benefits only Havana Alley Cigar Shop and Lounge, 415 21st St.

However, council members, fearing they were giving the shop an undue advantage, prohibited the shop from allowing its patrons to sip beer, wine and liquor inside the store. The shop also must install a ventilation system and ban anyone younger than 18 years old.

Unlike Galveston, Houston bars and restaurants are overwhelmingly complying with the city’s smoking ban, which went into effect in 2007, Rene Zamore, executive director of the Greater Houston Restaurant Association, said. That’s likely because Houston still allows smokers to light up in outdoor areas, such as decks and patios, she said.

“Restaurants and bars are loving the opportunity that they have an option,” she said. “That really has helped save them from a lot of angst.”

Campers – How to take down their tent poles without them knowing.

By Pete Fasanelli of InsideDish.com

Every time I had a closing shift in the restaurant and was trying to get out at a decent time, seems like Murphy and his law got hungry and decided to pay me a visit. Either I’d get a table that walked in about 5 minutes before the kitchen closed when I hadn’t had one in an hour, or one of my existing tables decided they were going to hang out and tell campfire stories until the wee hours. Yes… those dreaded campers were the worst.

Every other table has left. Every other server has left. All the busboys and runners, it seems, are sitting at table 40 in their street clothes staring at me because they want to get “tipped out”. Even the manager seems like he has a date with Jessica Simpson in fifteen minutes because he keeps poking his head out of the office to see if everyone’s gone.

My lone table sits there, a young couple in their late twenties, done sharing their creme brulee over 45 minutes ago, now holding hands across the table caught up in a perpetual gaze. So… what should I do?

First off, I don’t want to be rude and get a bad tip from my last table: A) It’s a bad finish to a long night to get a horrible tip and maybe piss them off enough to call up and complain to a manager tomorrow (that would start tomorrow off bad) B) The check is big enough for me not to want to lose any of it. The only important thing in the world right now is that universal sky scribble meaning they want the check.

Here is what you can do:

I would start with eye contact first. If you’re fortunate enough to be able to create an audible diversion (crashing silverware, perhaps) you might be able to break their love gaze and get them looking at you who is now giving them the stare-down of a lifetime (and trust me nothing short of Doc Holliday’s steely stare at the OK Corral will work).

Then there’s, “Is there anything else I can get you?” You say this because you know that there’s nothing these fools could still possibly want except the check.

If that doesn’t work, move on to “disassembling their tent”. That means: clear off everything from their table not nailed down. Take away the dishes, coffee cups, spoons, sugar, creamer, candles and yes… even the decorative little vase with the flowers. Everything. This should get the point across.

If not… we move on to something a little less subtle. I call it, “Dousing the flames”. You can’t camp without a fire. If you have access to the sound system and it won’t get you in trouble, KILL THE MUSIC. Music is a mood setter. Once the music is gone, so is the mood. Nothing makes campers more uncomfortable than a silent empty room. Except… and this one is tricky, Kill some of the lights, if possible. Now, I’m not talking about the main floor lights, I’m talking about something within one of their peripherals or over the others shoulder. Maybe in a party room or unused service station. “Dousing the flames” is effective. try it.

My very last suggestion, and you can only use it if you’ve already dropped the check but they won’t put money in it or sign their credit card receipt. It’s called “Kill em with kindness”. No more games. Even though you know they haven’t signed/payed you keep making trips to the table and picking up the check as if you assume there’s money in there. Then you say, “Thank you so much! Let me get this out of the way for you!” Then they should finally sign the credit card receipt or give you some form of payment. If not, repeat this one every 3 minutes until they do.

Now you know how to successfully send a camper packing and headed for their next destination.

Pete Fasanelli as admin of insidedish.com and 18 year industry professional developed the site because he wanted servers in the industry to have more control over their workplace environment. They could visit the site and submit an anonymous, honest review of any previous or current job by visiting http://insidedish.com/?page_id=25. Servers could now use this shared information as a launching point in a job search eventually forcing employers to adopt a new standard from within each restaurant.

A Future With Fewer Reservations

Found Online at the Wall Street Journal By KATY MCLAUGHLIN
New York restaurateur Danny Meyer sees more eateries closing, less foie gras; tasting menus under siege

New York restaurateur Danny Meyer is witnessing a turning point in his industry, amid the deepest and most persistent downturn in fine dining in his 24-year career. In recent months, Mr. Meyer, who owns Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe, has seen the closing of once high-rolling competitors including Atria, Town, Kobe Club, and Docks Oyster Bar on the West Side. Mr. Meyer says his margins in his casual restaurants are holding steady—that’s partly the result of lower wholesale costs of a variety of goods—but margins are “down slightly” in his fine-dining restaurants, primarily because fewer people are springing for a pre-theater meal these days, he says.

