For one, no Kosher observing Jew will want to eat at your
restaurant without a reliable hashgacha (Kosher
certification). What makes a hashgacha reliable? There are a number of
well-known kosher organizations that almost all observant Jews find reliable,
such as the Orthodox Union (OU), OK, Kaf-K, Star K, as well as many Rabbis who
can provide certification. Of course, some people may still not want to eat at
your establishment if they don’t believe the hashgacha to be reliable, for
whatever reasons they may have. It is best to do research about each option and
what kind of clientele you would like to attract, as each organization and
Rabbi have their own guidelines that must be met to provide you with a Kosher
certificate.
One of the most recognized kosher certifications is the OU,
but it is also one of the strictest in their rules for kosher restaurants. All
the food can be completely 100% Glatt Kosher and everything served and cooked
with all the rules of Kosher in place, but if the organization does not approve
of a certain feature of your restaurant they will revoke their hashgacha. For
example, a Glatt Kosher restaurant in Manhattan with OU certification would
have live music several nights a week as well as a full bar. The OU had a
problem with this, as they hold to the strict rule that live music played at
the same time alcohol is served when there is no celebration (wedding, bar
mitzvah, etc.) was inappropriate, so the restaurant had no choice but to find
another Kosher certification since they did not want to get rid of their live
music. Recently, another kosher restaurant in NYC was forced to change its name
in order to get certification from the OU.
Some organizations even require restaurants to put security
cameras at their bar so that they can monitor how customers behave. Some don’t
allow kosher restaurants to hold special events for the Superbowl or
Valentine’s Day.
Even changing certifications can be tricky, since customers
may begin to wonder why a restaurant suddenly has a new hashgacha. It is
not uncommon for false rumors to quickly spread about why the certification was
changed, which may potentially seriously hurt business.
Another thing to consider is how many days a year a Glatt
Kosher restaurant would have to be closed. This includes every Friday evening,
every Saturday, every Jewish holiday, etc. In the end, a Glatt Kosher
restaurant in New York would only be open roughly 220 days a year.
Assuming the rent for the average restaurant in NY is about
$12,000 a month and electricity is about $3,000 a month, that means you will
have to spend about $180,000 a year just on rent and electricity. That is over
$800 a day, compared to a regular restaurant that would only have to pay less
than $500 a day since they are open more often. These figures don’t even
include employee salaries, insurance, licenses, etc. Many restaurants try to
cut closed days by offering prepaid, prix fixe Shabbat and holiday meals and staying
open later on Saturday nights. Restaurants even offer Passover Seders and full
holiday meals. However, you must also consider slow nights when you only have a
dozen or so prepaid customers on a Friday night and you need to turn away
walk-ins who would like to have a regular meal. Imagine having a prime location
in Manhattan and having to continually turn away people at the busiest times of
the week, when all other restaurants in NYC are making good money.
People often grumble at how prices at kosher
restaurants in NYC are so expensive, but this is because the restaurant needs
to pay almost double for Glatt Kosher meat compared to non-Kosher meat. For
example, your regular supermarket brand chicken cutlets usually run from about
$3 to $5 per pound. Glatt Kosher chicken cutlets can cost you double or even
triple that amount. This is due to the extra care and preparation taken to
ensure that the meat is completely kosher. You always know what you’re getting
with Glatt Kosher meat, so the prices will be higher.
Opening Glatt Kosher restaurants in Manhattan,
or anywhere else for that matter, isn’t for the faint of heart. Of course,
neither is it very simple to open any type of restaurant and sustain it for
however long. Thousands of restaurants shut down or exchange owners every year
in a big city like New York, many in just their first couple of years in
business. With kosher restaurants, there are so many obstacles to consider
before taking the leap and investing in such a venture. The only thing you can do
is put as much effort possible into creating the best possible restaurant you
can and always try different tactics with bringing in customers.
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