Kevin Plaut owns and operates Harry’s Bishop’s Nook in West Hartford, Connecticut. A longtime worker, Kevin and his spouse, Anne, purchased the restaurant in 2007 after founder Harry Rufleth retired.
Q: Having taken over a long-established restaurant, did you discover any points with long-time prospects as they adjusted to the brand new possession?
A: The adjustment was a constructive one. The enterprise after I took it over was affected by an absence of administration. The proprietor had fallen sick and wasn’t in a position to be there as typically. He was trusting the enterprise with some youthful youngsters who have been letting gross sales slide and didn’t actually have an entire lot of administration expertise. When my spouse and I took it over on a full-time foundation, we have been in a position to present some administration and a few construction. We put some techniques in play and acquired the workers as much as par. We have been in a position to flip issues round.
Q: You’ve been thought of among the many greatest New Haven-style pizzerias and have gained the awards to show it. Is it diffi cult to keep up such a excessive customary every day?
A: It really has confirmed to not be so diffi cult. Numerous it comes all the way down to our workers. We deal with our workers with respect (and) we give them as a lot versatility as we will. We’ve got a youthful workers of highschool and faculty college students in addition to some workers which might be of their 50s who’ve a variety of years of expertise. We’ve created a tradition the place the workers actually likes being at work, they care concerning the prospects and the job that they’re doing. They’ve created an atmosphere the place everyone’s on prime of their sport and offers the consistency that our prospects have come to anticipate.
Q: You deliberately maintain your bottled wine costs low, with some priced at simply $10. Does this improve gross sales?
A: Our highest worth bottle is $20 proper now, however we characteristic our $10 bottles. It’s actually been a hook for us and an enormous (a part of) our advertising marketing campaign. We wish good bottles of wine at cheap costs. I typically go for a couple of 100- % mark-up and I discovered that it’s been tremendously profitable. Lots of people are uninterested in paying a 300- to 400-percent mark-up on bottles of wine once they know they will go to the bundle retailer subsequent door and get it for lots much less. This places a bottle of wine inside attain for dinner.
Q: At this level within the sport, what sort of advertising is important?
A: We don’t spend an entire lot on conventional advertising reminiscent of fl yers or mail-outs or newspapers. We do do some native magazines. I do have a PR one that assists me in a variety of press releases … which have sort of paved the highway in getting critiques. As soon as we’ve gotten individuals within the door, we’ve discovered that they’re sticking round. One other huge factor we do is fundraising occasions and something we will do in crossbusiness promotions.
Q: Now that you just’ve had a few years to get your toes moist as an proprietor, do you’ve gotten any progress plans established?
A: We’re really plans to increase the present retailer. There’s alternative the place the house subsequent to us is probably opening up and we’re including a wine and beer bar to increase the wine and beer menu. … We’ll possibly add some cubicles and a few tables for giant events. We’re a small restaurant and we’re bursting on the seams proper now.
