You won't be hard-pressed to find a picture of a mouth-watering waffle on social media. But you might not find a waffle house as easily. So, we had a vision to bring authentic Belgian waffles and designer milkshakes to a place where unforgettable memories can be made – Little Belgium Waffle House. This is a short story of how our soft opening hit us hard and what we learned from it.
As most restaurateurs will know, the pillars of an establishment are three-fold: Concept, Chef, Location. It didn't take long to settle on a concept, a chef or location. It did, however, take months of construction, planning, and training; plus, hours of enticing the town of Benoni on social media.
The time seemed to fly on by and we were down to just a few hours before our soft opening. Panic had set in and our restaurant grounds matched our inbox – filled with waffle enthusiasts. We told ourselves that we were going to get the experience we needed to ensure our longevity.
Fast forward 45 minutes into the opening and our kitchen was backed up, wafflers were growing impatient and our staff buckled under the pressure. We were at capacity and had to turn away guests. We learned first-hand that experience is a great teacher, but her fees are high!
Since our soft opening, we have streamlined our processes, improved our recipes, milkshakes and went through rigorous hospitality training. We are ready for our pending public opening, Friday 18th October.
In conclusion, we have to agree that experience is a great teacher, great like our delicious waffles – don't believe us? Put us to the test – we're now open for business.
Till next time wafflers.
Yours in waffles and love,
LB Team