S1E17 | Jon Dressler of Dressler’s Restaurant

SEASON 1: EPISODE NUMBER: 17

EPISODE GUEST: Jon Dressler

Dressler’s is the go-to spot for celebratory dinners in Charlotte, NC and a lot of that has to do with the owner, Jon Dressler’s, employee-focused management style. 

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Dressler’s is the go-to spot in Charlotte, N.C. for celebratory meals, date nights, and just a nice dinner out. And it all began at a Denny’s.

When Dressler’s owner, John Dressler, was 16, he got his start in the restaurant industry washing dishes at a Denny’s. Eventually, he took a job as a busboy and then waiter in Atlantic City.

He’s always been a fan of the restaurant industry’s non-regular hours. So when a friend talked him into a restaurant management position, he said yes. He had the option to be transferred to Beverly Hills or Charlotte so he chose Beverly Hills.

He ended up in Charlotte.

The first lesson he learned as a manager is to learn from other managers. He would drop behaviors he didn’t like and pick up the ‘good’ behaviors he observed. “It’s free to pay attention,” Dressler says.

And he had to soak up as much information as possible because when it came down to it, ‘My decision-making team is comprised of me.”

His decisions have proven to be good ones. The first people he hired in 1996 still work with him. Longevity is a hallmark of his management style, putting faith and trust in the employees he hires and their skillsets. He believes in giving his employees opportunities to prove they are trustworthy and takes pride in being responsible for 250 families on his payroll.

When he opened his first restaurant in 2003, he had $0 in the bank. Initially, he was surprised by fewer customers than anticipated, yet these patrons were spending more money than he projected.

He took a leap on a second concept that eventually failed. But he learned more from his failure than his successes and moved forward to open a third restaurant in 2010, Dressler’s in the Metropolitan.

He adapts his restaurants for what his clients enjoy. People like hanging out in the bars area, so he’s made his bars bigger. And he added a focus on shareable meals.

He says a key to his managerial success is identifying the fact that you’re not the smartest person in the room. Lean on others’ strengths to build up the company as a whole.

In the midst of the COVID pandemic he promised his staff going into the shutdown, “I will feed you and your family, and I will reopen these restaurants” urging other entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry to be well-capitalized in case of emergency. Despite dropping sales due to his concepts not working well for carryout, Dressler has stayed true to his vision: Establish a culture and maintain that culture, treat your people well and they’ll be loyal.

“It’s free to pay attention.”

– Jon Dressler, Dressler’s Restaurant

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By |2022-04-04T20:52:27-05:00October 13th, 2020|Paper Trails, PodCasts, Season 1|0 Comments

S1E8 | Three Bulls Steakhouse’s Sammy Gianopoulos

SEASON 1: EPISODE NUMBER: 8

EPISODE GUEST: Sammy Gianopoulos

Three Bulls Steakhouse owner Sammy Gianopoulos has had a long success as a restauranteur in the Triad region of N.C. and shares why being a present owner is so important to a restaurant’s success.

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Sammy Gianopoulos has had a long success as a restauranteur in the Triad region of N.C. A close family friend of Albemarle Paper Supply, Gianopoulos also grew up in the restaurant industry working in his dad’s restuarants.

From a young age, he knew he wanted to go to culinary school. After graduating from Johnson & Wales in Charleston, S.C., Gianopoulos got a job as a chef at the famous Biltmore mansion.

The owner of the Biltmore would come in the kitchen, shake the staff’s hands and check in. This lesson in being a present owner stuck with Gianopoulos.

After his time at the Biltmore, Gianopoulos returned to High Point to open a seafood restaurant at the young age of 21. “It was a huge step and the first six months were very tough for me.”

Struggling with whether he had made the right decision stepping into the restaurant role, he reached out to his father who told him to “work hard, take care of the customer and have fresh and plentiful food.” It was these three simple lessons that Gianopoulos decided to live by…and his restaurant exploded.

One day, he was worried about bills, the next he was expanding. He went on to launch restaurant number 2 but not without again seeking advice from his dad. “If you think you’re ready for number two and have the financials set, go for it,” was his father’s advice. So Gianopoulos successfully launched his second restaurant Aquaria.

“One thing that has always helped me is good staff,” says Gianopoulos. “You see someone who wants to grow and you mold them and teach them.”

A year after launching Aquaria, the furniture market authority reached out to open a restaurant in downtown High Point, a mecca for furniture shopping bringing in double the city’s population each year in shoppers.

Gianopolous launched the only full-service, ABC restaurant in the furniture factory. Always a hands-on owner, his understanding and involvement in his community helped lead to his restaurant’s success.

Always active in the community and local charities, he was voted Businessman of the Year by the chamber of commerce.

