“So it’s important to have good relations with food suppliers so we can work together to find the best-priced ingredients without compromising on quality.”
Il Villagio executive chef Emanuele Esposito adds that a common problem, for both operators and customers, is assuming a high price means high quality.
“In our restaurants, our target is to use products of a high standard and at the same time provide guests with authentic, Italian cuisine,” he comments.
But at the end of the day an outlet must turn a profit in order to survive, as Coral’s Miraton points out.
Advertisement
“High costs result in us having to reduce our margin in order to offer the best value to our guest, which means we take the hit,” he says.
So how can a balance be struck in the on-going tug-of-war between food quality and food costs?
JAL Fujairah’s Cristiane notes: “Any business runs to make a profit, especially nowadays. But the perspective that was perhaps lost over the past couple of years due to operator greediness should teach us a valuable lesson.
“I believe that a strong model will always be one where customers come back again and again; if a customer is not satisfied, they will not come back and over the long run that will affect the business more than it saved buying cheap products,” he points out.
“To have happy customers you need to put in the effort and find quality products at a competitive price; that way, you are offering the best product you can.”
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
