China Travel Blog

We are going for the Florida State/Alabama game in Jacksonville at the Alltell Stadium. I found a resteraunt for Thursday night. I need to find a “top 4 -5 star” resteraunt for Friday night. There will be 8 in our group. Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

In today’s modern fast paced world dinning out isn’t just about eating and leaving. There are many things involved in your experience. Today a restaurant must have a good ambiance, quality food, a good range of wines and drinks on their menu but is this enough. Today’s individual is exactly that, an individual with personal tastes and expectations, this person goes out to spend their hard earned money at a restaurant of their choice because it offers them the things that they want the most at that particular time. If I go out it is always about good service, fast but not rushed service, a good choice of different things, such as a nice choice of aperitifs, good tasting but not overdone food, a good wine and beer choice as well as a good choice of hard tack if I’m in the mood for that, a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere and most importantly “simplicity.” A restaurant that over does things by trying to be too extravagant, in their menu’s, their décor and service tends to be a restaurant that will rarely, if ever, see me.

The Wine magazine has a top 100 list that comes out every year and to be on this list is a highly coveted thing. The list for 2008 is as follows:

Eastern Cape

Smokey Swallows in East London with a trendy atmosphere and fine dinning food range including a touch of Indian and oriental foods.

Free State

De Oude Kraal in Bloemfontein, offering an incredible variety with Free State Farm style cooking with a touch of French Flair.

Seven on Kellner in Bloemfontein with a hip and happening atmosphere and Mediterranean African style foods.

Gauteng

Al Amin in Pretoria. Pakistani style food with flair of its own.

Amsale in Johannesburg.

Assagi in Johannesburg with its comfortable casual ambience and Italian style cooking.

Auberge Michel in Johannesburg is an elegant restaurant with French style cuisine and is the 1st restaurant to achieve a 5 star rating from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa

Le Canard in Johannesburg is an incredible upmarket restaurant set in a Georgian House. Visited by dignitaries, royalty, and a host of the famous and the not so famous, Le canard is famous for its ambiance and Old French style cooking.

The Green Truffle in Johannesburg is a mix of classic elegance meets contemporary cool. If you enjoy truffles (the chocolate or mushroom varieties) or anything with truffle as an ingredient then this would definitely be the place to go. The type of food served is contemporary mixed with fusion.

De Hoek in Mogale City.

Linger Longer in Johannesburg is a fine dining restaurant with its own special brand of elegance. Food served is fine dining with a South African Flair.

La Madeleine in Pretoria is an upmarket restaurant with French Mediterranean flair

Mosaic in Crocodile River valley is a sublime setting with an amalgamation of modern European and slightly spiced oriental cooking it is definitely worth coming.

Osteria Tre Nonni in Johannesburg with it’s relaxed atmosphere and Italian style cuisine.

Pomodoro in Johannesburg. Italian style cooking with hints of Spanish and French.

Ritrovo Ristorante in Tswane is Authentic Italian fine dinning.

Roots in Muldersdrift has African and Asian Cooking combined with French roots.

Sai Thai in Johannesburg. Meaning connected to Thailand lives up to its name as this restaurant serves some of the most authentic Thai food to be found around.

The Saxon in Johannesburg is a beautiful fine dinning restaurant with contemporary modern cuisine.

Sel et Poivre in Johannesburg has French Cuisine at its heart with undertones of African flavour in classical surroundings.

Le Soufflé in Johannesburg

Villa Francesca in Pretoria is an Intimate restaurant with beautiful surrounds serving choice Italian dishes.

Yamato

In Johannesburg is an upmarket Japanese style restaurant serving seafood, sushi and health foods.

Zemara in Pretoria is a Family friendly restaurant serving halaal African cuisine.

Kwazulu Natal

9th Avenue Bistro in Durban, an upmarket feel with fine dining elegance.

Aubergine in Hillcrest, Durban has a wonderfully relaxed ambience serving French cuisine.

Cleopatra in Kamberg Valley is A haven for food lovers with a style that is eclectic, contemporary Country cuisine.

Granny Mouse in Lidgetton has an Elegant ambiance with South African and International cuisine.

Hartford House in Mooi River is an elegant fine dining experience.

Havana in Durban is a vibrant grill and wine bar in the glamorous Sun Coast casino complex.

Ile Maurice in Umhlanga with its Upmarket feel and French style cuisine.

Lynton Hall is an Upmarket restaurant with fine dinning at heart.

