921: Matt Louis Chef Owner Moxy, Franklin Oyster House, and Luigi's West End Pizzeria

Chef Matt Louis is the Chef Owner of Moxy, Luigi's West End Pizza, Street, and many other restaurants. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, working at Thomas Keller's French Laundry, and helping Thomas Keller open Per Se, Matt returned to NH where he was the executive chef at The Wentworth By The Sea. It didn't take long for NH Seacoast restaurateur, Jay McSherry, to take notice of Matt's talents. In 2014 Matt joined forces with JGroup and together opened Moxy, an American tapas restaurant. Today, in his portfolio, Matt has Moxy, The Franklin Oyster House, Street, Luigi's West End Pizzeria, and Street Exeter.

Check out episode 874 with Jay McSharry as mentioned int today's episode.

Check out episode 009 with Matt Louis as mentioned in today's episode.

Check out RestaurantSystemsPro as mentioned in today's episode!

Today’s feature affiliate: Bentobox. In need of a restaurant website? Click this link to find out why so many of my guests use Bentobox!

Show notes…

Calls to ACTION!!!

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Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "Don't ask anybody to do something that you aren't willing to do yourself."

In this episode with Matt Louis we will discuss:

• Working for Thomas Keller
• Opening restaurants
• Managing restaurants
• Awards culture in the restaurant industry
• What a James Beard nomination is actually like
• The current staffing struggles
• Where do we go from here as an industry?

Today's sponsor:

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Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Hard work
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Balance
3. What's one thing you ask or look for when interviewing/growing your team?
   • Reliability
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Staffing
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Be reliable
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • The guest isn't always right
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller
   • GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations?
   • Toast QR codes - table ordering
9. What is one thing you feel restaurateurs don't do well enough or often enough?
   • Being too optimistic and not realistic
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?
    • Hard work
    • Integrity
    • Contribution to the community

Contact:

Email: [e-mail]

Thanks for listening!

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Huge thanks to Matt Louis for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

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