Latest / On Point With Jaclyn Jeffrey / On Point With Bill Taibe

Transcript

On Point With Bill Taibe · On Point With Jaclyn Jeffrey

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: This episode is sponsored by the Bros Chengus Ross team at Coldwell Banker Realty.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: Bill, thank you so much for joining us today.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: We are so excited to have you here on West in Today's podcast.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: And the intention of the podcast is to have thoughtful, candid, informational kind of discussions with people who are interesting, like yourself, and who are influencing uh the community, business, political life, uh uh uh public life, and to hear more about their thoughts.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: And when it comes to you, uh, with all due respect, you are sort of a local legend and a giant when it comes to the uh the whole restaurant and the dining scene.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why we wanted to have you here.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: So you're welcome.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_02: You've embarrassed me.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, good, good, good.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: That's a good way to start.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so for those who might not know who you are, uh right now, as I understand it, you're dividing your time between uh Weston and Denver.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: You own the Kawanee here in Westport, a Kawanee in Denver, and also are overseeing the Norwalk art space.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_02: Great little coffee shop.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yep, great little coffee shop in Norwalk.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, and so that's what you mean when you say overseeing, it's the whole food element of that.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we have the cafe inside of the art gallery.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, nice.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_02: At the Norwalk Space, yeah.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, very nice.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_02: We have a team in place.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: So um this sounds kind of crazy, but I mean, when you know, when people think about restaurants, I mean, the the thing you think about is food.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: But I would imagine that when you're developing a relationship and people have sort of an emotional connection to a restaurant more than just, yeah, it's a place I go, that it that it's about more than just the food.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I suspect you have something to say about that.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: But before I ask you that, I just want to sort of level set with that.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when you think back to when you first started and you opened the doors to your first restaurant and what you were thinking you were creating then versus what you think you're creating now, you know, how is it the same or how is it different?
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: That's such a great question.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: I'll I'll use LaFarm, um, my first restaurant here in Westport as sort of the example.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: Because I think, you know, I owned a restaurant in South Norwalk with my wife prior, um, but in a different lifetime, it seems.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_02: So LaFarm was definitely uh would be a better, a better representation.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I think when we opened LaFarm, you know, it was simple.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_02: I was a cook.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I wanted to be a cook.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: That's what I wanted to do.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_02: I wanted to um find the best raw ingredients I can.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we were working uh with a lot of our local farmers.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um and really it was about just creating a great experience for our guests.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: There was a tremendous amount of ego uh that went into it because you just, you know, uh everything we did was a representation of me.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_02: So my fragile ego was very important to me.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you know, that was 15 years ago.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_02: So it was just that the grind every day to be better and to deliver.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and again, to protect me and my name.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, fast forward 14, 15 years, and albeit, you know, we haven't lost sight of taking care of our guests, taking care of our team, and you know, supplying great ingredients or using great ingredients to supply a great experience, the ego's completely out the door at this point.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you know, you learn as you go on that uh it's if if used in the right way, uh, it could be a very powerful tool.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: But what I realize now is it's it's so much less about me and it's really about the team we have in place.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, at one point, 15 years ago, I could do it all.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, especially at a restaurant like Lafarm, that was 31 seats or 32, you know, 32 seats, tiny little spot.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_02: As we started to grow and expand and really um build the company and and just mature as not only a chef but an entrepreneur, you know, you you would think the ego would get bigger because more accomplishments, but it's the complete opposite.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: You realize that you know your ego is the least important thing.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_02: And it's really about creating a team and a group of people that have, you know, that add value.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um and it it you don't have to be the only person in the room or the smartest person in the room all the time.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_02: And and uh that to me is is I think what is continues to inspire me right now is is identifying just really special people that are coming into our company here in Colorado and what we can do with them and how they could help us just be better at what we are.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_02: So I just look at the business completely different now.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: So when when when people so what do you think people are coming in for?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, they're obviously coming in for the food, et cetera.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's a given.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: But what what else?
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: When and when it's special, like what else are they coming in for?
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think?