La Petite Normandie in Ramsgate has a classic elegant feel with French cuisine at its core.

Spice on Florida in Durban with a relaxed atmosphere and a fusion style of cooking.

Umami in Salt rock is a fusion of Eastern, Mediterranean and European cuisine.

Limpopo

L’Orange Bleue in Bela Bela is a French Belgium restaurant with 4 star rating.

 

 

Mpumalanga

Artists’ Café in Hendriksdal with a comfortable hip and happening ambiance and Italian style cooking.

Mrs Simpson’s in Dullstroom has a comfortable intimate environment with Local cuisine.

Northern Cape

Die Hantam huis in Calvinia serves traditional fair in comfortable surrounds.

Le Must in Upington with its typical Kalahari warmth and comfortable hospitality.

Northwest

Silver Orange bistro in Hartbeespoort. South African classics with a modern twist.

Villa Del Palazzo at Sun City with its classic regional Italian cuisine.

Western Cape

95 Keeroom in Cape town. Italian with a reasonably priced menu and contemporary cool ambiance.

The Atlantic in Cape town has fine dining with an upmarket feel.

Aubergine in Cape Town is Fine dining at its best with a relaxed atmosphere.

Bahiados Vaqueiros in Mossel bay is A fine dining Portuguese style restaurant with an upmarket feel.

Barnyard Brasserie in Cape Town. Its meals are described as classic French peasant with modern sensibility.

Bibi’s kitchen in Cape Town. Indian style fair with an upmarket feel.

Bon Appétit in Cape Town has French cuisine with an upmarket ambiance.

Bosman’s in Paarl is Apart of the Grand Roche Hotel, the only Relais Gourmand in Africa and has fine dining at its heart with a luxurious upmarket feel.

Bouillabaisse in Franschhoek is a trendy Asian style seafood restaurant set in the heart of Franschhoek.

Bread and Wine in Franschhoek has contemporary style dining with a relaxed atmosphere.

The Cape Colony in Cape Town is apart of the luxurious Mount nelson hotel and of course has fine dining with an upmarket ambiance.

The Cape Malay in Cape Town is a quiet relaxed restaurant with Cape Malayan Cooking at its core.

Cargills in Cape Town is intimate, romantic and sophisticated, with fine dining, and French contemporary cooking.

Castle Hotel in Cape Town has Portuguese style cooking with a comfortable and casual ambiance.

Catharina’s in Cape Town with Fine South African Dining and an upmarket ambiance.

Caveau in Cape Town is a continental Wine bar with a relaxed atmosphere.

The Cedar in Cape Town.

La Colombe in Cape Town offers modern and innovative French cuisine with touches of Asian elements.

Constantia Uitsig in Cape Town a Wine farm atmosphere with Italian cuisine at heart.

Daniela’s in Knysna is an intimate and elegant restaurant at leisure isle lodge.
Emily’s in Cape Town has an upmarket atmosphere with a South African Style Cuisine.

Firefly in Knysna is an intimate restaurant on the lagoon.

The Food Barn in Cape Town French cuisine mixed with South African flavours. Fine dinning to suit every pocket.

Fu.Shi in Plettenburg Bay is a fusion cuisine restaurant.

Ginja in Cape Town. Fine Fusion dining with an upmarket feel.

Grandeprovence in Franschhoek has French cuisine at heart with a special upmarket feel.

The Greenhouse in Cape Town has global international food types with an upmarket ambiance.

Haiku in Cape Town has a Contemporary cool Ambiance with Asian flair.

Haute Cabriere in Franschhoek has an elegant ambiance with continental fusion cooking.

Ile De Pain in Knysna has a comfy and casual ambiance with French Mediterranean cooking.

Jardine in Cape Town has a Contemporary cool atmosphere with Continental, South African cooking.

Jemima’s in Oudtshoorn.

Joostenberg Bistro in Stellenbosch with its casual comfort atmosphere and organic cooking.

Kitma in C ape town.

De Leeuwen Jagt in Paarl. Good South African cooking in a relaxed atmosphere.

Magica Roma in Cape Town is a warm traditional restaurant with Italian in every nook and cranny.

Manna Epicure in Cape Town, a Trendy ambiance with tapas and Bistro style cuisine.

Manolo in Cape Town is a Trendy restaurant with contemporary fusion style cuisine.

Marc’s in Paarl has Mediterranean style meals with a very relaxed atmosphere.

