Tradition and Passion: Secrets to One Restaurant's Success
Yountville, Calif. has more culinary stars in its five-block downtown than most cities with hundreds of blocks. The town boasts a population of 2,933, with slightly more than 1,000 homesteads. Yet the dining scene in this tiny wine country hamlet ranks among the best in the world.
If the town had a celebrity culinary marquee the names Keller, Chiarello, Jeanty, Reddington, and Hurley would capture the limelight.
Of the handful of Michelin-starred eateries that call Yountville home, Bistro Jeanty, Philippe Jeanty's well framed culinary canvas, stands out for its authentic French roots.
Jeanty celebrates tradition nightly with well-prepared, authentic French food. This isn't faux French stuff. When you walk through the front door you are transported to French authenticity.
Jeanty's bistro should be a case study for all restaurateurs, chefs, and culinary students with an eye on professional success. It is the perfect package of ingredients: Size, service, menu selection, and price, along with the friendly feel of a warming ambiance that makes strangers feel at home. The bistro is authentic. It shouts hospitality, friendship, and local enthusiasm -- all of which are frequently difficult to find in tourist towns.
While Jeanty is a permanent fixture in his dining room, greeting guests, passing out gestures of good will and thanking diners for coming, he has honed his staff to follow his lead. The restaurant runs with the precision of a fine-tuned instrument, never missing a beat or suffering a misstep.
One of the secrets to Jeanty's success: He lives his restaurant. Unlike other restaurateurs who carve their name into the sign and imprint it on a business card, Jeanty and his team leave their mark on every experience.
Filled to capacity on a recent Saturday evening, you could not differentiate between visitors and locals; both were treated as patrons and clients. This is often the exception in many restaurants located in towns catering to tourists.
Jeanty has managed, over a very long and successful run, to capture passion for the profession, keep it close, and pass it on to his team. The staff never seems to have a bad night, and if they do, it is never apparent to the guests, who always seem to be the center of the servers' attention.
Yes, in a town were food is king, and the competition for dining dollars is tougher than any block in Manhattan or Paris, Bistro Jeanty has set the standard high and manages to meet it nightly.
And that takes training, passion and a team of professionals who are all stars in their own right and get the picture, night after night, after night.
It's what all restaurant owners should strive for.
