Push Carts

During the project, I talked to a few push cart operators in New York City about their businesses, and their thoughts of their jobs. Let me quickly share that. 

1. Operator: Mohammed
Location: Central Park & 5th Avenue.

Story: Mohammed is originally from Egypt, and works the push-cart on an occasional basis. 

Difficulties: the elements: The weather as we all know it is not always pleasant outside, and working a push cart definitely exposes you to all the elements: cold winters, hot summers, and shaky spring and fall. The work by it's nature leaves the operator outside for a long period of the day, and over time, that takes a toll.

Currently, though Mohammed works the push cart for his owner, who is not physically present with him, but whom he obviously makes his accounting to. I asked him what he will do if he had the opportunity to work the cart on his own ( In other words, if he was the owner). 

His response? I wouldn't find him on the streets. He'll choose a different occupation. So this led to my next obvious question: For what he would like to do? A chauffeur position with one of the hotels in Manhattan, where he gets to put on nice clothes, meet nice people ( as he describes it) and be indoors or inside a car almost all the time, away from the elements, was his preferred kind of work.

A better pay will come in handy, too, he added to provide for his 2 kids and wife. And speaking of his family, this is also a driving reason for working the pushcart in the elements to provide for his family.

2. Operator: Rita.

Location: Central Park and 5th Avenue:
  Story: Rita's a young lady in her early twenties ( it seemed to me) and operates a push cart for www.wafelsanddinges.com, a Belgian pastry and beverage company. 

"Two years," she said, when I asked how long she has been doing this. This made me ask a related question, as  I thought of her youth and how easily a part-time college course seemed to easily fit into her life. Rita speaks Persian, Russian, and English, and was out of school for now, having enrolled in the past. I didn't ask why, as it seemed too personal a question, and she had customers to attend to.

Wafels and Dinges serves folks in the Central Park and 5th Avenue desserts, Belgian Waffles, coffees, tea & hot chocolate.

For what she enjoys the most: She talked about her joy of chatting with tourists who come to central park from all over the world, and serving them with whatever they will like to desired of their offerings.


3. Operator: Kalzang

Kalzang, whom I talked to a few minutes before Mohammed and Rita, shared with me his difficulty with conversing with American shoppers, though he had an easier time with foreigners. He found the accent of most Americans a little too "slippery" to keep track of. But this is understandable for him, who hailed from a nation outside the states and not quite used to the unique pronunciation of English words by most Americans.

Also, I tried to find out how he found the job, or where to find such an employment. From what he shared, there seemed a network of sorts that he knew of that brings folks like him into contact with push cart owners. And since he didn't own the truck, he often finds himself out of work for periods at a time, and was back to work now after being rehired by another push cart owner after his last.

Kalzang, like the others, also enjoyed chatting with his customers and serving them with whatever pleased them out of what he sold. 
                                                  ................


I did talk to a few other push cart operators in the Central Park neighborhood, and they had similar thoughts to share. Alex, whom  I spoke to first on 60th and Columbus, shared his appreciation for his good positioning and the opportunity this job offers him to interact with customers of all kinds; and Abdul, an Egyptian, who would definitely choose a different location for the kind of traffic he gets if he owned the cart, but had no complaints now and seemed to joyfully serve his customers.

Yet what's the point in doing these quick interviews with these operators?

Well, first, they work in a different environment than most, who most likely work indoors in an office in a company or elsewhere. These push cart operators have to directly interact with customers of all kinds under different conditions, serve them well, and make a living. I wanted to understand that. 

Two, though I did not expect this, I also found myself motivated to work harder on my projects, realizing how these guys simply got on with their work and found a way to put food on the table though they may not have the best of situations ( it seemed to me, at least). It got me stirred to look at my circumstances, and strive harder. 

All in all, it gave me a quick look into a world I have walked past often when I found myself in Manhattan, and now had a better appreciation for their work and lives.

Change: Adjusting The Focus

So there's not been much in reports on the project. There's been a change.

After working the shops in downtown New York, I decided to give my product, Au-Build, a shot. I wanted to dedicate some of my prospecting to sharing the contents and the possibility of a contract job with one of them. This meant a change in approach. The interviews didn't fall by the wayside, they just had to share focus with the product.


So I took time out to prepare the sales sheet for it, outlining what it all meant for a small business owner, benefits, and how it will be installed if they choose to have it done. Most of you don't know about this product, but it's been in the works for a while now. I actually wrote a short guide about it back in October while in Austin, Texas.


