Jamie Munoz

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Hi, it's Griffin Anna.
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Thanks for joining Droppin' Knowledge again.
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Uh today we have uh Jamie Munoz of Octo Hospitality who is gonna talk to us today about hospitality and his journey.
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Thanks for coming today.
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Absolutely.
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Thank you.
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Good to see both of y'all, obviously.
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Um happy to be here, having fun.
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Been a long weekend in New Orleans already.
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You did the Baton Rouge, you did Baton Rouge Saturday.
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Did Baton Rouge Saturday night.
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We did Baton Rouge.
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We did Baton Rouge Saturday night, uh, which was the finale to Brian Kelly's tenure at LSU.
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Uh then Saints game yesterday, and then horrible football weekend.
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Yeah, so I'm really scared to go to the Pells game tonight because I just can't.
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I don't know if I can take it.
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You know, maybe it's you.
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It could be, and that's why I'm not going.
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Yeah.
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I doubt it.
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Yeah, I doubt it too.
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We tried blame that would say otherwise, but okay.
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Saturday night we were trying to pass a lot of the blame on to Jamie, and he just kept saying this is not just about me.
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Which was true, which was probably very accurate.
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Um Well, um, you know, we've known each other a long time, and so I'm pretty well versed in your path and in hospitality.
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Um, and it really sales before that, and then hospitality and kind of blends.
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And so as Ann and I were thinking about guests to come on and share their stories, your name came up.
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And um so we're just gonna jump in here and you know, if you want to give us an idea of maybe what you're doing now, or if you want to start with how did you land in hospitality, however direction you want to go.
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I you know, the landing of it is interesting because I never left it once I got into it.
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But I was playing high school football and at Archbishop Bonable.
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And you went to Bonnerble?
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I did.
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Yeah.
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So I was dating a girl whose older sister was running City Lights.
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And they were like, hey, can you come be a busboy on Saturday nights because we played ball on Friday?
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And so that's how it started.
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I was I was a bus boy for like two weeks.
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You think it's because you were what do they say, fleet of foot?
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You were you were pretty quick, and they thought maybe a bus boy could be good.
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Light on the toes, tall hands, tall hands, yeah.
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Just trying to see why they picked that position.
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Sure.
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I don't know.
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So I started bar backing there, and it was crazy.
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I mean, the amount of money at 15, 16 years old was ridiculous at City Lights at that time.
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Um which funny is so to put things in perspective for those who don't know, City Lights was a nightclub in New Orleans.
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Yeah, probably I would say the biggest nightclub.
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And now it's Metro.
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I mean, you talk about a success.
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Yeah, it's been a good thing.
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That place has been around for But I was going to, you were 15 years old bar backing at a nightclub, which was interesting in itself, too.
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Yeah, I remember I couldn't get so I bar backed for let's see the next five years or so because I kept wanting a bartend.
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And Chip About, who was the owner, was like, I legally, you know, you gotta be no, it was 18.
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I was back.
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That's right, it was 18.
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That's right.
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So it was 18, and I'll never forget I bar backed for three years, was doing great every Saturday night.
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That's all I did.
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And then I wanted the bartend, and he goes, You have no bartending experience.
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Not a problem.
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Olive Garden opened up down the street.
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I went in, told him I've been at City Lights for the last three years.
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They hired me as the bar supervisor.
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Never made a drink in my life.
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Oh boy.
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But I took it, read up a lot, learned how to skate my way through that part of it.
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It was, you know, it's not real big bartending over at the Olive Garden, you know.
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Back then it was Esplanade mall was right by Esplanade.
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It was either the the the uh Chianti wine on the table or Kendall Jackson at that point, yeah.
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White or red.
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I mean, that was pretty much where things were, right?
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We might have had an Italian.
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Um but so I did that, and then I literally went back the next day, saw Chip, and I said, Hey, I'm the bar supervisor over it.
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He's like, You asshole.
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And he made me a bartender that week.
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Um, so I bartender, I was with Chip for or City Lights uh 10 years.
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Damn.
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Wow.
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One day a week.
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Um, ironically, I was running Olive Garden here and moved, they offered me a general manager position.
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I think I was 20 years, 19 years old, something like that.
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Something crazy.
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And uh if I would go to Houston and I moved out to Houston and worked for about a year out there, but I would fly back every weekend just to bartend at City Lights.
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To go to City Lights, that because if flights were 150 bucks round trip, 200 bucks, and I'd make a thousand dollars, so it was silly not to do it, right?
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So there's lots of jobs like that where people fly for one or two nights in the United States, make a bunch of money, and then fly home.
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Bartending at Olive Garden was not an actual thing, but it probably didn't come to mind.
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Right.
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But now I'll log that.
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But that's interesting because it sounds like to me, one was for money and the other one was almost a career path that you were slowly taking and building your resume.
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I was definitely it, I didn't think I wanted to be in restaurants.
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Like I just enjoyed that.
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And I was, you know, just enjoying life at a young age, you know, playing flag football, we're traveling all over the place doing silly shit.
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So it was it was definitely a start.
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Then I kind of completely got away from it.
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Um I'd moved back to New Orleans and started going to uh sales.
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So I worked for Sunglass Hut for probably a year.
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I went and took a job, and I think I was running like four or five stores pretty quickly.
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And that's when we met.
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That's probably when we met.
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That is definitely when we met.
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And but it wasn't, you know, I mean, it was fun, it was it was very easy for me.
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Sales was easy because I learned the consistency of what sales is.
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Just you're not selling a product to me in my mind, you're selling yourself, you know, and I was always confident in being able to say, hey, you know, whatever it is, a pair of glasses, a water bottle, whatever.
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As long as you're believing in me and what I'm telling you is going to be beneficial for you, it helps.
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So that was pretty easy for me.
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And then I ran into uh a guy on Bourbon Street, because I had one of the stores on Bourbon Street, and he wanted me to get back in the nightclub business, and I'd been out of it for a while, and I was like, man, I don't know.
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The hours were a little different, yeah, way different.
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Um, so brought me in as a manager, and I was at BBC, Bourbon Street Blues Company, Razoo, Famous Store, all that stuff.
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And that was a wild ride.
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I mean, it's just uh what you're in charge of throwing a party every night.
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Every night.
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Literally.
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Yeah.
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That's your job.
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You know, one of the things we're finding interesting in having conversations, well, two things.
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One is we've been talking to people that either Anne or I know, and in each one of these conversations, we learned things that we didn't know.
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I've known you for a long time.
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I never heard the Olive Garden story.
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Really?
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Ever.
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Um Well, and I thought you guys went to Broad Martin together.
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I had no clue you went to Bonnewell.
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Yeah.
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Um, we met on a guy's trip um to Shreveport um through some mutual friends.
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And um, and now I lost my train of thought.
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It's okay.
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What was the other thing?
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We learned things that we didn't know about our guests all the time.
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Yeah, I still lost my train of thought.
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We'll come back to it.
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It didn't help.
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It didn't help.
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So so then you get into BBC Famous Store, Rise News, I got it.
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And Chris.
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I'm back on it.
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Welcome to Need It Anna.
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Thank you.
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You're welcome.
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Okay.
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So the other thing that's interesting is hearing the behind the scenes, so to speak, to use that kind of cliche, but of of what it's like for people when they're doing certain things.
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Because of course, we only see a half hour in the bar with someone, or we interviewed somebody in the grocery business and we just see their commercial.
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And we're like, oh, look how nice that is.
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And but understanding kind of behind the scenes, we both find that interesting.
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And so give us like a day in the life of you're you're at you're on bourbon street now.
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And you want this story, huh?
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I want to know like because there's a lot of people who are down there doing this, sure.
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And and make careers out of it.
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And um and for for someone like me who was never in that type of industry, I just I look at it and I go, God, this is brutal.
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This is brutal.
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From the moment you drive into the French quarter and you have to look for parking, and you got to go walk to where you work, and then you still have to walk.
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So take us in a day in a life.
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So you you you had already been down in the French quarter, obviously it's in glass hut, but now you're leaving that, you're going into the first box bar.
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Right.
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Yeah.
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So now what's that look like on a daily basis?
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So you you don't go to work when I was, you know, for the most part, you had kind of some day managers that dealt with those parties, but I I don't think I went into work till five, six o'clock at night.
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Right.
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That was the start of it.
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And you go in, get your world set up, kind of understanding, depending on events, which we all know, New Orleans is you know, full of those things.
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So you're watching what's going on, but it could be an any day Tuesday, and you have to throw a party.
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And that was one of the things I learned a lot from because it wasn't just Tuesday, it was somebody's bachelorette party, someone's bachelor party, someone's only weekend they've ever been in New Orleans, and they're looking for what that is.
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It's like Vegas, this different thing.
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So you have to provide that.
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So the energy to be able to get up every night to be able to execute a party is not easy.
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I mean, the people had, you know, it's yeah, there's bartenders, there's this, but there's also MCs and DJs and all this that have to recreate this feeling of it's a one night in someone's lifetime.
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And you're doing three of these a night.
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And you're doing, well, yeah, bouncing all over the place.
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So it was, it's interesting, you know, from you learning when you're cutting live music, when you go to a DJ, when do you take breaks?
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How do you coordinate all these people?
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Because you have, I mean, from bartenders to barbacks and shot girls and guys and all of this stuff, and you're just like, it's a lot going on, but it becomes the norm.
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And are you are were you also involved in because someone's involved in selecting the the band, the musicians that are in there?
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They're not traditionally, they're not bands, they're musicians and they sit in lots of different places.
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Cover bands and stuff like that.
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I fortunately at that point was not.
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Um, we had someone hired that kind of took care of talent and all that.
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But these groups that can be game changing.
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It's like when you're, you know, you're day drinking on Bourbon Street, or or I was just in Nashville, it's mostly it's all live music there, obviously.
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But or maybe it's Austin in these, you know, Sixth Street, I think it is.
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It's like you're attracted to the places, and it's very interesting to hear you say you have to throw a party every day, or really in three-hour blocks in blocks.
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Yeah.
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Because it's like people are fickle, and if the band is so-so, or the lead singer just doesn't have the energy um of the next bar, everyone's moving to the next bar for the next two hours.
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Those bands dictated that street.
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Yeah.
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I mean, think about, you know, because they they worked, you know, most of them six nights a week, you know, and they would go to different bars and pop around and stuff.
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So when you found somebody that was great and had energy and they could bring it all the time, you lock them in.
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And they they might play for you four nights a week for years, you know, down there.
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Uh, but they get comfortable and they understand what it is, and you're all on the same page, and it starts to work together.
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So DJs, MCs, MCs are like it was they were rock stars on Bourbon Street.
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You know, they're the ones who are up there with a mic in their hand and creating that party every night.
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How did how do they get paid?
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Uh use a cash.
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No, but I mean the like the uh like they are they paid like they're paid by the hour.
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And do they get and then some of them, like a lot of ones that I worked with, would get kickers.
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So the night is this number, right?
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Well, they're throwing this party and it's staying later and later, and everybody's drinking and spending more and more money.
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Well, the club starts to, you know, hit their level.
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Now it's spiked money.
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And if they have good weeks and they're killing it, then they get a little Benny.
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Gotcha, okay.
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So it's nice for them, you know.
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So they have to work hard to make sure they that's an incentive for them to get extra money.
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You know, they're gonna get a base pay out by the hour, right?
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Um, but then to be able to get into that extra money is where it was.
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But yeah, that was an interesting business, I'll never forget.
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Um so I had just gotten or about to get married as I was going into that business, and I was living on the North Shore, and she was like, you know, because I was kind of having conversations with her about taking this job, right?
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And she's like, Why would you do this?
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Why do you want to get back into this?
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I'm like, Well, we're starting a life, you know, got a new house, all these things.
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It's a good way to go make some cash, and I know I can do that, right?
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So she's like, Well, how much are you making?
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So I kind of went back to Harry, and I'm like, dude, what are you paying me?
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I I know we're gonna be fine, right?
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But I kind of need to get an answer here, right?
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And he looked me dead in the eye and he goes, If you ever ask me that question again, we're just not gonna work together because you're not the right person.
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Oh wow.
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So I was like, Okay, kind of gut check moment, going into a new, you know, marriage, whole lot deal.
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And I remember driving across the causeway, as I did this morning, and I was like, She's gonna call me.
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And that was the beginning of being scared.
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So she called.
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This is where the sales comes in.
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This is where the sales comes in.
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She called, and she's like, Did you talk to Harry?
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I'm like, Yeah, I did.
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She goes, All right, well, what's it gonna be?
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And I was like, 65,000, start base pay, then we'll see what happens from there.
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I was lying my ass all the time.
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So now I'm just like, okay, let's go in this.
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So week one goes by, we have a meeting, and in this meeting, you sit there with all the managers of the different clubs and everything, and that we had in our group, start talking, going through things, and then you get paid.
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And you got paid with an envelope that's thrown in front of you, and I was like, I took that envelope, put it in my bag, and I left.
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And I remember driving on the causeway again that afternoon, and I opened an envelope, and I'm like, we're gonna be fine.
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Everything's gonna be okay.
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And then it just kept coming.
00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:39.360
And you learn, you learn how to make money in the club business, you know?
00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:42.639
Um silly things, man.
00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:51.679
It just you learned how to feed people to keep them sober, which is crazy, right?
