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Honey Tuile (4 Ingredients Only)

Ingredients

* 40 g butter (about 3 tbsp)
* 40 g egg white (about 2 tbsp + 2 tsp)
* 40 g all-purpose flour (about ⅓ cup)
* 40 g honey (about 2 tbsp)

Method

1. Melt the butter and honey together.
2. Add the egg white and mix well.
3. Add the flour and mix until smooth.
4. Spread the batter very thinly on a lined baking tray.
5. Bake at 160°C for 8–10 minutes or until golden brown.

For curved tuile shapes, mould them while still hot

THE BIGGEST ILLUSION WHEN OPENING A RESTAURANT: JUST COOKING DELICIOUS FOOD WILL BRING CUSTOMERS – THE TRUTH THAT SHOCKS MANY IN THE FIRST MONTH
There's a very common belief in F&B startups that I've encountered repeatedly over the years: "Just delicious food will bring customers." It sounds reasonable, but in reality, it's one of the most dangerous illusions that causes many restaurant owners to quickly become discouraged, or even give up early.

The truth is, there are many restaurants out there that cook delicious food and put a lot of heart into their work, but still lack customers. It's not because the food is bad, but because delicious food alone isn't enough to sell. Today's customers also look at price, waiting time, experience, stability, and the feeling of "whether the food is worth the money to come back." Many new restaurant owners have experienced this feeling: a busy first day, a hopeful first week, but after only 2-3 weeks, the number of customers starts to drop. At that point, the owner begins to doubt everything: doubt the food, doubt themselves, doubt the decision to open the restaurant – and very quickly… gives up.

👉 The biggest mistake new restaurant owners make is using their own taste to decide the menu, while the customers are the ones paying. There are many delicious and elaborate dishes, but they're only suitable for a one-time try. Customers may find them delicious, but they don't have the need to return regularly. In business, a dish is only truly "sold" when customers can eat it 2-3 times a week, without getting tired of it, without feeling bad about the cost, and without having to think too long before ordering.

🍽 The first lesson anyone preparing to open a restaurant needs to understand: shift your mindset from "I make it delicious" to "will customers eat it regularly?" The dishes that sustain a restaurant don't necessarily have to be fancy; they should be easy to eat, familiar, and fit the daily spending habits of customers.

👉 Second lesson: Consistency is more important than uniqueness. Many restaurant owners focus on making dishes that are truly unique and different, but fail to maintain consistent quality. Delicious today, salty tomorrow, bland the day after – customers won't return a third time. For new restaurant owners, consistency always comes before creativity. A normal dish that tastes the same every day will sell better than a "high-end" dish that's inconsistent.

👉 Third lesson: The more menu, the higher the risk. An overly long menu overwhelms the kitchen, puts pressure on staff, slows down food preparation, and significantly reduces the customer experience, especially in the early stages when staffing is unstable. A concise menu with few items, focusing on quality, speed, and consistency, is the only way to consider expansion. This is how a restaurant can survive the initial phase without running out of steam.

👉 Lesson four: Price based on customer behavior, not the owner's emotions. Many people price based on the effort they put in: "This dish is very difficult to make," "The ingredients are expensive," but customers only care about one thing: whether the price is worth them coming back. A delicious dish that costs only once a month isn't a sustainable business. A sustainable business is one where customers order it comfortably, without hesitation.

💡 In F&B, delicious food is only a necessary condition. The dish that keeps customers coming back is what determines how long a business will last. For those preparing to start a business, being prepared for this will help you avoid shocks, discouragement, and lead to a more stable long-term future.

👉 Have you ever encountered a situation where "everyone praises the dish, but customers are still few"? Share your experiences so that newcomers can learn and avoid repeating past mistakes.