Megu in Paarl is a chic Japanese style restaurant.

Mon Plaisir in Stellenbosch with its Traditional French recipes and warm, relaxing atmosphere.

Mzoli’s Place in Cape Town lively and full of fun. You buy your meat at the butchery and they offer to braai it for you well worth the visit.

Noon gun in Cape Town is relaxed with traditional Malay meals.

Reuben’s in Franschhoek has contemporary cuisine with a Comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.

Sand in Plettenburg Bay is a sophisticated fine dining, upmarket restaurant.

Serendipity in Wilderness. Fine dinning with definite South African flavours.

The Showroom in Cape Town. Contemporary cool ambiance with contemporary fusion cooking.

Sinn’s in Cape Town. Continental with a relaxed atmosphere.

Stonehill in Little Brak River is an intimate restaurant with French style dining.

The tasting room in Franschhoek.

The Tea Garden in Paternoster.

Terroir in Stellenbosch has French South African cuisine with a touch of elegance.

 Tokara in Stellenbosch.

Topsy and Co in Franschhoek.

Zachary’s in Knysna has a traditional atmosphere with contemporary cooking.

Top 10 everyday restaurants

Bibi’s in Cape Town

Carlton Café in Pretoria

The food barn in Cape Town

Ile De Pain in Knysna

Joostenberg Bistro in Stellenbosch

Le Soufflé in Johannesburg

Mzoli’s place in Cape Town

Sai Thai in Johannesburg

The tea garden in Paternoster

Zemara in Pretoria

Top 10 smart casual

Bon Appétit in Simons Town

Bread and Wine in Franschhoek

Jardine in Cape Town

La Madeleine in Pretoria

Megu in Paarl

Ritrovo in Pretoria

Spice on Florida in Durban

Terroir in Stellenbosch

Umami in Salt rock KZN

Yamato in Johannesburg

Top 10 deluxe

Auberge Michel in Johannesburg

Aubergine in Cape Town

Bosman’s at Grand Roche

Cleopatra Mountain Lodge in Kamberg

Hartford House in Mooi River

Linger Longer in Johannesburg

Roots in Krugersdorp

The Saxon in Johannesburg

Tasting Room at le Quartier in Franschhoek

Zachary’s in Knysna.

Go try them out and enjoy the good life.      

Keeping in mind to increase profits, restaurant has to follow a variety of marketing strategies. Often, restaurant requires large number of things that include food, cooking equipment, catering supplies, furniture and sanitation aids. A variety of equipment that includes refrigerators, cooking equipment, food processors, dishwashers and furniture are long-term investments and are not shopped in bulk by restaurant owners. Restaurant supplies work to attract people and leave them with an unforgettable memory.

With a view to offer a memorable experience for diners, the premises of restaurants and/or bars and especially their interiors are to be made luxurious and comfortable. The restaurant supplies assist in ascertaining that the activities of the restaurant are performed well and customers are served satisfactorily.

Those manufacturers who distribute their products directly to the market or supply them to wholesalers offer highest percentage of discounts on restaurant supplies. Most of the restaurant supplies are required for daily use and have to be often stocked. These restaurant supplies include foodstuff for instance dairy, meat, fruit, vegetable, tea, coffee, condiments and oil. A number of retailers are available to offer these daily use supplies at discounted rates. Nowadays, it has become necessary to check the credentials of suppliers because, even a single complaint against a particular restaurant can lead to suspension of licenses or end in a costly lawsuit.

Retailers and whole sellers are offering discounts on restaurant supplies, but the discount rate offered depending upon the size of an order. If minimum order requirements are met, the discounts provided are very high and thus lucrative for a restaurant. Some of the common supplies that include paper napkins, aluminum foil, containers, disposable plates, glasses, spoons, forks, knives and chopsticks are available at discounted rates when bulk orders are made. Most of the restaurants shop their supplies from varied manufacturers and retailers in wholesale.

Before making a final deal, it is necessary to search through the internet for getting maximum discounts. In these days, restaurant owners are taking advice from professionals who have ability to scan the market and evaluate the discounts before selecting a supplier for each item on the restaurant’s list of supplies.

Hey, check out these auctions: Cool, arent they?

Starting a restaurant business is a daunting task. There are a number of things that have to be considered in order to make your restaurant business successful that includes the location, target market, type of ownership, and of course budget. Out of these four factors, budget plays an important role to determine your business worth. If you are satisfied with your budget, then you have to look forward for a suitable deal that will help you save in purchasing wholesale restaurant equipment.