00:16:51.759 --> 00:17:02.240
That that's a real thing out there, yeah, you know, because your bartenders, your you know, shot girls and all this are just drinking, throwing a party with you for a living.
00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:03.360
Right, right?
00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:07.920
Well, if they're drunk and passed out, guess what they're not doing?
00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:09.839
Making the club any money.
00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:12.400
So you'd learn how to feed them, you know.
00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:15.200
You see somebody, hey, yay, let me go grab you a pizza.
00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:17.839
And then you get another two hours of work.
00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:18.960
It's horrible.
00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:20.000
It's definitely horrible.
00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:21.039
That's insane.
00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:25.200
It's the background stuff that you never think of when you're inside of those places, right?
00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:25.599
Yeah.
00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:27.519
So you would go in at five or six o'clock.
00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:28.559
Five or six o'clock.
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:37.200
You go in, you check in music, you're going through the run, you're going through all your registers, making sure everything's locked in and loaded.
00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:40.799
You're doing inventories all the time, you know.
00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:47.279
So you're running numbers every hour to kind of see where you are because you got to gauge labor and everything else that goes through it.
00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:50.319
So you go and so you throw a party.
00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:56.880
Let's just kind of fast forward to you throw this party, then you wrap up, get the place, you know.
00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:00.559
I say cleaned up, you're always cleaning, you know.
00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:10.799
So there's never this time where you know, you just this cleaning crew comes in because you get finished at four or five in the morning.
00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:12.880
Well, it's back open by 10.
00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:14.559
So there's not a lot in between.
00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:16.079
And then you gotta take deliveries in a meeting.
00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:20.960
You gotta take deliveries and you know, do all your paperwork and everything else in between.
00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:26.079
And then you get on a bridge and you drive home at six, seven, and eight o'clock in the morning.
00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:27.440
It's not a fun one.
00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:28.319
It's a hard life.
00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:30.480
It's a hard life.
00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:40.480
And I'll um, you know, look, I benefited so much from it over time, with you know, not just financially, but just meeting a lot of people and different things.
00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:44.000
And I'll never forget the day I left.
00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:49.359
As I was watching, you know, shit on Bourbon Street, and it's just shit, right?
00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:50.880
Things that are going on.
00:18:51.359 --> 00:19:05.039
And I remember walking past, I was walking into work, and I remember walking past something that it didn't bother me what I was looking at.
00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:06.079
You were numb.
00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:06.960
I was numb.
00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:12.079
And I said, I went home, told my wife, I'm out, can't do it.
00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.079
So it was that quick, it was from one day to the day.
00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:14.960
One day, yeah.
00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:19.680
I was just like, I I just this is and I'm going nuts.
00:19:19.839 --> 00:19:21.279
I had had the twins at that point.
00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:21.920
Oh wow.
00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:26.799
The twins were a year old, and I just felt like I was missing all of it.
00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:33.440
You know, you're just a zombie because you know, when the rest of the world is going on, you're sleeping.
00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:34.240
You're sleeping.
00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:35.759
Because you just got off of work.
00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:40.079
And when most people are off on the weekends, that's your biggest day.
00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:52.720
I I in my career, you know, for the first 20 years of my career, I would be willing to bet I didn't take off a handful of Saturdays in my life.
00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:54.559
It's just what you do.
00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:54.880
Yeah.
00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:55.759
That's the norm.
00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:57.839
That's you gotta be there when the money's there.
00:19:57.920 --> 00:20:00.880
And that's in that business, that's what you are, that's what you're doing.
00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:17.200
It's the push-pull between, and I think this applies across the board, between the reward, the economic reward, and or just the the reward for you being successful at something versus what you might thought was successful.
00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:17.920
Well, right, for you.
00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:19.440
And then but what are you giving up?
00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:19.759
Yeah.
00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:20.799
What's the balance?
00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:22.880
Yeah, are there are there other options, right?
00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:27.279
I mean, there's some people who maybe maybe that's where they're supposed to be.
00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:27.599
Yeah.
00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:30.240
So they look around, they're like, this is my spot.
00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.440
It seemed like it had a level of difficulty.
00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:40.000
Yeah.
00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:43.920
I mean, the financial part of it was great, you know.
00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:49.599
So I remember when I went and asked to leave, you know, that group.
00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:51.279
And they're like, you're not leaving.
00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:52.480
Here's more money.
00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:53.680
They're like, you can't.
00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:56.559
That's just and I'm like, I'm leaving.
00:20:56.720 --> 00:20:56.880
Yeah.
00:20:57.119 --> 00:20:57.680
I can't.
00:20:57.920 --> 00:20:59.759
They're like, you're gonna make a quarter of what you're doing.
00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:02.079
I'm like, yeah, I know, but I can't do this.
00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:02.319
Yeah.
00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:03.279
Just wasn't me.
00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:05.119
I couldn't so interesting enough.
00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:10.720
I mean, you know, when we talk about defining success or whatever, at one point it was, okay, this is I'm doing good.
00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:11.039
Right.
00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:17.759
I'm making great money, but then you realize, like, you know what, I don't really want all that money.
00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.000
I want to be home with my kids.
00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:21.839
I want to see them grow up, right?
00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:25.039
So your definition of success was was changing.
00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:32.880
Yeah, it definitely was at that time because I mean, you know, you're watching your babies, you know, not be babies, right?
00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:33.920
And you're missing it.
00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:36.319
It just, I was like, this is this is crazy.
00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:37.039
I can't do this.
00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:43.119
I'm gonna lose everything I worked so hard to have in my life over this, and it's not worth it.
00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:44.880
So made the change.
00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:46.319
Got lucky.
00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:50.160
Um, and that's how I got back into the restaurant business.
00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:51.359
I was like, what can I do?
00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:52.160
What am I gonna go do?
00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:52.640
I gotta do that.
00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:57.839
That that was able to really help you.
00:21:58.160 --> 00:21:59.279
I was really gonna be doing well there.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:01.279
Olive Garden is still around.
00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:02.079
He's still here.
00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:03.119
I'm being serious.
00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:03.440
Yeah.
00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:05.279
All of a sudden, welcome everyone.
00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:05.599
Right.
00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:05.920
Yeah.
00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:10.000
Um, no, it's not at all.
00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:24.480
Um, but I got a phone call, and it was uh from a friend of ours and said, Hey, I need a manager if you want to get back in the restaurant world um at Rooscrace.
00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:25.039
Okay.
00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:31.119
And I was like, hmm, if I'm gonna make a move, this is the time and place to do it.
00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:38.079
And so I got an offer to either go to Broad Street or Medary to be one of the managers.
00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:39.759
And Broad Street is the original.
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:43.920
I say it's the original, but it's what everyone knows is the original.
00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:44.640
Correct.
00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:47.440
Um and Ruth Fertell lived on top of it.
00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:49.440
She did for a long time, yeah.
00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:56.480
Uh so I remember the offer was look, it's real simple.
00:22:56.720 --> 00:23:02.720
If you go to Broad Street and can be successful, you can go do whatever you want in life.
00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:07.119
You'll if you can crack that code there, you'll be fine.
00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:17.440
Or you can go to Metary and you could probably be a GM within a year or so and be there for the next 30 years as a GM there.
00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:20.079
I don't want that.
00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:22.480
So I asked for Broad Street.
00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:27.039
Nice, got it, and learned a ton.
00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:38.079
Like it's just you talk about hospitality and that restaurant in particular, the history, everything behind it, what was going on was pretty wild.
00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:40.240
You know, I mean, it was standing room only.
00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:44.799
I'd watch attorneys take clients there three times in a day.
00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:45.839
Oh wow.
00:23:46.000 --> 00:24:00.880
I mean, literally hold a lunch on a Friday early, do a walk that customer client out, bring in another one, eat again, they leave, they're right back with their family for dinner.
00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:02.880
Like it's it was wild.
00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:05.039
Um, a lot of a lot of things.
00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:05.599
I like steak.
00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:07.119
I don't know if I could eat three steaks a day.
00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:09.119
I probably have to go chicken in the middle.
00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:11.599
They would, they would eat salads and stuff like that.
00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:15.279
But it's like, my gosh, it's just brutal.
00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:17.039
I mean, it was Fridays were fun.
00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:22.000
Fridays were the day, you know, that every judge, everybody was in the room.
00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:23.680
You had to be seen place to be.
00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:26.799
Yeah, it was fun for like 20 plus years, or maybe longer.
00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:27.920
Oh, yeah, maybe 40.
00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:28.880
Maybe longer.
00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:32.799
They close down after Katrina, Broad Street, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:36.160
Yeah, so I was at I was there when that happened.
00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:36.880
Oh, we're okay.
00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:37.279
Yeah.
00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:49.759
So we had just gone public, and which was a wild ride because Ruth had passed away, and they were like, she's rolling, like, this is just not gonna be great.
00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:51.200
So go public.
00:24:51.759 --> 00:25:02.400
It had a good little start, everything we were all kind of thriving at that time, and Katrina hits, and we all know what that was, right?
00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:04.799
So you're like, oh shit, here we go.
00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:10.400
So our regional called up and goes, All right, you gotta go to work.
00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:12.559
Like, where are we going to work?
00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:16.319
It was like your choice, literally anywhere in the country.
00:25:16.480 --> 00:25:18.160
You tell me where you want to go.
00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:23.519
So it was like California, New York, like what have I got babies?
00:25:23.920 --> 00:25:27.680
The boys are like three, four years old at this point.
00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:29.599
So I'm like, what are we gonna do?
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:43.680
Well, they had made the decision that corporate, the corporate store that was in Medri at the time, on top of that, Ruth, uh, was gonna move to Heathrow, uh, Florida, which is Orlando.
00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:44.240
Okay.
00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:47.440
And I'm like, okay, I'll go do that.
00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:52.240
Because it's Disney and I got babies, and why wouldn't I do that?
00:25:52.480 --> 00:25:52.640
Right.
00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:59.920
I'm right there by corporate, you know, so I still, the family's still together of work and everything.
00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:00.960
So I did.
00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:03.599
We were traveling out there, looking for a house.
00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:08.319
Another storm comes in and gets Orlando in trouble.
00:26:08.480 --> 00:26:14.160
Well, I had to come, I had literally had to rent a car and drive because we couldn't get a flight out of there.
00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:18.559
The boys were here and I think they were in Baton Rouge.
00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:21.920
And so I'm like hustling to get back to them while we were looking for a house.
00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:28.799
And in the meantime, they called and asked if I would take over the uh Boca Raton store.
00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:32.559
So I was like, okay, uh good opportunity.
00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:35.759
Still right down the road from corporate and everything.
00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:37.359
So we did that.
00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:39.279
So moved family, everything.
00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:45.200
We had no choice, uh, and went out to Boca Raton, Florida, which is a spot, bro.
00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:47.119
Very special piece right there.
00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:48.799
It's beautiful, it's gorgeous.
00:26:49.039 --> 00:26:53.200
Um, it's different, it's a different group of people, but now how long were you out there for?
00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:54.240
Two years.
00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:54.720
Okay.
00:26:54.880 --> 00:26:56.240
I think about two years.
00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:02.880
Um we were out there and it created my next journey.
00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:15.279
What I was learning about, you know, as incredible as you felt about Rus Chris as in a you know, a New Orleans icon she was and everything.
00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:20.079
When I got out there, I was like, something's wrong.
00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:22.559
These people don't even know who Ruth is.
00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:23.920
You know what I mean?
00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:26.640
It's just a steakhouse to everyone else.
00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:30.720
It's a good steakhouse, a great steakhouse, but it's just a steakhouse.
00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:36.799
Whereas when you grow up in New Orleans at that restaurant on Broad Street, it was very different.
00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:37.759
So it was hard.
00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:44.799
I wasn't, I wasn't loving it because I was just, you're just doing this routine over and over again.
00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:56.319
And what and the one thing I learned was it taught me a whole heck of a lot about who I was, meaning I knew I didn't like that.
00:27:57.119 --> 00:27:59.440
You know, just the repetition every day.
00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:04.319
It's that state, that menu hadn't changed in you know, 40 years, right?
00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:07.519
So and very, very corporate, very, very corporate.
00:28:07.920 --> 00:28:09.440
Well, it was getting that way, right?
00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:10.880
It was getting that way, yeah.
00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:15.759
So I was just like, man, this is just not great, but it was fine.
00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:16.799
We're working.
00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:23.440
Um didn't have a choice because it was my job, so you did your job.
00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:37.759
And I'll never forget, I was sitting at Roos in Boca, it's a great story, and this this lady calls me up and she's like, Hey, um Dickie Brennan would like to meet with you.
00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:40.000
I'm like, what?
00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:41.039
Why?
00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:43.279
You know, I know didn't even.
00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:44.160
Had you ever met him?
00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:45.440
I didn't even know Dickie at the time.
00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:46.400
Okay, okay.
00:28:46.640 --> 00:28:46.960
Wow.
00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:48.640
It's like he really wants to meet you.
00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:51.279
And I'm like, well, I'm really happy.
00:28:51.440 --> 00:29:01.119
You know, I thought I was gonna be with Roos forever, and you know, just kind of I was going through the motion, so it was kind of tempting to just to hear.
00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:12.160
So he flew me into town, and I went sat top floor of Palace Cafe, and just fell in love with the guy, you know.
