Restaurant Punk

As restauranteurs, we usually eat on the fly or grab handfuls of leftover food after plating. So, when the time comes that we actually have a moment to cook for ourselves at home – why don’t we? Yianni, Liz, and Chef Chinito are discussing differing opinions on eating out vs cooking at home with questions, including:

• Does anyone really enjoy cooking at home?
• Would you eat Chef Chinito’s Cheeseburger pie?
• What is your best at-home food prep tip?
• What is your least favorite part of cooking at home?
• Are you Team Walmart or Team Target?

Restaurant payrolls are a lot like the makeup of the U.S.– a mixing pot of cultures and languages coming together to create a truly unique atmosphere. From the front of the house to the kitchen, it’s common to find that some employees work harder than others. Guest Host Bobby Baklava joins Yianni and Nick to talk about cultural differences in work ethic, with questions including:

• What is the dictionary definition of ‘punk’?
• What differentiates the work ethics of immigrants and native U.S. citizens?
• Do people who consciously move to a new country inherently work harder?
• Why are some immigrants with language barriers more inclined to stay in the kitchen while others are comfortable working directly with customers?
• How does a person’s experience in their home country impact their work ethic after emigrating?

If you’ve spent more than five minutes speaking to Yianni, you probably know his feelings on the corporate restaurant industry. If you haven’t, here’s the long and short of it: it sucks. Liz is stoking a fire by raising the question – is Pete a sell-out for leaving his job as a chef for a career as a restaurant owner? Questions include:

• Did Peter “sell out” by choosing to work for Kara Restaurant Group instead of starting something of his own?
• What makes working for yourself different than working for a corporate group?
• Can it be considered ‘selling out’ if you leave the kitchen to become a restaurant owner?
• Do culinary school internships trap students in ‘comfortable’ positions?
• Is being a chef a creative career?

While Peter has spent most of his career shaping the Kara Restaurant Group portfolio, he started working in Philadelphia restaurants while attending Drexel University. Joined by George, Peter sits down with Danny Marcantuno, one of the first chefs to take a chance on an inexperienced Greek from South Jersey, when he hired him at George Perrier’s casual, contemporary French eatery, Brasserie Perrier. Join the trio for insights on questions about long-term exit plans, including:

• How do you plan to retire as a restauranteur or life-long restaurant employee?
• What does the transition from chef to food sales to realtor look like?
• Do food purveyors prefer former chefs as salespeople?
• What are the food distribution challenges of operating outside of a major city?
• How can you leverage your career in food service to create long-term income?

There are two key staffing components to every restaurant operation – the front of house and the back of house. The former consists of your typically tippable positions – servers, hosts, busers, bartenders – while the latter contains a whole host of cooks, dishwashers, prep people, and more. Regardless of which category you fall into, it’s almost guaranteed that you hold some sort of grudge towards the other. Nikos, George, and Peter are breaking down a battle as old as time and answering questions, including:

• Why does the FOH (almost) always resent the BOH, and vice versa? 
• Is it more stressful dealing with endless kitchen tickets or endlessly needy customers?
• What is the root cause of the conflict between FOH and BOH?
• Do BOH employees feel physically ‘stuck’?
• Is FOH or BOH responsible for more restaurant errors?

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There is a constant cast of characters at every bar. The guy who won't stop yelling the bartender's name, the one who doesn't tip, the lady who's still learning basic manners…Some are more annoying than others, but they all have a special spot reserved for them in restaurant hell. Liz and George are joined by Guest Host Joey Gallo, a bartender at Whalburger's, to address customer questions, including:

• What are the worst kinds of bar customers?
• Are you an impatient a**hole when you're trying to order your drink?
• As a bartender, do you let customers act more obnoxious if you know they're a great tipper?
• Do you expect a bartender to drop everything to serve you if you're a big tipper?
• Are some customers just trying to get a rise out of their servers and bartenders by being rude?

Opening a business almost always starts as a passion project. One that you pour your heart and soul into developing into a clear action plan. But, as soon as the negative reviews and constructive criticism start pouring in, it can become all too easy to stray from your vision. So, how do you stay true to yourself and train your customers instead of letting them take control? Liz, Nikos, and Yianni are discussing:

• How can you stay true to your vision while incorporating guest feedback?
• At what point do you tell a customer ‘no’ to protect the integrity of your brand?
• How can you position your higher-priced product so that customers appreciate its value?
• Do you decide your concept based on your location, or vice versa?
• Is location everything when opening a new business?

Starting a business is no small feat, but the financial investment required can vary greatly depending on where you're starting. Guest Host Manos Vournavakis of Kast Distributors returns to the set of Restaurant Punk with Matt and George to discuss what it really costs to open your own restaurant. Discussion questions include:

• Can you be considered Greek if your family hasn't owned a restaurant?
• Is it possible to open a new restaurant for $50,000?
• How much does it cost to start a restaurant from scratch?
• Do distributors offer grace periods for payment on food orders?
• Should you start a business without having a network of support?

After binging several seasons of House, Peter is begging the question: when establishing a new business, do you hire your team for their level of talent or the fit of their personality into the existing (or “goal) culture? Nikos and Liz are answering this question and others, including:

• Do you build your team around talent or culture?
• How can you hold your top talent accountable for being team players?
• Does explaining your thought process make taking orders more palatable for your employees?
• Do you hire people who come off as know-it-alls?
• Can anyone be trained to become a good server?
• Does the restaurant industry breed entrepreneurs?

The daughter of Italian immigrants, Patrizia was conceived on a pizza oven and, as a result, has inevitably grown into a restauranter. Today, she helps her parents operate their Italian Restaurant while also building a Sports Bar alongside one of her brothers – both in Galloway, New Jersey. Joining George and Yianni on the Restaurant Punk set, Patrizia is asking, when are you really off the clock when you work in – or own – a restaurant? Questions include:

• Do you turn around to check on things if you hear something break on your way out the door?
• What is a jitney?
• Who is more important: front-of-house or back-of-house?
• As a business owner, do you listen to any music, podcasts, sports, or books while in the car?
• Which famous actress once worked in a restaurant: Julia Roberts, Jennifer Anniston, or Catherina Zeta-Jones?