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, hospitality, connection, to be taken care of, to not worry.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I just, you know, again, I'm a chef and I'm a perfectionist chef, but I have become well aware uh in my in my time through this industry that uh, you know, sometimes uh food can be forgiven.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_02: Uh maybe if your burger's overcooked or something's too salty could be forgiven.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_02: It's very difficult to forgive bad experience or to feel a certain way in a restaurant, to feel unwelcome or to feel inconvenienced.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so for me, you know, creating an environment for folks where whatever's happening in your life, um, the moment before you step in the door, you know, our hopes and expectation is that we provide a service where you could leave it at the door.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: And then when you come in, we're here to just take care of you, let you forget about that.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, create relationships, you know, get to know our team.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: We really focus on hiring our front of the house staff, our service staff is really personality based.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, we we don't look for long resumes, we look for good people.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: So to create those relationships, because I really think that um the the the secret sauce to to successful restaurants is hospitality and taking care of your customers.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's pretty simple, you know.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: And if you could supply, if you could, if you could give them good food, that helps too.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think there's any difference between what you see from the expectations here in Fairfield County versus what you see in Denver?
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_02: Very different.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they're completely different, but the same.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_02: Meaning, um, you know, Fairfield County, the the in Westport in particular, the way, you know, we're we're in we're in such a um a special place, and you know, we're just afforded so many luxuries.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_02: And we're, you know, if you really think about how lucky we are to be able to spend our lives here, you know, not only bright outside of New York City, but with all of the you know, this the beautiful landscape and this really great community of really bright, vibrant, um, creative people.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: You know, and and so here I think it's you know, dining out is is more of a an amenity.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's it's just part of the day-to-day cycle.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, people can afford it.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a little bit different, right?
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_02: So kids go to school, they have their activities and you have family dinner.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and it's just it's it's just part of the ritual, I think, to find your local restaurant and and support them and create those relationships to be here.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: Where in Denver, you know, you're you're dealing with a uh, especially where we are in the lower highlands, it's a it's a a younger community.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_02: So I think, you know, uh being price aware and and how they're spending their money is is a little different.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you know, just it it's not it, it's just I think it the luxury side of it comes in a little more.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_02: So they look at their experiences in Denver as you know, a little more, not in every case, but a little more like, hey, it's the end all.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_02: And did I get what I paid for?
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um, as opposed to sort of understanding the whole experience.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_02: And and we work very well in Denver, really understanding that and making sure that there's a perceived value.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and I think you get that here in Fairfield County too, but I just, you know, having restaurants here now for close to 20 years, or at least being a chef for 20, 25 years, what I know more so here in Fairfield County is get to know the folks, you know, create the conversation if they want it, be aware of them in your space, uh, and take care of them.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: And and and you know, just allow them to relax while they're in the room.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_02: Where in Denver, it still is a little more of an experience, you know, who's doing the new dish, who's got the new cool room?
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: What?
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, it uh and just because it's a little younger.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: So it's just you know, different mindset and different different uh age groups and demographics, if you would.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: That makes me think.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: I I didn't mention that I was gonna ask you this, but it just makes me think when you think about here in Westport, your competition.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, obviously you're thinking about Westport, Southport, Norwich, et cetera.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Does the ease with which people can get just jump on the train and get into the city factor into what you think about in your restaurants?
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, absolutely.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I actually look at, I I, to me, one of the reasons I think I landed in Westport.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, this will take you back 15 years ago, but when I was, you know, actively pursuing to get uh to to open something, you know, on my own, a small little restaurant, and and Westport sort of there was an opportunity at Westport at w at a restaurant that was called Seminar, is where Lafarm was originally.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I had so many people tell me, you don't want to be in Westport.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, they're so difficult.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_02: Everything goes out of business.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: God, they never know what they want.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: They're so and I just kept thinking to myself, that's the clientele I want.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I I want the people that are gonna challenge us.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_02: I want the people that have a high expectation.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_02: I don't just, I didn't want to just, you know, open a restaurant and be average.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I wanted to be the best I can be.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: So having New York City in such close proximity, I mean, we're constantly judged.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I I take no greater pride in in folks, you know, especially post-COVID.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_02: We've had this, as we all know, sort of this surge of young or families coming out of New York City and maybe single child, you know, just starting their families coming out here.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_02: And you know many of them come up to us and say, God, you like I moved to Westport because of Kwenee, or I moved to Westport because of your restaurants.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_02: Like you, your restaurants gave us the belief that we could move out of Brooklyn, we can move out of the city and still survive in the center of the city.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: And still survive.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I get it.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think it's it's it's an advantage.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_02: And on guess what?
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_02: On top of it, uh, I get to get on the train too and be there in an hour and eat some of the best restaurants in the world.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_02: And it's it can only be helpful to the people that get to eat my food.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_02: So uh so let me ask you a question.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think when someone walks into one of your restaurants?
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what's the first thing that you think matters to the experience?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like the very literally, they walk in the door.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: What's the first thing that that really matters?
