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Recipe For Success
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Business New Haven
4/5/1999
By: Priscilla Searles
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The Union League Cafe, located at 1032 Chapel Street in New Haven, reopened in February after a wall from the adjoining Hyperion Theater damaged it during demolition. Owner-chef, Jean-Pierre Vuillermet, is too busy making plans for the future to lament over time lost.
What did your staff do during the shutdown?
We paid them during the shutdown and tried to keep them busy, a big incentive. Most have been with us for years and are highly trained, and we wanted them to stay. Training is critical in the restaurant business. Loyalty comes with good wages, a happy work environment and appreciation.
What training do you consider necessary for wait staff?
They need knowledge of wines, ingredients in the food. If someone is allergic to something, the waiter has to know if that ingredient is in the item the customer is ordering. Our employees are given a training manual and someone is assigned to work with them. It takes six weeks to learn the basics, but learning is an ongoing process.
What do you consider ongoing training?
Meeting with your staff often and going over menu changes. The wines and liquors we carry is important. We have weekly meetings and each member of the wait staff takes turns making a presentation. For example, if someone likes a particular wine then he is asked to make a presentation on that subject to the staff. We also have our staff taste all specials. Waiters are salesmen. The more knowledge, the better.
What words do you object to being used to describe the Union League, and what words do you consider positive?
'Expensive' and 'formal' don't describe us. A comfortable, relaxed atmosphere are more appropriate [words] for what we are. Comfortable begins when someone calls for a reservation. If they've never been here before, the voice on the phone is the first impression they are going to have about the Union League Cafe. We need to be friendly, to make them comfortable. That attitude has to be part of a patron's experience with us. No one wants to eat in a place where they feel they can't talk, can't relax. Atmosphere isn't just the décor.
How do you stay current, and keep things from getting stale (figuratively speaking)?
It starts with the wait staff - paying attention to patrons' comments, good or bad, and reporting them. Then we change our menu about three times a year, always trying out new items as a special first. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don't. Of course, we keep the basics, the variety, but we look for different presentations.
How optimistic are you about the future?
Activity on Chapel Street helps. A special event, theater presentation, museum exhibit, draws people downtown. People are more likely to come back to New Haven after work than they were a few years ago. We're adding a catering facility and conference center on the second floor. We're investing in the future of this area.
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