So with the book as a back up, I wanted to give it a real world demonstration. A way to see and show how it works in real life, in a real life business.


Also, I will be shifting a little attention from housed shop owners.  I will be giving more attention to food trucks/ push carts.


They are easier to get a hold of in a busy New York.


And this being short project, it's best to make the most of my time. Running often into absent owners means the probability of doing recorded interviews is low. But in principle, the goal was to learn from small business owners in New York, so food truck owners and others selling items on the streets do qualify and are closer to the reality than are "housed" shop owners.


But for the focus I wanted to give my product, I have printed out a sales sheet that gives an owner a snapshot of what the product is about ( it could be improved, but it works for now), and it comes with my contact information. I have gone out on two separate days to hand them out to owners.


I have not yet gotten a call back from anyone. But what to do? Keep handing them out. All that needs to happen is for one owner to say, "You know what? I will give it a try." Until then, until the end of the project, I will be handing them out.

An Interview

Like I talked about in my Day 2 report here's my interview with the Owner of Central Market New York, is "a sandwich centric" concept offering grilled sandwiches made to order on their char broiler, classic hand-made hot and cold sandwiches, and a full menu breakfast.

My conversation was with one of the owners, Alfred. Alfred owns the business with two of his brothers, and have been running the business for almost 40 years at Grand Central Terminal.

Alfred goes over what they offer Westchester bound train riders at the Grand Central Terminal (their chief customers), the challenges they face doing business at Grand Central, and his counsel to people looking to start a similar business in New York. 

My many thanks to Mr. Alfred for taking the time to share.

Take a listen:

Cold Temps & A So-So Day

With my agreement to stop by Park Valet Cleaners and Tailors, I made my first stop of the day at their shop. Having been told the business was independently owned, the man I spoke to there today said it's actually corporately owned. No worries.

Though today seemed colder than it was yesterday, it was brighter and clearer, with the sun's rays running down through the spaces between the highrises, making the day look warmer than it actually is.

I turned towards 56th street and started working the shops there, with Otarion, a vegetarian food eatery the first of them. Meeting the owner in a bit of a rush, he quickly handed me his email for a follow up. Taking the email, I moved on.

Bread & Honey was next. There I spoke to the associate about my project, who suggested I stop back in a few hours time to speak to one of the managers there. Knowing I will be in the neighborhood for the next 2 hours and would be able to come back,  I moved on to Rostelle Shoe Repair.

The owner of this shop Lorenzo Powell recently finished a Kickstarter campaign which was successfully funded. The title? The hardest working man in shoe business, and he wrote it down for me when I stopped by his shop." Look it up online," he said.  I did. You can take a look here: His Kickstarter campaign.

Yet, he took down my information to look up my blog, and get back to me about possibly doing an interview.

I made stops at Westerly Natural Market, Melt Shop, Cosmic Diner, and Reviver to wrap up the day. I met none of the owners on site. The folks at Westerly gave me a number to call, to call their main office, and Cosmic to stop by in the morning to speak to John the owner.

At Reviver.....to come back between 5:30 to 6:00pm.  I was there around 4:30 pm. I made a stop to gather my thoughts at a close-by Mcdonalds restaurant, and went back at 6pm. I spoke to Thomas, one of the owners ( he told me) and would like to review my blog, and possibly do an interview on Friday, the 16th.

Reviver is a new kind of restaurant that has been in business for about 9 months. They are approaching things from a different standpoint, stressing what they call the 4 food principles:balanced, nutritious, clean, and pure. I took a card to follow up, thanked him, and

At this point, night had fallen, and it was time to call it a day.

Day 3: Braving The Rain

Day 3 started at 59th street, Columbus Circle, at about 2:30 pm. I scanned the shops there for a while, and moved on: almost all of them were corporately owned.

With that understanding, I took the street to its west, 8th Avenue, and went down the street, working the shops there.

I talked to Juice Generation on that street, where I took a card from the associate to email the main office about my project.

Not long after, I turned right onto West 57th street, and worked the shops there. The rain had picked up in strength a bit, and I didn't have an umbrella. What to do? Well, I simply had to brave it, and keep going.

I made a stop at ABA Turkish Restaurant, where I spoke to the manager on duty, Barack, and took an email to follow up with Hank, the owner, who was not in the restaurant at the time.

The same thing happened at Chenille Cleaners and Tailors, having to take an email address to contact the absent owner. This happens often with projects like this, so it's best to keep a good attitude about it, knowing that your sole purpose is to speak to one or two owners, one of whom will likely agree to share his story with you. Life itself is no different.

