We all love watching movies. Some are packed with entertainment and some are good mood setters. But there are some movies that inspire and touch our hearts. Either in despair or in search of the right motivation, it is always a good idea to watch movies that touch hearts. This article is all about finding inspiration from movies. However, the list of movies discussed in this article is entirely dedicated to the restaurant owners. These movies depict the workings of the restaurant business around the world and give restaurant owners a wonderful opportunity to learn, take inspiration and set some new goals!
10 Must Watch Movies For Every Restaurateur
We have selected top ‘food’ movies that everyone working in the restaurant industry would appreciate. Here are 10 inspirational movies that every restaurant owner must watch.
1. Jiro Dreams Of Sushi
An incredible documentary, ‘Jiro Dreams Of Sushi’ features Jiro Ono, the 85-year-old owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a Michelin three-star restaurant in Japan. The movie displays the dedication and passion of Jiro towards his Sushi business. The documentary demonstrates many useful lessons from the Sushi master such as relationship building with vendors, setting uniform standards, improvising culinary skills and learning from everyone. These lessons from Jiro encourage restaurateurs to learn and adapt to their daily business operations.
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2. The Founder
‘The Founder’ is a story about a struggling but ambitious salesman, Ray Kroc, who became the founder of one of the largest QSRs in the World, McDonald’s. It depicts how he turned McDonald’s which was, back then, a small hamburger restaurant owned by Mac and Dick McDonald. Ray saw great potential in the burger business and used his sharp business acumen to turn the business into a massive empire. This is a must-watch movie for restaurant owners that teaches them many important life and business lessons.
Ray Kroc’s story embodies the struggles of emerging businesses and how embracing changes, adapting to change, selecting the right partners and thinking big can help in fostering your business and achieving new heights.
3. Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana
Captivating the eccentric Punjabi taste in a twisted Bollywood tale of food and love, Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana is the story of Omi Khurana who is searching for a forgotten secret recipe of ‘Chicken Khurana’, a signature dish prepared by his grandfather, that made his family business popular across Punjab. As the movie progresses, food becomes a metaphor that bonds people and deepens relationships. The influence of emotions over food shows that creating flagship dishes takes substantial time and effort, cannot be replicated, sets them apart from the competition and makes the restaurant iconic!
4. A Fine Line
Dedicated to the hardworking female restaurant owners, Fine Line explores the hurdles women restaurateurs and chefs face in building their restaurant business. Filmmaker Joanna James, herself is the daughter of a female restaurateur. The inspiring documentary shows that even though female restaurateurs and chefs starring in the documentary faced obstacles during their journey, their spirit and passion towards work helped them achieve great success. It gives a motivational message to the emerging women restaurateurs and provides a wonderful platform for drawing attention towards bringing more women into leadership roles.
5. Chef
The movie ‘Chef’ centers around the entrepreneurial journey of a chef, Carl Casper who quit his job at a fancy restaurant and decides to start his own food truck. ‘Chef’ highlights his skills and struggles in sustaining his food venture. The movie is a must-watch for restaurateurs and budding entrepreneurs who feel stuck doing something they don’t love. Carl’s journey is full of ups and downs, however, he approaches failure as a learning opportunity to grow personally and professionally. The movie has a beautiful message for aspiring restaurant owners to follow their passion and learn from their failures.
6. Big Night
‘Big Night’ features a story of two Italian brothers and their struggles to save their restaurant business. This movie portrays the challenges of operating a newly established restaurant in a harsh environment and the competition small business owners and chefs face from larger, well-established food brands. Filled with comic undertones, the movie captures the brothers’ passion for Italian culinary perfection. It becomes a must-watch movie for anyone who works in the restaurant business.
7. Le Chef
‘Le Chef’ is a classic French comedy-drama about a French restaurant that is struggling between retaining tradition and bringing in innovation. The film weaves around the practices and beliefs in contemporary high-end gastronomy. Le Chef focuses on what happens when good food is no longer about sticking to tradition but more about molecular gastronomy and also pokes fun at a lot of real-life issues in the food industry.
8. The Hundred-Foot Journey
‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ highlights the professional rivalry between a newly opened Indian restaurant and a well established French restaurant. Dealing with the tension between the two competitors, the movie heavily emphasizes on the fact that passion for food goes beyond cultures and nationalities. The movie also highlights the persistence and dedication involved in working in a kitchen and running a restaurant. It encourages restaurant businesses operating in a competitive environment to never worry about the working style of other businesses and always focus on one’s own niche.
9. Today’s Special
‘Today’s Special’ is about a sous chef, Samir who dreams of learning French cuisine but has to look after his family’s Indian restaurant, in spite of his limited knowledge about Indian cuisine. An inspirational character exhorts him to rediscover his passion for life through the art of Indian cooking and helps him transform his failing business into one of the most buzzing iconic hotspots. Amidst the conflicts and personal growth, the movie clearly depicts the importance of adapting to change and ‘never saying never’ to culinary opportunities coming your way!
10. Ratatouille
This might be an animated movie, however, it leaves viewers with nothing short of the aftertaste of a sumptuous meal with its heartfelt lessons. ‘Ratatouille’ is a movie about a rat named Remy, who dreams of becoming a chef and tries to achieve his goal with the help of a human. The movie beautifully captures the frenzy of working in a busy restaurant kitchen. It conveys the message that anybody can cook, and in spite of difficulties there’s always scope to find out the strengths and focus on achieving goals. This movie also encourages entrepreneurs with a passion for cooking to venture into the restaurant business and explore the culinary world.
Either inspired by real-life restaurateurs or great works of fiction, these top ten movies will help you raise your spirits. Take inspiration from these movies and move onward on your way to success!
