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Eater
23-07-2025
- Business
- Eater
How L'Industrie Keeps Customers Happy Despite Long Lines
A version of this post originally appeared on July 23, 2025, in Eater and Punch's newsletter Pre Shift, a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world. This send is the first in a three-part series on high-volume restaurants, presented by Square — the technology company that makes commerce and financial services easy and accessible. L'Industrie Pizzeria, according to co-owners Massimo Laveglia and Nick Baglivo Where: New York City The backstory: Tuscany native Massimo Laveglia opened his New York-style slice shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 2017, with Nick Baglivo joining in 2018 as general manager and co-owner. The staff went from the two of them and a dishwasher to about 80 people as business exploded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading them to expand their original location twice, then add a second shop in Manhattan's West Village in 2023. Here, the partners discuss their business strategy and managing the ever-present lines. On long lines Laveglia: As much as people think that we love it, we hate lines. We're trying to be as fast as we can. The problem is the capacity we have in the oven: We can only make eight pies at a time. Baglivo: We can't even get another oven because we're low on electricity. We try not to think about the line too much. We're saying the quality of the pizza's got to be good. Somebody's going to wait 30 minutes, 40 minutes at most. Then we've got to make sure that they're getting an acceptable piece of pizza. On keeping waiting customers happy Baglivo: We have a great staff, a very charismatic staff. We hand out menus, we go down the line, we answer questions, we interact with the customers. We have the stationary [point-of-sale] system and then we have two handheld POS systems, so when we have a moment and we're stacked up on some pies, we'll have two or three people taking orders at a time. But just because you take the order fast, doesn't mean it gets made faster. We're doing our best to make sure people aren't complaining about the line because that's a big, big issue for some people. Nobody ever complained when Juliana's had a line, or Grimaldi's had a line. They only complain about us because we're young. On expanding Laveglia: The space next to the first pizzeria became available and our space was very tight, and the landlord [said,] 'If you want to take it, I'll give you a better deal.' We knocked down the wall and we were able to do more pizza. We changed some equipment; we introduced gelato to the shop. On building a following Baglivo: We're just being consistent in reinvesting in the products and getting better and better. When the pandemic hit, we were able to be consistently available for people in the neighborhood. When we closed for renovations, people really missed us. When we reopened right around spring, everybody was really excited to come back and see the new space and how much bigger we'd gotten. We've really succeeded as far as keeping the quality at such a high demand. Plain and burrata slices from L'Industrie. Luke Fortney/Eater NY On their seasonal patio Laveglia: When we expanded in 2021, we had more space, but it wasn't enough for all the customers. After COVID, we had to remove the patio structure. Now the patio is open from April to October. It's good that we have extra space, but it didn't really change the business. Baglivo: It keeps the customers from loitering in front of the [neighborhood] residents' apartments. When they don't have a place to be, it's a free-for-all and that creates more waste and more garbage. We're able to contain it now to the front of the shop and be mindful and diligent. We try our best. On their equipment Baglivo: When we first started working, we had very janky equipment. I remember on a Friday night, a stone broke and we chipped a piece of brick from the building to wedge the stone in there so we could get through the night. [When we expanded,] we reinvested in the shop and we [wound] up getting better ovens. We were doing our diligence looking for the best equipment and figuring out how to work with it. On customers placing orders with the wrong location Laveglia: In the beginning, it was a drama. It happened probably once a week. We had to change the website. When you go to the website now, before you place the order, the website asks you four or five times if you are in the right location. It doesn't happen anymore.
