2019-11-01 Food & Wine USA

12 NOVEMBER 2019

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AFTER 14 YEARS of writing about food and

restaurants (including a stint as a critic in my native

Australia), I did something completely bonkers: My

husband and I opened our own restaurant. It was

bonkers because I knew the unrelenting hard work,

long hours, razor-thin margins, and inevitable

marriage strain that would come with operating

a small business in the hospitality industry. But we

did it anyway. I don’t profess to have an advantage

or to have done things any differently than the

folks who have worked their butts off before me.

But have I learned anything in transitioning from

creating food and dining content to also creating

food and dining experiences? Heck yes. Here’s how

the former helped inform the latter.

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IT’S ALL ABOUT

THE NARRATIVE

Journalism and the

restaurant business are

not so different; they’re

both about storytell-

ing. In the restaurant,

we do it through our

menu-writing, how we

style the space, the

tone of the hospitality

experience, and how

we market ourselves,

which for us includes

the manifesto on our

chalkboard (photo at

left). We pay attention

to the details of the

story, right down to the

soft, hand-rolled towels

in our restroom (never

underestimate the

power of little comforts

in your loo). Our broader

story? We’re bringing

elevated Aussie café

culture to our town

in Pennsylvania, one

cheeky flat white and

avocado toast at a time.

AUTHENTICITY

COUNTS

The story, of course,

has to be true; read-

ers and customers

can smell a phony a

mile off. Part of that

is putting your money

where your mouth is.

If you say your menu

is local and organic,

then it has to be local

and organic. If you say

you’re paying a living

wage and pooling tips

between the front and

back of house, then do

it. We’ve been transpar-

ent with our customers

about how we run our

business, but you never

know when you might

be called out. (“You’re

not Australian; you’re

supposed to sound like

Steve Irwin,” is a thing

a customer once said

accusingly to my Wagga

Wagga–born, Tasmania-

raised husband.)

STICK TO YOUR

BUSINESS MODEL

You might have been

taught that the cus-

tomer is king and all

their wishes should

be granted, but our

experience has also

taught us not to try

to be all things to all

people: If you dilute

your story, you erode

your narrative. We have

customers who walk

out because we don’t

have drip coffee, hash,

or waffles. But that’s OK

because we believe that

our difference is also

our strongest selling

point. (Of course, we’ll

accommodate where we

can, but a little flexibility

is better than bending

over backward.)

YELP IS NOT YOUR

FRIEND

Ye l p h a s d a ma ge d

the art of respectful

dialogue between a

small-business owner

and a customer—nega-

tive reviews are often

published after the fact,

which doesn’t allow the

owner an opportunity

to address or rectify the

situation (and practice

good customer ser-

vice) in real time. As a

small-business owner, I

dislike snarky Yelpers

because they fail to see

the negative impact

rude, mean-spirited, or

unconstructive reviews

have on a new business

(because prospec-

tive customers look at

those star ratings). As a

journalist I dislike them

because they have little

regard for facts or fact-

checking. Our strategy

to deal with nasty Yelp

reviews? We own them

and put them in the

testimonials section of

our website—because

comedy really is the

best remedy.

YOUR CUSTOMERS

ARE YOUR BEST ASSET

My magazine col-

leagues will kill me for

saying so, but loyal,

engaged customers are

worth more than any

write-up or review. Word

of mouth and social

media are the biggest

drivers of new busi-

ness to our café. Plus,

if there’s one thing I’ve

learned in food media,

it’s that readers (and

customers) eat with

their eyes. If your food

looks delicious and

amazing, your custom-

ers will share that with

their friends on social

media, driving new

people to your busi-

ness (even more so if

it’s served on a pretty

vintage plate in a beauti-

fully curated space with

big licks of personality).

Creating engagement

is what we do in media,

and it’s what we do

as business owners—

because, ultimately, it’s

what keeps folks coming

back.

Crossing Over What a F&W editor

learned when she opened her

own restaurant By Melanie Hansche

above: Deputy Editor Melanie Hansche in

Easton, Pennsylvania, at Tucker, her

Aussie café where the manifesto matters.

PHOTOGRAPHY: BIZ JONES/COURTESY OF NATURALLY, DANNY SEO