00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:28.720
Just what we we were sitting there and he looked at me, he goes, I feel like we've been together for 20 years, just in a conversation like this, just talking and talking about food and talking about hospitality and people and everything that was going on.
00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:31.440
And he was like, I don't have a job for you.
00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:32.960
I'm like, awesome.
00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:34.640
Not really sure why you brought me here.
00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:36.000
Why did you find me?
00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:39.839
Um, but he goes, he goes, but we're gonna figure it out.
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:41.519
I just want you to join the team.
00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:42.720
I'm like, well, where?
00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:43.359
What?
00:29:43.680 --> 00:29:50.240
I mean, I'm assuming you want me for your steakhouse because that's what I was you know doing and successful at.
00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:51.599
You sold yourself.
00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:52.559
It was a sales.
00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:53.519
I guess.
00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:56.640
I don't know, but it just he's like, I'm gonna figure it out.
00:29:56.799 --> 00:29:58.079
We'll we'll make it work.
00:29:58.319 --> 00:29:59.279
So I did.
00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:04.160
And all in the background, my wife is just giggling and giggling, little kid.
00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:06.240
I'm like, What's what's your deal?
00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:08.000
She's like, he didn't tell you.
00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:09.680
Like, tell me what?
00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:14.319
So behind the scenes, you like behind the scenes?
00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:22.400
She wrote Dickie Brennan a letter and said, I want to introduce myself.
00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:24.559
This is who my husband is.
00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:26.640
We want to come home.
00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:27.839
You need him.
00:30:28.079 --> 00:30:28.799
Stop it.
00:30:29.279 --> 00:30:30.240
Another story I didn't tell.
00:30:30.480 --> 00:30:33.200
And I had no idea that this happened.
00:30:33.359 --> 00:30:36.720
And that's how the introduction all came around.
00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:38.559
So a letter.
00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:40.559
A letter written to Dickie.
00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:42.480
So fast forward.
00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:43.839
I love that he didn't tell you about it.
00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:44.559
Didn't even tell me.
00:30:44.640 --> 00:30:45.359
I had no idea.
00:30:45.599 --> 00:30:46.640
Didn't find out for a long time.
00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:48.559
So maybe it wasn't the sales skill, sorry.
00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:49.519
No, I don't know.
00:30:50.079 --> 00:30:50.720
I don't know.
00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:52.640
I'm not sure if that letter actually exists.
00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:53.519
It could have gone.
00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:56.640
It could have gone off, but he talked to you.
00:30:56.960 --> 00:30:58.400
Um but no, it was great.
00:30:58.559 --> 00:31:04.799
So uh yeah, 10 years got to spend with the Dickie Vernon and Company family.
00:31:05.200 --> 00:31:08.319
So when you come back to New Orleans, which one of the restaurants do you give?
00:31:08.640 --> 00:31:10.640
So I started, I was at Bourbon House.
00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:11.119
Okay.
00:31:11.279 --> 00:31:18.319
Okay, because they had a group over at uh George had been at Steakhouse forever and all.
00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:21.599
They were talking about moving some things around and what have you.
00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:27.200
So I go in, there was a general manager already there at Bourbon House at all the restaurants.
00:31:27.759 --> 00:31:32.559
And I was there, I don't know, not even three months, four months.
00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:35.839
And Dickie's like, you gotta run this.
00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:37.279
This is what you need to do.
00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:38.640
Can you do the fish?
00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:42.960
I'm like, it's different, but yeah, we can make this work.
00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:53.119
And we grew a monster, absolute monster, you know, with the success of New Orleans and all the things that were going on, we had a huge restaurant, it was massive.
00:31:53.440 --> 00:32:02.480
So we were doing five, six, seven hundred covers a day on a fine fine dining side of it.
00:32:02.799 --> 00:32:08.240
And I found out a lot about myself, like in the industry.
00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:15.119
I wanted to be at the top, I wanted to grow, I wanted to see what we could do with a restaurant.
00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:22.319
And Dickie gave me that avenue because he threw the keys to me, and that was it.
00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:28.480
He had, you know, we'd talk about things in meetings and stuff like that, but it was my restaurant.
00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:28.880
Wow.
00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:34.799
I don't think there's a person in New Orleans that didn't think that was, you know, it's Dickie's place, but that's Jamie's restaurant.
00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:35.200
Right.
00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:38.880
You know, and he allowed you to do that, which was really nice, you know.
00:32:38.960 --> 00:32:40.160
So you treated it that way.
00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:42.559
I had respect for it, and we grew.
00:32:42.799 --> 00:32:43.759
Million dollars a year.
00:32:43.920 --> 00:32:47.039
Boom, boom, boom, just kept growing, growing, growing.
00:32:47.359 --> 00:32:50.319
So we created this big crazy monster.
00:32:52.240 --> 00:33:03.440
So when you think about the desig the the the promotion to the GM to through your tenure, let's focus on the building part of it.
00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:08.960
When you think back, what were some of the key key decision points?
00:33:09.039 --> 00:33:13.440
What are the things that you felt like made y'all successful?
00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:19.279
What were some of the things that you did in those early years that really were the building blocks for what was to come?
00:33:19.599 --> 00:33:23.759
You know, it's funny because I think about it today.
00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:30.799
So much of the nightclub bar business was helpful because you were versatile.
00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:32.160
You were changing every day.
00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:33.440
What crowd came in?
00:33:33.599 --> 00:33:34.559
What was this?
00:33:34.880 --> 00:33:41.839
So being in a restaurant of that size, you're always on your feet, you're always moving, you're always creating.
00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:46.640
And, you know, I'm not just sitting there waiting on a reservation to come in at 7:30.
00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:57.759
I got, you know, because we were the happening place all the time, you had the live oyster shuckers going on, you know, the bar, the cafe was great.
00:33:57.839 --> 00:34:00.559
Um, you had this big, gorgeous dining room.
00:34:00.880 --> 00:34:04.960
Also at a time where bourbon was really making a move.
00:34:05.200 --> 00:34:06.079
Big move, yeah.
00:34:06.160 --> 00:34:20.320
We were the largest carrier when we when I left, we had uh created the bourbon society, and we were the largest carrier of bourbon in the United States outside of Kentucky.
00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:22.239
Oh wow, which was pretty crazy.
00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:27.199
We were we were running over 400 different brands of bourbon in the place.
00:34:27.280 --> 00:34:29.199
So it was it was a lot, but it was cool.
00:34:29.360 --> 00:34:32.639
I mean, it was just and it was kind of one of those things that was hitting the mark.
00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:37.280
Dickie foresaw that, and it was it worked, you know.
00:34:37.519 --> 00:34:40.559
So we had a lot of fun on a lot of trips to Kentucky.
00:34:40.960 --> 00:34:43.039
How um how long were you there for?
00:34:43.199 --> 00:34:43.920
Almost 10 years.
00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:45.039
Almost 10 years, yeah.
00:34:45.280 --> 00:34:46.800
Okay, yeah, it was great.
00:34:46.960 --> 00:34:48.960
Um, we had a lot of fun, you know.
00:34:49.039 --> 00:35:14.480
We just kept growing that monster, and that's what I learned is uh it gave me flexibility to do other things, like I could change things, and Dickie believed in us, and you know, Steve had us part of that group, uh, just let us kind of handle things and kind of watch, and it wasn't it didn't hurt that we were making a lot of money, right?
00:35:14.639 --> 00:35:15.199
You know what I mean?
00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:19.199
I mean, you're growing at that rate, it was pretty wild, you know.
00:35:19.519 --> 00:35:24.239
So we had Kentucky, Final Four.
00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:25.840
They were staying at the hotel.
00:35:26.000 --> 00:35:30.400
We got to feed all of the players, Anthony Davis, you know, guys come in.
00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:34.480
I mean, the amount of celebrities and stuff that were at your fingertips, you know.
00:35:35.199 --> 00:35:36.800
And how many employees were there?
00:35:37.119 --> 00:35:41.440
So probably 135 to 150 got changed.
00:35:41.679 --> 00:35:42.239
That's a good bit.
00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:43.119
It was a monster.
00:35:43.199 --> 00:35:46.159
So you had an A, B, and a C server.
00:35:46.320 --> 00:36:00.480
Um, so your A was your captain of the team, B being a beverage person, and then you had somebody that took care of your you know, waters, resets, bread service, all those kind of things that helped reset for you.
00:36:00.639 --> 00:36:05.840
So it was a machine that you're running all of these different little things at one time.
00:36:06.239 --> 00:36:13.920
And I think we just did a really good job of we had the standard of never saying no to a guest when they came in the door.
00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:14.880
You know what I mean?
00:36:15.039 --> 00:36:18.960
That was just something I believed in, how Ruth did things.
00:36:19.199 --> 00:36:25.920
So it was very normal to come into that environment and have access to be able to do for people.
00:36:26.239 --> 00:36:31.440
You know, hey, it's Saturday night, I got 40 people that walk in the door with no reservation.
00:36:31.920 --> 00:36:33.199
We're gonna figure it out.
00:36:33.440 --> 00:36:39.280
It may not be right this second, but come on, let's go to the bar, let's go in the back, let's have a drink.
00:36:39.440 --> 00:36:43.760
I'm gonna get you going out here and I'll start working things out on the front.
00:36:43.920 --> 00:36:46.719
So you're always moving the chess pieces to make it work.
00:36:46.880 --> 00:36:54.880
So when you see things like, I mean, that's not the example I thought you were gonna give about you know, always giving the customer what they want.
00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:56.320
That was actually a pretty extreme one.
00:36:56.400 --> 00:36:58.400
Hey, I got 40 people, can you get me in?
00:36:58.639 --> 00:37:02.800
Um, I I was thinking it more about almost in the ordering process.
00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:16.800
But um But it's funny though, like I say that there's minor things that to this day, everybody on my team and what we've created right now, it's that same philosophy.
00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:17.119
Right.
00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:20.400
We don't carry Red Bull because you're fine dining, right?
00:37:20.639 --> 00:37:26.639
So at the time, you never put Red Bull in a fine dining restaurant, it's an energy drink, right?
00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:32.159
But somebody comes in and a guest goes, Hey, can I get that Tito's and Red Bull?
00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:33.840
Right?
00:37:34.719 --> 00:37:35.920
What am I gonna do?
00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:37.280
I'm not saying no.
00:37:37.440 --> 00:37:48.480
I'm gonna go tell that beverage server, hey, here's 10 bucks, go run down the street to Walgreens and grab me a Red Bull to take care of this guy, you know, and that's just And that's kind of where my question was gonna go.
00:37:48.880 --> 00:38:00.800
In you know, what are your thoughts on now it feels like there's this movement towards this is the menu and there are no substitutions?
00:38:01.599 --> 00:38:02.960
You know, this is it.
00:38:03.599 --> 00:38:09.519
Now obviously they'll do the allergies are more significant in our day than ever before.
00:38:09.679 --> 00:38:11.199
So they have to do those things.
00:38:11.760 --> 00:38:17.679
But you know, I mean I've been places where it's like, can I sub out the whatever for rice or something?
00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:21.599
That to me is like a simple sub, not something monumental.
00:38:22.400 --> 00:38:24.480
Um and the answer is no.
00:38:24.639 --> 00:38:28.559
And so, you know, do you you see this in hospitality, right?
00:38:28.639 --> 00:38:30.000
I mean you see it in the restaurant business.
00:38:30.320 --> 00:38:30.880
Not in hospitality.
00:38:31.119 --> 00:38:31.679
In the restaurant business.
00:38:31.840 --> 00:38:32.880
I see it in the restaurant business.
00:38:33.039 --> 00:38:33.360
Right.
00:38:33.599 --> 00:38:34.880
Because there's a big difference.
00:38:35.039 --> 00:38:39.840
There's service and then there's hospitality, you know, and I don't believe in that.
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:43.199
If I can make something happen, I'm gonna make it happen.
00:38:43.360 --> 00:38:54.880
And I think that's what has helped me in my career, is it's that anything that comes up, any problem per se, I just want to figure out the solution.
00:38:54.960 --> 00:38:56.559
Like what what do I need to do?
00:38:56.719 --> 00:38:59.280
You got 40 people that walk in on a Saturday night.
00:38:59.519 --> 00:39:02.000
It's easy to say no, right?
00:39:02.159 --> 00:39:04.559
We're packed, I got a hundred people at the door.
00:39:04.639 --> 00:39:04.800
Right.
00:39:05.199 --> 00:39:08.239
I don't, that's but I don't think like that.
00:39:08.400 --> 00:39:11.519
I think of, yeah, they should have made a reservation.
00:39:11.599 --> 00:39:17.679
They got 40 people, but at so for whatever reason, they're at our door at that moment.
00:39:18.800 --> 00:39:20.480
How do I tell somebody no?
00:39:20.880 --> 00:39:24.320
If I can't, you know, I may not be able to do it right then.
00:39:24.400 --> 00:39:28.480
I may not all sit together, but we're gonna figure something out for you, right?
00:39:28.639 --> 00:39:39.920
You know, so I think that's more of the hospitality line is if you have a mentality that we're gonna make this work and we'll figure it out.
00:39:40.159 --> 00:39:47.360
So all right, so staying on the journey, so you're there for 10 years, and then what happens?
00:39:48.400 --> 00:39:58.239
So kind of got in this mode where we weren't growing, and I kept learning more about myself and what I wanted to do.
00:39:58.480 --> 00:40:01.599
And at this point, I think I kind of wanted to do something on my own.
