“A Fish stinks from its head. And if I hang on to an executive chef who’s unreliable, everyone hurts.“
What makes an interview with someone stand out? Especially in the hospitality industry? Often it’s the sheer wisdom and hard lessons they’re happy to share.
It’s what made Bourdain’s book a bible for many – kitchen non-confidential, and thank goodness for that. Shane Fell has had a big diverse background, and now? Helms a new and very dedicated Italian restaurant in that gorgeous, water-edged section of Salamanca, Maq 1.
Fellini’s – and the references in just the name are multiple, but it’s the driving ethos behind it that makes this new place on the block, stand out. In Shane’s words:
“Everyone who comes in through the door has a problem. Sometimes it’s a simple as “hungry, and you look like you could feed me.” But people are complex, and you’ve just got to put them through a process of the meet and greet, the fluffy stuff. And know what are you trying to achieve?
You’ve got to find a solution. And normally people are hungry or they’re here on holidays. Or it could be a first date, a family get together, a business meeting. Or they’re lonely, bored, excited, whatever. Read the customer and respond appropriately.
I come from a big car industry background and one’s a vehicle and one’s food, but in the end, they are, very similar. And I’m big with implementing CRMs and point of sale and I love it.
But at the same time, we’re only six or seven months old. We’ve come a long way.
Staffing tips? That’s been a journey, and here’s some ethics that I rely on to make good decisions: I’ll tell you a story, it’s about values:
We flew over this executive chef from Rome. He’s a great chef. He set up the menu, could really cook and was a very good teacher. He taught our young staff how to cook and how to get that consistency, the same meal out every time. And he brought over another fellow who’s his sous-chef. Was expensive,
And then? The wheels started to fall off. And I start to get concerned when my staff start making mistakes. And…. DON’T TURN UP – And you know what? No one is indispensable.
The staff were: “We’ve got to keep him”. And “What are we going to do without him?” And even from some frontline staff, (which is most unusual) and I said, “You’d be amazed. Someone will come along, don’t worry, something will come along.”
If you make a decision, it always happens. Or someone’s leaving, a backpacker from Sweden is leaving, I said, “Well, someone will come, something will happen.” You know, it’s the same in any industry, isn’t it?
Sacking our executive chef was a big move – but here’s why:
- A fish stinks from its head, and if I hang on to an executive chef who’s unreliable, everyone hurts. All the great kids I have working for me leave, and then we’re really stuffed.
So then I’ve got a great young kid about 30 who steps up and we motor again.
Customer care is everything – here’s another big lesson I teach my front of house staff:
- You just place your mother in their shoes, or you in their shoes, of what your expectations would be if you walked into a dining room.
It’s pretty simple, but it’s hard to implement.
You can’t blame the frontline staff. You need that strong leader to keep it going.
Training front of house, getting the kitchen motoring allows me to actually WORK ON THE BUSINESS. Now? I’m working really hard in the background with my online bookings, my automations, with emails, my Google reviews, building the business one social media brick by brick.
And for me? That means a commitment for at least 18 months, solid hard work. Get the systems in place. And then? I can be the helicopter manager, focusing on the important things, seeing the big picture and the little things that need tweaking.
But a restaurant? It can suck you dry. So you need to be careful and take care of yourself.
Our food is Roman influenced, but we put our own twist, with delicious, delicate flavours that reflect a big traditional cuisine that’s of this new age.
My focus is to be in that ecosphere where when you want to go out to eat, Fellini’s is right up there in the mind, in the decisions. In the knowledge that you’ll have a great night out, not just a beautiful dinner.
We’re very lucky with the accommodation around us. But this year, like everyone in Hobart, without Dark Mofo, and the full Winterfest, it was not the usual tourists and packed houses. But every industry deals with the ebb and flow.
And for me, it’s always back to the customer experience.
Here’s the third bit I tell my staff:
- You’re the influencer. You can guide them down whatever rabbit hole you want to guide them down. If they say, oh, what’s a nice white wine? Just tell them how the Soave is. “Beautiful. I had one as a knockoff last night. You should try it. Absolutely.” Just be the influencer because that’s what they want. (And need).
And here’s point 4:
- From their entrance to their exit, you take them (the customers) in your nest, this is your nest. They’re like baby birds and you’ve got to feed them and give them a great experience. As soon as you see the little beaks come up over the nest, you’re there…
And point 5:
- Learn their names. Use their names and get to know your customers. They are your guests, and it’s your duty to serve well, and knowledgeably. This is how to build a restaurant business.
And point 6:
- You’re better off with being slightly understaffed and having them really work hard than having too many standing around because the customers think you’re not busy. It’s not a good look.
Where do I come from? Originally I grew up in country Victoria and I come from a sporting family. My father was a pretty good sportsman, so I had a lot of sport DNA in me, which is probably where my disciplines have come from. I played AFL football with the Swans a while ago. I got injured, then when I was about 22 or something, I end up back in Tasmania running hotels with Tasmanian breweries for about ten or so years, which I really enjoyed.
I pivoted into the automotive industry as a salesperson and pretty quickly moved into management. A leadership role within six months was next and I set up the Volkswagen dealership down here, (in Tasmania) then the Audi dealership.
Then I went to Melbourne, managing dealerships. From there, in a training course, I was headhunted by a company called Reconnections, which was about training facilities, implementing sales processes and training managers, etcetera. I became a facilitator for Volkswagen for five years and that took me to Europe twice, but I also travelled Australia. I loved the job. But it was very lonely sitting in hotels a lot of the time.
Everyone thinks you have a great life, but, you know, you’re sitting in a hotel on your own with a laptop having a glass of red, then you come in to the business – and it’s like cleaning the windows. You implement the process, come back eight weeks later and then clean the windows and implement the process again.
But after five years of travelling, I’d had enough. I’d been doing a bit on my own, but while a had really useful skills, and a deep understanding of the industry, it was hard to grow and find another me. I’d learnt that it’s not so much about teaching, as it is about going with the class and finding your way back.
In the end, I went into dealerships again. Well, suddenly it was Covid! The group in Melbourne I was working for, sold – what next? And then this group from LMG kept on calling out to me from Hobart and I ended up coming across four years ago. I looked after their BMW dealership, Porsche, Mercedes and Volvo.
So the high luxury dealerships were probably three or four years. And then? I left, a great well-paid job, and for some reason, I wanted a restaurant. I was done with cars, but they taught me well.
And now I come to the last point.
Point 7: I see a restaurant the same way I see a dealership. It’s only there to attract customers, in fact a restaurant is dinner at the dealership, and the showroom? That’s our dining room. The meal and the service is the car – the staff the motor so if it’s humming, then they’ll buy in. No problem.
And Shane has to go, see to customers and see to his showroom, Fellini’s. It’s a very different and interesting take on being a restaurateur. But I like the analogies. They make total sense to me, and I have no doubt that Shane will continue on improving, tweaking and creating the best dining experience he can.
CMG
Fellini the Italian Restaurant: www.fellinirestaurant.com.au