“One thing we try to teach in our restaurants now – you can go anywhere to get a good steak or a good burger – it’s the hospitality side of it. How do you get people in your doors?” says Gianopoulos. “It’s hard to teach and have that culture but it starts at greeting the customers and doesn’t stop until you bid them farewell.”

“No matter how it’s decorated or how good the food is, if the hospitality’s not there, customers don’t return.”

Gianopoulos says it’s how locally-owned shops compete with the big chains. The owner is in the building.

He creates a workplace culture where every person knows they play an important role and that’s what makes people want to come back. “It starts at the top. If the owners don’t have the right culture that trickles down to the management then you can’t expect your host or dishwasher to act the same way.”

Eventually, with a group of partners he opened the now staple restaurant outside Wake Forest University, Fratelli’s. It’s iconic location near the university helped it become a go-to spot for the college athletic teams over time.

After Fratelli’s, he opened Three Bulls originally as an investment opportunity cause they knew a lot about steakhouses now. Every time they open a new store they bring staff from other locations and move them up

What Gianopoulos has learned opening up restaurants:

1) Have a cushion. He has opened 9 and none have been under budget or completed in the time frame.
2) Have grit. It takes determination, so be mentally prepared for long hours, hard days and failure. As a business owner it’s in your DNA to strive to be your best.
3) Take care of the customer

“When you make your own mistakes you don’t make it twice. Be prepared to fight daily. Be prepared for the worst-case scenario.”

“No matter how it’s decorated or how good the food is, if the hospitality’s not there, customers don’t return.”

– Sammy Gianopoulos, Three Bulls Steakhouse

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By |2022-04-04T23:37:43-05:00March 17th, 2020|Paper Trails, PodCasts, Season 1|0 Comments

S1E7 | Sabor Latin Street Grill’s David Lucarelli

SEASON 1: EPISODE NUMBER: 7

EPISODE GUEST: David Lucarelli

David Lucarelli has an extensive history in the restaurant industry and now runs 15 different Sabor Latin Street Grill locations in Charlotte, NC, and surrounding areas. 

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David Lucarelli fell in love with cooking at an early age. Now director of operations for Raydal Hospitality in Charlotte, N.C. which owns Three Amigos, La Caseta, and the ultra-popular Latin street food chain, Sabor Latin Street Grill, his background has taken him from Morton’s in Chicago, Bubba Gump Shrimp in Charleston, S.C., and even all the way to a brewery in Maui (where he worked with Chris Pratt!)

Originally from an Italian neighborhood in Chicago, Lucarelli grew up with a dad who always worked in restaurants and gave him an early gig as a host at a fine-dining restaurant in Cleveland.

Lucarelli was hooked. He worked to be the best dishwasher – a position he calls the most important and under-appreciated in the business – and eventually became ‘Lightning Luke’ the fastest busboy.

“Growing up in the business you learn to value and appreciate the employees that you work with,” says Lucarelli, “and I think that’s one of the most critical things I’ve taken with me over the years.”

Lucarelli emphasizes the importance of servant leadership and being able to appreciate people and empathize with what they have. And learning from others’ strengths is critical in being a well-rounded manager.

On opening a Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant in Charleston, SC, Lucarelli reflects, “Working with that staff of very creative smart people was a great help to my career.”

His career continued to charter new territories, eventually taking a break from the restaurant industry to manage resorts and even a water park. But he came back to the industry he loved with an even more well-rounded viewpoint.

It’s this varied perspective that allows Lucarelli to stay sharp on his toes in an ever-changing industry. “Prepare for the worst. Make sure that when/if the worst thing happens, make sure you’re protected.” And it takes more than just a good idea to create a successful restaurant. “You may have the greatest ideas but you need to find that niche that will bring people in you really have to blow the doors off with food quality, service quality, and cleanliness – it’s important to think that way.”

And investing in staff always proves to be beneficial for the business. Sabor Latin Street Grill tries to offer a pathway to success or a larger career through merit-based achievements and instruction. One of Lucarelli’s greatest joys is finding those that have the passion and spark for the industry and coaching them to new heights. “That binds us all together. I love nothing more than seeing employees that we hire turn into something far more successful than they originally hoped for.”

For Lucarelli, a career path that started from a love of being a line cook has seen many evolutions. “I think it’s important to keep your eyes open in your career and do what you love and love what you do. And if you do that I think everything’s going to work itself out.’

“I love nothing more than seeing employees that we hire turn into something far more successful than they originally hoped for.”

– David Lucarelli, Sabor Latin Street Grill

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By |2022-04-04T23:39:05-05:00March 10th, 2020|Paper Trails, PodCasts, Season 1|0 Comments

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