Mastering The Art Of Restaurant Business: Top Anthony Bourdain's Quotes

Jonathan Hayda
Oct 08, 2023
Oct 08, 2023

Anthony Bourdain, was not just an expert in the culinary arts; he was also a keen observer of life and business. His candid and sometimes brutally honest perspective offers a treasure trove of lessons on how to run a successful business.

During a speech for The StarChefs Congress 2006, Anthony shared his wisdom on how to run a successful restaurant, his philosophy on the food industry and the culinary world. In this collection of Anthony Bourdain's quotes, we'll explore his wisdom on leadership, teamwork, resilience, and the essential ingredients that make a business thrive.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, manager, or simply someone seeking inspiration, these quotes provide a unique recipe for success drawn from the life and work of a true maverick.

#1. On What To Look For In An Employee

Source: Google Images

“Personnel selection is everything. I can teach you to cook in my restaurant…I can teach cooking, I cannot teach character okay? That's what I'm looking for”.

#2. On Why [Restaurant Business] Is The Best

“It is the last Meritocracy. I don't care whether you were convicted of arson, your sexual preference, your sex, your race…. All I care about is what can you do?

#3. On Why There Are No Secrets In The Chef Business

Source: Google Images

“There are no secrets in the chef business, there are no secret recipes. This is a mentoring business. We teach them everything we know and everything we have learned about everything over a 20-25 30-year career. All those things that we have learned are often quite painful and a great personal expense."

#4. Anthony Bourdain’s Quote On Whether You Should Have A Sense Of Humor

“Finally, do you have a sense of humor? Because if you don't have a sense of humor in this business you may as well get out now too or work for Charlie Trotter?

As a leader, as a chef you must have a sense of humor. If you don't find the worst part of your job funny at least in retrospect after a couple of beers, you don't belong in the restaurant business.”

#5. On Why Camaraderie & Pride Are Everything

Source: Google Images

“Camaraderie is everything. If you feel at the end of the night like an elite…you know how to do something that other people can't do and by any means necessary to build that kind of camaraderie within your crew is a very desirable thing!

Without camaraderie you don't have pride without pride you have bad food. Nothing worse in this world is seen than seeing an employee or a cook lose their pride."

#6. On Why You Should Be Prepared To Admit Being Wrong

“Prepared to admit being wrong. Sometimes you go over the line. Here's the bottom line for me: At the end of the night there is no one in front of the house or back of the house who I feel I should not be able to have a friendly beer with after work and laugh about the evening's activities….

If you go home at the end of the night feeling like a fool for working hard for me, for putting up with whatever I might have put you through then I have failed as a chef and then I will apologize to you and I will do so on my knees if necessary.”

#7. On Being Decisive

Source: Focus Features

“If something went wrong…You have to make a decision and work through. It might well turn out that that decision in the heat of the moment is a bad decision. It is not time to discuss it during the service period.

Afterwards when we're having a beer we can all sit down and talk about it. It happens much better to be decisive and work through the mistake than stand there and dither be.”

#8. Anthony Bourdain’s Quotes On An "Us And Them" Mentality

“Us and them mentality in the kitchen is not always a bad thing now we may say unkind things about our customers. We don't really mean that but it's kind of useful to remind people that there's us and those like us in the kitchen and then there's everybody else.

That's to me that leads to Esprit de corps and that sense of being an elite and apart.”

#9. On Why The Waiters Should Receive 100% Tips

Source: Google Images

“Waiters should be compensated for the fact that they have to deal with the general public. None of us in the kitchen could bear, let's face it, that's why we're in the kitchen in the first place…I don't really like the idea of tipping out the kitchen either. Ours is an honorable and noble profession. I don't think we should rely directly on the caprices of customers.”

#10. On Whether You Should Pursue Culinary School

Bourdain at a talk, sharing his wisdoms on how to run a successful restaurant business

Source: Anthony Bourdain, Leadership Lessons From the Kitchen, 2006

“Before you spend money on culinary school you should spend at least a month in a very busy restaurant working as a dishwasher or as a prep cook whether for free or for money just by the end of that time you're gonna know: ‘do I like this business? Is it for me? Can I survive in it?’ before you waste the money.”

#11. Lastly, Why He Loves The Restaurant Business

Tony trying to open a beer bottle with his mouth

Source: Google Images

“I fell in love with this business for the lifestyle and I guess maybe that's just me but I doubt it everywhere you go in this world, I seem to end up getting drunk at three o'clock in the morning with chefs.

It doesn't matter what country or culture it seems there's this amazing consistency if you go back and read Orwell it took place in Paris in the 20s or further back you know this could have happened yesterday.”

#12. Conclusion

Anthony Bourdain's quotes offer a rich tapestry of wisdom for those aspiring to run a successful business. From embracing pressure to the art of hazing and the importance of character, his words resonate with valuable lessons that can guide you on your entrepreneurial journey. So, remember these pearls of wisdom as you navigate the world of business, and let Bourdain's legacy continue to inspire and motivate you.