A Manager in the Kitchen to Understand the Market
The British magazine Restaurant has recently published its list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2014. Although only a selected global niche of restaurateurs, gourmets and rich customers are familiar with the styles and menus of these venues, this news item attracted considerable interest. It is to be expected that the three Italian restaurants in the global ranking – Osteria Francescana in Modena (3rd), Piazza Duomo in Alba, Piedmont (39th) and Le Calandre in Rubano, near Padua (46th) – will get a boost in terms of publicity and visitors.
The whole Italian restaurant industry has been affected by infective enthusiasm, which in turn has stimulated current and potential demand, as well as supply, with a growing number of managers and entrepreneurs deciding to start businesses in the food and beverage industry. According to data provided by FIPE, Italy's federation of bars and restaurants, the number of restaurants has increased by 2.5% in the course of 2013, for total number of 285,000 operators active in the dining industry. At the same time, however, consumer spending on out-of-home food contracted under the shock of the Great Recession. Thus the market scenario is contradictory: it is favorable because of the food passion effect, but also hostile because of the economic crisis. This calls for the same level of business acumen and planning capability required in full-fledged companies.
It is thus important to be able to read market signals and identify real opportunities that are to be implemented by responding to the specific needs of the targeted clientele. In the current scenario, there are a few emerging cases of firms specializing in the preparation of a specific dish or food. This mono-product positioning contributes to a restaurant's recognition, and is often supported by multi-channel supply, i.e. it harnesses the relative simplicity of processes to enrich the offering with take-away and home-delivery services. Conversely, established restaurant chains often need to spruce up their brand identity, which sometimes they do by enlisting famous chefs, such as Gualtiero Marchesi for McDonald's Italy some months ago, or the new gourmet panino created by Claudio Sadler for the Panino Giusto chain. These massive initiatives have the aim of generating buzz and attracting high cuisine aficionados to lower segments of the food and beverage industry.
High dynamism and growing competition are the emerging traits of the Italian restaurant industry. The recipe for success requires solid and authentic cuisine skills and certain key ingredients: being able to respond to the needs of one's clientele, design food and architectural concepts that are coherent with the strategic positioning being sought, and, last but foremost, consider quality service as one of the main value levers.