Opening Week at number eighteen

Wednesday of last week saw number eighteen brasserie really hit the ground running. Starting the day the team photo was on page 2 of the ‘Brecon & Radnor’, along with some choice words to advertise the beginning of this new venture. Before we even opened our doors, we had plenty of bookings streaming in… On the first night, we hit full capacity, and all the team members felt the buzz of a great atmosphere, mirrored by the great feedback from our customers. Having said that, we made some changes yet again before Thursday’s service, and so the cycle continues. Simone gladly stepped in as maitre d’ on Thursday evening for us – we were a little short-staffed, and she did a sterling job! I worried that some of the customers may have thought that she was on the menu…. And Friday night we decided to give the governor a chance to strut his stuff! Steve joined us as maitre d’ for the first time. He successfully managed to sell about 11 bottles of wine to a lovely table of ladies, who then proceeded to sing their way through the evening. Although his ability to upsell is unrivalled at the moment, his smooth moving through the restaurant is still a little unnerving. Based upon the success of his first night, we decided to give him the leading role on Saturday night too. Much more civilised tonight, as the world cup and England’s first game seemed to take over may lives, Steve wasn’t running so much up and down those stairs. Having impressed several lovely ladies with his charm and wit, his working night came to an end, with a number eighteen ‘special’ (a pre-dinner cocktail served here), and once his wife arrived, Steve managed to catapult his glass across the restaurant and down the stairs. It really was a truly spectacular image, that to this moment I still cannot fathom how he managed it. With that, a speedy departure, and our guest maitre d’ was off…. Several larger parties made bookings, and between the copious amounts of fine wine on tables, and the singing customers and team members, a good time was to be had by all. Saturday morning however, a few spanners arrived in the works – Firstly, Steph found herself swimming in oil in the kitchen….. who knew that there was a special tap to empty the fryer?! Then the kitchen printer decided it was an appropriate time to stop printing, right in the middle of lunch!!!! By evening, we thought we’d sussed it all out, redirecting technology here, there and everywhere! However, the night still proved interesting to say the least – front of house had to be on top of their game to make sure the orders actually reached the kitchen. By Sunday though, we were tired, and most of the team were ready for a day off! Having had almost 200 people walk through our doors, we were content knowing our first week had been a success, and though keen for week two to begin, we needed a little nap. However, we hit back again last night, with yet again a full house and an enthusiastic team!! Steve and Sam popped in for a little aperitif, although this time Steve wasn’t allowed to carry the glass anywhere! Full house meant a happy team, and happy customers left us making return visit bookings…. We are looking forward to the rest of our week – with Father’s Day on Sunday, who knows what surprises lay in store…

Preview Week......

This week has flown by us here at number eighteen. Saturday and Sunday were spent unpacking our beautiful new kitchen, cleaning and putting everything in its right place. Countless pairs of hands on deck, and hours of elbow grease have left us with a stunning new open kitchen, on view to the whole restaurant. The beginning of the week saw stress levels peak, but adrenaline took over, and the excitement and buzz of the preview nights caught hold of everyone like a fever! By Tuesday afternoon, we were a little unsure as to whether or not we would have a restaurant to set! There were builders everywhere, tying up loose ends, electricians blowing fuses, plumbers fixing sinks, and an eager, enthusiastic team front of house who couldn’t wait to get stuck in to clean the place up! All in all, it was chaos – bodies everywhere! Nevertheless, despite a little wager placed between Steve and our friend James Suter (who was convinced it wouldn’t come together) the team pushed on to create a beautiful surrounding for our family and friends on Tuesday night. We had a banquet served for our first thirty-six guests and it was a roaring success... although there are plenty of things to be ironed out, it was great to get the whole team working together for the first time.
At the end of the night, there was a sigh of relief, followed by a quick pep-talk to prepare the team for the following day! Wednesday morning was slightly soul destroying to see the beautiful restaurant overrun once again by the building crew, but the team pushed on, and did it once again! Once the skirting boards were cleaned, and windows polished, the tables laid, and the pre-dinner cocktails underway, everyone was set to go and all fired up.
Both of our previews were a great opportunity to run through samples from our menus, and the feedback from our guests has been great! So, onwards and upwards, we’re making some changes, and putting the final touches to our service. The builders are almost done with the snagging, so all things going well, we should be good to go for our first official night of service, on Wednesday 9th June.