The Concept Is Right For The Team

Starting a new business is one of the most daunting things a person can do.

And when it is a food business, it can be even more challenging.

Dennis Lake, who I met in the mid 90’s when he came to work in my kitchens as a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, took on this challenge recently.

A couple of months before the pandemic began, on one of the most affluent streets in the US, Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich Connecticut, Dennis opened La Taqueria. I mention the neighborhood, because it is noteworthy that a simple taqueria would become so popular amid every type of high-end dining namable.

It turned out to be a raging success and in real serendipitous fashion, this was the perfect concept to flourish when most restaurants would struggle or merely vanish during COVID. It was built for take-out, with in-store dining, not knowing that online ordering would soon be the saving grace for this crew of cooks. It wasn’t really luck as it may seem, it was all by design. How did he decide this was the right concept? My curiosity had gotten the best of me, so I decided to interview Dennis.

A few days ago, after attending the opening of the second La Taqueria, I had a chat with Dennis, my question, “why tacos?” a simple taqueria, run by an accomplished chef, who frankly could have done anything in food that he wanted too.

He told me a couple of things that I want to share.

Dennis is a fantastic chef and well accomplished, and he wanted to create something that would be a good business. His mission, “It was right for a team to be successful”, and “after being the chef at Rosa Mexicano for 4 years, I needed more of this delicious food that we all know and love”.

Now I certainly get the love for the food, but what was less obvious was a person considering the team success first as a driver for the type of business and the very concept.

Dennis clearly stated that he knew the business was going to be run by a team, it wasn’t about him or what he could do, and he wanted a product that would instill pride in the people who worked to make it happen every day.

This concept, is remarkably, and 100% designed to a fault for each aspect of the brand to work in concert with the other. From the bright yellow floral wall to the black and white tile and even the logo bags which are hand printed every day. It is all artisan based to the very core.

What better way to drive the feel of “we make this place happen”, through our craft, at every opportunity and down to every detail of the fresh squeezed ruby grapefruit paloma or the cooked to order, handmade blue corn tortillas for every taco sold!

I am struck every time I drop by for some tacos, I see happy people doing what they love in a place that is always busy. If I pull apart the operation and analyze it, as I tend to do, it is clear to me that no move is made without Dennis considering his most important asset, the people that run his business.

I have asked Dennis a bunch of questions about his business, and when I start with “why?”, in a very modest way, he usually shrugs and says, “because it works for us” and “it is what our customers want”.

This type of focus is what brings great concepts, businesses, and teams to life, driving revenue and quality. It is the culture creation that is so critical, particularly as Gen Z rises into the work force that food business relies on.

I always use this philosophy and approach with each business I design and each concept I revise, it must be driven by the constraints that govern that business. Whether location, talent pool, size of facility or clientele, food businesses should be built for success with clear focus on how and why that will happen.

#culture #teamdevelopment #heretohelp #restaurants #cheflife #consulting #foodbusiness