Bernard's Back: Bernard Ros
Chef/Owner Meli Melo, New York, NY

Restaurant Report also spoke with this knowledgeable and entertaining chef/owner in 2005. Here is a link to that interview piece. The man is always interesting...

RR: We're hearing some talk of doom and gloom in the Big Apple. What's going on, and are we going to see some major closings in the near future?

Chef: The answer is yes on the closings, but what else is new? Let's put it this way, if you are about to negotiate a new lease, then maybe we can talk about doom and gloom. You will be looking at an increase of at least 20 to 50%. I have moved my restaurant six times over the years. My last lease was going to go from $3000 to $18,000 per month, so I did what I had to do. I moved to a questionable location to get an affordable and long-term lease. In the last few years, thirty-two restaurants opened in this area and nine have closed. More importantly, four new hotels have opened here. The good news is that my location is no longer questionable. You do what you have to do until your lease expires.

RR: So Bernard Ros is not all that worried about the future?

Chef: Bernard Ros is concerned about the future, but I have learned a lot about staying in business. One thing is absolute - you have to adapt to ever-changing situations. Having said that, keep in mind that New York is a big city and New York will always need three things - taxicabs, hotels and restaurants. I have a restaurant.

RR: Back to the closings, nine out of thirty-two closed. That's actually a frightening percentage when you think about it. Can you imagine almost one-third of the New York restaurants closing?

Chef: They open and they close. Some things never change.

RR: Why do you suppose those nine restaurants closed, and is there an answer to such a question?

Chef: The question cannot be answered because there might be 2000 reasons why a restaurant can't make it. I will tell you one thing that I see so often - the owner has a formula for success and he brings his formula to a new location and it doesn't work. You have to understand that each neighborhood can behave very differently when it comes to dining out. Maybe your formula doesn't work on this side of town, and by the time you figure this out, it's too late. I'm not a fan of formulas. You have to be extremely flexible.

RR: Costs are going through the roof. What can you do?

Chef: You can cut your costs or you raise your prices. The truth is, you'll have to do both. People will continue to come to your restaurant, but they might order appetizers and a glass or two of wine. It's actually becoming trendy, but it doesn't pay the rent. You have to make a decision - do you want a customer to visit your restaurant once a year or twice a week? The reality is that restaurant owners have to understand the business end of things or survival will always be in doubt.

RR: How important is your waitstaff, and is this yet another loaded question?

Chef: Of course they are critically important, but you have to understand that most of them are simply passing through. I look for personality, and I avoid salespeople. I think it's a mistake to encourage a waiter or waitress to sell anything. It's a short-term gain until the guest pays the bill and decides your restaurant is too expensive and they never return.

RR: And what about your purveyors?

Chef: If you don't have a genuine relationship with your suppliers, you can't make it. It's a two way street - you need them and they need you. That's the way it works. The relationship that you build with your suppliers will make or break you. It becomes a matter of trust and when both of you are on the same page, good things happen. I sell lots of seafood, and there is no room for experimentation. My supplier has worked with me for years and he knows exactly what I want. Relationships like this are essential if you plan to be successful.

RR: You have been at it for some forty years. What is your biggest worry concerning the modern restaurant world?

Chef: It's the lack of hospitality at the expense of profitability. You can have both, but your guests are looking for true hospitality. Too many restaurants are run like machines, and perhaps they are profitable, but they lack soul. The machine works, but the soul is so noticeably absent. That truly bothers me and I will never allow that to happen at my restaurant.

Meli Melo
110 Madison Avenue
New York
212-686-5551
www.melimelorestaurant.com