When good gastronomy and genuine hospitality come together, we inevitably think in emotions, senses, lived experiences, or even the ones we still want to live.
You cannot think of restaurants without emotion. However, it is the rational factor that brings balance.
Despite everything, it’s a business. We know that behind every dish there may be a story, but sometimes it’s necessary to set emotions aside and think about the numbers. Unfortunately, that’s how it is: we need to focus on what truly puts money in our pockets and into the business. Without that balance, nothing lasts. A restaurant can end up becoming just a very good place that one day closed, and no one knows why.
What is not always easy to show is that even this balance between the emotional and the rational can be enchanting. Many times, it is precisely where things don’t work that reason must step in, and where things do work that emotion should take the lead. In the same way that sometimes we have to be cold and rational to the point of eliminating or replacing a dish that only causes money to sit idle in the business, we must also put all our emotion into the products that most deserve it—those that give us the best return. This is where everything changes; this is where we put in our dedication and heart so that everything can grow.
Even in that dish that gives us interesting profit margins and that we would most like to become the favourite among all others. Believe it or not, this is where a great story like Costa Verde’s intersects with that of any restaurant. How? Precisely by bringing reason and emotion together.
Often, all a dish needs to increase its popularity is a new image, a new face—nothing more. A new plating, presented on new porcelain that enhances colour, texture, and contrast, may be the push our star needs and yet… it is all the result of a balance made of reason and a great deal of emotion.
Hélder Santos – Co-Founder (to the right)
O Gerente is a restaurant consulting company that helps business owners achieve results through a proven management and marketing method. Since the year 2000, they have collaborated on various projects related to the restaurant industry, restaurant and bar openings and management, event organization, consulting, and hotel management.
