One thing I often hear from guests is that my barbequed burgers actually taste good … rather than just being hard and dry as hockey pucks like so many of those traditional family reunion barbequed hamburgers we’ve all endured from time to time.
There are two menus to choose from; the menu in the main restaurant and the all-day-menu. The all-day-menu is much more relaxed and well, less expensive. It’s also superb. Whether you get their delicious Gravetye Beef Tibetan restaurant, or the exquisite Risotto of Local Forest Mushrooms, you can’t go wrong. I had the pleasure of dining at Gravetye Manor several times. First, for a food blog I did on it and then for my wife’s birthday. We hired out their gazebo, which served a traditional English roast to 12 of us. Each time I visit Gravetye Manor I am humbled. As an experienced food blogger there aren’t many restaurants that actually inspire me anymore. But, this one does.
And that is assuming that each of these new customers come in alone and that they do not tell anyone else how great the burgers and milkshakes are at the meisters!
Restaurants are at great risk for Form I-9 fines and penalties. Many people are attracted to restaurant jobs, not as a profession but as a “summer job” or for “extra income” and so by the very nature of the business, restaurants are constantly recruiting, hiring and training new staff members. Add to that, the fact that the food business historically attracts unskilled, immigrant workers and you have the perfect storm for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) work-site inspections.
Now let’s talk about family restaurants. This type of restaurant is a popular choice for those serious business people who want to own a restaurant. There’s a lot of money to be made in family restaurants but it also entails more work than let’s say a small cafe or pizzeria. Your menu will have to be quite extensive. Most family Burger restaurant are also bigger than a typical diner or cafe. A family restaurant might need more funds to start but can also be very lucrative.
My dad would never divulge company secrets, but it wasn’t too hard to figure out what the ingredients were. Then, one night my dad did the most amazing thing! He had brought home the specific ingredients, right down to the bun and meat patties, and he made a version of the burger on the BBQ! It has been almost 20 years, and I can still remember how good that burger tasted.
Another trap to avoid is the vegetable illusion. They offer mushrooms or zucchini but battered and deep fried. Broccoli or cauliflower and then smother them in a cheese sauce or drown them in butter.
New York doesn’t want for restaurants and that goes for gourmet hamburger joints. Try Pop Burger, a classy sophisticated burger joint, with burgers at $12. Fries and onion rings are extra. Burgers are served at the counter and in the lounge area, along with a full dinner menu.