At Matles Florist, the next shop, I actually spoke to the owner, and explained what I was about. He pointed to the loads of work he has to do, and how that leaves him very little time to do anything else. I made a point about possibly doing a five minute interview, but he turned that down too. Understanding his busyness to a degree, I thanked him, and moved on.

I walked past a few more shops, and made quick unsuccessful stops at one or two more restaurants before stopping at Morning Star Restaurant, a restaurant on 57th street. Costas Nestoros, the owner, was in a conversation when I got there, and the lady associate I introduced myself to, before asking to speak to the owner, suggested I speak to the manager instead. The manager, after hearing my purpose, said the owner would not be interested. I was not sure of that.

Sitting close-by, Costas seemed to sense the conversation was about him. I had asked the manager if he would let the owner speak for himself, when Costas signaled me towards him to hear my purpose. I told him, and he went into a breakdown of how difficult things have gotten for small business owners like him in New York City, and why it may not be worth my time to try to learn from him. It's difficult to make a decent living from this, he seemed to be telling me.

He was sharing his honest thoughts with me, and I could sense that. He rarely has a day off, working 7 days a week, and had to deal with inconsistencies with employees, who often quit without notice, and he's then called in when something like that happens.

Overall, he wanted to discourage me or anyone else to stay clear of starting a restaurant in New York City. This is not very different from Alfred's counsel. Alfred, who owns Central Market, New York, and I had interviewed on Day 2, also said something about how difficult things have gotten for small eateries, pointing over and over again to exorbitant fines and fees.

Yet for his thoughts on the day-to-day operations of his business, Costas agreed to an interview on Monday, the 19th, at 3:30 pm.

Quick Note: During my 21-Day project in Austin, the some of the owners I spoke to there also pointed out property taxes as something that makes doing business difficult for them.

Stopping at The Flame Restaurant, I spoke to Yamika, a pretty young attendant who wanted me to stop by sometime in the mornings or afternoons to speak to the owner, who often leaves before 3pm.  I was there at about 4pm, and since I pick different sections of streets and work them, when I go out to prospect, it's difficult to promise to come back.

The owner of Europan Bakery & Cafe, where  I made my next stop, simply turned down the opportunity to share his story, saying he wasn't interested at all.

Danny, the manager at Park West Valet Cleaners, wanted me to try back tomorrow.

At Yanza Shoe Repairs I made my longest stop. Johnny and Rigoberto ( plus photos) run this shoe repair shop. This was the most interesting of my stops for the day. The folks who worked here seemed modest and friendly. Rigoberto seems in his late fifties or early sixties; and Johnny seems in his late twenties or early thirties.

 We talked about the origin of the business, where they are from originally, and how they both got into the shoe repair business. Both Johnny and Rigoberto are from Ecuador, and have been working at this particular location for roughly ten years---Rigoberto's the owner and Johnny is his apprentice.

Since Rigoberto spoke very little English, Johnny took it upon himself to converse with me about my project and what I wanted to know, while he occasionally explained things in Spanish to Rigoberto. Though Johnny himself didn't speak fluent English, he did a good job of holding the conversation and translating.

As Johnny made me know, they have to work long hours and are in stiff competition with a lot of other shoe repair shops. Yet they are still in business, and it's for the loyalty of their customers who still bring their repair needs to them

A few photos of the two:

My last stop of the day was at Sfilantino, Italian Gourmet, where I spoke to the owner, who took my blog's URL so he can have a look at it himself, and then get back to me.

With nightfall comes time to close up prospecting, and that's what I did. I caught the "D" train and was home in about 40 minutes.

On to day 4.

Day 2: Interview, Short Day

Day 2 had me first in an interview with Alfred of Central Market, New York. This being a Friday, and the interview at 3:30, I did what I could of the remaining time after the interview, before 5 pm hit, when it's against sense to keep prospecting. So I made stops at a few more shops before heading home.

But my interview with Mr. Alfred Caldonado went well. In no time, we were done. We went over topics like how he started his business, what they provide to their customers (who are mostly commuters headed to Westchester from Grand Central), the challenges of a small business owner in New York City (in the small eateries industry), and what he enjoys the most about his work.

You can check the upload for my new page for this project's podcast.

Right after,  I made stops at Cafe metro, Ashley's Fine Foods, Eastside Luggage and at a Barber shop.

But for Cafe Metro, which was corporately owned, I took a business card from Eastside Luggage, and Ashley's and the Barber Shop were not in a position to participate in the project. 

