How To Open A Restaurant
10 Things Corto and Arthur learned after one year of having opened a restaurant
I met with Corto and his associate Arthur in the cosy sand coloured inside of their restaurant. They remind me of an old couple, having gone through good and bad together. The AC didn’t work like they never do on such hot days. Both of them grew up in a gastronomic family and met at culinary school, where they became close friends. Corto, 24 years old, was known for making dinners like coq au vin at evening parties. Arthur, also 24, worked in all kinds of restaurants. One day, his father heard of a restaurant being sold due to legal liquidation. When the news was passed along, Corto and Arthur immediately decided to leave their jobs behind and open a restaurant. That was a year ago. Today, people queue for their food, but it took a long time to get where they are today. Here are ten things Corto and Arthur learned over the year.
1.Diverse experience is important
Corto started early in the industry, managing a kitchen in a Parisian brasserie and working 12-hour shifts at 19 years old. One year later, he started at a high-end restaurant, facing a completely different approach to kitchen and food. Not all kitchens are the same, and it takes time to adjust to the different standards and expectations. Kitchen doesn’t immediately mean kitchen. Arthur went through many kitchen experiences that taught him the necessary do’s and don’ts when owning your own restaurant. Looking back, neither was ready to become their own chef. However, the different encounters gave them the foundation that they still build on today.
2. Tough chefs shape you
I thank the chefs who were tough with me, shaped me, and made me who I am today. Yes, it was not easy to be yelled at or punished, he says, but that’s what it takes to get somewhere. He compared it to animals that treat their young harshly to survive in the wild. Ironic in a way. We manifest against the rough treatment in the kitchen, yet many swear by it. Corto confirms that it was necessary for him in order to grow and leave behind bad patterns. There are many habits you learn by being pushed to your limits. His example is that he will never again leave a business unfinished. If it’s the dishes, the replacement of a finished kitchen paper or a preparation put aside. Once you start it, you finish, and that’s the rule.
3. Do not underestimate doing your own construction work
Corto and Arthur did all the construction work themselves. There was not much time since the rent had to be paid and no money had come in. Within five months, both of them put together a business plan and rebuilt the restaurant to be able to open in September. they opened their restaurant. It took long hours and a lot of friends to build the inner restaurant. We tend to underestimate the energy and work put into every little brushstroke. Arthur told me about the thin green line stretching around the restaurant's walls. It took weeks to do it. We had to paint four layers but wait two days between each layer. It was during summer, so the colour never dried, and the AC didn't work. Two weeks of intense construction work followed, going from morning to late into the night.
4. Check the restaurant before buying
Luckily enough, the restaurant was a traiteur before they bought it. Many things were already there and just had to be taken over. Other things had to be bought or simply weren't where they should be. A great example is the kitchen downstairs. We didn't realise that there was no drain on the floor. At the end of each day, they used buckets to collect the water from the floor. Licenses must be implemented, and the fire extinguisher must be renewed. Kitchen equipment had to be bought. Once Corto had to choose between buying a dishwasher or a fast freezer. He chose the fast freezer, quickly regretting his choice. Many extra costs have to be thought of.
5. Organisation is a key to be found
If you’re at a young age like Corto and Arthur, the organisation is often not yet at its perfection, especially when you’re your own boss. In the beginning, they spent their days in the kitchen, often till late at night. I’ll never forget the Instagram stories I saw from Corto, such as how he prepared gnocchis at 3 am. Even with only a few customers, the hours were endless, and the work was never done. It’s a learning process where you must accept sleeping only a few hours a night and dreaming about your prep list. Today, with three times more customers, the work is much more organised and the days finish at a reasonable hour. Instead of 15 hours daily, both do 11 hours only five times a week. Being your own boss is fantastic, but when you make mistakes or handle a situation poorly, there is no one to blame. Learning by doing but the hard way. A pre-opening is also much recommended; it lets you see what works well and what doesn't, so the day x doesn't come with nasty surprises. The same day, friends peeled carrots while Corto and Arthur suffered through their first service.
6. Nothing comes as you expect it
Nothing is ever going to turn out as you want it to. If you’re prepared for a thousand scenarios, the thousand and oneth scenarios will play out. The day before the opening, Corto forgot to turn off the water, and when he came back, the whole kitchen was underwater. Without a drain in the kitchen, this work required hours of shuffling water with buckets until late into the night. The best and worst cases have to be prepared. Even the vitrine broke the day before opening, forcing them to open with half a vitrine. You would never expect such.
7. Opening a restaurant with a friend is not easy
Corto and Arthur have known each other since culinary school, yet opening a restaurant together is not evident. It’s like moving in together. Not every friend of yours is the kind of friend you can live with, even if it's the tightest friendship. There were many disputes and disagreements, but the two realised quickly that the only way to do this was when rules were put into place.
8. The social life will always be secondary
Corto makes music, and Arthur has played video games ever since he was young. Both paused their personal affairs while opening the restaurant. Even though it is super necessary to have a hobby, it is almost impossible to pursue it in such a business. You’re often too tired to get anything done after a day of peeling carrots. Today, they manage better to find time for themselves. Another important aspect is any kind of relationship outside of the restaurant. A wife, a girlfriend or just a dog, anything that takes your head off the stress. I can see that Corto is already dreaming when he mentions his girlfriend. Arthur explains that having a separate life allows you to be a different person for a while. Allow yourself to make your mind wander, meet friends or just relax. Those things won’t be possible for a while, but eventually, you reach a point where you get back to a healthy work-life balance. Eventually.
9. Be cheap, stay cheap
A way of attracting clients is to offer a better price than the competition. Corto and Arthur offer their meals at prices you remember from pre-covid times. Those prices are why people queue until the other side of the street. But it’s a lesson to be learned where and how to save money. Prices constantly rise due to inflation, and while vegetables used to cost 3000€ each order, they now cost 4000€ within only a few months. You must also consider the seasons and choose regional products to avoid high shipping costs. Corto swears on the “Maryse”, the gummi spatula, for a great money-saving tool. Every spoon of food matters, and bowls have to be scraped until they look like they have never been used. He did the calculations, making him save up to 3500€ a year. The choice of ingredients can make such a difference, and even serving a gram less per customer can go into high numbers at the end of the year.
10. Love what you do
Opening a restaurant is a choice, a commitment for life. Corto explains: your restaurant is like your baby; it’s not easy at first; you’re awake until late at night, always have your mind on it, and sometimes you question yourself, but you love your baby endlessly, and one day it all plays out. There is always to learn and constantly to improve, and they are still far away from where they would like to be. But when you love what you do and have the energy to face the challenges and obstacles in your way, you will get there. One day, they want to open more restaurants, and one day, Corto says smiling, I will be able to afford a good apartment and not have to live with my dad.
I admire their determination.
The busy outside of the restaurant