Eater
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Overheard at the 2025 James Beard Awards
A version of this post originally appeared on June 18, 2025, in Eater and Punch's newsletter Pre Shift , a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world. Subscribe now for more stories like this. Along with the usual flood of tourists and locals enjoying the summer weather, downtown Chicago was packed this weekend due to both the 'No Kings' march that brought tens of thousands of people to protest the Trump administration, and the parties and pop-ups tied to the 35th annual James Beard Awards. The tension between resistance and revelry was felt throughout Monday's celebration at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. Finalists shared their thoughts with Eater, discussing what the awards mean to them, ways the honors can continue to evolve, the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitality industry, and the biggest challenges they face when it comes to making the best food— from housing, to staffing, to protecting their teams from ICE raids. '[After being nominated] we were busier right away. The response has been incredible. It's such a good burst of business in January, at a time that's classically slow, that we are mostly grateful for. It's been amazing.' — Jeanie Janas Ritter, Bûcheron , Minneapolis (2025 winner, Best New Restaurant) 'We have so many people visiting Buffalo to just come hang out. Every Saturday, people fly in, eat barbecue, see [Niagara] Falls and fly back out. Our volume has increased probably like 45 times [since being nominated].' — Ryan Fernandez, Southern Junction Barbecue , Buffalo, New York (2025 finalist, Best Chef: New York State and 2024 finalist, Best Emerging Chef) 'I love that the [James Beard Awards] expanded and added these new categories for beverages. I think that it's so important to continue to see that the front of house and the back of house work together. Of course, the chef is the star of the show. People go to restaurants to eat, but you've got to have something to drink too. I think continuing to expand on the front-of-house recognition would be a great call.' — Cassandra Felix, Daniel , New York City (2025 finalist, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service) '[I'd love to see an award that] celebrates general managers. I just hired Daniel Harrington and he has shifted the dynamic in such a beautiful way. I'm a very hands-on owner. I'm either there way too much or I'm traveling somewhere and he's that anchor. He keeps me steady. He executes. No one really recognizes the GM. They make less money than everyone else and typically work way more hours, much like chefs. I think GMs could use a little bit of love.' — Julia Momosé, Kumiko , Chicago (2025 winner, Outstanding Bar) 'I love beverages and I'm a horrible cook. Like, I can't cook for shit. I would love to see a little bit more separation of spirits, nonalcoholic, beers, and wine [categories] so there's more representation of beverages just like we do the chefs.' — Felipe Riccio, March , Houston (2025 finalist, Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program) 'I wonder if coffee [could] be an additional [James Beard] category. Coming from Portland, we have so much coffee, and Chicago does, too.' — Tommy Klus, Scotch Lodge , Portland, Oregon (2025 finalist, Outstanding Bar) 'We live on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere, so every single thing makes it a little harder. Employee housing is really, really tough for where we are. It's kind of become an affluent area, and so finding places reasonably priced for our talented team to live is difficult.' — Jay Blackinton, Houlme , Orcas Island, Washington (2025 finalist, Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific) 'Where we are in the world, which is a pretty small community with 50,000 to 100,000 people, it's very difficult to retain really strong talent. That's always been the focus of our restaurant, to do exactly that, to retain and keep our people as long as possible. At first, our mission statement was to create well-paying, long-term hospitality jobs. After 2020, that has shifted to retaining [them]. We do care about quality of life with the way we operate the restaurants, with the way that the kitchens operate. We just try to make as pleasant an environment as possible.' — Josh Niernberg, Bin 707 , Grand Junction, Colorado (2025 finalist, Outstanding Chef) 'Post-pandemic, a lot of people left the industry just because they got so stressed out during that crazy time. Finding good people [is my biggest challenge, but] there's a lot of young folks that are coming up in the ranks that show a lot of initiative, so we're hopeful on that.' — Daniel Castillo, Heritage Barbecue , San Juan Capistrano, California (2025 finalist, Best Chef: California) 'The big challenge that my restaurant is facing right now is staying motivated as we continue this absolute roller-coaster ride. It's a good roller coaster, but keeping people focused is really hard. Keeping myself focused is really hard. The intellectual focus it requires to be a restaurant of our type is not something you wake up out of bed and have, so I think that's the hard part. We're supposed to be having more fun.' — Erling Wu-Bower, Maxwells Trading , Chicago (2025 finalist, Best Chef: Great Lakes) 'We're in Downtown LA and our restaurant has been completely surrounded with the protest — the peaceful protest — so it's been a little bit challenging for the last two weeks. We can't wait to get back open and welcome everyone in our community back to celebrate Los Angeles in general and hopefully a win for me at the James Beard Awards.' — Tobin Shea, Redbird , Los Angeles (2025 finalist, Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service) 'The general public is really strained at this point. That affects small businesses, especially the restaurant businesses with such tight margins. The geopolitical climate, the state of the world, the unrest, I think is exponential right now in terms of its impact across the globe. It's making everybody a little scared and I think that affects the way they spend their day, as it should. I think potentially [people are] afraid to spend because of all the uncertainty.' — Derek Wagner, Nicks on Broadway , Providence, Rhode Island (2025 finalist, Best Chef: Northeast) '[The biggest challenge facing us] is the current state of the state, for sure. Immigration, keeping the team alive and safe. [The award nomination] definitely gives us a platform to talk about uncomfortable subjects. It definitely gives us the courage to keep going.' — Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó , Houston (2025 finalist, Best Chef: Texas) Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2025. All editorial content is produced independently of the James Beard Foundation.
