Restaurant Hospitality, November 1, 2006
In an interview with Wolfgang Puck, Restaurant Hospitality invoked the words
of our own Chef Rocco in the following question posed to the world renowned
chef:
"Rocco Whalen, chef at Fahrenheit in Cleveland and a veteran of three of
your restaurants, once observed: 'Even when Puck is not at one of his
restaurants, it still feels like he is there.' How do you create a culture
that sustains itself?"
While he doesn't mention Chef Rocco in his response directly, once you
experience Fahrenheit, you'll know Rocco was paying attention when under
Puck's tutelage...
"I always tell them, the first priority is the customer.
Secondly, we don't say, 'no.' Finally, we buy the best ingredients and try
not to screw them up. I never tell a chef, 'you know your food cost is too
high; buy a cheaper ingredient and make more money.' We are in for the long
run, and we want to be proud of what we do. Some restaurants start with
Prime beef, then go to Choice, but don't say they have changed. We don't try
to cheat the customer. Most important are the people who come there and the
people who work there. That interaction creates the excitement. The walls
are important because you want it to be a nice place."