The Build: Restuarant 201

Starting today, on this special addition of Opening Soon, which we will be optimistically dubbing hereafter RE-Opening soon, we are talking to chefs and restaurateurs impacted by the Coronavirus Crisis. We hope to get some advice, share some of the pain and find hope for the future. It's heartbreaking to see the very establishments that nourish our bellies and souls and serve as the heart of our communities on the front lines of this crisis. The economic impact is devastating. There are over 15.6 billion people employed in the industry talking home over $300B in wages each year. 

In this episode: David  Helbraun & Lee  Jacobs of Helbraun Levy, Jill Tyler of Tail Up Goat, and  Chris  Shepherd of Underbelly Hospitality.

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We have heard about varying degrees of complexity during the build out phase on this show. From quick cosmetic updates like Chad Conley in Maine, to basically starting from zero, like Missy Robbins of Lilia. Todays guests fall in the later camp. John Winterman and Chris Cippollone are in the process of converting a very old bank building into a brasserie on the corner of Bedford and Broadway in Brooklyn. Both John and Chris have Michelin starred backgrounds, John as a managing partner at Batard in Tribeca, and Chris as the chef at Pioria. Francie will be their first project together. Let's take a listen to our first conversation from the end of January.

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In a perfect world, vision and aesthetics would drive all design decisions for a restaurant space and money would be no object. In reality there are almost always trade offs between what you want to do and what you can afford during the build out and design.  Were you lusting after the custom hand painted ceramic tile and then end up with home depot subway tile special because your budget got cut to re-vent the hood. Today’s Guest is Chad Conely chef/owner of Palace Diner, Rose Foods and forthcoming Ramona’s  in Portland Maine. Ramona’s will be Chad’s 3rd restaurant and he is working with a tight turnaround and budget. We last caught up with Chad on January 21st and he had just started the build out.

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Chad Conely, chef, owner, Palace Diner, Rose Foods,  Ramona’s, Portland, ME, Maine, take-out, opening,  restaurant, 

Permitting may be the one piece in the puzzle that is mostly out of your control. There is typically a collective groan by business owners when the word permit and the associated regulatory agencies are uttered. These agencies are often overworked and understaffed and have the ability to delay your project and add to the budget. But there are ways to mitigate the risk and ensure you are prepared. Today’s Guest is Julia Jaksic chef/owner of beloved all day cafe, Cafe Roze in Nashville TN. Julia is currently building Roze Pony, an all day market café opening in Belle Meade area of Nashville in late spring 2020.  We last spoke to Julia on January 21st as she was preparing  to submit her building plans for permits.  Let’s take a listen to our conversation from January...

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When it comes to a new restaurant lease, everything is a negotiation. Your terms presented at signing have the power to dramatically shape your business. Whether it be Tenant improvements, Term lengths, Concession, Backout clauses for permit approvals and more, it is not a decision to made quickly or alone. 

Today’s Guests are Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel and Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie’s Austin, a forthcoming neighborhood cafe on the East side of Austin, TX. Tracy and Arjav have an impressive roster of experience including Del Posto, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Hill and Untitled. Last we spoke with them they were in negotiations on their 5th space of serious potential.

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You have been dreaming of opening your own place for years. You have a business plan. Now you need a pile of money to get the place open. Where do you start? When can you start? How many people do you need to pitch? How many no’s before you get a yes? Today’s Guest is Brandon Byrd of Square Bar a forthcoming Bar and naturally leavened pan pizza joint in Brooklyn. Brandon has worked in operations at multi unit establishments such as two boots and in culinary at several top spots including Momofuku, Best Pizza & Lenoir. Square Bar will be Brandon’s first solo venture as a restaurateur. We first chatted with Brandon on January 14th about his fundraising journey and then we will catch up live today.

Photo Courtesy of MattPatterson

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This season we are mixing it up and interviewing chefs and restaurateurs as they actively open a restaurant. We’ll be chatting before and after a milestone moment to hear the preparation and later of course get the skinny on how it all went to down.

So you have your restaurant concept and are ready to hit the ground running, but where do you start? Well if your business plan includes selling alcohol you may need to start by applying for a liquor license. In fact past guest liquor attorney Robert Bookman recommended starting the process as soon as you are serious about a space and maybe even before you sign the lease. 

Today’s Guests are Elena Yamamoto and Yael Peet, Co-Chefs of the forthcoming restaurant Fury’s on Christopher St in NYC’s West Village.. Fury's is a Kappo-style Japanese restaurant planning to open in the Summer of 2020. We first chatted with Elena & Yael on January 14th as they were beginning the liquor license process.
 

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The hospitality industry is historically and notoriously been known for late nights and hard partying. The drug and booze filled nights were famously chronicled by Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential. But over the past several years there seems to be a cultural shift happening in the industry and many chefs and restaurateurs are speaking out about and championing their sobriety. In fact some food festivals and consumer events are even embracing the alcohol free events.

Our guest today knows a thing or two about sobriety and restaurant culture. Steve Palmer is the managing partner of Indigo Road with 20+ restaurants and over 900 employees across the American South. Steve has been sober for over 17 years, started a non-profit called Ben’s Friends and has a new book out called Say Grace. Super excited to have Steve here to chat about how we can support sobriety and wellness in restaurant culture.

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There are over 1.4 M businesses in the US run by married couples and I can rattle off dozens of restaurants run by couples from the top of my head. And family owned businesses account for 64% of the GDP and account for 62% of all employment opportunities. So what makes working with your family so appealing? And what are some of the challenges. As a husband and wife team we are excited to get to the bottom of some of these questions with one of our other favorite partners in biz and life- David and Anna Posey of Elske in Chicago.

David and Anna worked their way through some of the best kitchens in Chicago before partnering on Elske. Elske has won numerous awards including Bon App Hot 10 in 2016, Eater BNR and earned and retained a Michelin star since 2017.

The holiday season is all about food and community. There’s no better time to show your support for food radio by becoming a member! Lend your voice and help HRN continue to spreading the message of equitable, sustainable, and delicious food – together, we can change minds and build a better food system. Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate today to become a crucial part of the HRN community.

Photo Courtesy of Huge Galdones

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Opening a restaurant comes with a laundry list of challenges. Let’s assume you’ve checked all the boxes and you have your opening date. Now it’s all about getting people IN to your restaurant. How do you devise the press strategy for opening? And what parts of your business are unique and interesting from a press perspective? I’m confident our guest today can advise on all these issues and more.

Riddle me this, what happens when a PR Pro opens bi-coastal champagne bars? Two very buzzy restaurants. Jen Pelka in the Founder and CEO of The Riddler, the popular all-women funded champagne bar in NYC and San Francisco. Jen is also the founder of Magnum PR, the leading restaurant PR agency in SF. Prior to the Riddler Jen worked alongside chef Daniel Bolud for 5 years and then went on to marketing content and strategy roles at Opentable, Gilt and Tumblr.

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