00:40:01.760 --> 00:40:07.360
I was like, man, I'm doing very well, very successful.
00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:17.280
At, you know, what you would consider some of the top tiers of the restaurant industry in New Orleans for a vulnerable kid, you know, it wasn't bad.
00:40:17.599 --> 00:40:21.039
So but I was starting to get bored.
00:40:21.760 --> 00:40:26.639
My last name never has, never will be Brennan.
00:40:26.800 --> 00:40:35.280
And the kids were growing up, kids were getting more involved in the restaurants, and it's like, man, I see a path here that ain't good for me, you know.
00:40:35.440 --> 00:40:37.679
So I was starting to get antsy.
00:40:38.480 --> 00:40:48.719
So we started as we were growing, getting to take more things on, you know, so I could run Bourbon House and Steakhouse, and all this stuff was happening.
00:40:49.119 --> 00:40:56.320
And I remember sitting down with Steve Pettis, and I'm like, hey, like, I need more.
00:40:56.480 --> 00:40:58.400
I want to do something else.
00:40:58.639 --> 00:41:00.000
What can we figure out?
00:41:00.159 --> 00:41:03.119
And he was like, Jamie, you're doing great, everything's perfect.
00:41:03.360 --> 00:41:07.920
I I, you know, my vision of you is kind of like Randy over at Mr.
00:41:08.079 --> 00:41:08.639
B's.
00:41:09.199 --> 00:41:14.000
You know, he's been the GM there, he's a staple in New Orleans, blah, blah, blah.
00:41:14.159 --> 00:41:16.000
He's been there for 30 years.
00:41:16.480 --> 00:41:18.960
I think I put my resignation in next week.
00:41:19.199 --> 00:41:20.719
I was like, Yep, that's not me.
00:41:20.880 --> 00:41:21.840
You got the wrong guy.
00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:22.960
That's not what I'm working with.
00:41:23.280 --> 00:41:33.039
Do you think that's just because just part of your personality and who you are is that um you're always interested in the next challenge.
00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:34.400
You know what I mean?
00:41:34.480 --> 00:41:40.079
Like there's got to be something in you that because for a lot of people, that's that's like the ultimate goal, right?
00:41:40.159 --> 00:41:45.199
Like you find a job with a good company that's stable, that can be in New Orleans.
00:41:45.280 --> 00:41:55.440
We think of the Brennan family, obviously been through Katrina and all these crises, but still make their way through and are loyal to the people who work there and honest a great company.
00:41:56.079 --> 00:41:58.320
And every most people, that's what they're seeking.
00:41:58.480 --> 00:42:01.679
And then there's this percentage of people who are like, Well, I'm thank you.
00:42:01.760 --> 00:42:03.119
I'm very appreciative.
00:42:03.280 --> 00:42:06.719
Unfortunately, I think I'm on to the next whatever it is.
00:42:06.960 --> 00:42:17.199
Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely, you know, it's it's it's interesting because you know, 10 years is a long time to say what what took you so long to figure that out.
00:42:17.519 --> 00:42:21.039
But we were growing at such a big pace.
00:42:21.199 --> 00:42:29.760
It was exciting, you know, and then we kind of got to this big, big number and was like, man, I almost don't know where we can go from here.
00:42:29.840 --> 00:42:30.079
Right.
00:42:30.239 --> 00:42:33.679
Because we're not opening new restaurants, we're not doing different things.
00:42:33.840 --> 00:42:36.639
So you start to get kind of encapsulated.
00:42:36.719 --> 00:42:38.400
And it was like that's when I started to feel it.
00:42:38.559 --> 00:42:39.920
You move to a maintenance mode.
00:42:40.079 --> 00:42:40.400
Yeah.
00:42:40.559 --> 00:42:41.760
What am I gonna go do next?
00:42:41.920 --> 00:42:44.559
What is what is out there and what can I do?
00:42:44.639 --> 00:42:51.679
If I'm not gonna be a Brennan, I need to start building something for my kids, you know, in my mind for my family.
00:42:51.840 --> 00:42:52.880
What else is out there?
00:42:52.960 --> 00:43:04.320
What can I go start doing that gives me even more flexibility, more opportunity to spread my wings and take all the great things I learned from Roos Gris, from Dickie and the family and everything?
00:43:04.559 --> 00:43:06.079
And what's next?
00:43:06.239 --> 00:43:08.239
What can I go take that and go do?
00:43:08.800 --> 00:43:24.480
So we had, I guess the next chapter is uh got an opportunity with a guy, entrepreneur in New Orleans, who had wanted to spread his wings into the restaurant business.
00:43:24.719 --> 00:43:25.039
Okay.
00:43:25.440 --> 00:43:32.880
So went into some meetings, I pitched him a concept, and he was like, I love it, let's do it.
00:43:33.199 --> 00:43:40.639
So went to go work for that group or person and was gonna run it.
00:43:40.800 --> 00:43:51.199
And big hit on Brennan's at the time, George, who was running Steakhouse and Palace and all the different things, uh, had left to go work for this guy.
00:43:51.440 --> 00:43:51.760
Oh.
00:43:51.920 --> 00:43:56.159
So he called me and was like, hey, you might want to come over here.
00:43:56.320 --> 00:43:58.159
We got some cool things going on.
00:43:58.480 --> 00:43:59.440
So I did.
00:44:00.320 --> 00:44:04.000
And talk to him, pitch the concept.
00:44:04.079 --> 00:44:05.679
He's like, let's do it.
00:44:05.920 --> 00:44:16.559
And then at the time, he was like, Look, as we are looking for a location for your concept, would you help me out with this bar I just bought?
00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:18.320
And I'm like, Yeah.
00:44:18.639 --> 00:44:20.079
Well, it was Lucy's.
00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:20.719
Right.
00:44:20.880 --> 00:44:23.280
Little bar, you know, sitting on that corner.
00:44:23.599 --> 00:44:24.159
Great one, though.
00:44:24.239 --> 00:44:26.480
I mean, girl, I mean great bar.
00:44:26.960 --> 00:44:29.840
And so and decent food.
00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:30.320
Yeah.
00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:31.199
Surprisingly.
00:44:31.280 --> 00:44:31.360
Yeah.
00:44:31.599 --> 00:44:33.119
For those people know there's food there.
00:44:33.280 --> 00:44:36.320
Well, and it remember, it Lucy's was like the spot.
00:44:36.480 --> 00:44:41.679
If you went out and you were in the warehouse district, Lucy was your number one, your number two spot.
00:44:42.079 --> 00:44:42.480
No doubt.
00:44:42.639 --> 00:44:43.039
Always.
00:44:43.199 --> 00:44:43.599
Always.
00:44:43.840 --> 00:44:44.639
Always.
00:44:44.880 --> 00:44:45.199
Um.
00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:47.039
So it was fun.
00:44:47.119 --> 00:44:55.440
We kind of jumped full on into it and created these great, you know, Sunday parties for the Saints games.
00:44:55.599 --> 00:44:59.199
And we opened up the upstairs that was never opened before.
00:44:59.440 --> 00:45:02.880
Because it was like, to me, my mind, how are you going to grow?
00:45:03.119 --> 00:45:08.559
Always look into what's how do I make new money from what's already going on there?
00:45:08.960 --> 00:45:21.280
Which, you know, for me, little kid from Archbishop Bonnable, I'm always scared somebody else is going to be able to come in and take what I've done.
00:45:21.440 --> 00:45:27.920
So you have to go make sure that you put yourself in a position that they can't even think about somebody else coming in.
00:45:28.159 --> 00:45:30.559
You're the value of what it is.
00:45:30.880 --> 00:45:40.400
So uh the guy I was working with was like, Jamie, what do you think about Lucy's like big?
00:45:41.119 --> 00:45:42.480
Like, go and open another one.
00:45:43.199 --> 00:45:46.079
Now I'm like, you're my guy, let's go do this.
00:45:46.559 --> 00:45:48.159
It's like, where would you go?
00:45:48.320 --> 00:45:52.800
Well, I had just come back from a bachelor party trip in Key West.
00:45:53.840 --> 00:45:57.199
And I was like, man, this would be a great brand in Key West.
00:45:58.000 --> 00:46:12.800
We literally the next week jumped on a plane, flew down to Key West, found a location that weekend that we were all there, and opened up Lucy's and on Grenado Street in Key West.
00:46:14.400 --> 00:46:15.519
That starts going.
00:46:16.239 --> 00:46:21.039
He's like, hey, we're working this other group.
00:46:21.360 --> 00:46:23.280
What do you think about Costa Rica?
00:46:23.920 --> 00:46:26.079
I was like, I like Costa Rica.
00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:29.679
Jump in a plane, fly to Costa Rica, go find a location.
00:46:31.119 --> 00:46:34.800
Hey, we're gonna open up this thing in Foley, Alabama.
00:46:34.960 --> 00:46:35.280
Okay.
00:46:35.599 --> 00:46:38.159
There's a new uh thing called Oa.
00:46:38.880 --> 00:46:42.880
It's a big district, multi, you know, units out there.
00:46:43.039 --> 00:46:49.039
They got food, they built a water park, you know, small amusement park, whole thing.
00:46:49.280 --> 00:46:54.400
So while that's being developed, the guys that had that had a property in Aruba.
00:46:54.880 --> 00:46:56.639
And they're like, hey, what do you think about Aruba?
00:46:58.880 --> 00:46:59.280
Boom.
00:46:59.440 --> 00:47:00.559
Now I'm opening Aruba.
00:47:00.800 --> 00:47:02.159
What is the time frame of all of this?
00:47:02.320 --> 00:47:03.039
This is fast.
00:47:03.119 --> 00:47:08.239
This is like we opened five stores in four years.
00:47:08.480 --> 00:47:09.199
Oh, wow.
00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:12.800
And all over the country, you know, right, you know, the Caribbean and everything.
00:47:12.880 --> 00:47:14.559
So it was boom, boom, boom.
00:47:14.639 --> 00:47:16.079
You were just going, going, going.
00:47:16.320 --> 00:47:27.440
New Orleans was strong, everything's we moved Key West from Grinnell out to the main street out there, and it was just going, going, going.
00:47:28.639 --> 00:47:38.800
Not without its challenges, not without its challenges, you know, personally traveling 300 days a year, damn near.
00:47:38.960 --> 00:47:43.679
You know, you're literally living in these spots because I took Lucy.
00:47:44.000 --> 00:47:45.920
Lucy's very personal for me.
00:47:46.239 --> 00:47:48.320
It was New Orleans.
00:47:48.400 --> 00:47:49.360
It was like Ruth's.
00:47:49.519 --> 00:47:54.559
I wasn't gonna let what happened to Ruth's in Boca Ratone happen to Lucy's.
00:47:54.719 --> 00:47:55.199
Right.
00:47:55.519 --> 00:47:57.119
So, how do you do that?
00:47:57.280 --> 00:48:03.679
You go build community, you go build family, you go build these things that made it what it is today.
00:48:03.920 --> 00:48:18.960
So we were out, we did that, we did Biloxi and all of this stuff, and John came in and he was like, all right, I want to go do 20 of them in like a five-year run.
00:48:19.119 --> 00:48:22.719
We're gonna spec out the buildings, we're gonna get funding, we're gonna do all this.
00:48:24.159 --> 00:48:25.599
It's one of those moments.
00:48:25.920 --> 00:48:27.840
You go, it's not me.
00:48:28.000 --> 00:48:29.119
I'm not your guy.
00:48:29.360 --> 00:48:31.199
It's a horrible decision.
00:48:31.519 --> 00:48:33.199
I don't want to do it.
00:48:33.840 --> 00:48:41.840
So we were working with to kind of fast forward, because there was a lot in that time period, but it was great.
00:48:41.920 --> 00:48:44.800
We would just, I was getting to do everything because it was all mine.
00:48:44.960 --> 00:48:46.239
There was nobody else.
00:48:46.400 --> 00:48:46.480
Right.
00:48:46.719 --> 00:48:48.480
It just whatever we wanted to do.
00:48:48.559 --> 00:48:49.760
It was trusted.
00:48:49.920 --> 00:48:51.599
So it was really great.
00:48:52.320 --> 00:48:55.280
But I knew I wasn't gonna go do boxes of Lucy's, right?
00:48:55.599 --> 00:48:59.760
Just wasn't not not one ounce of that ever felt right, you know.
00:49:00.960 --> 00:49:12.480
So kind of, you know, some things had happened and we were not on the same page and kind of fighting about that with it, and he's like dead set, you know, brought in another guy.
00:49:12.559 --> 00:49:15.920
He's like, he's gonna fundraise, you're gonna go open them all.
00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:20.480
And I'm like, this is not going bad, guys.
00:49:20.719 --> 00:49:33.679
Well, the guy who was designing um the locations for me was living in, he lives in Orlando, and he called me up and he's like, What are you doing?
00:49:34.239 --> 00:49:37.119
I'm like, I don't know, man, gotta figure something out.
00:49:37.360 --> 00:49:39.519
I was like, Do you have anybody?
00:49:39.679 --> 00:49:53.760
Because he just fell in love with what we were doing, and he was a big he did marketing and uh design work for the Dallas Cowboys, Hershey's, like all these major, major brands.
00:49:54.480 --> 00:49:59.920
And he was like, he's like, Are you asking me to find somebody for a job for you?
