Restaurants teetering on the edge of bankruptcy need to get with the times, says a food industry expert who is passionate about helping failing eateries get their ledgers back in the black.
Chef Corbin Tomaszeski, who dines incognito as part of “Restaurant Takeover,” says he’s amazed that many restaurateurs are not up-to-date when it comes to social networking or don’t have Wi-Fi.
“If you look at the younger generation with their smartphones, you’ve got to get on board with that. People come in with their smartphones. What do they do?” he asked. “They take pictures, there’s Facebook, they’re tweeting, there’s Pinterest, Instagram, there’s all those things they do and that’s just with their cellphone,” he said.
“That’s a huge impact on your business and if you’re not set up for it, you’re screwed.”
Tomaszeski, who is executive chef at the Royal Ontario Museum and has 20 years experience in the food trade, is one of the experts who, along with designers, turn around failing eateries in the new show “Restaurant Takeover.”