Hi Everyone.

Today, I’m going to update you on the progress of Lou Lou at the Beach being that I just had brunch there last weekend.

I know many of you are dying to know if the gorgeous new white plates are still in action . . . or did Lou Lou bring back that brightly coloured series of crockery?  Do you think she should be using the infamous coloured plates or the white ones to show off the colour of the food?

Well firstly, let’s recap on that episode of The Kitchen Job that told the tale of this restaurant’s makeover.  You may recall that the owner Lou Lou needed to reduce the staff numbers or the amount of hours they worked in order to remain viable.  It was decided that the owner’s daughter Holly, a recently trained chef, would reduce her hours at Lou Lou at the Beach, and come to work for me at Sal Rose.  It was a great opportunity for her to work with my crew, build her confidence and experience, and to learn more about the restaurant service.

I believe it’s important for young comers to the industry to experience different restaurants, different service styles and food types.  Holly agrees that she gained valuable learnings from the experience, which would always come in handy.

The plan was that as soon as Lou Lou’s got really busy again during the peak summer months,  Holly would go back and work for the family business there, she would then be able to apply the new things that she had learned.

Not too long after the show, summer arrived and Lou Lou at the Beach did indeed get very busy.  As planned, Holly stepped up to the challenge and back into the business.  With increased confidence she has been assisting in the kitchen at Lou Lou’s.

Which brings me to another issue that most owner operators who aren’t qualified chefs would identify with.  It’s almost impossible to hold on to a chef and to control what and how the food comes out from the kitchen.  The minute you raise certain issues, they can get defensive and walk out.  Lou Lou knows this very well and she had to have a permanent ad looking for a chef for her restaurant throughout the summer.

Anyhow, I went back to Lou Lou’s a week ago with a friend of mine for brunch.  We did enjoy our food.

I couldn’t help noticing a cat hanging around the place though.  This is not a good thing to do.  Pets at home can be very clean and well behaved, but in a restaurant they can be a real problem such as affecting people with allergies!

And now back to those infamous colour plates . . . yes, I noticed that Lou Lou has indeed decided to bring back the color plates . . . and to re-hang more of her colourful paintings on the walls.  This can sometimes create an unnecessary clutter of colors and features.

Not every restaurateur would take all the changes we propose during the making of the show; the most important thing though is that they follow a different direction from the one that led them astray.

The fact of the matter is, Lou Lou at the Beach still has a good vibe and the food still good.  (I think it was Holly who cooked our meals.)

So if you are ever over that way in Eastern Beaches or off to Howick, take a ride over and enjoy the ocean and a bite to eat at Lou Lou’s . . . and let me know if the cat is still there!

We wish them all the best.

Well, thank you all for following these posts of mine.

Take care.

John Palino

Tags: John Palino, Restaurant Makeover, The Kitchen Job