00:50:00.159 --> 00:50:03.360
And I'm like, Yeah, I need to work, I gotta figure something out.
00:50:03.599 --> 00:50:05.840
He's like, absolutely not.
00:50:07.039 --> 00:50:08.079
No shot.
00:50:08.239 --> 00:50:11.119
And I'm like, I don't want to be here, I'm not gonna go do this.
00:50:11.280 --> 00:50:13.119
And he's like, I didn't say anything about that.
00:50:13.280 --> 00:50:14.159
You need to leave.
00:50:14.800 --> 00:50:16.800
He goes, but you're starting your own damn company.
00:50:16.880 --> 00:50:17.760
This is bullshit.
00:50:17.840 --> 00:50:18.880
It's time to go.
00:50:19.039 --> 00:50:21.199
And I'll remember how scary that was.
00:50:21.440 --> 00:50:25.679
Because I was like, uh oh, can I do this?
00:50:25.840 --> 00:50:30.239
You know, because it's great to run other people's stuff, you know what I mean?
00:50:30.559 --> 00:50:34.239
And you don't have this massive financial burden.
00:50:34.480 --> 00:50:36.639
It's just you're making money.
00:50:36.719 --> 00:50:41.760
You have to go get a job, you have to go live life and all, but it's not solely on you.
00:50:43.039 --> 00:50:51.199
But made the jump, and that created octo hospitality to where we are today, which is a whole nother story.
00:50:51.440 --> 00:50:54.079
Well, and I want to get in a little bit of that, and then we're gonna shift gears.
00:50:54.639 --> 00:51:03.199
So today, um tell us a little bit about what octo hospitality, like you know, what it does and and what you're involved in.
00:51:03.599 --> 00:51:11.440
So we started as a consulting company, you know, we had a lot of cred, street cred, for all the stuff we were doing and everything.
00:51:11.760 --> 00:51:14.960
So we had business immediately, you know.
00:51:15.199 --> 00:51:18.320
So getting picking up clients, everything was going well.
00:51:19.199 --> 00:51:22.079
And but it was a weird model.
00:51:22.239 --> 00:51:22.719
I don't know.
00:51:22.800 --> 00:51:29.840
For the restaurant world, for me, it was really hard because you would go in, and I kept thinking about it.
00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:33.440
I'm like, man, consulting with a restaurant.
00:51:33.599 --> 00:51:39.360
Number one, they're hiring you because they're not doing well.
00:51:39.679 --> 00:51:40.960
Probably, right?
00:51:41.119 --> 00:51:43.599
They need somebody to come in and fix these things.
00:51:43.840 --> 00:51:49.840
They probably don't have money because they've been losing it all the way through this.
00:51:50.320 --> 00:51:57.199
And if I work really, really hard, get them back to where they need to be, they're gonna fire me.
00:51:57.679 --> 00:51:58.800
Because what do they need you for?
00:51:58.960 --> 00:52:02.480
You know, if you do your job well, you're fixing it and use time to go.
00:52:02.559 --> 00:52:03.840
Now I gotta go find another client.
00:52:03.920 --> 00:52:05.280
Now I gotta go do this.
00:52:06.239 --> 00:52:19.199
So that same guy who talked me into getting this business going, um, me and my partner called me up and goes, Hey, can you go out to Huntsville, Alabama?
00:52:19.360 --> 00:52:24.000
He goes, I've got a developer out there who's got an AC hotel.
00:52:24.239 --> 00:52:27.280
Really long story to tell you about this one, but it's fun.
00:52:28.400 --> 00:52:30.079
There's a rooftop bar.
00:52:30.239 --> 00:52:34.320
He wants you to come, I want you to go look at it because I think you could go take that.
00:52:34.559 --> 00:52:37.360
I'm like, dude, why am I not going to Huntsville?
00:52:37.599 --> 00:52:40.079
Like, what that's too much travel.
00:52:40.159 --> 00:52:43.519
It's six hours away for me to go consult on this project.
00:52:43.760 --> 00:52:44.239
Right.
00:52:45.360 --> 00:52:51.119
But at the time, I was like, man, maybe that would be a cool thing to do, you know, whatever.
00:52:52.079 --> 00:52:56.079
And so I call my partner.
00:52:56.159 --> 00:52:57.840
I'm like, hey, I need you to meet me.
00:52:57.920 --> 00:52:59.440
We can go to Huntsville, Alabama.
00:52:59.599 --> 00:53:04.800
We've been working, trying to get time with this developer, and it just wasn't working out.
00:53:04.880 --> 00:53:06.960
So he's like, so we finally go up there.
00:53:07.039 --> 00:53:09.039
I was like, I told, I think I lied.
00:53:09.119 --> 00:53:09.440
I don't know.
00:53:09.519 --> 00:53:14.559
I told him I was, hey, I'm in town because he couldn't meet with us.
00:53:14.800 --> 00:53:17.760
Um, meet with him, hit it off.
00:53:18.000 --> 00:53:20.559
Just felt like Dickie all over again.
00:53:20.639 --> 00:53:26.400
Like it was just me and him clicked, my partner and his, you know, partner clicked.
00:53:26.480 --> 00:53:28.639
Everything was just rolling.
00:53:29.039 --> 00:53:33.920
And he's like, I just signed the deal for somebody else to operate that spot.
00:53:34.159 --> 00:53:35.199
I'm like, no big deal.
00:53:35.280 --> 00:53:35.760
I get it.
00:53:35.920 --> 00:53:38.639
I go back to New Orleans, we'll keep working, right?
00:53:39.760 --> 00:53:51.519
And about a month later, he called and was like, hey, I know it's Mardi Gras, but would you come throw an event here in the district?
00:53:51.840 --> 00:53:54.320
And I'm like, during Mardi Gras?
00:53:54.480 --> 00:53:56.880
You want to throw a whole like, what are we talking?
00:53:56.960 --> 00:53:57.519
What's your budget?
00:53:57.599 --> 00:53:58.880
What's your what's your plan?
00:53:59.039 --> 00:54:01.280
How real Mardi Gras do you want to be?
00:54:01.440 --> 00:54:05.760
Now him and his partner went to Loyola, lived in New Orleans, so they know.
00:54:06.000 --> 00:54:06.320
Okay.
00:54:06.559 --> 00:54:08.800
I'm like, so you really want Mardi Gras?
00:54:09.039 --> 00:54:15.599
He goes, Yeah, it'll liven up the district, it'll be something that's our core, it's who our we are, blah, blah, blah.
00:54:16.239 --> 00:54:19.679
He goes, if we can get a couple thousand people out here, that would be awesome.
00:54:19.920 --> 00:54:22.880
Because it's a big thing of red dirt at this time.
00:54:23.199 --> 00:54:29.039
It was a million square foot mall that went under and they bought the land.
00:54:29.360 --> 00:54:30.000
Like a shopping mall.
00:54:30.159 --> 00:54:30.800
Like a shopping center.
00:54:31.039 --> 00:54:31.519
Literally a mall.
00:54:31.679 --> 00:54:32.079
So I got it.
00:54:32.239 --> 00:54:33.840
It was on deadmalls.com.
00:54:33.920 --> 00:54:34.400
Oh, okay.
00:54:34.559 --> 00:54:39.360
Like it was, you know, malls are dying, you know, it's just not easy with the online surge and everything.
00:54:39.599 --> 00:54:45.760
So we kind of sat in a bunch of meetings, kept flying up to Huntsville, back and forth, back and forth.
00:54:46.239 --> 00:54:48.800
I'm like, what's the budget on this thing?
00:54:48.960 --> 00:54:50.159
Like, what do you really want to do?
00:54:50.320 --> 00:54:56.960
Because he's incredibly passionate, you know, just wants to do things the right in the best way that you can.
00:54:59.440 --> 00:55:01.679
So he said, There's no budget.
00:55:02.000 --> 00:55:04.079
I just want you to throw me a party.
00:55:05.280 --> 00:55:05.760
Perfect.
00:55:05.920 --> 00:55:06.800
I'm your guy.
00:55:06.960 --> 00:55:07.280
Right.
00:55:07.920 --> 00:55:11.199
So my partner and I, you know, we're just collaborating and doing this.
00:55:11.280 --> 00:55:13.360
So we go for this Mardigar event.
00:55:15.039 --> 00:55:17.760
We bring in all the music from New Orleans.
00:55:17.920 --> 00:55:26.639
We uh bring in Mardi Gar Indians, Jambalaya, Crawford, like we do everything, right?
00:55:26.960 --> 00:55:28.079
Get it all set up.
00:55:28.239 --> 00:55:33.679
We got props from Blaine Kern that we're bringing out there, you know, the whole gig.
00:55:33.840 --> 00:55:45.840
And we throw this event, and it's like, man, I don't know about you, but remember when you were like in junior high or high school and you throw your first party and you're like, man, I don't hope somebody comes.
00:55:46.000 --> 00:55:46.159
Right.
00:55:46.320 --> 00:55:46.800
You know what I mean?
00:55:47.119 --> 00:55:48.639
Like you have this anticipation.
00:55:48.800 --> 00:55:53.840
We had just spent all this money in a city that we didn't know, right?
00:55:54.000 --> 00:55:56.320
If I do it in New Orleans, I know who's showing up.
00:55:56.480 --> 00:55:56.719
Right.
00:55:56.880 --> 00:56:01.840
I got a clientele and I got friends and family, and everybody's gonna be there.
00:56:01.920 --> 00:56:02.880
That's easy.
00:56:03.039 --> 00:56:12.719
When you go do it in a city you've never been to before, so you're sitting there and I'm like, it's a beautiful day, it's gorgeous.
00:56:13.199 --> 00:56:15.280
A couple of cars start pulling up.
00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:18.559
Well, about 6,000 people later.
00:56:18.960 --> 00:56:21.039
Stop massive party.
00:56:21.199 --> 00:56:24.400
Like it was, and so their eyes are like this.
00:56:24.559 --> 00:56:26.239
My eyes were like this, right?
00:56:26.480 --> 00:56:28.559
And they're like, this is incredible.
00:56:28.800 --> 00:56:29.199
Wow.
00:56:29.519 --> 00:56:34.159
So we just kept building that relationship and kind of helping them.
00:56:34.320 --> 00:56:55.199
And then they had this thing called the camp that they had started right at the front of the property, as kind of a place, a gathering place to do these events and stuff like that, and kind of teach people habits to going there to watch the development, you know, come alive and be built.
00:56:55.360 --> 00:57:01.199
They were working on an amphitheater, they had already had top golf, they recruited to come in.
00:57:01.519 --> 00:57:06.079
So there's a massive vision of this whole development that's really neat.
00:57:06.159 --> 00:57:08.400
And I fell in love with the whole project.
00:57:08.639 --> 00:57:13.280
And so we did another event with them, and then they asked us to take the camp over.
00:57:13.519 --> 00:57:15.920
And this was a property that was losing.
00:57:16.480 --> 00:57:19.280
I say I hate using that word, losing money.
00:57:19.519 --> 00:57:22.639
It was investing because that's what it was.
00:57:22.800 --> 00:57:27.840
It was literally an investment to teach the community what to do, right?
00:57:28.960 --> 00:57:31.679
And I came in and kept talking to him about money and this.
00:57:31.760 --> 00:57:33.760
And he's like, Stop talking to me about money.
00:57:34.000 --> 00:57:35.119
I don't care.
00:57:35.599 --> 00:57:40.079
This project is a two billion dollar project.
00:57:40.400 --> 00:57:41.760
We're not worried about this.
00:57:42.000 --> 00:57:47.280
This is important for you to make it special, make it awesome.
00:57:47.599 --> 00:57:48.719
So we did.
00:57:49.199 --> 00:57:57.119
And we went from investing all this money into it to it being a massive profit center now.
00:57:57.920 --> 00:58:05.440
And it is a it is the most diverse place I've ever had the opportunity to run in my life.
00:58:05.679 --> 00:58:08.480
I mean, it changes every single year.
00:58:08.639 --> 00:58:15.039
It goes back to all this being versatile and changing and what Bourbon Street taught me many years ago.
00:58:15.280 --> 00:58:29.280
But, you know, we could have rock and roll band on Friday night, drag show Saturday morning, a you know, RB live night going on after that.
00:58:29.440 --> 00:58:30.159
It doesn't matter.
00:58:30.239 --> 00:58:31.440
We do all kind of stuff.
00:58:31.599 --> 00:58:34.079
So we turn into Family Night with Bingo.
00:58:34.239 --> 00:58:35.679
Family night with bingo.
00:58:35.840 --> 00:58:38.000
I mean, we do everything right now.
00:58:38.079 --> 00:58:47.039
We have Halloween going on, and we take the whole place and we've invested money for years, and we turn it into a haunted house.
00:58:47.440 --> 00:58:49.679
So it's a pop-up Halloween bar.
00:58:49.840 --> 00:59:02.800
So all of our drinks have the different, you know, little uh whether it's fingers in them as a garnish or you know, eyeballs are popping up and all this funny stuff.
00:59:02.880 --> 00:59:04.239
Uh, but it's been great.
00:59:04.320 --> 00:59:06.960
I mean, it just everybody's kids come in just to see.
00:59:07.119 --> 00:59:09.679
We have 20-foot animatronics all over the place.
00:59:09.840 --> 00:59:16.960
We hire characters to come in, like the little ring girl creeping up on people and Freddie Krueger and all that.
