Chef & Owner of King BBQ & Jackrabbit Filly

I get on the line. I feel like I wash more dishes than I coot. But I tell everyone that worked for us that no job is too small. We try not to do the hierarchy thing. It doesn't really do anything for anyone. I like to treat everyone equally because if my dishwasher wants to be a line cook and has the willingness to learn, then absolutely I will teach you that. There's no job too small; I'll jump in the dish pit when they need help, I'll do whatever I need to do to make this restaurant work, because at the end of the day we are just one big team

You just can't give up. If you're super passionate about this and you love what you do, you just have to keep going forward. That's the only direction you can go.

You won't have a restaurant without your people. We wouldn't have anything that we have in our lives without any of our employees, present and past. So it's very important to treat your staff well. Don't get greedy.

We knew we wanted to create a neighborhood spot, because my favorite restaurant of all time has always been diners. Growing up in New York, no matter what time you walked into a diner, you always felt welcome, and you could get anything you wanted. It was comfortable, with no surprises. Just no-frills, delicious food.

I think the hardest part of any business in the restaurant industry is putting yourself out there. Whether you’re passionate about the food, wine, cocktails, or whatever it is. Food trucks are a bit cheaper to start, and I highly recommend them to anyone trying to launch their own business. If your concept doesn’t work out in a food truck, you can change it for a low cost, unlike a restaurant where rebranding can be much more difficult. We also had the chance to travel a lot, driving around the city, parking in different locations, and connecting with people. It essentially served as free advertising that eventually brought them to our restaurant.

Sometimes it gets really hard. There are days when you're stressed out and overworked, and my wife and I constantly say, 'Oh, I don't want to do this anymore. When can we retire?' But there are more moments when you walk through the restaurant, whether it’s busy or not, and see all the happy customers eating. Seeing a happy staff is also incredibly rewarding. When Corrie and I opened this business, we wanted to change that and improve the industry however we could. There are tough times, but at the end of the day, it’s incredibly gratifying.