Since the emergence of the internet, a number of suppliers now offer wholesale restaurant equipment online. A variety of options are available through the internet so that you can make an extensive research before making any purchase. It is advised to purchase restaurant supplies from reputed whole sellers as they have exchange policy. In case you find damaged equipment, you can demand for a replacement.

A good restaurant required a variety of supplies and the costs involved in purchasing this equipment are huge. Most of the restaurant owners purchase restaurant equipment from the wholesale market as these equipment is available at lower rates. Some of the supplies for instance tea, coffee, condiments, oil, dairy, meat, fruit and vegetable, etc are required on a daily basis.

Some of the equipment like refrigerators, food processors and dishwashers are enduring investments and are not shopped in bulk by restaurant owners. All the requirements are not fulfilled by whole sellers so that; there are some restaurant supplies that are purchased often from retail market. This includes foodstuff for instance dairy, meat, fruit and vegetable. Some foodstuff such as tea, coffee, beer, wine, pulses, whole-wheat and oil, are required daily and do not spoil easily.

Purchasing wholesale restaurant equipment enables restaurant owners to find great savings. Compared to retail suppliers, most wholesale suppliers sell supplies at low prices as they usually have a large stock and have the authority to make mass purchases. Because of this, they can offer greater discounts to their customers who also make purchases in bigger quantity. With the advent of the internet, it has become very easy to get restaurant supplies at wholesale rate from home. Professional advice is also available online.

Restaurant owners have limited options for commercial mortgages, relative to other businesses and building types.  One of the most common options is the SBA loans.  Although not perfect, they can be a viable option.  For one, they are still reliable and are still closing.  Two, they do offer some of the lowest fixed rates available and the highest level of financing for restaurant loans. 

 

Interest rates for restaurant loans are currently in the mid 6%’s to mid 7%’s depending on the particulars of the transaction.  Combine that with 85% financing on purchases AND 85% financing on refinances and it is easy to see why the SBA has had such a huge impact on American Small Businesses. 

 

Compare that to traditional bank financing, rates are about the same, but you would have to come out of pocket 30-40% of the purchase price.  Refinance financing is more limited and harder to close and loan to values are normally capped at 50-60% as well.  Again with the SBA programs you can go up to 85% loan to value on refinances on restaurant loans.   

 

The SBA programs have received a lot of criticism over the years, some of it warranted, some of it not.  One of the biggest complaints is the time frame and bureaucratic process.  A key to avoiding the long delays is to work only with PLP lenders.  If you do not your loan will have to be underwritten and approved twice, once by the funding bank and secondly by the SBA.  If you work with a PLP lender the loan will only have to be underwritten once, and you will avoid at least one month of delays.  It is common to close SBA loans in 60 days which is right in line with all commercial loans. 

 

Another major criticism is that the fees are excessive.  The SBA 7a loan normally has a 2.75% front end “SBA Guarantee Fee” and the 504 has a 2.5% fee for its half of the loan.  However it is important to realize that not all lenders and the way they structure deals are the same.  For example we work with a bank that will absorb/pays for this fee for the borrower.  So the borrower gets all of the benefits of a long term fixed rate loan with zero fees. 

 

In terms of fixed rates it depends on how the loan is structured.  With the SBA 504 you can easily get 7 to 10 year fixed rates, with 25 year amortization schedules.  With the SBA 7a most are floating, however it can be offered as a 3, 5 and though rare, 10 year fixed rates.  We are currently working with two banks that offer the 7a as a 5 year fixed loan for restaurants.   Again, as a comparison most bank financing will not exceed 3 -5 years, and the amortization schedules rarely exceed 20 years with loan to value restrictions at 50 060%.  

The SBA programs can provide a lot of flexibility compared to conventional bank financing.  Again, keep in mind that not all lenders/banks that use the SBA guarantee are the same.  So, if you have been turned down by a bank that offers SBA loans, it does not mean that you are ineligible for SBA financing, it may just mean that the actual funding bank, didn’t like your deal.   The SBA is not the lender, they are guaranteeing the loan for the funding bank in case of borrower default.  At the end of the day the bank is still on the hook for the loan and banks appetite for deals and guidelines vary widely.   And the way that banks structure the loans vary as well.  Again, for example 99% of banks offer the 7a as a floating rate, we however have access to a 5 year fixed, 7a program.