00:59:17.119 --> 00:59:17.920
But it's awesome.
00:59:18.000 --> 00:59:22.320
It's just it's been so well received by the community.
00:59:22.559 --> 00:59:24.480
We do all these different events.
00:59:24.639 --> 00:59:35.679
Um, Cody, my partner, came up with this idea this year of we were gonna get the community singles and get them booed up, right?
00:59:36.159 --> 00:59:38.719
So she did this pitch night, right?
00:59:38.880 --> 00:59:40.159
So we've been talking about it.
00:59:40.239 --> 00:59:50.960
So you literally take your best friend that's single, uh-huh, and you're gonna go put a PowerPoint together, and you're gonna get in front of all these people and pitch her.
00:59:51.199 --> 00:59:52.559
Oh, that's awesome, right?
00:59:53.360 --> 00:59:59.119
So you could see when we do stuff through social media, like what kind of traction it's getting.
00:59:59.440 --> 01:00:02.480
And I'm like, hmm, this thing's and Cody was excited.
01:00:02.559 --> 01:00:04.159
She's like, this is gonna be big.
01:00:04.320 --> 01:00:12.000
Like be she'd already like within days got like 10 pitch decks for other people, you know.
01:00:12.320 --> 01:00:14.400
So it's just going and going and going.
01:00:15.360 --> 01:00:19.360
So this happened last Tuesday, Tuesday night.
01:00:20.960 --> 01:00:22.639
There were almost a thousand people there.
01:00:23.599 --> 01:00:24.719
Singles running around.
01:00:24.960 --> 01:00:26.400
So she gave wristbands.
01:00:26.559 --> 01:00:28.400
You wore a wristband if you were single.
01:00:30.880 --> 01:00:33.840
It's complicated or taken.
01:00:34.400 --> 01:00:36.239
So everybody had these wristbands.
01:00:36.480 --> 01:00:38.000
And we ran out of wristbands.
01:00:38.079 --> 01:00:39.039
Like people are freaking out.
01:00:39.119 --> 01:00:43.360
We're having to write on people what they are because we couldn't hold it.
01:00:43.519 --> 01:00:47.920
I mean, the lines were 40 deep at the bar, you know, music going.
01:00:48.239 --> 01:00:59.920
I'm up there and seeing it, what's going on, and all this, and I have a hundred-inch screen in front, and we're pitching these people and how great they are, what their red flags are.
01:01:00.320 --> 01:01:03.199
I almost feel like we need a podcast on this whole pitching thing.
01:01:03.440 --> 01:01:04.079
It was wild.
01:01:04.400 --> 01:01:06.000
After you pitch a front, what happens?
01:01:06.159 --> 01:01:07.360
So they will bid on.
01:01:07.599 --> 01:01:13.360
So what I did, one of the, you know, my little bit of contribution, I was like, hey, let's set up a date table.
01:01:13.599 --> 01:01:26.559
So we put by a fire pit, we dress up this date table, put flowers on it, and it we the uh team there put this little sign together and it said two-minute date table.
01:01:26.800 --> 01:01:34.480
So you could go walk up to anybody you wanted and go have a two-minute date with them at this table in front of the fire, you know.
01:01:34.639 --> 01:01:38.719
So the whole night, I mean, there are lines, people waiting to get to this table.
01:01:39.039 --> 01:01:41.119
Just gonna ask that, along with your line for the table.
01:01:41.280 --> 01:01:42.320
Yeah, it was wild.
01:01:42.480 --> 01:01:47.039
And so, like the one little girl, the first girl I got pitched, so sweet.
01:01:47.119 --> 01:01:53.760
She got up there with the person pitching her and was just energetic, and this is who I am, and like just put herself out there.
01:01:53.840 --> 01:01:55.440
I was like, this is amazing.
01:01:56.320 --> 01:02:00.800
Four hours into this thing, I see her, and I'm like, hey, how are you?
01:02:00.960 --> 01:02:02.480
She's like, I'm exhausted.
01:02:02.719 --> 01:02:03.440
I've been on 10.
01:02:03.760 --> 01:02:05.039
She's like, I can't leave.
01:02:05.199 --> 01:02:07.119
Everybody keeps wanting to talk to me.
01:02:07.360 --> 01:02:08.800
I was like, well, this is what you want.
01:02:09.039 --> 01:02:14.639
So she's been updating Cody that she's had like three dates last week and all this stuff.
01:02:14.800 --> 01:02:15.679
So it's just been fun.
01:02:15.760 --> 01:02:18.880
So the community's just was like, we gotta do it.
01:02:20.079 --> 01:02:23.840
As far as the development goes, is that it's completed, it's done.
01:02:23.920 --> 01:02:25.280
Like even close.
01:02:25.519 --> 01:02:26.000
Not even close.
01:02:26.239 --> 01:02:28.960
We are 35% in right now.
01:02:29.360 --> 01:02:35.599
So we have an 8,000-seat amphitheater that's going into it'll be going into its fourth year.
01:02:35.760 --> 01:02:36.079
Okay.
01:02:36.400 --> 01:02:38.559
Um, top golf.
01:02:38.960 --> 01:02:48.559
By the end of this month or next month at the latest, uh, we'll finish our residential, which will be 2,000 units on property.
01:02:48.719 --> 01:02:49.039
Okay.
01:02:49.360 --> 01:02:55.280
So um two of them just opened up, so they should be full here in the next six to eight months.
01:02:55.920 --> 01:03:01.280
So that's 2,000 people, you know, units living on your property.
01:03:01.599 --> 01:03:07.840
Cody was really close friends with the guys who had Blue Oak Barbecue here in New Orleans.
01:03:08.159 --> 01:03:09.599
They went to grammar school together.
01:03:09.679 --> 01:03:17.039
And one of our first things when we kind of finally moved out there and settled in was like, we got to open one.
01:03:17.199 --> 01:03:20.800
So we partnered with them, opened a blue oak barbecue out there.
01:03:21.199 --> 01:03:29.519
And so you have restaurants, living, retail all starting to go, but you're still so far.
01:03:29.679 --> 01:03:42.320
I mean, it takes, I've learned so this has been the best move of my life doing this job, doing what I'm doing, because it changes all the time.
01:03:42.480 --> 01:03:43.760
I'm learning so much.
01:03:43.920 --> 01:03:48.159
I had to learn real estate, you know, and how it works and what you do.
01:03:48.239 --> 01:03:55.039
And you go work really hard designing a building, and then you don't see it for two years, literally.
01:03:55.280 --> 01:04:04.079
And that's really hard for me because I was used to instant gratification of let's go take this location, change it to ours.
01:04:04.159 --> 01:04:07.360
We can do that in three months, 90 days, turn this thing around and let's go.
01:04:07.599 --> 01:04:17.199
And so it's like you do all this work for three, four months, and then you don't see it for two years, and then you got to pick it up, and now you're operating it.
01:04:17.440 --> 01:04:21.199
So we turned from consulting to operating.
01:04:21.440 --> 01:04:21.840
Got it.
01:04:22.079 --> 01:04:24.639
So we partnered with the developer.
01:04:24.800 --> 01:04:31.440
We got so close with them, they're like, okay, we want y'all to do all the hospitality here because there's no hospitality.
01:04:31.599 --> 01:04:32.800
I say none.
01:04:33.840 --> 01:04:41.039
It's not like New Orleans where it's known for hospitality, or these tourist places that are known for hospitality.
01:04:41.599 --> 01:04:47.280
So he wanted to create that culture in Huntsville in his development.
01:04:47.440 --> 01:04:55.599
So if he said, if I start with one development and we create hospitality in this development, it'll grow.
01:04:55.760 --> 01:04:57.039
You but you got to start somewhere.
01:04:57.119 --> 01:04:59.840
It's a long-term deal, but you got to start somewhere.
01:05:00.079 --> 01:05:01.199
Yeah, the place is awesome.
01:05:01.360 --> 01:05:04.880
Who better to do it than a couple of people from New Orleans?
01:05:05.039 --> 01:05:05.199
Yeah.
01:05:05.360 --> 01:05:05.679
Right?
01:05:05.840 --> 01:05:11.840
That's just you don't teach, it's not easy to just teach hospitality if it's just in your blood.
01:05:11.920 --> 01:05:14.079
It's what you've done your whole career.
01:05:14.320 --> 01:05:16.159
So it's kind of what happened.
01:05:16.559 --> 01:05:18.480
Such a cool concept.
01:05:18.639 --> 01:05:33.920
I feel like you hear a lot, especially living in this in New Orleans or near New Orleans, where these properties that are no longer being used, and then they talk about you know the residential commercial, and it's gonna have that, but it never comes to fruition.
01:05:34.159 --> 01:05:34.639
It's hard.
01:05:34.800 --> 01:05:35.119
Ever.
01:05:35.280 --> 01:05:36.239
It's so hard.
01:05:36.400 --> 01:05:45.039
I'll watch the grind and how much you have to change, and like what you think is today the perfect solution, right?
01:05:46.239 --> 01:05:48.400
It takes 10 years to build it.
01:05:49.360 --> 01:05:53.039
You know, a project of this scale, it takes 10 years.
01:05:53.280 --> 01:05:54.239
Well, guess what?
01:05:54.400 --> 01:05:57.519
Everything you thought has changed, right?
01:05:57.760 --> 01:05:59.599
Times have changed, you know, the economy.
01:06:00.159 --> 01:06:01.440
Everything changes.
01:06:01.840 --> 01:06:04.639
So you're constantly, excuse me, moving at all times.
01:06:05.360 --> 01:06:07.119
And they've done a great, great job of it.
01:06:07.280 --> 01:06:14.239
And we've done a great job, I think, of adjusting with that and creating our own brand out there.
01:06:14.719 --> 01:06:16.719
And what kind of events we throw.
01:06:16.800 --> 01:06:21.039
We throw a crawfish festival where we do almost 10,000 pounds of crawfish.
01:06:21.199 --> 01:06:24.559
People come in from all over the place for our events.
01:06:24.639 --> 01:06:26.320
And it's just very blessed.
01:06:26.480 --> 01:06:26.800
Bad.
01:06:27.119 --> 01:06:27.920
Very, very blessed.
01:06:28.079 --> 01:06:28.320
Yeah.
01:06:28.559 --> 01:06:29.360
Yeah, it's a cool spot.
01:06:32.000 --> 01:06:32.559
Come to a show.
01:06:32.639 --> 01:06:34.559
The Orion Amphitheater is special.
01:06:34.800 --> 01:06:35.679
Like it really is.
01:06:35.760 --> 01:06:38.719
It just looks like the old Roman Coliseum.
01:06:39.199 --> 01:06:41.039
And it's just not a bad seat in the place.
01:06:41.119 --> 01:06:42.719
And you go in there and just rule.
01:06:43.039 --> 01:06:49.599
Well, and you know, something I didn't know about Huntsville until he moved out there, and we started, I started thinking about it.
01:06:50.239 --> 01:06:55.920
You know, you say, well, we see all these places around here, and people are like, oh, we're going to take this and convert it to this.
01:06:56.000 --> 01:06:58.719
And then it doesn't ever seem to work out the way they say.
01:06:58.960 --> 01:07:01.360
Well, part of it is a demographic.
01:07:01.599 --> 01:07:07.440
And Huntville has been one of the top growing cities and voted one of the best cities to move to.
01:07:07.599 --> 01:07:12.079
It's been in the it's been number one, but it's also been in that mix now for probably five years.
01:07:12.639 --> 01:07:12.960
Five years.
01:07:13.119 --> 01:07:16.719
It's yeah, we won best place to live.
01:07:17.119 --> 01:07:19.440
Um I think it was four years ago.
01:07:19.599 --> 01:07:25.920
Then we dropped to like number three, and then kind of it was like five, and then back up to three.
01:07:26.079 --> 01:07:27.840
So it just helps, right?
01:07:27.920 --> 01:07:31.199
And then you have NASA there, and you have the FBI has a massive presence.
01:07:31.280 --> 01:07:34.320
They're talking about moving the headquartersquarters there.
01:07:34.559 --> 01:07:41.760
Um, you know, so you have this infusion of uh people and people who are earning.
01:07:42.400 --> 01:07:51.679
So with really good jobs, and they're all the not all, but the majority are probably in their late 20s to you know mid-50s in that range.
01:07:51.840 --> 01:07:55.039
And so they're making money and they want to go do things.
01:07:55.280 --> 01:08:04.719
And to me, you know, as I was able to, I heard the stories from Jamie, and then I got out there, and another buddy and I went out, and we were both like, this is not exactly what we were thinking he was working on.
01:08:04.960 --> 01:08:08.800
Like, I mean, I envisioned like a strip ball, maybe two or three strip balls or some stuff.
01:08:08.960 --> 01:08:10.960
We got out there and we were like, what the hell?
01:08:11.119 --> 01:08:13.599
Like this thing is it is amazing.
01:08:13.760 --> 01:08:19.439
Um and it needs to be in a 17 blocks all the way around that we've created.
01:08:19.600 --> 01:08:22.880
And and that's the hard like you're talking about who's moving there.
01:08:23.039 --> 01:08:28.720
Well, Huntsville was having a major problem with retaining people.
01:08:28.960 --> 01:08:31.199
They would come work for a couple years and leave.
