Friday

THURSDAY

DIVINE PRIME
Oysters: Rappahannock, VA

Amuse Bouche: Dry aged Wagyu Ribeye with scallion and sweet soy

Specials: Snead's ferry, N.C. Cherrystone Clams Casino $12
Double Berkshire Pork Chop (16 ounce) $35
8 ounce dry Aged Wagyu Ribeye $49

DESSERT: Chocolate dipped cannolis with orange zest and currants

ROY AND SID'S AMERICAN KITCHEN
Appetizer: Fried colossal potato wedges, buffalo style or BBQ with choice of ranch or blue cheese $4.95

Soup: Pulled pork, tomato, and white bean

Entree: Fresh mussels sauteed with tomato, garlic, basil, white wine, and a hint of Pernod

Catch: North Carolina Redfish $18.95

Dessert: Banana frozen custard, Blackberry Ice Cream, Peppermint Ice Cream

THURSDAY

DIVINE PRIME
Oysters: Rappahannock, VA

Amuse Bouche: Seared Scallop with wasabi and sweet corn foam

Specials: Double Berkshire Pork Chop (16 ounce) $35

APPETIZER: Dry aged Wagyu Ribeye, seared and sliced, served with
daikon radish, tempura mushrooms, and sweet soy sauce $18

DESSERT: Molten chocolate cake infused with cabernet and spice, served with chevre ice cream


ROY AND SID'S AMERICAN KITCHEN
Appetizer: Fried colossal potato wedges, buffalo style or BBQ with choice of ranch or blue cheese $4.95

Soup: Pulled pork, tomato, and white bean

Sandwich: Pulled pork sandwich with slaw and one side $7.95

Catch: North Carolina Redfish $18.95

Dessert: Peanut butter and banana frozen custard

Wednesday

DIVINE PRIME
Oysters: Rappahannock, VA

Amuse Bouche: Tuna Tartar with sunchoke chip

Specials: Double Berkshire Pork Chop (16 ounce) $35

APPETIZER: Dry aged Wagyu Ribeye, seared and sliced, served with
daikon radish, tempura mushrooms, and sweet soy sauce $18



ROY AND SID'S AMERICAN KITCHEN
Appetizer: Fried colossal potato wedges, buffalo style or BBQ with choice of ranch or blue cheese $4.95

Soup: Pulled pork, tomato, and white bean

Sandwich: Fried pork chop with mushroom gravy on toasted bun, choice of one side $7.95

Catch: North Carolina Redfish $18.95

Dessert: Peanut butter and banana frozen custard

Ciao for now, see you tomorrow!

Tuesday

I thought it would be fun to post my nightly specials for a week. Currently I am spending most of my time at Roy and Sid's American Kitchen and Divine Prime, so these specials are form those two locations.

Tuesday

DIVINE PRIME
Oysters: Rappahannock, VA

Amuse Bouche: Alaskan King crab with sweet corn foam and pepper glaze

Specials: Double Berkshire Pork Chop (16 ounce) $35

APPETIZER: Dry aged Wagyu Ribeye, seared and sliced, served with
daikon radish, tempura mushrooms, and sweet soy sauce $18



ROY AND SID'S AMERICAN KITCHEN
Appetizer: Fried colossal potato wedges, buffalo style or BBQ with choice of ranch or blue cheese $4.95

Soup: Pulled pork, tomato, and white bean

Entree: Seared beef tenderloin tips with mushroom gravy over potato puree $19.95

Catch: Catfish, grilled, blackened, or fried with rémoulade $14.95

Dessert: Peanut butter and banana frozen custard

Ciao for now, see you tomorrow!

Specials

I thought it would be fun to post my nightly specials for a week. Currently I am spending most of my time at Roy and Sid's American Kitchen and Divine Prime, so these specials are form those two locations.

Monday

DIVINE PRIME
Oysters: Rappahannock, VA

Amuse Bouche: Roaring forties blue cheese with peach compote

Specials: Double Berkshire Pork Chop (16 ounce) $35
APPETIZER: Dry aged Wagyu Ribeye, seared and sliced, served with
daikon radish, tempura mushrooms, and sweet soy sauce $18



ROY AND SID'S AMERICAN KITCHEN
Soup: Pulled pork, tomato, and white bean

Entree: Fried pork chops with mushroom gravy

Catch: Catfish, grilled, blackened, or fried with remoulade

Dessert: Peanut butter and banana frozen custard

Ciao for now, see you tomorrow!