With night falling, I wanted to head home, and call it a day. I did. Again a short day this one was, but not a bad for the second day, a slow start is all. The next day is on Monday, the 12, for day 3.

On to it.

Day 1: Starting At The Heart: Midtown

The forecast had come in, and virtually every outlet had it in strong: The temps are low across the country, and schools had closed, kids retained in the warmth of home, and all others with a need to be out had to bundle up. It will be a cold day, and New York is sure one of them.

I thought of it a while as I got ready for the first day of the project, January 8th, 2014."Let's go," I pulled myself together.
With the 4 train I was in Midtown, Manhattan in no time. Where better to start than at Grand Central Station. I chose to work the shops within the lower level, the station's dining concourse to start.


Making my first stop at Manhattan Chili, I checked the status of the shop, whether it is corporately or independently owned? The project is to speak to small independent business owners, not corporate companies. If you followed my first project in Austin, Texas, you realized all my interviews were with small independent business owners who are easier to get a hold of and are more open to sharing their stories.


Manhattan Chili is independently owned, but the owner was absent. Instead I spoke to Jimmy, the manager, who handed me a phone number for Aaron, the general manager. I took the number, unsure whether to make an immediate call or wait till later. I chose later, and moved to the next shop, Tri Trip Grill.
There, I spoke to Luba, the manager on duty and took an email to follow up with the owner, who was absent.
Two boots was the next shop, where I spoke to Justin the manager, who handed me the contact information of one of the owners, Phil. "Send phil an email," he directed.


A short day this day being, I took follow up cards at Cafe Spice and Irving Farm Coffee Roasters. At Dishes, the associate I spoke to directed me to try back later to speak to Richard the manager. The same happened at Zaro's Bakery, where Jackie asked me to find Richard in their middle level store, located a level above the lower level.


After passing up a few more shops for their corporate status and disinterest, I stopped in front of Central Market, New York. The gentleman I spoke to pointed me to a gentleman in white walking toward the shop as the owner, and the person to talk to. Alfred is one of the owners of three. Central Market, New York is a family owned business operated by all three of them.


Showing considerable interest in blogs and my project, he picked 3:30 pm for an interview. We spoke briefly about blogs and their power  and where particular bloggers could be found online. Alfred set up the interview in front of me, and confirmed it for tomorrow (01/09/15). I thanked him, and took a break to gather my thoughts.


A few minutes later, I picked up a card at Oyster Bar & Restaurant for one of their managers. Also, following up on the instruction I received from Jackie at Zaro's Bakery's, I stopped at another store of their's to speak to Richard.  A call to their main office was all I got from Richard.
After making my way to the middle level of the terminal, I picked up follow up cards from Joe Coffee and Cobbler & Shine on my way out.


All in all, a good day. 
Find of the day.

The card  I collected at Joe's Coffee had an interesting message on it. The photo's above capture it: 11th drink's on us...gratuity's on you! 
 If that's where I got my coffee, yeah, sure I would take them up on that. Yet, I will not only get a free cup, but I get to give something in return. A believer in win-win deals, I like that. The customer gets coffee for free, but gives a gift in return. The 11th cup still makes the business money, and the customer saves money, depending how much gratuity is given back. 
Also, with the store located in the Grand Central Terminal, most of the folks there will be office workers who would frequent the place on their breaks, and could use the savings on the 11th cup.  The 11th cup for 'free' also gives them something to look forward to as they interact with the coffee shop. A nice exchange between buyer and seller all that is.
Nice move, Joe's Coffee! You can check out Joe's Coffee here: Joe's Coffee.

Find Out, The Big Apple Project

So, it's a new year, and we are on my second project. With the first one in Austin, Texas, complete, I am in New York for the second one.

This second one will be a discovery project I call "Find Out, The Big Apple Project."

The blog is all about building skills that are crucial to any project, start-up, business, or non-profit. Skills like presentation, setting appointments, follow-ups, interviewing, collaboration, project management, customer relations, and others.

With New York being the big apple, and in a sense, the business capital of the world, this project presents me a unique challenge of finding out the skills that make New York business owners doing business in the heart of New York downtown, Manhattan, tick.

3 simple questions in an interview with each owner will help me find out. 

Questions

1. What do you consider your chief skill as entrepreneur in running their business?
   
   
2. What unique challenges or difficulties do you face as a business owner in New York's small business climate and how you handle it.
   
   
3. What joys and passions keep you going, or what you find rewarding about doing business in the Big Apple. 
   
   
   Any other thing: Any other thing the business owner will like to discuss or share with others?