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: Smile.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_02: They have to be met immediately with somebody that is excited to see them.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_02: And that's our host or our hostesses.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, another, we we talk, and it's it's never perfect because Friday night, colony, small room, people are trying to get through the door, they're jostling, you're kind of getting moved away, right?
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_02: So maybe in in some cases, you're just not able to get that one-on-one quick experience.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_02: But to me, we have to identify our guests as soon as they walk in the door and let them know we see you, we're here.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I just think one of the biggest misfortunes in a restaurant, I've had it happen way too many times, is that awkwardness when you walk into a space, there's nobody at the front door.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: Do I go to the bar?
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_02: Where do I go?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: And you're kind of standing there, and you know, and it's just it just sets the wrong tone for me.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: I want you to walk into the room and it just be a seamless evolution right to your table.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_02: So the most important thing for me is walk in and feel welcome, feel seen and recognized, die, our team that's excited to have you because they are excited to have you in.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, building on something you said uh a few moments ago, you mentioned about being a perfectionist.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: So whether a uh a diner ever sees it or not, uh, what is something that you obsess about in your restaurants?
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_02: That's it's the corners.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_02: But the corners?
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_02: What's the corners?
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_02: The corners.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody could sweep the middle of the room.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_02: It's the corners.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you mean literally corners, like literally the corners of the room.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_02: I just feel it all starts in the corners, right?
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_02: If and we look to bring on that's what we preach with our team.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's easy to sweep right in the middle of the room, right?
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: Grab a room, get under a table, do it really quick.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_02: But like it as you start to spread out, you really start getting into the details.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_02: And to me, we just use the term, it's the corners.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_02: Like the corners of the room need to be clean, not just the center of the room.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_02: So we are meticulous when it comes to uh making sure that you know there's a lot of wear and tear on restaurants, as you can imagine, but we're we're we're keeping up with the layers, the day-to-day layers that take place.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: And again, we don't just sweep under the rug.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm obsessed with the corners.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, everybody is who's ever worked here has heard about the corners.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, somehow I think I just became obsessed about the corners.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: So all right.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, one other thing I wanted to ask, just in terms of your personal experience, is there, can you think of something that you've done, whether it's a dish or something in the restaurant, whatever, that you really, really had high hopes for and you thought it was going to be amazing and it wasn't?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_02: You know, uh, it's funny.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um I couldn't think of anything, but I would say this.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_02: What I, and and not to say that I haven't had many duds, believe me, I've had plenty of dishes that I thought were brilliant and was like, what did I think?
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but it was almost for many, many years, which again is part of the the growth of Bill.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, there it for many years, I was the guy that if you liked something or something took over the menu, or if I put a dish on the menu and it became like the thing that everybody wanted, I would remove it because I felt I want you to see everything else.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_02: I'm working, this is the ego part.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_02: God, we're working so hard every day.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm I have a new rabbit dish and I have a new this.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_02: Why are you so focused on the Aaron Chini or whatever it may be?
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_02: So I was always, you know, my wife used to think I was crazy because we would, I would see, you know, sort of like sales reports at the end of the week.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_02: What were the highest selling items?
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_02: And in most cases, that dish would not be on the menu next week because I needed, I wanted the other things to be seen.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, nothing specific comes up of things that I thought were great and people didn't like, but believe me, there's been more than a handful of times where you get into service, something tastes great at two o'clock in the afternoon.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you're working on it, you know, we work on all the food we're tasting, and then all of a sudden it starts coming up, and you're like, what was I thinking four hours ago?
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_02: You know, and I've had plenty of times where I've screamed 86, you know, scallops, we're not selling them anymore.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_02: Tell everybody that they sold out.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_02: They were so great they sold out, but I just took it off the menu or something because I like the dish.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_02: So um, yeah, that that happens.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: So when a diner walks out of one of your restaurants, other than the obvious of that was a great meal, you'd like them to think or say what about the experience?
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: You know, maybe it's maybe it's just cliche and simple, but I just think like value perception, right?
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: Right?
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: We there's there's so many options and everywhere.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_02: Again, we're an hour from New York City, but let alone I think Fairfield County, and maybe this was a po a pre-COVID stat, but and I don't know if it's held up.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_02: I can't imagine it's changed much, but pre-COVID, Fairfield County was only second to San Francisco of restaurants per capita.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_02: Really?
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, like really crazy stuff.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, we have restaurants everywhere here, and so good, bad, and different doesn't make a difference.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I worked for a woman years and years and years ago, and she we opened a restaurant together in Stanford, and she was really concerned because a popular restaurant was opening up down the road.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, my first answer was, well, they don't have me.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_02: But then second, you know, I was like, what are you worried about?