Running a Restaurant in a Recession;

One of the hardest things to do is to run a viable restaurant when everyone is cutting back on spending. There are many things out of a manager’s control (such as rent, advertising in some companies, salaries, etc.). Here are a few things that chefs or managers can focus on;

1.) Watch what you buy. Just like everything else, we need to watch what we are spending money on. Shop around between purveyors to see who has the best prices each week. Often, it will change on a weekly basis. If you pay too much for something, that comes right off the bottom line. We keep inventory as low as possible, meaning we keep just enough food in house for service for that day and the next.
2.) Receive well. Check prices and weights when the food comes in the back door. You could loose big time if you do not pay attention to this. Check quality as well; send back anything that is not up to standards. Caesar salads will cost you twice as much if you have to throw away half of the case of romaine because it is wilted.
3.) Control costs. Keep hourly staff to a minimum. Managers work the line and expedite, open and close. Put off equipment purchases, unnecessary repairs. Watch water use, electric, heat. Utilities can sneak up on you very quickly.
4.) Analyze. What are your most profitable segments? Least profitable? Does that late night menu actually cost you money to produce because you need to keep a cook around for two extra hours? Right now, the restaurant needs to be working well whenever the doors are open. Cut or stall extra hours and menus that will cost you money.
5.) Motivate. Staff is under a lot of stress too. Run contests, assure people that their jobs are safe (unless they are in danger of being terminated), tell staff that you appreciate them. One thing that we are doing is baking and giving the staff goodies to take home and enjoy over the holiday break.
6.) Get out there. Keep your restaurant on people’s minds, advertise, have events, do PR, stay connected. Now, more than ever, you need people thinking of you and your restaurant when making a dining decision.

These are not fun times to be in the restaurant business, that is for sure. Anyone not in the business may not understand how slim the margins are in good years. In bad years, it is hard just to stay afloat. Streamlining operations and running an efficient property will help get you through and be more profitable when times are better.

Cook well, eat well, live well and Happy Holidays everyone!

Rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated

Wow, has it been busy lately. I hope to get back to the blog more often, but I felt compelled to confront the rumors of Divine Dining Group troubles, store closings, and bankruptcy.

Rumors have been going around for weeks that Divine Dining Group was filing bankruptcy and closing stores. At first, I ignored it and thought it would go away. Well, it seems like rumors of bad news are fun to share, because I continue to hear it on a daily basis.

The first week in October, Divine Dining Group laid off a group of managers. This was a difficult and unpleasant decision, but was a response to the business climate here. Layoffs continue in the Grand Strand, my wife was laid off, I have a friend who was laid off from Brandon Advertising, the Sun News had laid people off, car dealerships, restaurants, lawyers offices, oil change places, everyone is laying off. This is because no one is spending money, no money equals less employees.

DDG also decided to close Latitude 22 for the winter. We have discussed it for the past three years (I have always been in favor of closing for the winter), and this year they decided to close. It will reopen in March.

DDG is running a tight ship, I can tell you that. That is what any company would do right now, specifically to make ends meet and be around when the economy rebounds.

I think what bothers me most is that the rumors can have a negative impact on business, I believe that they have had a substantial negative impact actually. This means customers not coming in, staff not getting tips, cooks not getting hours, etc. When someone repeats this untrue rumor, they hurt the employees and their families. Right now we need to support our friends, neighbors, businesses, and their families. Please, go out to eat shop locally, get your oil changed, and help our community weather these tough times. If not, it will get worse for all of us.

I found one post that ranted about Jack Divine, Jr.. If someone has an ax to grind with Jack, take it out on him, not the restaurants and all of the individuals and families that rely on them for their livelihood.

So, no, we are not bankrupt, we are not closing stores, we are not only open some of the time. Roy and Sid’s is open for business for lunch and dinner seven days a week, Divine Prime is open for business six nights a week (closed Sunday), City Bar, Divine Fish House, Umi Pacific Grille are all open for business. If anyone wants to contact me, please email me at kurtd@divinedininggroup.com. I will answer any questions that I can. Thank you!