WICHITA — Red Bean’s Bayou Grill & Bar owner Bill Rowe is doing what he can to combat what he calls the “veto vote.”
In the restaurant business, he says, the veto vote is the name for when everyone in a group wants to go to the same place except one person, and they have the power to then veto the restaurant.
“We’re repositioning in an attempt to have the veto vote (be) less of a factor in our business,” Rowe says.
So now, instead of being Red Bean’s Bayou Grill & Bar: A Mostly Cajun Joint, the name is Red Bean’s Bayou Grill & Bar: A Texas-Louisiana Border Joint.
The restaurant has had more than just Cajun food for a while. Previous Red Bean’s owner Richard Waite added Mexican dishes when he closed his Red Mesa Grill.
Rowe says not enough people know the restaurant has other dining options besides Cajun food.
In addition, he says, “There’s a huge misconception about what Cajun food is. . . . There’s a myth that it’s this horrible, hot, spicy stuff.”
Rowe says he’s also adjusted prices and portions, remodeled the patio and added breakfast.
It may not be a big deal in the grand scheme of things, he says, but “it’s a big deal to us.”