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_02: And she's like, listen, it those are butts.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_02: Those are like people taking chairs, right?
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_02: And whether or not that place is good, people want to try it.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_02: They take our employees, they take, you know, the good, the good staff.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, it's just it, it, it gets to a point where, you know, it when you're so oversaturated, you have to really like differentiate yourself.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, I don't know.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_02: It's just I kind of feel like we want perception of value.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_02: I want people to feel like this is the place that they can count on when they come to the restaurant.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_02: You know, when they when they come to us, they're walking out the door and saying, you know, that was that met my expectation.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so when you think well, I will say, I mean, as as someone who's been in your restaurants, I would think you've met that goal.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think you have?
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_02: I think we do most of the time.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_02: Again, you know, we're we're in a people business, and um you begin to realize that, you know, uh what we really focus our attention to with our team here is making sure people are doing the best they can.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um 10 years ago, maybe even less, you know, it there was no best you can.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_02: It had to be perfect for me.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, there was no in-between.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: I was an absolute um just you know, I was I was it was intense.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I didn't have a lot, there was not a lot of room in my mind for error or you making error.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: And now, again, as I said, you know, refocusing um and stop worrying about long resumes and and and talent and focus on good people that want to be in your space, folks that enjoy working for your company.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, that resonates with the customer to me.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_02: You know, when when you walk in and smiles are really important, owning problems, owning mistakes is really, really important.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and and that to me is is something that we really lean into.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um you know, so uh it it's it's it's served us well so far.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: Seems so.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh okay, I just have a few last questions for you.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: So when you think back on your career so far, what would you say is the the hardest lesson you've learned from being in this business?
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_02: Uh there's so many, but I really tried to to get one that I thought uh would make some mistake.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_02: I have a um, I am you know known within our group of of giving trust until trust is broken, as opposed to the opposite, where I think typically um you have to earn people's trust.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_02: I'm the complete opposite.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_02: I you come and work with us, I give you all the trust in the world until you break it.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, that is a lesson that I learned that if I'm gonna operate that way, you know, the with it comes the bad.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_02: And that's just part of the people person part, right?
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: Like when you're when you're working with living, breathing people all day long and what we're doing, we're literally taking uh folks from all walks of life, all different, you know, all different educational backgrounds, ever and we're putting them all in a room, and then we're putting on a show every night, and we're trying, you know, and and we kind of get one chance to do it with you, right?
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_02: We don't get a retake.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, just really um uh kind of focusing on on those people and and and you know, um, yeah.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_02: See, see, yeah.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: So this is obvious in terms of how you know how you get animated talking about your business, but what still excites you about the business?
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_02: Such a great question.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um I'm we're in the process, just a little sneak peek.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_02: We're working on a new concept.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not gonna go any further than that, but we're working, we're working on a new concept.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's a drug.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's just it's an intoxicating drug.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_02: Why do I want it?
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_02: I guess I have an addictive personality.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_02: I don't really use it in many other ways, my addictive personality.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I just I really I am I'm an introvert, um, like the definition of, and I'd much prefer, I can't wait.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna finish this call.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna run home, I'm gonna sit with my dogs, I'll take them for a walk.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_02: That's where I want to be.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: But I love creating environments and experiences for people and then stepping back and watching it happen.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it just it hits strikes a chord with me.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_02: I've never not been obsessed with it.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and it's just magical.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_02: And I, again, I am not the person that will stand in the middle of the room.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not a table toucher.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_02: And it's not because I don't care.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_02: It's just it's hard for my personality to go and interfere with people's meals and to be the owner that's kind of like in place, present.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I just but I love watching from afar and I love peering out of the kitchen and seeing folks having a good time.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_02: I love, love, love, love the music, the lights, the sound of glasses when it all comes together.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's just it's a symphony.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_02: And when it works, it is intoxicating.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's taking all of my professionalism not to push on the secret, but I'm not.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna just skip that and move to the last question I have, and then anything else you wanted to add.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that is, we are certainly living in to put it mildly interesting times, uh, very different and interesting.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, in light of all of that, how do you see the the future of either restaurants and or the whole dining experience evolving as we all evolve through this particular time?