01:08:31.520 --> 01:08:32.159
Because why?
01:08:32.640 --> 01:08:34.399
I mean, it's Huntsville.
01:08:34.800 --> 01:08:35.760
What's in Huntsville?
01:08:36.000 --> 01:08:39.520
If you're not from then there's really no connection, there's not, it's beautiful.
01:08:39.600 --> 01:08:45.600
You have gorgeous scenery for complete seasons, like it's there's a lot to love about it.
01:08:45.760 --> 01:08:53.439
But these young kids who are graduating and filling these jobs, engineer jobs, what are they doing?
01:08:53.520 --> 01:08:54.560
There's nothing to do.
01:08:54.800 --> 01:08:59.920
There's not a food scene, there's not a bar scene, there's not, it's just Huntsville, right?
01:09:00.960 --> 01:09:08.800
Well, the developer that uh, you know, we got to partner with, their vision was to they have to fix that, right?
01:09:08.960 --> 01:09:09.920
How do we do it?
01:09:10.159 --> 01:09:17.039
Well, he went to the city and said, we're gonna build this behind music out of muscle shoals that's got a great background.
01:09:17.199 --> 01:09:30.640
If you ever see the pot the uh show muscle shoals, it's incredible, it'll tell you a lot about what's what goes on musically in the background of the soul that comes from the south and all this stuff, it's really neat.
01:09:30.960 --> 01:09:38.000
But their idea was let's go create ways to keep these people here.
01:09:39.600 --> 01:09:56.640
Well, did a music study, open up an 8,000 seat amphitheater, have done a ton of back and forth music, back and forth from Nashville, and Max has just got an incredible vision of what he wants all this to be.
01:09:56.880 --> 01:10:15.760
And so we've taken our time, it's been hard sometimes because we could have probably finished the development two years ago if we wanted no knock on Olive Garden, but Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, and all these other, you know, chains to come in.
01:10:16.800 --> 01:10:19.920
It's the literal opposite of what he believes in.
01:10:20.079 --> 01:10:22.640
So and there's already a heavy mix of that in Huntsville.
01:10:22.800 --> 01:10:23.840
It's everywhere because Huntsville is a very good thing.
01:10:26.319 --> 01:10:29.760
It's growing, it's got like it's got every box in the world.
01:10:30.000 --> 01:10:34.880
So it is so easy to say, I'm gonna go throw a box in there and it's gonna make money.
01:10:34.960 --> 01:10:35.840
And it does.
01:10:36.000 --> 01:10:38.319
But you're the Huntsville is full of them.
01:10:38.479 --> 01:10:38.640
Right.
01:10:38.800 --> 01:10:46.640
And there's just not a lot of restaurateurs, that you know, chefs-driven restaurants there that can make a difference.
01:10:46.800 --> 01:10:49.520
These people are just coming in and opening up a box.
01:10:49.680 --> 01:10:49.840
Right.
01:10:50.079 --> 01:10:53.600
Well, what also doesn't come with that hospitality.
01:10:54.079 --> 01:11:06.800
So we came in and just being who we are, training, hiring the right people that cared about that as much as we did, is what has worked out there in the development.
01:11:06.880 --> 01:11:14.640
So it's been, you know, everything from the guys that are cutting grass, you know, car comes by, they look up and wave.
01:11:14.800 --> 01:11:21.279
You know, it's just it doesn't seem like a lot, but you're welcoming somebody into your community, you know.
01:11:21.520 --> 01:11:22.800
Dickie always said that.
01:11:22.880 --> 01:11:28.960
He's like, you know, we used to do little small gifts for every person that came in.
01:11:29.039 --> 01:11:35.680
We also bought desserts for any single diner that ever walked in our restaurant because they're by themselves.
01:11:35.760 --> 01:11:35.920
Right.
01:11:36.239 --> 01:11:41.119
But they chose to be with you, you know, there's 1,500 restaurants in New Orleans.
01:11:41.279 --> 01:11:42.479
They came to see us.
01:11:42.720 --> 01:11:45.039
We better make that special every time.
01:11:45.840 --> 01:11:46.640
That's pretty cool.
01:11:46.960 --> 01:11:56.560
So I want to I want to shift gears a little bit because the whole foundation of our podcast is based on the concept of, you know, it takes a village to manage life.
01:11:56.800 --> 01:12:13.119
And um, you know, as I've been listening, you have had one hell of a hospitality and business um group of coaches, mentors, whatever, whatever you want to say, name you want to give them.
01:12:13.279 --> 01:12:13.439
Sure.
01:12:13.760 --> 01:12:15.920
But I'd like to do a rapid fire with you.
01:12:16.399 --> 01:12:16.720
Okay.
01:12:16.960 --> 01:12:17.199
Okay.
01:12:17.600 --> 01:12:19.119
So one, two, three, four.
01:12:19.279 --> 01:12:20.319
I got five names.
01:12:20.640 --> 01:12:20.960
Okay.
01:12:21.279 --> 01:12:40.720
So I'm just gonna run down and I'm gonna say, um what's the what's the when I say the name in your experience of working for them, what's the one thing that comes to mind that you learned from them that you know there's the maybe that you're still using today or the you know, the most influential thing you learned from them.
01:12:41.039 --> 01:12:41.359
Okay.
01:12:41.760 --> 01:12:43.439
And I'm gonna go in order.
01:12:43.760 --> 01:12:44.960
Let's start with Mr.
01:12:45.119 --> 01:12:45.920
Abud.
01:12:47.840 --> 01:12:48.720
Oh man.
01:12:49.039 --> 01:12:51.680
Um changed my life.
01:12:51.920 --> 01:12:53.600
He was a father figure.
01:12:54.399 --> 01:12:57.520
I'd probably get emotional talking about that guy today.
01:12:57.920 --> 01:13:09.680
Um, he taught me how to be a man growing up as a young guy, just trying to figure it out.
01:13:09.920 --> 01:13:15.039
Um, he was metulous in execution.
01:13:15.279 --> 01:13:17.760
I mean, City Lights was a bar, nightclub.
01:13:18.000 --> 01:13:19.680
Bartenders wore tuxedos.
01:13:20.079 --> 01:13:21.840
Like it was class.
01:13:22.159 --> 01:13:36.319
It wasn't just this craziness, it was class, and he was that rock behind everybody there, and it always made an impression that he was in the building, always there, always there for his team.
01:13:36.479 --> 01:13:38.079
Um, and he led everybody.
01:13:38.159 --> 01:13:39.359
So just great leader.
01:13:39.600 --> 01:13:40.159
All right.
01:13:40.319 --> 01:13:42.720
Uh, did you work with Ruth Fertell?
01:13:43.039 --> 01:13:46.239
I did not, no, she was passing at the time.
01:13:46.560 --> 01:13:46.800
Okay.
01:13:47.119 --> 01:13:51.119
But what did you learn from her organization and being at the home base?
01:13:51.520 --> 01:13:52.800
So a lot.
01:13:53.039 --> 01:13:59.039
And, you know, she again, guest first, always.
01:13:59.279 --> 01:14:00.640
It's not about you.
01:14:00.880 --> 01:14:02.800
Don't ever put yourself in front of it.
01:14:02.960 --> 01:14:05.199
It's all about the guests and their experience.
01:14:05.439 --> 01:14:15.119
I could give you 50 stories of her, you know, putting her desk in the middle of the restaurant because she was having to do paperwork and didn't want somebody not to see her.
01:14:15.359 --> 01:14:20.399
She'd cut beef in the back with the back door open so nobody saw that she wasn't working.
01:14:20.560 --> 01:14:20.800
Wow.
01:14:21.119 --> 01:14:27.039
She was the person who's going to make everything right and uh loved bourbon.
01:14:27.199 --> 01:14:28.800
God, that woman could drink.
01:14:29.600 --> 01:14:31.119
All right, Dickie Brennan.
01:14:31.920 --> 01:14:35.840
Um legacy.
01:14:36.159 --> 01:14:44.800
He came from a family of restaurants, and he wanted to carve out his own legacy within the Brennan family.
01:14:44.880 --> 01:14:47.119
You know, the cousins, everybody was splitting apart.
01:14:47.279 --> 01:14:48.800
He wanted to carve that out.
01:14:49.039 --> 01:14:55.279
And he wanted to do it with great food vision, mostly hospitality.
01:14:55.920 --> 01:14:58.960
And he was incredible at it.
01:14:59.039 --> 01:15:27.600
I've I've been I remember one great story about Dickie was I remember we were looking, we're talking about the steakhouse, and it's hard to you know show on a podcast, but he walked into a garage that was for sale, and it was an under parking garage, and he bought that garage to be able to build steakhouse because he had a vision of putting a steakhouse in this din feeling where you step down off of Bourbon Street into that.
01:15:28.159 --> 01:15:46.800
And he taught me how to not allow a wall to be a reason to not do the vision you wanted to do, which was amazing for me because that opened my eyes to because I would always try to build things or create things based on what was there.
01:15:47.119 --> 01:15:50.159
Okay, and he taught me to never worry about that.
01:15:50.319 --> 01:15:52.159
You can always move walls.
01:15:52.720 --> 01:15:54.159
Kirkendahl.
01:15:56.640 --> 01:16:05.359
Um good heart, good passion, interesting, diverse guy.
01:16:05.439 --> 01:16:27.199
I mean, Kirkendahl was a finance guy that grew money and worked for these big companies and found this little small strip club called the Gold Club and bought it and invested money with some guys and built an empire of strip clubs.
01:16:27.520 --> 01:16:31.199
Now owns Penthouse Worldwide, you know, everything else.
01:16:31.359 --> 01:16:35.119
It just was a crazy environment, but he's not.
01:16:36.319 --> 01:16:39.359
If there's such a thing as a strip club guy, that's not who that is.
01:16:39.439 --> 01:16:46.720
He's a family man, he's got a successful business, he's diverse in doing restaurants and all these other things.
01:16:46.800 --> 01:16:48.640
Um scalability.
01:16:48.880 --> 01:16:52.159
Yeah, I mean, pretty crazy what he's done.
01:16:52.960 --> 01:16:59.359
Max Visionary, um, passionate.
01:17:00.399 --> 01:17:09.199
Blows my mind every day that he sees and his relentless effort to work on what's new and be able to change.
01:17:09.359 --> 01:17:16.800
He will, you know, go years spending money on a project and without hesitation flip tomorrow.
01:17:17.039 --> 01:17:17.760
Doesn't matter.
01:17:17.920 --> 01:17:18.720
It's not the right thing.
01:17:18.880 --> 01:17:19.600
Gotta move on.
01:17:19.840 --> 01:17:20.640
Gotta go.
01:17:20.880 --> 01:17:23.199
So just really, really great guy.
01:17:23.359 --> 01:17:29.039
We don't get to spend as much time as we used to, you know, because you're in the midst of this development.
01:17:29.199 --> 01:17:30.399
We're running the development.
01:17:30.640 --> 01:17:32.319
He trusts and loves what we do.
01:17:32.399 --> 01:17:35.680
So it's just you just kind of go, you know.
01:17:36.000 --> 01:17:37.680
But really good guy.
01:17:38.960 --> 01:17:46.560
So when you look at these notes, meticulous execution, like always present, guest first.
01:17:48.239 --> 01:17:49.520
Make your own legacy.
01:17:50.960 --> 01:17:55.039
Solutions to your vision, not uh adjusting your vision.
01:17:56.239 --> 01:17:59.199
Um scalability and diversity.
01:18:01.520 --> 01:18:03.840
Passionate and knowing when to cut bait.
01:18:04.399 --> 01:18:07.359
I mean, those are pretty solid.
01:18:07.600 --> 01:18:08.479
Those are pretty solid.
01:18:08.800 --> 01:18:11.680
And that that was those were my takeaways of listening to what you were saying.
01:18:11.760 --> 01:18:15.359
I mean, that's a that's a pretty good group of takeaways.
01:18:15.760 --> 01:18:16.720
You've been really lucky.
01:18:16.960 --> 01:18:19.840
And and you did not go to college for any of this.
01:18:20.079 --> 01:18:22.720
I mean, you learned you straight out of high school.
01:18:23.119 --> 01:18:23.840
Just in the business.
01:18:24.079 --> 01:18:25.359
Just in the business, worked hard.
01:18:25.600 --> 01:18:28.479
And I've looked again, you I think you say I've been lucky, you're right.
01:18:28.720 --> 01:18:30.079
I don't like the word lucky personally.
01:18:30.319 --> 01:18:34.560
Well, but I've I've been blessed to work with some incredible people.
01:18:34.800 --> 01:18:35.039
All right.
01:18:35.199 --> 01:18:36.960
You know, I got to do the masters.
01:18:37.199 --> 01:18:42.800
Like, yeah, that's pretty wild that I had that opportunity and get to do stuff like that.
01:18:42.960 --> 01:18:52.479
It's been it's been a ride, but it's all goes back to just, you know, the list you said, which, you know, I love hearing that.
01:18:52.560 --> 01:18:54.000
I just I never think of it like that.
01:18:54.159 --> 01:18:56.560
But it's like good exercise.
01:18:56.880 --> 01:19:05.119
It's just being able to be you and just want to take care of people and do things the right way.
01:19:05.520 --> 01:19:07.279
And I know you don't like the word lucky.
01:19:07.439 --> 01:19:19.920
I know you don't, but when when I think of his career and I say lucky, really that pivotal moment when Dick when you met Dickie Brunnan and he just basically gave you the keys.
