34 replies to this topic

[VicHockeyFan]

Japanese Village makes me think of the way it would have been if we had invaded Japan, instead of dropping the bomb. We could have occupied their country, and each and every one of us white people would have a Japanese slave at our dinner table. It'd be even more authentic of the table was a full circle, and the chef came up from below, like he was emerging from the lower dungeon.

Seriously, does anyone else feel the idea is a little tacky? Do you feel you are surrounded by people that don't get out much, when you go there?

If not, then why don't other restaurants embrace this concept? By all means have the chef right inside your table, playing with and making jokes with and about your food as it cooks? After all, no one disputes that the place probably does very well financially.

McDonalds could do it, laugh along with your chef as he takes the meat patty out of the cooking drawer, and uses the caulking gun to add the special sauce.

I can think of no end of jokes a chef could make as he dips things into a deep-fryer. Maybe you could even put sort of costumes on the fish fillets, so it looks like you are dropping various characters into boiling oil. The costume would be make of some type of light, edible, boil away suabstance that goes away when it hits the oil, the chef pulls back up a cooked piece of halibut.

[Baro]

I find the place wayyy too expensive, but 90% of what you're paying for is the entertainment. Although for more genuine customer/chef interactions nothing beats the Sushi bar at Koto. And where else can you free of charge get a big private room for 12+ people to just hang out in for hours.

I used to mostly go to JV for my japanese food needs but I've found nothing beats koto, and everyone I've ever taken there has become a "convert" as well. Ok, Koto-promoting de-rail finished!

[arfenarf]

Mmmm. Japanese Village Sesame Steak Sauce.
There's something addictive in there, I just know it.

When I'm in a rush, I jaunt over there and drop $2.50 for a tub of rice with a ladle-full of sauce on top. OM NOM NOM yummy cheap lunch.

[weirdie]

You might be white trash if: You think Japanese Village is the perfect place for a "fancy" birthday dinner. Don't forget to put on your "fancy" polo shirt before you leave the house.

[VicHockeyFan]

Today on Craigslist:

Immediate Chef position available - Will be cooking in front of customers, MUST be able to entertain customers while cooking. Experience an asset, but not necessary - Training Provided.

Full-Time position available. $9 plus meals and gratuities.


Please apply in person with resume in hand Monday - Friday between 2 - 2:30 pm only. No Emails/Faxes will be accepted.
Japanese Village Restaurant
734 Broughton Street

* Location: Downtown Victoria
* Compensation: $9 plus meals and gratuities
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 1584928154

Now, I've never worked (or woked) in a restaurant, but no experience and $9/hr seems like low expectations for a cook.

[martini]

You might be white trash if: You think Japanese Village is the perfect place for a "fancy" birthday dinner. Don't forget to put on your "fancy" polo shirt before you leave the house.

How many white trash can afford it?
Can you suggest a 'fancy' place so we know whether we're white trash or not?

[martini]

VHF, $9 hr for a chef?
That can't be right.
Mind you with the clientele...maybe the tips are incredibly good?

[Holden West]

I assumed Japanese Village was top of the food chain. I'm surprised they'd put a trainee behind the high-profile sushi bar instead of apprenticing in the kitchen for a while. Curious.

The Japanese Village guys are the funniest. Sushi Rock Cafe was the absolute worst.

[Holden West]

How many white trash can afford it?
Can you suggest a 'fancy' place so we know whether we're white trash or not?

Thanks for calling weirdie out on that. I thought that was a witless comment. White trash?

VHF, $9 hr for a chef?
That can't be right.
Mind you with the clientele...maybe the tips are incredibly good?

It's definitely on the low end although obviously they receive more tips than ordinary restaurant cooks.

[VicHockeyFan]

It's definitely on the low end although obviously they receive more tips than ordinary restaurant cooks.

Ya, that's true. They are pretty much your server, and that wage is in line with server positions. Maybe they are onto something here, in keeping all the staff wages low, maybe they can expand that to other staff, as well as suppliers etc. They should have the cleaners and maintenance people visit your table during dinner, then they can get a piece of the tips. Have the building landlord come by, collect a few tips in exchange for lower rent, a tax collector could come over, do some tax jokes etc.

[AllseeingEye]

VHF's infantile comments aside I'll say this after our first time at JV tongiht in nearly 15 years: they've outlasted that imbecile by a good long stretch and based on the full house there tongiht and lineup out the door they're a great deal more knowledgable than he is about running a successful business. Same setup as, well, "forever", same decor, same menu with a few changes although prices naturally reflect 2024 as opposed to 2009.

 

Say what you will but it still works after all this time, our party of 8 thoroughly enjoyed our meals and I dare say it won't be another fifteen years before we go back. IMO their model for success is the same as Dutch Bakery or the Keg or any other very long standing successful food operation - its consistent, prices are not unreasonable, the quality is good and above all you know exactly what you're going to get every time and there are zero surprises.

Edited by AllseeingEye, 24 March 2024 - 01:02 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Could any restaurant survive if their most approving customers only attend once every 15 years?

[AllseeingEye]

I would hope any business in a town of 430,000 isn't depending on the same 1-2 individuals, that would be.....problematic. Average age of our table was close to 60 which made us by a considerable distance easily the oldest group there. Clearly the 20-30-somethings are well aware of JV. The place was packed. Besides all of us are very handy in our respective kitchens and will take a homemade and cooked meal over dining out 9.5x/10. 

[Victoria Watcher]

If all 430,000 only go out for dinner to the same place once every 15 years, it woud only get 78.53 customers per day.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 24 March 2024 - 08:15 AM.

[aastra]

If Teppan is done half-decently well it's one of those things that even the most supercilious poseur snobs* will end up enjoying.

*like VicHockeyFan

[AllseeingEye]

If all 430,000 only go out for dinner to the same place once every 15 years, it woud only get 78.53 customers per day.

 

Yeeeeeessss....but......I didn't say we haven't dined out in 15 years - only that we hadn't been back to JV in that time. Back in the mists of time, before marriage and especially when I was younger and drinking/clubbing was part of the schtick, JV was a fairly common destination.

 

Ask yourself this: do you only vacation in the same place over 'X' amount of time, again and again and again? Probably not. Typically you'll go to other places where maybe you haven't been before. Five of those years are pretty much accounted for by covid where for the most part I only ventured d/t to drop off or p/u the wife from her office and, that I can recall, for a medical appointment about 3 years ago. More recently however we've dined out at various places including 1550's, Glo, Il Covo, Jade Fountain, Sabhai Thai etc.

[sdwright.vic]

If all 430,000 only go out for dinner to the same place once every 15 years, it woud only get 78.53 customers per day.

78.53 customers a day... average check $50.... $3,926.50

$3,926.50 a day for 30 days... $117,795.00 a month.

Depends on what their fixed cost, labour's and cost sales are. But it's doable.

[Matt R.]

That is certainly not doable.

[Mike K.]

What’s the staffing requirement of a restaurant like that, Matt? 15 people on payroll, at least?

[lanforod]

PS. can a mod or admin fix the typo in this thread title?