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's so interesting.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I spend a lot of time thinking about it.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's you know, we're we're running into a few issues in the industry.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_02: Costs are rising exponentially.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's that it there's just no sort of there's no comparable to it.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um and just seeing not only from staffing increases and payroll, which to me are justified.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_02: And if we're gonna if we're gonna spend more money in our industry, it needs to be on the people that work in it.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_02: But the problem is food and fuel and all these other things are rising as well.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, so the cost of operating is really, really difficult.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: And what I'm concerned with is inevitably what's going to happen, and it's harder and harder to find really good people in the business.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_02: We will start to see uh more and more models that exclude front of the house, like real time service.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um I just think um it's it's sort of the it's the Achilles to most restaurants that don't do well.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Is that lack of hospitality up front, sort of filling, just filling a position out of need, out of opposed to being able to hire people that really, really care, that are really want to be in the business.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_02: There's not enough of them for the amount of businesses we have that are open.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_02: So I just, you know, this industry, if you start to see what's what's popular in Manhattan now, these one-off little concepts, everybody's focusing on perfecting things and keeping it really simple.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I just think we're gonna see less and less of a full service, large menu restaurant that just takes the resources that we're typically used to, you know, um, it's just getting harder and harder.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: So uh I'm excited for it because I I what I see in other parts of the country, other parts of the world are different dining experiences, different dining dynamics.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and we're gonna definitely try to introduce some here to the suburbs.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we're still very used to full service here in the suburbs, uh, which I started the conversation explaining how important it was to our company.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_02: But I also think there's hybrid models that sort of allow us to provide the same type of experience, the same quality, um, you know, the same uh perceived value when you walk out the door, but maybe with a little less touching from people at your table.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I think that's the way, at least that's the way I'm starting to think.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_02: How do I, you know, how do I fill the void?
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_02: Uh if I can't find the people that you know we trust to put on the floor, you know, if there's not enough of them, so to speak, uh, I we still have to push forward and we have to make sure that you have a great experience.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_02: That's not your problem.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_02: So it's the customer.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: That's for us to figure out.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I I I think we're seeing that already.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_02: And I just think unfortunately, more and more.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, AI is is gonna take a big part of what we do.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 23:46
  unknown: Yeah.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_02: That's everywhere, right?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: Everywhere.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, it's exciting.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_02: You know, for me, I think part of, as you mentioned earlier, why am I excited about this industry?
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_02: I think there's there's so many layers to it, there's so many different avenues, there's so many experiences that come out of it.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we love, you know, uh uh uh bringing in some of the younger folks throughout the community.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, we were talking earlier, and and then they go off to different life experiences, but come back to their time at working in our restaurants.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_02: Restaurants are super important to communities, they're really important uh for opportunity.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_02: We include everybody.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's a completely inclusive industry, right?
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't make a difference where you grow up, where you're from, um, what you need, like we, you know, what your past may be, um, we're here to sort of include.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's what's so great about it.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_02: And it it we have life-changing opportunities in restaurants for folks that might have fallen on hard times and you know, you could find yourself comfortably landing in a restaurant, or someone like me, you know, that was just an absolutely horrible high school, like uh, you know, I just wasn't a conventional learner.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_02: I was a terrible student.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and here I am thriving in an industry, you know, and that accepted me.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that will never go away.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_02: We're just gonna figure out, we have to figure out how to how to better utilize our resources that are now afforded to us because they're they're limited, unfortunately.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I know I'm not the only one who's excited to see what you're gonna do here, what you're gonna do elsewhere.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: As I said at the start of the of the conversation, the whole goal here is to have a thoughtful conversation with people who influence the community and get to know them.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I think we've done that a little bit here.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm sure there's lots more to know.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: But is there anything that you haven't had a chance to say about you or anything meeting that objective that uh you wanted to add?
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I would say, well, as I mentioned earlier, you know, we are working on a new concept, and the only reason I'm being some kind of quiet as we're still developing it, but there'll be something excited, hopefully, by the end of the summer, early fall in Westport.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I am, you know, the one thing I would add is, you know, I kind of disappeared for the last two years out in Colorado as we were, you know, opening and developing our concept at West.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: And as much as I loved it and I love my time out there, it really did give me a new, fresh perspective on the community we live here.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_02: And truth be told, you know, my bandwidth was snapping a little bit.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_02: I just felt like, you know, there was a lot on me a lot having at the time I had you know four restaurants in town.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_02: And it just it was getting heavy.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_02: And the time away uh and going to Colorado and and and and having a little bit of space and coming back to Connecticut is what sort of reinvigorated me realizing what a tremendous community we're in, and we're super excited for all the fun stuff we have coming up.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um that sounds good for everybody then.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: Excellent, excellent.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we are so thankful for your time.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: We really appreciate it and wish you the best of luck and thank you so much.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks so much for having me.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_02: I appreciate it.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: Take care, Bill.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you to the Bros Changis Bros team for sponsoring this episode.