Close: Thanks, and I will then follow-up with each owner with a copy of the interview via email.

That's it. 3 simple questions that should help me and everyone reading learn from them. The goal is to find out what the real skills entrepreneurs in the real world are using, the challenges of running a business, and the joys/passions.

On to it.

Jefes Mexican Restaurant Lessons

Jefes Mexican Restaurant

Realizing a limited ceiling at Dell as a salesman, Rogelio Lozano, along with his brother, and mom, who had long worked as a cook with other restaurants, decided to start their own restaurant with a food truck. It's been 14 years since, and they are serving and catering hearty Mexican dishes that many love.

Lessons:

1. Clearly understand the terms of the leasing space agreement and other business contracts

Read the fine print. The terms of leasing your restaurant space may not be clearly spelt out for you to understand, and to go ahead and sign it only ties you to very limiting terms, which may defeat the whole purpose of opening up shop.

So always have a lawyer read over your contracts and terms of agreement for leases and others. Rogelio almost made the mistake of signing a terms of lease which would have, from the way the terms were written, left him no power as to what his business could do, and even if he was successful the business could have been taken away from him, legally. 

But for having a friend pass on the contract to a lawyer, who completely kicked against it, he would probably have gone ahead to sign it.

2. Be authentic

Jefes Mexican restaurant has food trucks in addition to their main brick and mortar restaurant, and are still loyal to their original Mexican roots. It's not a tex-mex fare, as he made clear during our interview, and going by 14 years of being in business, and seeing their business grow, it's clear they chose a good approach.

Noteworthy quotes, paraphrased:

"Follow the law, and never try to outsmart the law."

"Don't be afraid of taking on a challenge."

Photos: 

Note: Rogelio invites enquiries about how he runs his business, and on all things Mexican cuisine. And he is also currently hiring cooks and bar attendants. Feel free to reach out to him through email to learn more about the opportunity.

Contact Info:

www.jefesmex.com

taqueria_jefex@yahoo.com

 

Sharp End Athletics Lessons

A local Austinite himself, Ben Himes started Sharp End Athletics as a solution to the dearth of talent in the central Texas area. He himself a former professional baseball player [having played for the Cincinnati Reds and the Yankees] with a degree in neuroscience, he employed his love for the game, the local community and his science background to get Sharp End up and running. 4 years into the business, he has a stable of professional players, college players, and high school players.

As he described the center, in his own words, "I literally built it to be a home for athletes,"the facility has some of the more advanced workout equipments for elite athletes you'll find anywhere else of comparable offering. He has trainers and equipments for Olympic weight-lifting, self-defense, or for any specific sport---baseball and others. 

Also, of worthy mention, is their Brazilian Jiujitsu instructor Robert Dutra Moreino, who is one of the highest ranked Jiujitsu instructors in the nation (Robert is the photos below).

Lessons:

1. Know the heartbeat of your business. The people within the organization make up the business, and it's key to be sensitive to the energy flowing through the team at all times.
    
2. Good communication---know when to say what and when to not say something. All relationships are built on communication, and the same goes for running a business and the relationships within and without.
   
   
3. For athletes: Know your body, and quit the injury-rehab cycle that many athletes go through. Instead get into the habit of pre-habbing to avoid injury, cutting the cycle of injury-rehab, injury-rehab. For Ben himself, he looks back on his career and realizes he didn't know any of this, and how that can make a difference for many athletes now.

Noteworthy quotes, paraphrased:

"There's no sword without the sharp end."

"Give them enough arrows in their quiver to be independent of you."

Photos: ( Some photos I took of the facility. Robert, their Brazilian Jiujitsu Instructor is in the last photo at bottom)

Contact:

www.sharpendathletics.com

benjaminhimes@gmail.com

Aces JiuJitsu Club Lessons

Having lived a life that spanned countries like Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Brazil and Canada, and learning and working on the Brazilian Jiujitsu craft as a student and a competitor, coach Mikal Abdullah hopes to pass on the skills he has picked up to his students, helping them hone their own craft. 

Yet the coach comes to all this with an entrepreneurial background too, and applies that in running the club. Of all his goal, he not only wants to coach his students as competitors, but also help them improve their lives as individuals.

Lesson: 

1. To build an organic unit

Having decided to make Austin, Texas his home after leaving a few times, coach Mikal hopes to drive the roots of his business deep into Austin's soil and nurture it to full bloom. 

