What Gordon Ramsey Can Teach You About Your Business!

I’m a big fan of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey . The foul-mouthed British firebrand is a household name in North America because of his nerve-wracking TV show Hell’s Kitchen , in which young chefs compete for a job running one of his restaurants. But it’s his other show, the more low-key Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares , which has got me thinking about the kinds of lessons he can teach the small business owner.

On Kitchen Nightmares, Chef Ramsey visits failing restaurants in desperate need of re-direction and even re-invention. He analyses the menu, watches the front-of-house and kitchen staff in action, critiques the décor and learns about the local people (potential customers) and the other restaurants (competition) in the area. Almost always, the restaurant owners whose business he is trying to save are totally resistant to the changes he suggests—until they see how well the changes work.

Typically, there is a disconnect between what the owner wants his or her restaurant to be and what the marketplace wants. Over and over, we see the sad story of someone who opened their “dream restaurant,” crafting it to suit their interests and tastes, but meeting indifference from the fickle public. They’ve invested huge sums of money and energy in what ultimately turns out to be a vanity project.

As a gifted chef, Ramsey is an artist—but he is also a businessman who realizes that even creative enterprises have to be responsive to their market. Restaurants, like plays, need an “audience.” And unlike a play, a restaurant doesn’t have the option of being “ahead of its time” and being appreciated 100 years from now by a more receptive public. If your food is so “ahead of its time” that people won’t eat it, it’s going into the garbage!

The most striking aspect of Kitchen Nightmares usually occurs near the end. Stubborn owners change their tune when they sees scores of happy customers coming and going for the first time in years. It is humbling for them to realize their idea, their original “dream,” wasn’t really a good one. But success, and the experience of creating customer satisfaction, seems to more than compensate!

The point is this. You must test your idea by learning what your customers want. You must learn very carefully what your target market, whether it is the neighbourhood you set up shop in or the industry you wish to compete in, is looking for—especially if no one else is providing it.

And above all else, don’t be afraid to ask for help! There’s no shame in deferring to a second opinion, especially from an expert with a proven track record. Chef Ramsey has run several massively successful restaurants over the decades. The only thing more shocking than his swearing is how so many of his clients on Kitchen Nightmares let their pride and ego get in the way of accepting his smart, clear-eyed advice.

Take a moment and be honest with yourself and ask yourself: “What am I being stubborn about in my business…that is only serving my ego and not focused on serving what my customers want and need…? ” It’s tough to be honest with yourself, but essential in today’s competitive marketplace. If you are having a difficult time, go out there and find the “Gordon Ramsey ” of your industry and pay them to kick you in your butt!