630: Drew Nieporent on Tearing Down Walls

In 1977 Drew Niepornt graduated from Cornell University with a degree from the School of Hotel Management and set out on a career in hospitality that has only been matched by few. Nieporent's first restaurant, the groundbreaking Montrachet (1985), earned three stars from The New York Times and kept that rating for 21 years. Over the following 33 years, he would go on to form the Myriad Restaurant Group and has opened and operated over 39 restaurants around the world, including Seattle, Louisville, Providence, Boca Raton, London, San Francisco, Moscow, Citi Field, home of the New York Mets in Flushing, New York.

Show Notes

Success Quote Mantra

• "Serve it hot or serve it cold."

In this episode with Drew Nieporent we will discuss:

• The importance of precision
• Attention to detail
• The restaurant scene in NYC in the 60’s
• Why choose hospitality over cooking
• Fake it ’til you make it
• Serving food on a cruise ship
• Respecting your staff
• Profit sharing
• Controlling anger as the manager
• Thew importance of working together FOH and BOH
• Doubting yourself
• Maintaining culture when a head chef leaves
• Confidence
• Celebrity investors
• The importance of hands-on ownership
• The difference between chefs and restauranteurs
• Caution
• The fear of losing money
• Strike while the iron is hot

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Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Consistency
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Don't trust people
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • Business economics
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Someone as clever as myself
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Keep your hands to yourself
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Nothing scripted
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
     GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
   • Share the wealth
9. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations?
   • Vero Water
10. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    • Kindness and fairness
    • Serve the best food and attract the best talent
    • Don't believe your own hype

Contact info:

Tribeca Grill

375 Greenwich St.

New York, NY 10012

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

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Huge thanks to Drew Nieporent for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

 

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