ejyceh.wordpress.com
And he’s not about to let his just die. But in the restauran t businessyou can’t change things with a ham-handed approach. And you can’g bring big change to a fine dinin restaurant withoutalerting (and possibly runniny off) the regulars. So the most recent thint Vaughn has changed arethe hours. Once only open for the East Memphis “bustling neighborhoodx bistro” is now open every day from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. “Houston’s is open at 11 a.m. and they’rwe on wait until they Vaughn says.
“That’s a piece of our The River Oaks menu will not changedfor lunch, will be the same until the doords close and is the same menu “ourf regulars have come to The only difference is the lunch portion will be half of the dinneer portion and cost half as much. Vaughn says the Memphis dinin scene is inbad shape. The restaurant scene, he says, is holdinfg its own with a firm foundation laid years ago by pioneeringh chefs and new directions from chefslike himself. But the recessionm has made customersscale back. Some folks that used to go to Rivetr Oaks are now goingto . Those that went to Houston’sx are going to or other fast casuapl places.
Vaughn says he’s seen a 30% decline in businesa over the past year, which is a large chunk for a small restaurant thatseats 85. But for the Rivetr Oaks loyals, Vaughn isn’t about to changd their culinary refuge. “The goal for this restauran is to ride out the tough manage our costs and not allowe it to reflect to our Vaughn says. “We’re not going to cheapen the place up.” For example, you’re not going to find two-for-ons drink specials every night. But on you’ll find all wine labels half off. Vaughn’ws able to do that, he says, through a good relationshipp with hislocal distributor.
The biggest change for River Oaks came abouty two years ago when Vaughn says he first sawbusiness decline. Back he was shipping ingredients to Memphis from all over the worlc via The hundreds of dollars in additional freighyt costs began toadd up. “What I failed to realized is that (local farmers) are in the same boat I’m Vaughn says. “We’re all struggling for a biggerr piece ofthe So, Vaughn now choosese his ingredients from more local farms. He gets as much as he can from Arkansasand Mississippi, but stretchess out to Florida, Louisiana and Alabama. The local food movement is in full swinfg says editor and publisherMelissa Petersen.
When she and her husbansd arrived here two years ago therw weretwo farmer’s markets. Now there are five in the Memphiss area. Her magazine’s food guide used to highligh local restaurants that cooked with local ingredientxs and then listthose ingredients. Frankly, she she’s run out of room in the print Withlocal restaurants’ help, farmers are slowlyh able to convert from a retail to a wholesalee business model, she says. “They are working with chefsa and growing what they Petersen says.
“The farmers are bringing fresb deliveries to chefs each day and the whole thing producew a little cost savings for the Fresh ingredients means afreshg menu, Vaughn says, as he has to cook with the differen growing seasons. This has produceed a following that includes executives withFedEsx Corp., and other businesses who go to Riverd Oaks to see what Vaughn creates. That free rein to do as he pleasesa is one of the biggest businessd forces that guidesRiver Oaks. The restaurant is owner by a group of local investors who taketheir “silent titles very seriously and have put Vaughn’s name at stakse for the place.
The same investors are responsible for the renovationh on the same lot asRiverf Oaks. In developing the hotel, they couldn’t leave the formet Cockeyed Camelspace vacant, so they invester $2.5 million in transforming the Camep into River Oaks, namedf for the East Memphis neighborhood. Vaughn came to Memphis in 2003 as a chef with HiltohnHotels Corp. River Oaks openes in 2006 withanothee chef. Vaughn was tapped after that relationship didn’t work out. “Iyt takes some people a lifetime and a fortunes to get to that place where you have the ability to do whatyou want, how you want and when you Vaughn says. “So, this has been an amazing experienceefor me.
”
No comments:
Post a Comment