01:19:20.079 --> 01:19:24.399
I mean, that, you know, see I said basically do it, do what you want to.
01:19:24.560 --> 01:19:25.039
Here you go.
01:19:25.439 --> 01:19:32.079
But I go in Colin, I think it's a Colin Powell quote um about luck, and he said he doesn't believe in luck.
01:19:32.239 --> 01:19:36.880
He said it luck is defined, he defines luck as preparation crossing opportunity.
01:19:38.079 --> 01:19:47.279
And and when I heard that, that really did strike me years ago, and that's probably why I've talked to Anna about it over the years too, because um I think the only luck we have is the parents we're born to.
01:19:47.680 --> 01:19:52.239
Um and outside of that, I think life is about preparation and opportunity.
01:19:52.399 --> 01:19:56.720
And I think now when I think about, now I know about Olive Garden.
01:19:57.600 --> 01:20:04.079
And as funny as it is, as how that came about in the weird set of circumstances, but you did it.
01:20:04.560 --> 01:20:08.560
And then when you think about to your point, then you're gonna fast forward.
01:20:08.720 --> 01:20:10.159
Many, many years go by.
01:20:10.239 --> 01:20:18.079
And now here you are having this conversation with Dickie Brennan, this like hospitality entrepreneur and you know, part of a legacy family.
01:20:18.159 --> 01:20:36.960
And here you are, to the guy that was, you know, far back in that, you know, at the nightclub as a teenager, and you know, fibbing a little bit to get the job at Olive Garden, and all these things culminate into a scenario where um all of that was your preparation.
01:20:37.840 --> 01:20:50.399
And then these opportunities, whether it is the Dickie Brennan or whether it's Kirkendall or whether it's Max, they're they're they're crossing, they're intersecting, and it all comes together in those moments.
01:20:50.479 --> 01:20:56.479
And then you have to have the ability and the willingness to take risk and better yourself, right?
01:20:56.720 --> 01:21:05.439
Because if you've not done that in each one of these, the easier path for you may have been at Dickey Brennan's like, man, I can make great money.
01:21:05.840 --> 01:21:08.479
I see, I can be the GM of this place for 30 years.
01:21:08.640 --> 01:21:14.399
I'll have this thing on autopilot, and I'll have flexibility in my life, all those things that were important to you.
01:21:14.560 --> 01:21:18.720
Unfortunately, you're too entrepreneurial for that to be the end for you.
01:21:18.960 --> 01:21:19.439
It just couldn't.
01:21:19.600 --> 01:21:19.760
Yeah.
01:21:19.920 --> 01:21:20.720
It can't be for you.
01:21:20.880 --> 01:21:22.399
It could be for thousands of people.
01:21:22.560 --> 01:21:24.079
Um I think it's opportunity.
01:21:24.159 --> 01:21:25.680
You take you take advantage of them.
01:21:25.920 --> 01:21:29.279
You know, I don't I always try to preach this to my kids.
01:21:29.439 --> 01:21:38.560
Like whether you're ready or not, you go, if you get yourself lucky or whatever, you know, at that path, make the decision, go for it every time.
01:21:38.720 --> 01:21:44.640
We're gonna fail in life, things are gonna happen, but if you don't take the opportunity, I agree.
01:21:44.720 --> 01:21:46.159
I'm just gonna what are you doing?
01:21:46.800 --> 01:21:47.279
You know.
01:21:49.039 --> 01:21:50.960
Okay, so now I got another one for you.
01:21:51.119 --> 01:21:51.279
Okay.
01:21:51.520 --> 01:22:06.880
Because with this this level of career and nightlife, and um what is the most interesting customer interaction or the funniest interaction that you've had?
01:22:07.520 --> 01:22:08.960
I feel like you're you know exactly what you're gonna do.
01:22:09.119 --> 01:22:10.560
Well, I know one, I know to tell everyone.
01:22:11.359 --> 01:22:14.560
I know what my favorite one is, but I don't know where you're gonna go.
01:22:14.720 --> 01:22:17.600
Um and this is this is your this is your interview.
01:22:17.760 --> 01:22:20.640
So um I definitely know what my favorite one is.
01:22:20.800 --> 01:22:21.199
But anyway.
01:22:21.439 --> 01:22:21.760
Which one?
01:22:21.840 --> 01:22:23.039
Just cause I can.
01:22:23.279 --> 01:22:23.600
Huh?
01:22:23.760 --> 01:22:24.479
Cause I can.
01:22:24.880 --> 01:22:27.119
Oh, yeah, that was a good one.
01:22:27.359 --> 01:22:28.880
Um should I tell that one?
01:22:29.199 --> 01:22:29.680
You would have to.
01:22:29.920 --> 01:22:30.399
It was a funny one.
01:22:30.800 --> 01:22:31.279
It's quick.
01:22:31.359 --> 01:22:36.079
I was at Roos and server comes running out, says, Hey, bar needs you, bad.
01:22:36.159 --> 01:22:37.680
What's I'm like, what's going on?
01:22:38.079 --> 01:22:42.479
So they're like, Guy just ordered a Louis and Diet Coke.
01:22:42.560 --> 01:22:43.520
Well, what is Louie?
01:22:43.760 --> 01:22:45.920
Louis Martin is a cognac.
01:22:46.000 --> 01:22:46.159
Okay.
01:22:46.319 --> 01:22:53.359
But it's probably at the time a$200 shot of cognac that he was mixing with a Diet Coke.
01:22:53.600 --> 01:22:55.279
And the bartender just wouldn't pour it.
01:22:55.680 --> 01:22:59.600
They're like, I don't know if I'm hearing him wrong, whatever it is.
01:22:59.920 --> 01:23:04.800
So I casually walk up, talk to the guy and hanging out for a second.
01:23:05.039 --> 01:23:07.439
And I see him looking behind the bar and I know what he's doing.
01:23:07.520 --> 01:23:08.720
He's waiting on his drink.
01:23:09.119 --> 01:23:09.840
Yeah, right?
01:23:09.920 --> 01:23:13.039
I know what it is, but I don't want them to pour a$200 shot.
01:23:13.439 --> 01:23:15.199
Guy's like, I can't get any service in this place.
01:23:15.279 --> 01:23:16.319
I order the most expensive drink.
01:23:16.640 --> 01:23:18.479
I mean, I see him, I said, Can I get you anything?
01:23:18.560 --> 01:23:19.840
He goes, Yeah, I'm just waiting on my drink.
01:23:19.920 --> 01:23:23.760
I'm like, oh, it's your and he goes, Louis and Diet Coke.
01:23:24.319 --> 01:23:25.600
I'm like, oh, okay.
01:23:25.760 --> 01:23:29.439
So I look at the bartender, I give her the eyes, make the drink.
01:23:29.680 --> 01:23:30.720
It's confirmed.
01:23:30.800 --> 01:23:31.840
We know what he wants.
01:23:32.000 --> 01:23:32.880
So we're talking.
01:23:32.960 --> 01:23:35.680
I'm like, so why Louis and Diet?
01:23:37.199 --> 01:23:38.159
Because I can.
01:23:39.760 --> 01:23:40.800
Make the man a drink.
01:23:40.880 --> 01:23:41.119
Let's go.
01:23:41.359 --> 01:23:41.760
Good enough.
01:23:41.840 --> 01:23:42.399
Let's move on.
01:23:42.640 --> 01:23:43.199
Because I can.
01:23:43.359 --> 01:23:45.119
So we talked about making shirts years ago.
01:23:45.279 --> 01:23:45.920
Because I can.
01:23:46.159 --> 01:23:48.720
Because I can is great.
01:23:49.039 --> 01:23:49.920
Um all right.
01:23:50.000 --> 01:23:56.239
Well, we only have about three or four minutes before we have a very uh general wrap-up question for you.
01:23:56.399 --> 01:23:58.880
But before we get there, this is so silly for him though.
01:23:59.119 --> 01:24:03.920
No, but before we get there, I want you to take just the last couple of minutes here.
01:24:04.560 --> 01:24:09.840
And uh you've talked about hospitality and the difference between service and hospitality.
01:24:10.000 --> 01:24:18.720
Um for people who are listening, when you think about hospitality and then you think about life, right?
01:24:19.199 --> 01:24:20.960
Draw draw some connections for us.
01:24:21.119 --> 01:24:30.560
What are some things that you see, have learned, execute with you and your team in the hospitality realm that actually does bleed over into life?
01:24:30.720 --> 01:24:40.479
So if someone's listening to this and they're not in the hospitality business, but they're in, you know, some other some other line of work, what are some things that you've learned that you think are crossovers that could help people?
01:24:41.279 --> 01:24:44.319
You know, to me, it's caring about someone.
01:24:44.479 --> 01:24:48.319
And that's a crossover for all of us every day in our lives.
01:24:48.560 --> 01:24:57.039
If you just genuinely can care for someone, even if they're a stranger or your family, you know, execute that.
01:24:57.279 --> 01:24:58.880
Show you care about someone.
01:24:59.119 --> 01:25:09.600
Take the time to answer the phone, take the time to wish to call somebody and wish them a happy birthday, not just a quick email or text or something like that.
01:25:09.840 --> 01:25:20.560
Answer the phone, talk to them, be there for somebody because I will say this the people that we've described that have been a part of my life made a difference in my life.
01:25:20.720 --> 01:25:25.760
I was, I my mom did an incredible job, I believe, and give all credit in the world to her.
01:25:25.840 --> 01:25:27.840
I didn't have a father, though, in my life.
01:25:27.920 --> 01:25:29.840
There was never a man in my life.
01:25:30.000 --> 01:25:36.399
So these coaches, bosses, owners were my dad's all the way through.
01:25:36.560 --> 01:25:42.399
And they taught me everything, and that's where I'm at today is I have to give that back.
01:25:42.640 --> 01:25:46.640
I have to help young people navigate life.
01:25:47.039 --> 01:25:49.680
And that's still hospitality to me.
01:25:49.840 --> 01:25:59.600
You know, taking a young person who has no idea who was what I was years ago and trying to help guide them as people help guide me.
01:25:59.840 --> 01:26:01.119
It's a good answer.
01:26:01.439 --> 01:26:02.560
There was no wrong answer.
01:26:04.159 --> 01:26:05.760
And then you do it because you can.
01:26:06.239 --> 01:26:07.119
Because I can.
01:26:07.439 --> 01:26:08.159
Um, all right.
01:26:08.239 --> 01:26:12.880
Well, we wrap up with a generic question, so Anna will hit you with it.
01:26:13.279 --> 01:26:18.239
So if you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?
01:26:18.880 --> 01:26:19.920
And where would you go?
01:26:20.159 --> 01:26:22.000
I'm writing down who I think you're gonna say.
01:26:22.560 --> 01:26:26.319
That's probably um it would be Michael Jordan.
01:26:26.560 --> 01:26:26.800
Boom.
01:26:26.880 --> 01:26:27.680
I'm a winner right here.
01:26:28.800 --> 01:26:29.039
I have it.
01:26:29.119 --> 01:26:29.760
I just went to a show.
01:26:30.079 --> 01:26:30.800
That's Michael Jordan.
01:26:31.199 --> 01:26:32.079
That's an easy.
01:26:32.239 --> 01:26:35.439
Um blessed to have met him a couple of times, but not have dinner.
01:26:35.680 --> 01:26:37.680
Um at one of your restaurants.
01:26:37.920 --> 01:26:38.079
Yeah.
01:26:38.239 --> 01:26:38.319
Okay.
01:26:38.479 --> 01:26:38.560
Yeah.
01:26:38.640 --> 01:26:40.319
Well, that's at City Lights at the club.
01:26:40.479 --> 01:26:40.960
Oh, really?
01:26:41.119 --> 01:26:41.600
Yeah, yeah.
01:26:41.680 --> 01:26:43.279
And a restaurant, but yeah.
01:26:43.520 --> 01:26:46.560
Um where would I go?
01:26:46.800 --> 01:26:48.640
Gosh, I'm such a foodie.
01:26:48.880 --> 01:26:51.039
Um with him.
01:26:51.199 --> 01:26:52.319
That's the big thing, right?
01:26:52.479 --> 01:26:54.079
You gotta decide who you're gonna go with.
01:26:54.239 --> 01:27:01.439
If I was gonna go with him, it's really hard.
01:27:04.319 --> 01:27:06.239
Can I take him the roots on broad?
01:27:06.399 --> 01:27:06.640
Yeah.
01:27:06.800 --> 01:27:07.840
Yeah, why not?
01:27:08.159 --> 01:27:08.640
There you go.
01:27:08.720 --> 01:27:10.000
Yeah, with Chris on broad.
01:27:10.079 --> 01:27:11.600
Well, what a way to bring it full circle.
01:27:11.760 --> 01:27:12.000
Yeah.
01:27:12.560 --> 01:27:13.279
Well, thank you.
01:27:13.359 --> 01:27:16.479
I know you're busy, and uh, we appreciate your time while you're in town.
01:27:16.720 --> 01:27:17.359
Yeah, thank y'all.
01:27:17.520 --> 01:27:17.680
Thank you.
01:27:18.800 --> 01:27:19.840
Thank y'all for making it easy.
01:27:19.920 --> 01:27:23.439
Yeah, and uh here's to your future hospitality journey.