What should you expect at a restaurant's soft opening? —Tim R., St. Louis
My stock answer is "everything from pandemonium to a perfect meal," usually skewing toward the former. But it's all by design. The soft opening is, above all, a training exercise. And the rules are that there are no rules...or not many of them anyway.
The process of opening a restaurant has changed over the years. For decades, an owner could unlock the doors and knew it would be weeks until word of mouth eventually filled the place—and months (well, 30 days at least) until a restaurant critic would pen any kind of a review. Some owners would spend time and money on employee training, but a lot of the “training” was done at the early diners’ expense.
Then came the rise of private, pre-opening parties, held for friends, family, neighbors, and influencers, sometimes hosted by a charity. “That way, at least you know who’s coming and when they’re coming,” says OG Hospitality’s Brant Baldanza. The food at such parties is often comped (in exchange for providing actionable feedback), but alcohol usually is not. “These events are celebrations but also used for training,” Baldanza adds. “If alcohol is free, people tend to hang around which means other people have to wait—clearly not the best way to start out."
Then came the soft opening, an unannounced number of days or shifts in which guests arrive at will and usually pay for their meals. A limited menu is often served at full price or a discount. During some soft openings, a restaurant’s website, phone number, and social media links are either quiet or absent. To limit the crowds, some owners even wait to erect signage until after the so-called “softies.” (In many circles, the terms “friends and family event” and “soft opening” have now taken on the same meaning, further confusing the issue.)
Then something interesting happened: The onset of social media—with its real-time postings on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram—put an end to any softness in the soft opening. I’ve stated on numerous occasions that new restaurants are “one tweet away from a full house” and, fairly or unfairly, all the uncontrollable public commentary that might ensue.
Consequently, many restaurants have thrown in the kitchen towel and are now publicizing their soft opening (or the food publications and bloggers do it for them), removing its meaning and purpose. And when the public finds out that a restaurant is open, it's open—soft or hard opening, ready or not.
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