In a talk with Mr. Meyer about the recession, he told us why downturns have an upside and which trends are sure to die (hint: kiss the seven-course mandatory tasting menu goodbye).

The Wall Street Journal: The high-end dining industry has been aggressively discounting for the past six months. What is the long-term impact of this strategy?

Restaurateur Danny Meyer is witnessing a recession-fed transformation in his industry.

Mr. Meyer: There is an enormous amount of discounting going on, which is highly unusual in our end of the business. I understand the rationale for discounting now because there is 20% to 25% less demand for restaurant seats than there was a year to a year and a half ago. Restaurants don’t want to lay people off, and there’s an opportunity to discount now, because the cost of raw goods has decreased by about 10% compared to six months ago.

But I don’t think it’s a sustainable business model. The bottom line is that there are too many restaurant seats relative to the number of people able to dine out. We’re seeing a shedding of restaurants. This has to happen. There will come a point when there are the right number of seats.

Luxury retailers fear it will take years to regain pricing power, even when the economy recovers, because consumers have learned to expect a discount. You’ve been doing some discounting, too. Are you afraid of never being able to bounce back?

No. The discounts we’ve been doing aren’t 15% off the same veal chop. It’s a different meal, that doesn’t cost me as much, sold at a lower price point. But the water will rise, and there will be a return of the meal that cost me more to sell and costs the diner more to buy.

Human nature doesn’t change. When enough people are comfortable enough financially there is going to be human nature that wants to spend more money on better quality and to some degree status symbols as well.

So in the future we’re going to see fewer high-end restaurants, but those that remain will regain their pricing power. What other trends are we going to see in a couple of years in high-end dining?

Mr. Meyer’s New York barbecue restaurant, Blue Smoke.

I don’t think there’s going to be sustainable demand for restaurants that force you to spend hours there. Long tasting menus will continue to be elected by some but cannot be legislated by the restaurant. We’re going to have more bistros and trattorias. People will have luxury items—caviar, foie gras, truffles—less frequently, having done without them for a year and a half, but they will come to appreciate them more because it won’t be at every bar and grill in the city.

What kinds of new restaurants have a chance of success in the next few years?

People are thinking about how much of their time they have to spend, how much of their stomach they are going to fill and how many of their dollars they will have to part with. Restaurants with small courses that give the customer choices, and that don’t obligate them to spend a fortune, are going to do very well.

About 10 years ago, Web-based services letting consumers book off-peak tables and get a discount emerged but never really took off. Is this recession going to change that?

I don’t see the industry adopting yield-management pricing [discounting based on time of use, as practiced by hotels and airlines], except around the edges. [Online booking service] OpenTable is a great example. On OpenTable, if I want to encourage people to take a specific reservation at a specific period, I can offer 1,000 dining points [worth a $10 discount to the diner]. It only costs me more money if someone takes me up on it, unlike traditional advertising, which can be completely wasted. It allows you to give a discount without appearing to. We do it.

[Mr. Meyer is a board member of OpenTable, which also supplies reservations software to restaurants. The company’s initial public offering Thursday was priced at $20, but traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market Friday at $28.71, surprising some analysts concerned about the recession’s effect on fine dining.]

You tell me that in the fine-dining industry, a 10% margin is considered good, while in casual dining, 15% is the target. So why are you still in the fine-dining business?

Maybe I won’t bother. It makes me wonder what I’ve been doing with the past 24 years of my life. I will not be excited about opening a new fine-dining restaurant every year. On the other hand, we have a big backlog of talent in the company. I don’t want to lose them to somebody else. All the talent that works in the casual-dining business happen to be people who began in the fine-dining restaurants. The leadership of Blue Smoke [Mr. Meyer’s barbecue restaurant, which is also at the new Mets stadium, Citi Field] started at Union Square Cafe [a fine-dining restaurant]. Shake Shack was from the people who worked at Tabla and Union Square Cafe.

You’re not going to get someone out of Cornell [School of Hotel Administration] who will say, “I want to run a French-fry stand.” But you might get someone who comes out of Cornell, works on the fine-dining side and then says, “I’ve done that and learned that, now I’m ready to do something more entrepreneurial.”