2016 Wrap Up

For our last blog post of 2016, we asked everyone in our home office to share their 5 thoughts on why they appreciate our restaurant group. See below for their answers.

Adriano P.

  • I’m grateful for my two families;  first my two boys and my always, supportive wife and secondly the family I get to come to work and and see every day.
  • I’m grateful for my health and the health of those who work for us. I went through a rough period and know some people in our group have too.
  • I’m grateful for all employees who are doing the heavy lifting day in and day out in every aspect of our operation from the front to the back of the house, and from our restaurants to our home office. Thank you!
  • I’m grateful that since the last recession we’ve been able to create a company and culture that has allowed so many people across the bay area to make a living.
  • I’m thankful for the entrepreneurial spirit and the confidence that allowed me to take risks. It’s allowed me to see the same in each of our managers and makes me excited for what’s ahead in 2017!

 

Andrew R.

  • The opportunity to work with the eclectic group of personnel at BOH (and the restaurants)
  • The “No BS” attitude that is present throughout the organization every day in every way
  • Having the unqualified support and appreciation from colleagues and superiors
  • The opportunity to be a part of a dynamic and often groundbreaking team
  • The variety/complexity and challenging nature of working at BOH

 

Jacob C.

  • My favorite ‘brand ambassador’ is Luis Flores, no one can work an event, hustle, or make a dining room feel like a home, quite like him! Don’t believe me? Check out our 4.5 rating on Yelp where almost everyone calls him out  by name.
  • My favorite restaurant (this year) was Beretta. Thomas and team continue to prove that our first restaurant can still take it to the next level after all these years and always strive for better.
  • My favorite team is Starbelly. The servers, bussers, back of the house, and management ALWAYS feel like an extended family.
  • My favorite meal of the year was the tasting for Flores. I realized we were about to create another truly special concept.
  • My favorite person this year (aside from Rachel, who is amazing) was Greg Nasser. It always feels like we are a team and his passion is always inspiring.

Arthur A.

  • Quite honestly, at this point in time, and while we’re going through all of the new build-outs, what I appreciate the most are people’s patience with our department. Since we’ve needed to focus on getting these new properties designed and built, I know that during this ongoing process we haven’t always been able to be as responsive to everyone’s needs as we would want to be.
  • I’m very thankful that our teams take such pride in keeping each of our locations operating and well maintained, and we always want to try and provide the resources needed to get whatever needs to be done, done.
  • What I’m also really thankful for is the passion that everyone brings to the table.  Working on the new concepts I have had the opportunity to be around all of the folks who will ultimately be operating these locations, and the dedication and energy that everyone brings is truly impressive and wonderful to be a part of.  Because of my recent involvement with opening Flores, the stand-outs in my mind are people like Erin and Lauren who bring so much passion to the new bar program there, and of course Alejandro for his world-class culinary talents and Luis for the energy he infuses the entire operation with, and certainly equally important, Alex and Megan who keep it all glued together. When we were working on opening The Bird, I saw an equal amount of commitment and dedication from the team there with Blair working tirelessly with teammates Victor and Tim to put that operation together and make it the great success that it has been from day one.
  • I’m thankful to be working side-by-side with people who care about creating great environments and providing spectacular food combined with heartfelt hospitality, and I feel lucky to have all of these talented and inspired people to work with.

 

Eddie S.

  • There is not enough I can say about the people in this company, every day without fail someone does something so thoughtful and sincere that never fail to amaze me.
  • I sincerely appreciate the dedication they have day in and day out to do the very best with whatever they’re confronted with, from cooking a perfect burger in a 100 line deep to dealing with a tough guest, the rowdy homeless, the internet going down in the middle of service, a missing payroll check on a Friday, and the million things that happen in our business every day. The professional way our people deal with these challenges is truly what set us apart from everyone else.
  • I appreciate the flexibility that every head of department has in dealing with the ever-changing landscape they are presented with–even when it’s in sometimes not aligned with their previous agendas.
  • favorite restaurant, favorite waiter or employee, this one I can’t pick because it would be like choosing among your kids or pets 😉
  • favorite meal: I would have to say lunch in Sonoma at our super GM meeting. It felt like a big happy family
  • favorite reason to come to work: the smile on the faces when I walk in the office makes me feel like is all worth it
  • favorite moment of the year, watching Ed and Jessica struggling to kayak in Tahoe J
  • favorite perk: happy hour after financials at Belga

 

Erin R.

  • Drinking an Old Fashioned at Lolinda’s main bar
  • White bean spread on the back patio at Starbelly
  • Spicy marinara pizza with vegan sausage at either Delarosa or Beretta
  • Sampling the mezcal options at Flores
  • Happy hour gin martinis at Belga

 

Greg N.

  • The dedication that all chefs & managers have to providing a memorable guest experience
  • The desire that the managers have to develop themselves
  • The pride & confidence I have that when someone I know visits any of our restaurants they leave feeling very happy
  • Community involvement
  • Every team’s adaptability to each day when confronting challenges and choosing to not run from them

 

Jessica S.