Eater
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Austin Food Truck Distant Relatives Expanded With No Investors
A version of this post originally appeared on June 11, 2025, in Eater and Punch's newsletter Pre Shift , a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world. This send is the last in a four-part series on restaurant growth, presented by Square . Organize all your orders — dine-in, online, and third-party — and fulfill them in a flash, right from your POS . The growth: After a career creating fancy dishes in a starched white chef coat, Damien Brockway wanted to cook food more like what he made at home. Inspired by meats he smoked in his backyard pit, Brockway dreamed up Distant Relatives in 2018 to showcase the flavors of the African diaspora, and it opened as a pop-up serving out of his home kitchen in 2020. He moved to a food truck the following year and racked up accolades: one of Eater's Best New Restaurants in America, a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and two semifinalist nods from the James Beard Awards. Here, Brockway shares how he is building his restaurant intentionally, without investors. Size of restaurant in 2020: Brockway's home kitchen, 1 employee Size of restaurant now: Food truck, 5 employees I knew it was going to be a difficult project because cooking modern African American food may seem polarizing for some people. But to me, it's not. I'm the only investor in Distant Relatives because I needed to control the narrative, the style, the aesthetic, and the ethos of what we're doing. But this control came with financial limitations—I could only borrow enough to set up a food truck. With the pop-up, I had a schedule for pickups from a cooler outside my gate. People would Venmo me or throw a couple bucks in the cooler for their plates. But I was getting my reps in: I spent this much, I sold this much, I got my yield percentages hammered out. At home, I cook like a grandma — a pinch of this, a spoon of that — but as I scaled up I had to set ratios. When I was doing 40 to 50 plates per pop-up, I knew I needed to move to a food truck. The pop-up ended up costing me a lot: I destroyed my stove at my house and had to redo the plumbing in the kitchen. I didn't open with brisket on the menu because I wanted to focus on large, subprimal cuts of animals, but it was a rude awakening to see the number of guests that walked up, saw there was no brisket on the menu, and left. The crazy thing is that people will complain about $30 a pound for brisket. If you are running 30 percent food costs, we'd all be charging $40-plus a pound. There's a cap to how much you can charge, and all of us barbecue guys have banded together on this. In culinary education, we call dishes like this a dog: It's on your menu and it loses you money. With brisket, we want it to sell out — like, we want it available, but we also need it to sell out. Math is important. I average 35 percent food cost. If I was a chef anywhere else, I'd be fired already, but that's pretty standard for a barbecue-focused trailer. Food trucks have higher costs because we serve on disposable flatware and we don't have beverage revenue. Selling barbecue by weight involves loss from trimming and cooking it, so using that fat in sausage or sides is paramount. Our food costs are sustainable with proper controls on labor, rent, and overhead expenses—and a very modest profit margin. Barbecue is supposed to feed the masses. We use everything to keep costs affordable. We use tallow. We smoke bones. We don't buy ham hocks. Go visit the farmers you work with — they're sweating and working out here in the summer just like we are. They're not making a ton of money either. So when you use their product, respect it. Be conscientious about your price point. I made mistakes in the first four years, chasing expansion and buying more equipment. I needed to do those things, but now I need to show that all of this investment [became] profitable, which we are. But to get into a building, I need to show that I can handle an increased debt load. There's definitely a vision for a brick-and-mortar, but it's a process. A lot of the guys that I looked up to when I was starting with barbecue have taken up to 10 years to get into buildings. I'm not thinking that I'm the exception to the rule — it's gonna take time. See More: Chefs Expansions Food and Restaurant Trends
Eater
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
How to Build a Restaurant With No Investors
A version of this post originally appeared on June 11, 2025, in Eater and Punch's newsletter Pre Shift , a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world. This send is the last in a four-part series on restaurant growth, presented by Square . Organize all your orders — dine-in, online, and third-party — and fulfill them in a flash, right from your POS . The growth: After a career creating fancy dishes in a starched white chef coat, Damien Brockway wanted to cook food more like what he made at home. Inspired by meats he smoked in his backyard pit, Brockway dreamed up Distant Relatives in 2018 to showcase the flavors of the African diaspora, and it opened as a pop-up serving out of his home kitchen in 2020. He moved to a food truck the following year and racked up accolades: one of Eater's Best New Restaurants in America, a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and two semifinalist nods from the James Beard Awards. Here, Brockway shares how he is building his restaurant intentionally, without investors. Size of restaurant in 2020: Brockway's home kitchen, 1 employee Size of restaurant now: Food truck, 5 employees I knew it was going to be a difficult project because cooking modern African American food may seem polarizing for some people. But to me, it's not. I'm the only investor in Distant Relatives because I needed to control the narrative, the style, the aesthetic, and the ethos of what we're doing. But this control came with financial limitations—I could only borrow enough to set up a food truck. With the pop-up, I had a schedule for pickups from a cooler outside my gate. People would Venmo me or throw a couple bucks in the cooler for their plates. But I was