What does it feel like when your entire industry—the industry that raised you—gets cancelled? Imagine if what happened to hospitality happened to any other industry. Doctors stop practicing medicine. Lawyers stop practicing law. Farmers stop farming. It’s inconceivable… until it happens to you. I saw what was coming more than a week before the mandatory… Read more
Who do I write for in these uncertain times? Is it the restaurateur trying to find their way through this mess? Is it the patron, curious about what the future of restaurants will look like? Today, it’s both. Restaurateurs, we need to have an honest conversation about discounts and how we’ve created a culture where… Read more
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit was born 15 years ago when owner Carrie Morey knew her mother Callie’s homemade biscuit recipe had to be shared outside of the walls of her cozy childhood kitchen in Charleston, South Carolina. She first launched a mail-order business with the signature country ham biscuit and has since grown to four… Read more
Since early March, the world has been on the rollercoaster that is COVID-19 and all of its dramatic highs and lows. The volatile spread of the pandemic—in addition to an unprecedented unemployment rate as well as racial and social injustices and unrest—have all contributed to a challenging and very overwhelming time for most small businesses,… Read more
When 2020 began, more than 15 million people worked in the U.S. restaurant industry, and more than half of consumer food dollars were spent on restaurants. What a difference six months makes. Like every industry right now, restaurants and hospitality businesses are working hard to adapt in the face of a global pandemic and major… Read more
I had always prided myself on being a great manager by the book. My key performance indicators included online reviews, employee punctuality, compliance, and retention. Our culture was one of accountability and structure. What was that worth? As it turned out, very little. The dream was for Preux & Proper to become a community hub…. Read more
I’ve worked 80-100 hours a week for the last 20 years. I took four days off when I got married. I took five days off when my daughter was born. My top priority has always been exceeding the expectations of our guests. Meeting the expectations of my family fell below that. Meeting my own expectations… Read more
As businesses start to reopen after the nearly nationwide shutdown, restaurant owners, workers, and customers are facing a brave new world of COVID dine-in experiences. In a recent episode of the Full Comp podcast, James Beard Award-winning chef Nina Compton of Compère Lapin and Bywater American Bistro compares the current COVID environment with previous disasters… Read more
“Very few places can take a comfort food and reinvent it to taste 11 times better than it did before. This is that place. Legit the best grilled cheese sandwiches of my life.” – Marlene M. of Houston, Texas, in her Yelp review of food truck Emojis Grilled Cheese A gourmet sandwich maker on wheels, Emojis… Read more
Editor’s note: A version of this post first ran on author Josh Kopel‘s blog. Josh is an entrepreneur, restaurateur, and host of Full Comp, a new podcast for the hospitality industry. As we prepared to open my restaurant, Preux & Proper, in 2014, we spent months conceptualizing the layout, menu, and overall concept. We considered… Read more