Our prices are going up
We’ve made many new investments into Nobelhart & Schmutzig in recent months. Investments in the employees who’ve shown us long-term loyalty and in equipment for the restaurant — at this point our kitchen is almost exclusively using stainless steel and clay instead of plastic. We’ve also invested in the quality of the products, especially in the wine cellar. There are a few things lurking down there that are purposely kept off the list (Clos Rougeard, Overnoy and Richard Leroy, if we allow ourselves to engage in a little name dropping). We don’t want them to get drunk too fast. It’s admittedly a different approach to business: we buy things, but don’t sell them — at least not all of them. But seven lean years shall be followed by seven fat ones.
Earlier this year we created a new job opening for a chef to serve as a liaison between the producers and us. We are in the city and we need someone who is very much at home in the fields and in the stalls. Someone who can get outside Berlin quick and then channel the absolute finest products from the Spreewald, Uckermark and Müritz directly into the restaurant. Someone who knows how to cook and can work directly together with the producers on bringing Micha Schäfer’s ideas to life.
But if we’re being honest, there’s more to it. After three years of blissful levitation, the reality of the German restaurant scene has finally caught up with us. We’ve noticed that on some Tuesdays and Wednesdays a few seats are unfilled at the great table. Hardly unexpected for a restaurant with almost 40 spots available, but Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are always bursting at the seams. We get why, but still… We have to employ our staff five days a week to ensure that quality remains steady even on the busiest days; but when Tuesday and Wednesday don’t sell out, our labor costs end up too high. The whole model begins to wobble. So we’re taking action. Starting on May 3, 2018, the ten-course menu with Brita water will cost € 120 on every Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and evenings before holidays. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, however, will remain unchanged at € 95.
This decision to offer different pricing for the same service is considered radical in the restaurant industry and ho-hum pretty much everywhere else. Take hotels as an example: when demand is high, prices rise. If rooms are available, they drop. Flexible price adjustments will let us maintain five days of evening service with bulletproof staff coverage and our customary high efficiency. I think the idea’s going to catch on.
Thanks for supporting our efforts.
Best,
Billy Wagner
Our prices are going up
We’ve made many new investments into Nobelhart & Schmutzig in recent months. Investments in the employees who’ve shown us long-term loyalty and in equipment for the restaurant — at this point our kitchen is almost exclusively using stainless steel and clay instead of plastic. We’ve also invested in the quality of the products, especially in the wine cellar. There are a few things lurking down there that are purposely kept off the list (Clos Rougeard, Overnoy and Richard Leroy, if we allow ourselves to engage in a little name dropping). We don’t want them to get drunk too fast. It’s admittedly a different approach to business: we buy things, but don’t sell them — at least not all of them. But seven lean years shall be followed by seven fat ones.
Earlier this year we created a new job opening for a chef to serve as a liaison between the producers and us. We are in the city and we need someone who is very much at home in the fields and in the stalls. Someone who can get outside Berlin quick and then channel the absolute finest products from the Spreewald, Uckermark and Müritz directly into the restaurant. Someone who knows how to cook and can work directly together with the producers on bringing Micha Schäfer’s ideas to life.
But if we’re being honest, there’s more to it. After three years of blissful levitation, the reality of the German restaurant scene has finally caught up with us. We’ve noticed that on some Tuesdays and Wednesdays a few seats are unfilled at the great table. Hardly unexpected for a restaurant with almost 40 spots available, but Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are always bursting at the seams. We get why, but still… We have to employ our staff five days a week to ensure that quality remains steady even on the busiest days; but when Tuesday and Wednesday don’t sell out, our labor costs end up too high. The whole model begins to wobble. So we’re taking action. Starting on May 3, 2018, the ten-course menu with Brita water will cost € 120 on every Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and evenings before holidays. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, however, will remain unchanged at € 95.
This decision to offer different pricing for the same service is considered radical in the restaurant industry and ho-hum pretty much everywhere else. Take hotels as an example: when demand is high, prices rise. If rooms are available, they drop. Flexible price adjustments will let us maintain five days of evening service with bulletproof staff coverage and our customary high efficiency. I think the idea’s going to catch on.
Thanks for supporting our efforts.
Best,
Billy Wagner