The Scariest Thing About Restaurant this Halloween – by Peter Dills

My friend Mike Freeman owns Zelo Gourmet Pizza on Foothill Boulevard in Arcadia. With Halloween approaching, I asked Mike if he was decorating his restaurant for the occasion.

“Why yes, we are,” he replied, sending me a photograph of two skeletons sitting at a table, apparently waiting for their pizza. I’ve included the picture in hopes of scaring you into reading this article.

But our conversation quickly turned from Halloween decorations to something that might be even scarier for neighborhood restaurant owners: empty dining rooms.

Mike appreciates my Eat Local program, but he offered a suggestion. Maybe we should be encouraging people to Dine Local, too. He mentioned one of his favorite restaurants, where he says hardly anyone sits inside anymore. The restaurant is still preparing food, but customers are ordering takeout or having their meals delivered.

Where have all the diners gone?

Of course, not every restaurant has this problem. Try getting a table at Houston’s on a busy evening. It’s one of my favorite restaurants, too. In fact, I recently saw a video of actor Terry Crews proclaiming Houston’s his favorite restaurant. Apparently, Terry and I have something in common besides our movie-star good looks. Well, maybe just our taste in restaurants. Hmmm, I wonder how he’ll be dressing for Halloween?

But seriously, some restaurants still have customers lined up waiting for a table, which makes me wonder: Are there too many restaurants, or are some simply doing a better job of giving customers a reason to dine out?

Halloween sleuthing

I decided to do a little investigating. My next stop was Casa Del Rey in Sierra Madre, where I spoke with owners Donna and Ed Rey. They told me business is fine, and approximately 20 percent of their business comes from takeout and delivery combined. DoorDash accounts for about five percent of their total business. More importantly, they’re happy with those numbers. Considering the size of their kitchen, Donna and Ed believe they’ve found a comfortable balance between serving customers in their dining room and preparing food to go.

And that raises an interesting question. Are there too many restaurants, or are we simply spending less time inside them?

Unlikely partners

Recently, a reader sent me information about a Shell gasoline promotion that rewards customers for dining at participating restaurants. Now I’ve heard of restaurants offering free appetizers, discounted dinners and complimentary desserts, but gasoline? Under Shell’s standard Fuel Rewards Dining program, spending $50 at a participating restaurant can earn a discount of 10 cents per gallon. On a 15-gallon fill-up, that’s a whopping $1.50. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m not driving across town to save a buck and a half. What’s next? Buy a cheeseburger and get your tires rotated?

Then my friend Sara, whom I see at the gym, mentioned another promotion. Chase has partnered with DoorDash to offer eligible credit card customers delivery benefits, including complimentary DashPass memberships and promotional discounts. Depending on the card, some customers can receive monthly credits toward qualifying orders. Now that’s convenient, but there’s a catch when it comes to our discussion: These benefits encourage people to order food through an app, not necessarily to visit the restaurant. It seems we’re getting very good at bringing dinner home, but what about bringing customers back into the dining room?

Which brings me to another question. What can restaurants do to convince customers to leave their homes and actually sit down for dinner? I have a couple of suggestions.

First, create a sense of community. Host a neighborhood gathering, celebrate Halloween, show the Ram game or organize a trivia night. Give customers a reason to come inside beyond simply satisfying their hunger.

Second, reward loyalty. I’m not necessarily talking about points, coupons or complicated smartphone applications. Remember your regular customers. Learn their names. Occasionally surprise someone with a complimentary dessert. Make them feel like they’re part of the family. A restaurant doesn’t have to be the cheapest place in town to become somebody’s favorite. Sometimes it just has to be the place where everybody knows your name.

Years ago, I seriously considered opening my own pizza restaurant. I looked at locations and even borrowed a business plan to study the numbers. My concept was simple. Customers could certainly order pizza to take home, but I wanted a comfortable bar area where they could watch a ballgame, enjoy a beer or soda, and relax while waiting for their order. I’d start with a beer-and-wine license and perhaps eventually graduate to cocktails.

Think about it. You’re waiting 20 minutes for your pepperoni pizza. Why sit in your car staring at your phone when you could be watching the Lakers, talking to your neighbor or enjoying a cold beverage? And who knows? Maybe next time you’d decide to stay for dinner.

I never opened that pizza restaurant, but I still believe the concept has merit. Restaurants aren’t simply places where food changes hands. At their best, they’re neighborhood gathering places. A good server remembers your name. A knowledgeable bartender introduces you to something new. A friendly owner stops by your table to ask how everything tastes. Those experiences are difficult to duplicate when someone leaves a bag of food on your doorstep.

Have bag, will travel

There’s also the matter of food quality. French fries don’t improve with age. Neither does a hamburger that’s been sitting in a delivery container for half an hour. And pizza? Well, pizza travels better than most foods, but there’s still something special about eating that first slice when it comes directly from the oven.

Now, I’m not suggesting we abandon takeout or delivery. Both provide convenience, and for many restaurants they’re an important part of the business. But I’ve been reviewing restaurants for more than 20 years, and one thing I’ve learned is that customers remember how they’re treated almost as much as what they eat.

Mike Freeman has given me something to think about. Perhaps my Eat Local campaign needs an additional message: Eat Local. Dine Local. Enjoy the Experience.

And that brings me back to those two skeletons sitting at Zelo Gourmet Pizza. This Halloween, the scariest thing in a restaurant shouldn’t be the skeleton sitting at the table. It should be the thought of nobody sitting there at all.

Happy Halloween, everybody. And remember, the next time you’re thinking about ordering dinner from your phone, consider putting on your shoes, heading down to your favorite neighborhood restaurant and pulling up a chair.

You might discover that the best part of dinner isn’t always what’s on the plate.

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