I think that a lot of these new restaurants fail because they fail to bring anything else to the table besides just food. There are hundreds of options for dining in Miami. I can name at least 5 great restaurants in South Miami, Gables, Grove, Brickell, and SoBe. Maybe even more than 5 in some areas. My point is that you really have to give people a reason to come spend their hard-earned dollars at your restaurant. To me, the successful restaurant is the one who not only serves great food, but serves it in an atmosphere that adds to the food and maybe adds to the dining experience in another way. A great example of this is Jaguar in Coconut Grove. The food is a mix of ceviche and latin american food. The ambiance is really cool and seems to go with the theme of the restaurant. To top it off, the ceviche is served on spoons, which is a creative, out of the box medium that gets people talking. On top of it all, they go out and actually advertise in publications to reach others and pull them in to the restaurant. The Grove is a really tough market to succeed in (mostly because business owners dont include “marketing” in their business plans and the Grove doesnt market itself effectively at all) so I think if a place like Jaguar can succeed there, a similar model can apply to other areas in Miami.

Bottom line is that it seems like every jerk with a chef’s knife is starting a restaurant these days and hoping to get rich. Remember, 50% of all restaurants fail early, and 50% of the remainder fail a little later. Being creative and giving people a reason to dine is a good way to make the cut in my opinion.

Pepe - I don’t think all restaurant owners would have that mindset. If they’re trying to bring something different, they most likely — I hope — wouldn’t fall into this. I have a feeling many have tried, but struggled with the Miami clientele and other factors, like rising costs.

I don’t agree with Pepe because I don’t think any self-respecting chef would change his menu for the sake of an imbecilic waiter or waitress. If it was me, I’d cook the food and serve it myself before changing a menu.

As for a nickname for the dumbification of a restaurant to please our fellow, inane Miamians…I still haven’t thought of one yet. Any advice?