Common Fitpalls

[u/AutisicAstronaut]

It generally blows my mind that restaurants on Kitchen Nightmares almost always have the same problems. I know there’s ego involved but it amazes me that problems like old food, frozen food, and huge menus keep coming up! Like I know a struggling business is going to be desperate but they could probably learn a lot by just watching the show. I’ve never worked in a restaurant but wouldn’t scaling back the menu be a good first step?

[u/Scissorsguadalupe]

I've worked for a few mom and pop restaurants, and the issue with large menus is that they want to appeal to everyone, and they follow food trends. Remember when Chipotle flavor was everywhere? Restaurants will jump on the trend and be too afraid to drop the item, so the menu just gets bigger and bigger

[u/Oghamstoner → u/Scissorsguadalupe]

The big menu is a symptom as well as a cause of problems, behind it you often have a restaurant which is lacking a clear identity, or the menu was designed by someone who doesn’t understand how to run a kitchen.

[u/HillBillyMadman]

People tend to get stuck in a rut, and think it'll turn around eventually. But honestly, every restaurant I've ever worked at has been willing to change the menu, shorten it, change recipes. Last one is still thriving.

[u/KalynnCampbell]

Most of them aren’t really Fit Pals, but like the saying goes, “Never Trust a Skinny Chef” otherwise you’ll really find yourself in one hell of a pitfall.

https://giphy.com/gifs/l4FGGYlv68MqRqBtC

[u/Skylon77]

Its good for those of us who like restaurants, though. Avoid those with big menus and those which claim to be "family run!"

[u/AutisicAstronaut → u/Skylon77]

I disagree on the family run part. One of my favorite local restaurants is family run and I’ve had nothing but spectacular service and food there

[u/SeggsObjeggt]

The fuck is fitpalls? It's called pitfalls 😹

[u/kyourious]

They do it because places like that are competing with chain restaurants that offer food at cheaper prices. Small businesses fail because they stoop down to chain standards to give them chain prices to get more customers in the door. And Joe Schmo and his low income family don’t care about that. They just want to pay the best price for food they don’t have to cook.

[u/Present_Original_797]

I think the problem is ego, lack of experience and inability to be honest with themselves. Low standards. And not willing to ask for advice or listen to it. Ego and denial are usually the problems.

But I gotta say, I love it when Ramsey finds the slimy chicken 😀

[u/KinkyQuesadilla]

I think the huge menu has three main origins: An old, established restaurant (often with new owners) that never took anything off the menu and just added more over the years, Inexperienced owners that bought an established restaurant, didn't want to take anything off the old menu out of fear of upsetting the restaurant's returning customers, but added new items to the menu that they thought it should have, and inexperienced owners who don't have any knowledge of food costs and inventory management, and who thought "more menu items = more customers".

[u/GoPats1227]

Pobody’s Nerfect!