Episode 14 – Justine Schofield on What She Looks for in a Good Restaurant

Keep It Simple: Justine Schofield on What She Looks for in a Good Restaurant

When starting a café or restaurant business, being able to stand out and attract customers is the most important thing you want to achieve. After all, if customers don’t come, you’ll have to close your business. But it’s not easy when customers have so many cafes and restaurants to choose from on a single city block alone.

You don’t necessarily have to attract a whole bunch of customers at once, however. As long as your product and service are good, your first few customers will tell the people they know how good it is, and more will come. If you’re lucky, you might also end up with a celebrity endorsement, which will surely boost your numbers. And what might a celebrity chef look for in a restaurant? We spoke with Justine Schofield, a former MasterChef contestant and host of the TV series Everyday Gourmet, to find out.

Whatever You Do, Do It Well

First and foremost, Justine says, make sure that whatever you decide to do, you do it well. She sees a lot of people these days opening up specialized restaurants with single offerings – such as an oyster bar that serves only oyster dishes, as well as fantastic food that’s often paired with oysters. If you do want to specialize in that single dish, it better be perfected beyond anything else that you could offer on the menu. If that dish is good enough, customers won’t care that you don’t have many items on the menu – in fact, they’ll come to you just to eat that one signature dish you have on offer.

Strive for Taste, not Picture-Perfection

With the proliferation of Instagram as a promotional tool for restaurants and cafes, it can be tempting to focus on how your food looks on camera. But your food can look fantastic and still taste horrible. Before it looks nice, Justine says, it’s got to taste nice. Eating out is about the experience and enjoyment of food, and if all that ends with the first bite, you’ve lost a customer.

It’s also fine if the food doesn’t look perfect. In fact. Justine doesn’t like it when a dish looks too perfect – such dishes can be overwrought and overthought. Good food doesn’t have to be fancy, or even just look fancy – as long as it tastes nice, the looks will follow. Sometimes, the simplest dishes are what win people over.

Watch Food Trends

If you’re looking to start a new restaurant, or possibly expand your business, have a look at what’s going on around you. Globally, Justine says, many food trends tend to start in Los Angeles and New York, then make their way overseas. Currently, for instance, she sees a lot of ramen noodle bars popping up. This, among other food trends, are coming for Australia.

But Australia isn’t just a follower. It can be a leader in food trends as well. Restaurateurs come from all over the world to Melbourne to look into the breakfast trend. “No one does breakfast like Melbourne,” Justine says, and people bring it back home. Here especially, the food doesn’t need to be overcomplicated. All you need for a good breakfast place can be the best scrambled eggs and the most incredible bread. Again, if the food is good enough, even if it’s a small, simple menu, the customers will come.

Be Authentic and Relatable

Authenticity also attracts customers. These days, people want to feel comfortable and at home in a good restaurant. Justine’s own show – now entering its seventh season – reflects this trend, as she demonstrates recipes with ingredients you can find at just about any grocery store. Most people don’t necessarily want a rare specialty when they eat out – all they want is to eat some good food in good company. As opposed to being overly aspirational or polished, a sense of attainability and relatability will draw people to your doors and to your menu.

Having your restaurant stand out in an already crowded industry isn’t easy. But it doesn’t have to be so complicated, either. If you stay true to yourself and your menu, you’ll find the customers you want.

You can follow Justine Schofield on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter under her name, Justine Schofield. If you want to learn more information about Justine and what she’s been up to, you can visit her website, justineschfield.com.au. Her latest book, Simple Every Day, is available wherever fine books are sold.

Justine’s Key Takeaways

Listen to your mother – she might just have the best advice you can get.
As Justine’s own mother told her, stay true to yourself.
Don’t overthink how your food looks or your ingredients list – sometimes the simplest is the best.
If you want to specialize in a particular dish, do it well.
Before thinking about how your food looks on Instagram, perfect the taste first.
Check out the book The Flavour Thesaurus if you’d like to experiment with your own recipes.
If you want to do some simple, easy cooking at home, look for Justine’s book, Simple Every Day.
Never underestimate a good set of scales.
If you’re up for it, give the world what Justine says it’s missing: a decent Béarnaise sauce.