In the cutthroat restaurant business, operators of successful local eateries have become adept at divining the fickle wishes of their customers.
Diners following the Atkins Diet want their restaurant meals minus carbohydrates, but at the same time, they may be partial to trendy new martinis. Local beach establishments are busiest during Easter week, and downtown Tampa restaurateurs know that if there's a hockey game, they'll get a wave of hurried diners trying to beat the starting buzzer.
Those are some of the quirks restaurant managers observe day in and day out. Each day brings a new set of whims, fads and eclectic culinary trends — all of which influence how a restaurant operates.
"People are not eating carbs, the bread and potatoes come back to us," explained Peter Vanderburg, an owner at Café European, 113 S. Hyde Park Ave., in downtown Tampa. "It's the Atkins Diet — we're just loaded up with spare bread and potatoes."
Restaurateurs are alert to not only what their customers eat, but when they eat, too. Vanderburg keeps a schedule of St. Petersburg Times Forum and Tampa Bay Performing Art Center schedules so he knows when pre-game or pre-performance diners will show up at the door.
"They come in at 6:45 and they must be out a half past [7 p.m.]," he explained. He said that is also partly why his restaurant is busiest from Thursday through Saturday. On weekdays during lunch the restaurant is almost always jammed from noon to 1 p.m., when hungry patrons order fish and chips — the most popular lunch dish. When Vanderburg's customers turn up for dinner Monday nights, beef Wellington wins the popularity contest hands down.
Likewise, restaurants on the beach report Fridays and Saturdays are their biggest days, but the weather and seasonal migration of tourists affect their business, too.
"Europeans eat later, so in the summer our biggest crowds are here later, at eightish. In the winter, it's more like at 5 p.m. It all depends on the weather and who is in town," said Karin Scerenscko, manager at Skidder's Restaurant, a popular eatery at 5799 Gulf Blvd. in St. Pete Beach.
Skidder's busiest month is either March or April, depending upon when Easter falls, with Easter week unusually busy. October is probably the slowest month, since it lacks holidays and occurs during the tourist off-season.
Generally, the same factors affect another beach restaurant, Guppy's on the Beach, at 1701 Gulf Blvd. on Indian Rocks Beach. According to its manager Rob Thompson, the restaurant is busiest on Saturdays between 7:30-8:30 p.m. He also said that regulars like to dine on Mondays, when many other restaurants close. Guppy's top-selling entrée is potato-crusted salmon and the most popular dessert is upside-down apple walnut pie crowned with cinnamon ice cream (yummy).
With an older crowd and lots of loyal regulars, Pappas' Riverside Restaurant in Tarpon Springs figures that some of its diners have been eating there for 50 years or more, according to manager Mike Finnegan. The restaurant, located at 10 Dodecanese Blvd., also draws a healthy crowd of tourists visiting the sponge docks, who turn out in big numbers for lunch.
"Our biggest day of the year is like a lot of restaurants all over the U.S., it is Mother's Day. This past Mother's Day we [served] over 1,700 people," he reported. "Easter is a close second, despite the fact we are a Greek restaurant. Greek Easter is not busy because it is a stay-at-home holiday. Saturday is traditionally the busiest night, but we are busier during the week at lunch."
"At Pappas' we are getting back to the traditional Greek fare that we were once famous for. So some of our dishes might seem weird, but they are mainstream for a Greek restaurant. Our best-selling desserts are our assortment of Greek pastries," he said. Greek beer is another solid-selling Greek item, but prime rib, an American standard, is ordered more than their Greek entrées.
Frank Basta, owner for 18 years of Basta's Restaurant, at 1625 Fourth St. S. in St. Petersburg, is seeing a newer, younger clientele. They turn up later in the evening and order sophisticated wine to accompany the restaurant's Italian fare.
"We have a wine bar with exclusive vintages, as our customers want really good wines. They want good Cabernets and Chardonnays, ranging in price from $20 to $250. And we're seeing new, younger customers, people in their 30s and 40s, maybe who own their own businesses and appreciate fine food and wine."
At Grillmarks New World Bistro & Bar, the biggest days of the year are New Year's Eve, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. These days show a 40- to 50-percent jump over normal daily sales, according to owner Nick Pappas (not related to the family that runs the Tarpon Springs restaurant). His chic, modern eatery is located at 607 N. Clearwater-Largo Road in Largo.
Grillmarks' busiest month is February, when people usually are ready to spend again after a month of recuperating from Christmas. Additionally, the tourist high season, which used to last from November to May, is now shrinking to something more like January through April. "It's getting smaller every year," Pappas reports.
On Fridays, diners are more likely to show up spontaneously, without a reservation. Saturdays are the restaurant's biggest day, when the eatery fills up earlier.
People often request vegetarian and Atkins Diet dishes. Pappas reports that his diners are adventurous eaters who will try sweet mashed potatoes with grouper piccata, along with more standard entrées, like Ahi tuna, salmon, chicken Marsala and grilled filet mignon. They favor trendy, complex martinis flavored with watermelon, sour apple and chocolate. But they fall back to comforting, gooey and basic desserts, like creme brulée, Key lime pie and fried apple pie. His best-seller by far is a Godiva brownie sundae composed of two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled with chocolate, caramel and a glacier of fresh whipped cream on top.
Some things never change.
Food Editor Sara Kennedy dines anonymously, and Weekly Planet pays for her meals. She can be reached at sara.kennedy@weeklyplanet.com or 813-248-8888 ext. 116.
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2003.