  • Favorite thing about the people I work with: They are unique, talented, and truly care, I’m always amazed at the new perspective our diverse group brings to me on a daily basis; brainstorming sessions with our incredibly dedicated DOO’s Ed & Greg
  • Favorite memory: Canoeing with the Super Duper crew on lake tahoe (even though Ed & I came in last J)
  • Favorite meal & drink: El Techo-Luis 40th birthday party-Alejandro put together an amazing spread for us, dirty gin martini made perfectly with extra olives at Belga after work-really missing those lately.
  • Favorite reason to come to work: Always a challenge and always a solution
  • Favorite Perk: Being invited to food tastings-one of my favorites this year was Blair’s fried chicken sandwich and tater tots in the fireplace room at Belga pre Bird opening.

 

Kimberly B.

  • I appreciate the diverse, intelligent, fun group of individuals I work with every day. It is a great place to work and I am grateful.
  • Friends ask me which restaurant is my favorite and my honest reply is ALL of them! Why, because Super Duper serves my favorite burger, Lolinda for its hospitality and delicious food, El Techo for being the first restaurant I helped opened with BOH, Beretta for my favorite cocktail of all time, the Rattlesnake, the Delarosas for the fun, chic atmosphere and its caponatina, Uno Dos for its fish tacos and breakfast burritos, Starbelly for its freshly baked muffins and neighborhood feel, Belga for its amazing french fries and hosting us every Monday, The Bird for a guilty pleasure of fried chicken, and Flores for future memories to come.

Lidia C.

  • Thank you to all employees for their hard work and dedication
  • Thankful to be working with such a great group of people
  • Favorite manager: Eddie Concha
  • Favorite Perk: Employee meal J
  • Thankful to have great bosses

 

Rachel P.

  • Favorite restaurant: Belga, as it was the first restaurant I helped to open
  • Favorite meal: a burger and shake at Super Duper
  • Favorite reasons to come to work #1: the excitement that comes with each new day—no one day is like another
  • Favorite reasons to come to work #2: the chance to listen to and learn from the many career hospitality pros. who make up our group
  • Favorite perk: our monthly meal allowance J

 

Rodrigo M.

  • I appreciate Back of the House as a company because thanks to this company I got to know all of you, People that had shown me and teach me so much, people that since day one make me feel they’re eager to see me succeed.
  • I consider myself very fortunate for having a chance to work with such an amazing and incredible group of people. Working with this team is a great learning experience for me. I value the knowledge and insight you all have.
  • Favorite Restaurants: Super Duper, Belga, Lolinda
  • Favorite Waiter or Employee: Daniela S., Yady, Eddie Concha, Lidia C., Zita, Rachel P.
  • Favorite Meal: Roasted Chicken(Belga), Steamed Mussels (Delarosa), Entrana (Lolinda), Churros (Lolinda)
  • Favorite Memory:
    • Was relatively new to BOH and it was the weekend, the POS at Belga was not working, managers didn’t feel like bothering and call 1-800 for support, after few hours of frustration they decide to make the call, I was able to fix the issue in less than 10 minutes, they were impressed.
    • That same night my wife and I decided to have dinner there, the whole stuff was so grateful for my work; they made me and my wife feel like a million bucks.
  • Favorite reason to come to work: The fact that people’s success at the restaurants depends on a good working system.

Ruggero G.
A few of the reasons why I am grateful and thankful for the people I work with…

  1. Because they share their traditions, their backgrounds and their personal lives with the team
  2. They appreciate what I believe in and let me do what I love most in life—cooking
  3. For allowing me to work in a profession that makes most people happy and makes them smile
  4. To the talented and adventurous bar specialists that prepare amazing cocktails and allow me to taste them
  5. To my team and my partner for their support and thoughtfulness while I was on some down time
  6. To those that let me share my passion for my culture and the food that brings people together
  7. For being open and honest and true to their passion and for giving their all and allowing me to do so also

 

Ed Onas 

  • Favorite restaurant – Super Duper
  • I don’t have a favorite employee as I love all Super employees.
  • Favorite moment of the year, Super Duper Day because we actually served 100 guests in all the restaurants!
  • Second favorite moment, GM Retreat in Tahoe – it was great to spend 3 days with the GM’s, away from the daily restaurant grind.
  • My favorite perk – WE TREAT OUR PEOPLE WELL!

Zita T.

  • Favorite restaurant: although I haven’t try all the restaurants yet, my favorite one is Delarosa, I love the family oriented style
  • Favorite meal: breakfast at super duper.
  • Favorite reason to come to work: I enjoy to do accounting work with operations. Every day you have some new challenges and it feels good to sort things out.
  • Favorite perk: our monthly meal allowance
  • Favorite person in the company: Kimberly, of course! Thank you for giving me such a good opportunity to work with our team, full of talented people and tons of inspiring ideas for restaurants. I am glad I joined Back of the House.