Entering the high-end market

BUSINESS BITS
Carlo P. Mallo

Fine dining restaurant owners share tips on entering the high-end market

In putting up a restaurant, one of the first decisions an entrepreneur must make is which market to cater to.

In the Philippines, there’s the mass market, the middle market and the high-end market. In the case of Katzer Restaurant & Bar, which offers French Mediterranean cuisine, the owners decided to go high-end. Shelby Yu Bayle and Silvana Bayle, co-owners of Katzer, cited their extensive travels in their decision.

“We travel a lot in and out of the country. Through this, we get to experience eating in different places and this inspired us to have our own restaurant. Everything fell into place when chef Andreas [Katzer] was also looking for a space to start his own restaurant. We partnered with him and so Katzer Restaurant was then established last July 15, 2010,” Shelby told Entrepreneur.com.ph.

Opening a 535-square-meter restaurant in the heart of Ortigas Center, Katzer Restaurant & Bar boasts of the culinary offering of chef Andreas Katzer, who is also part owner of the restaurant. As owners, Shelby said they were very hands-on -- from conceptualizing the restaurant, to building it and finally, until its launching and actual operation.

“We have the better brands from kitchen equipment, restaurant furniture and food ingredients. The interior was designed to suit the market’s taste, very cozy and relaxing. Since we are in the business district, our customers would always go to our restaurant to unwind, experience intimate dining and simply have a good time,” Shelby said.

As with any business, knowing your target market – their preference and their spending habits – is a must.

“We cater to the middle to high end market. We serve French Mediterranean dishes in our menu. [We use] very healthy ingredients. We establish good customer relations with our client and give them the best quality of service,” Shelby said. Besides knowing one’s market, Katzer owners also shared three things to know about the high-end market:

Always seek to improve. “One of the most important things to remember is having a detailed management of the business. You have to make sure to maintain or improve skills. You always have to be the best in your field,” Silvana said.

Avoid overspending . “Always practice cost efficiency and do not overspend. Always remember, you are running a business,” Silvana said.

Always extend topnotch service. “Don’t settle for good service; create a relationship with the customer,” Silvana added.

Although they chose to cater to the high-end market, Silvan and Shelby said they faced the same challenges that any startup entrepreneur go through. These include looking for the best source of quality materials and a killer schedule during the restaurant’s construction. But they are determined to succeed. [See guide to a successful food business here]

“As a first-timer in the food business, we had to learn fast and cope with the challenges we encounter each day. As of today, we are working hard to gain awareness and for customers to come back to our restaurant and in time be a popular restaurant not only through media but also by word of mouth,” Silvana said.

Now that the restaurant has opened, the real work for the owners has also just begun. “We want Katzer restaurant in five-year’s time to be one of the well-known French Mediterranean restaurants in town because we managed to maintain the excellent service we provide our customers plus the dishes in our menu will always have something new for the regular customers to enjoy,” Silvana said.

“Also, we want to be known for the satisfaction that we give because we have an open kitchen which accommodates every customer’s request as long as the ingredients are available.”
Katzer Restaurant & Bar