MovieChat Forums > Dinner Rush (2002) Discussion > Restaurant Business Question

Restaurant Business Question

posted 19 years ago by andrewsk8s
9 replies | jump to latest

I really enjoyed this movie. The dramatic storyline aside, as a frequent restaurant diner, I found the frantic reality TV-like, behind-the-scenes look at a kitchen in operation fascinating. Of the various food and restaurant movies, this one seemed both authentic and current.

I was curious about the figures that the chef quoted... something like, "I think we are going to top 250 tonight", and also the figure towards the end, I think he said, "263". Was that figure perhaps the number of entrees served? or the total number of tickets/orders?

It would be hard for me to imagine that the figure could be referring to dollars, like $250,000 (???!). That seems rather high for one evening, even for the most expensive restaurants. No matter how high the food/wine prices, there are only a finite number of tables.
Just estimating from what was seen on-screen, say, 50 tables (the restaurant did not look huge) that might turn over an average of once for the evening, assuming an average of 4 diners per table (which is high, most were 2 person tables), and an average per person consumption of 200 to 300 dollars each for food, wine, and desserts (which is also high), that is still only about $120,000.

I don't know too much about the business of a restaurant, does this figure seem reasonable? A quarter mil in one night?

[–] morning_star 19 years ago

That would be 250, or in the end, 263 dinners. (Entrees, whatever.)

[–] sumbitch212 17 years ago

or 250 heads. Ive worked in Kitchens and i thought it was pretty realistic. Except the way he fired the guy for having a dull knife. I thought that was a bit over the top. He would most likely have gotten a warning or been chided in real life.

[–] andrewsk8s 17 years ago

After watching "Hell's Kitchen" on TV, I was thinking that those kinds of over-reactions could happen... LOL.

I gathered that the Chef's comment "snowflakes" and his subsequent dissatisfaction was more about the poor quality of his prep work first (like each piece was different, not consistent, or up to the Chef's standards), and later he discovered the dull knife which was the topper. Though I think he was really screwing himself to fire someone in the middle of a busy weekend dinner rush.

That's interesting to know about restaurant table turnover. I guess it would depend on the type of restaurant, but when my friends and I go out to dine at a nice restaurant, we tend to make an evening of it. Like if we got an early seating, maybe 6:30pm, we might be there for 2 hours on the average for all the courses, wine and extras. By the time that table is cleared and ready for the next customer, I figure there'd likely be only time for one more dinner service, if the place closed at 11pm. I guess if they seated people right up until the posted closing time, they could get a third (late) party in on that table.

250 entrees sounds reasonable for a busy night at a restaurant. Thanks for the answer.

[–] cabaretwoman 10 years ago

I suspect the guy was on his way out anyway and this was merely the last straw. A chef I worked with years ago told me about a guy she fired after he used the tip of a French knife to open a #10 can. She admitted he was a *beep* to begin with and she'd had enough of him.

step into my parlourhttp://www.sherlockhoward.homestead.com

[–] geekwench 16 years ago

It's covers (diners), not dinners. 250 (ultimately 263) people seated. The people are counted as covers, not the plates, not the entrees.

[–] spencerscr 17 years ago

yeah, except covers can turn 2 or 3 times a night, so recalulate accordingly

[–] brucethejuice 16 years ago

Its really all relative to the size of the restaurant when talking about covers like that. For instance I worked in a French cafe in Seattle that had a 65 seat dining room and on Mother's Day brunch turned over 500 covers, a record breaking day for the restaurant's 15-year history. So for a tuesday night, (like in the movie) of a restaurant that size, 263 covers is pretty damn impressive.

[–] The_Usurper_Robb_Stark 12 years ago

I don't work in the restaurant business but I've worked with restaurant financials. A place like that, on a busy night, would probably make upwards of 15,000 - 20,000 in sales in one night.

I thinks not, Terrell. I thinks not

[–] db20db (16143) 6 years ago

This movie was dynamite in every way, shape and form.