The Stranger

5 Answers

• I haven't actually attended a soft opening myself but I was always under the impression that customers did not pay for the food at them as well. The soft opening is to work the kinks of service out, and I personally would prefer to not pay to have someone practice on me. jeze answered in Food & Drink 2 months ago | Report 8 1 Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

• l've been to a ton of soft openings over my years in the industry, and have only been to one that did this as well. Apparently it was the owners' first restaurant, and they simply assumed a 'soft open' just meant a private party instead of open to the public. Like your experience, l was unimpressed with the food and the service, and had l been attending a public opening, l would have been bummed l'd wasted my money on it, so when l was expecting to pay for the drinks and got the full bill, l had the same response, along with everyone l attended the party with. Of course, the general consensus among other industry people who went was that it wasn't much to write home about, the restaurant's business was sporadic and the reviews weren't glowing, and they closed down after a year or so. As you said, the point of a soft open is to get a good, solid clientele in the industry, who are familiar with and appreciate a great dining experience, and will pass it on to THEIR clientele. That is precisely what you're comping them for - their experienced feedback. Fail on the soft open, and you're likely to fail in general. freikja answered in Food & Drink 2 months ago | Report 5 0 Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

• I am opening a restaurant myself in a few weeks, and we are doing a soft opening for friends and family. We will be doing a set menu with 3 options for a main course and a few options for appetizer. We plan on charging a set price at a BIG discount . The price will be all inclusive: app, entree, beverage and dessert. I might add we are a small family run place. It would nearly swamp us to have to give the food away. This is simply an opportunity to invite people who WANT to see us succeed have a chance to taste our food and who will be a little forgiving on our soft opening as we work out the kinks. The price will be known and no one will get any suprises. I think the people who were shocked in the previous posts by receieving a bill shouldn't have expected a hand out. BTW....I have also worked in top of the line places with tons of financial backing who had a soft opening and charged something. regalo2010 answered in Food & Drink about 1 month ago | Report 0 0 Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

• I don't know the current standard in the industry, but during my restaurant years in the late 80s, a soft opening usually meant only family and friends, and all but drinks were free. Though, I did attend one with a prix-fixe that I assumed covered the food costs, as it was a small, indy restaurant without big money backers. But then, the price (maybe $10 for several courses of small-plate samples of their full menu -- a lot of food) was totally reasonable and everyone knew what they were expected to pay. So, yeah, new restaurant on Eastlake (it's part of Serafina, so certainly not a new venture by someone not "in the know" about soft openings) - you're a little bit tacky. Luckier answered in Food & Drink 2 months ago | Report 0 0 Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

• I think management should have posted a sign or made it clear prior to the event. On the otherhand, it's rude to expect that the meal would be free. NO BUSINESS can stay in business if they give it away for free. Next time, ASK FIRST before ordering... "Cagey" answered in Food & Drink 2 months ago | Report 1 10 2 comments by Greg Giere and freikja… In my defense, I have been to numerous soft openings and never paid a cent. I have been in the service industry myself for 10 years now and it is not at all uncommon for restaurants to have a 1 or 2-day "soft opening" where food (and often drinks) are served gratis so that fellow industry people, friends, and family can try the place out and "spread the word." It is then implied that a generous gratuity is left. This is how the industry operates. At the end of the day, the server who comps an appetizer or drink on your tab is not doing it from the kindness of their heart, they are doing it because it is implied you will compensate them a little extra. Obviously a business cannot "give it away for free" and expect to stay in business, but it is not unheard of to do just that for an evening or two when opening a new establishment, as a means to increase exposure and get people talking about (hopefully) how great the food, service and ambiance are. Greg Giere commented 2 months ago | Report Actually, he's right on the money, Cagey; this is how it goes in the industry. lt's not rude to expect it to be comped; it's not always free, but it's never full price, especially when the menu -unless perfectly polished- is often in transition for the first few weeks. l attended the soft open at the restaurant l work at before l got hired on, and all the drinks were half price, and the food was free. That's how it works. freikja commented 2 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.