getting my reps in: I spent this much, I sold this much, I got my yield percentages hammered out. At home, I cook like a grandma — a pinch of this, a spoon of that — but as I scaled up I had to set ratios. When I was doing 40 to 50 plates per pop-up, I knew I needed to move to a food truck. The pop-up ended up costing me a lot: I destroyed my stove at my house and had to redo the plumbing in the kitchen. I didn't open with brisket on the menu because I wanted to focus on large, subprimal cuts of animals, but it was a rude awakening to see the number of guests that walked up, saw there was no brisket on the menu, and left. The crazy thing is that people will complain about $30 a pound for brisket. If you are running 30 percent food costs, we'd all be charging $40-plus a pound. There's a cap to how much you can charge, and all of us barbecue guys have banded together on this. In culinary education, we call dishes like this a dog: It's on your menu and it loses you money. With brisket, we want it to sell out — like, we want it available, but we also need it to sell out. Math is important. I average 35 percent food cost. If I was a chef anywhere else, I'd be fired already, but that's pretty standard for a barbecue-focused trailer. Food trucks have higher costs because we serve on disposable flatware and we don't have beverage revenue. Selling barbecue by weight involves loss from trimming and cooking it, so using that fat in sausage or sides is paramount. Our food costs are sustainable with proper controls on labor, rent, and overhead expenses—and a very modest profit margin. Barbecue is supposed to feed the masses. We use everything to keep costs affordable. We use tallow. We smoke bones. We don't buy ham hocks. Go visit the farmers you work with — they're sweating and working out here in the summer just like we are. They're not making a ton of money either. So when you use their product, respect it. Be conscientious about your price point. I made mistakes in the first four years, chasing expansion and buying more equipment. I needed to do those things, but now I need to show that all of this investment [became] profitable, which we are. But to get into a building, I need to show that I can handle an increased debt load. There's definitely a vision for a brick-and-mortar, but it's a process. A lot of the guys that I looked up to when I was starting with barbecue have taken up to 10 years to get into buildings. I'm not thinking that I'm the exception to the rule — it's gonna take time. See More: Chefs Expansions Food and Restaurant Trends
Eater
28-05-2025
- Business
- Eater
How Our New Concept Brought In 30 Percent More Guests
A version of this post originally appeared on May 28, 2025, in Eater and Punch's newsletter Pre Shift , a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world. This send is the second of a four-part series on restaurant growth, presented by Square . Organize all your orders — dine-in, online, and third-party — and fulfill them in a flash, right from your POS . Subscribe now for more stories like this. Sabine, according to operating partner Rich Fox Where: Seattle The growth: In March 2020, James Weimann and Deming Maclise of Yes Parade Restaurant Group closed their 11-year-old bistro, Bastille. In October, they converted the space into Sabine, a counter-service cafe and bakery. Its scope has since expanded with the addition of a bar and table-service dinner from Tuesday to Sunday. In March, the restaurant group announced a forthcoming second location. Here, Rich Fox, one of the operating partners of Sabine, explains why the pandemic was the right time to shift the business model. Increase in daily guest count from 2019: 31 percent, with a similar increase in sales revenue On closing Bastille When the pandemic hit, some [of our] restaurants lent to the [new operating conditions] much easier than others in terms of going takeout-only or outdoor-only. The feeling with Bastille was that the menu presentation and dynamic would have been harder to shift. Independent of the pandemic, there was also the feeling that Bastille had maybe run its course. The idea of shutting down and changing the concept during that time was easier than it would have been previously. On updating the concept We had to take out a big portion of the seating to build the coffee counter. The inside space lost about 24 seats, but at the same time, we had a 'streetery' that added back all of those seats and more. We're replacing that with a street cafe, so when all is said and done, we'll probably net out at the same number of seats. Bastille was a dinner house and very wine-forward; the check average was high. [At] Sabine, being more of a coffee counter, our check average is smaller but our volume is higher. We're actually open more hours. We're open from 8 in the morning until at least 10 at night, five days a week. On counter service Initially during the pandemic, we didn't know from one minute to the next what the city or state was going to hand us. Having really limited counter-service staff was a huge asset in the beginning compared to the restaurants that were full-service. It makes hiring easier, first of all, and you can lean into the staff that you have and really work on those relationships. On expanding It came earlier than expected. It was born from having a great relationship with the building owner and their willingness to work with us on a landlord-tenant deal that made sense for all of the worries we have right now. Part of what made us feel good is counter service: That model does make the overhead less. Between the work our chef has done, our coffee program, and our bar, we felt we had a unique concept that had not been replicated, at least locally. On flexibility There are places [within the restaurant group] where we tried counter service, and for us, it didn't seem like an advantage based on the concept. We have only one other location that switched that's still doing counter service today and that's a place in Leavenworth, outside of Seattle. There are other restaurants where it felt better for us and for our style of service to go back to full service. It's very subjective, but for Sabine, it's been wonderful.