To do this, the coach uses a structured, almost syllabic approach to running the club and training his students, coupled with a practical emphasis on what works in fighting/competing, while employing a personal development underpinning to deliver results. The coach shares more on that in the interview.

Noteworthy quotes:

"Jiujitsu is life, and life is jiujitsu ( and this same line is the title of the coach unpublished book in the works.)"

"I am not just a coach on how to fight, but how to improve your life."


Photos: From top to bottom: Coach working with a student, competing, his medals, and in a photo with some of his students.

PS: Coach Mikal invites enquiries on all things Brazilian JiuJitsu and business. 

Phone: 512-730-1161.

Contact Info: 

www.acesjiujitsuclub.com

info@acesjiujitsuclub.com

Silver Grill Cafe Lessons

After about 20 plus years in the restaurant as a manager, Rehan Awan started Silver Grill Cafe with a partner. Currently owned solely by him Silver Grill serves, no, wait, let's hear it from he himself:

“My family had a simple idea, to use my 25 years in the restaurant business to create a cafe that embodies the love for life, community, health, and comfort. To have all these qualities put into the quality of our food, the freshness of our ingredients,  and the healthy choices that help build a strong responsible community. Please enjoy our food and atmosphere and know that we do wear our hearts on our sleeve. It shows in who we are and what we do here at The Silver Grill.”

- Rehan Awan, Owner

Mr. Awan was kind enough to share his story with our blog. Check out my podcast page to take a listen.

Here are a few things I picked up and to check out the place online or offline.

Lessons: 

1. Know Your Numbers
 
Mr. Awan pulled out his phone to demonstrate the importance of know your revenue numbers. He showed this with an example of how making an effort to increase the number of folks eating at the restaurant leads to a $36,000 increase in revenue. This, I think, is crucial since that, then, becomes a clear cut goal that drives efforts. Though revenue should not be the sole focus of a restaurant, being aware of how much you are bringing in is critical. No business runs on air.

2. Little Things & Build Relationships.

Using Vicki, one of his regular customers, as an example, Mr. Awan stressed the importance of valuing your regulars and making an effort to build a courteous relationship with them (Vicki was present at the time, and was sitting in a booth a few feet away from). 

And this extends to his employees as well, whom he makes an effort to acccomodate ( within reason, of course ) when they have for some time off for important occasions in their personal lives.

Noteworthy lines (paraphrased):

"It's important to find what you are passionate about, and when you have go out and do it. Mine is to serve people in restaurant setting like this."

Photos of the restaurant, the interior, some of their dishes---a mexican dish, black beans, and enchilada (top to bottom)---and the playground for kids.

Contact: 

Take a look at the website here: Silver Grill Cafe

and email him here, he's open to enquiries: rehan@silvergrillcafe.com 

4005 West Parmer Lane, 
Austin, TX 78727

Tomosushi Lessons

Chef Steve runs his Sushi restaurant with his wife Tina Son, the maitre D on the West side of Austin's Parmer Lane. Weary of the gambling temptaition of Vegas, Steve moved to Austin from Las Vegas in search of a family oriented city different from Las Vegas. He found it in Austin, Texas.

Eight years on, he serves Japanese style sushi from in his elegant restaurant on west Parmer Lane. As it is on his website: Tomo Sushi "serves innovative, quality sushi and Japanese food to Austin diners with a comprehensive menu, hot and cold sakes and wines, delectable dessert list, all served in a hip, elegant, and intimate setting." 

I really enjoyed my conversation with Steve for his openness and willingness to share his story, and learned a few useful things.

Lessons:

1. Confidence from working somewhere else

Working for a local sushi restaurant after moving to Austin, and unsure of Austin's receptivity to Japanese cuisine, Steve was pleasantly surprised as he discovered Austinites were rather educated on what they ate, and knew a lot about Japanese dishes. This gave him the confidence to go out on his own when he decided to open up his own.

2. Make the customer's experience more than about food. 

His approach to business is to make his customers to have a great experience---one that goes beyond the menu's offers---while still offering his diners a great assortment of dishes from his own creativity in the kitchen.

Note worthy quotes ( paraphrased):

"The most challenging to this was deciding to do it [ starting the restaurant]. But once we started,[ things took shape.]"

"I learned a lot from unsuccessful restaurants."

"The hardest part of staffing is finding good employees."

Also, for folks looking for counsel on starting a restaurant or notes on Japanese restaurant, Steve is open to enquiries, within reason, however. Feel free to reach out to him. 


Photos (Steve's Bandana is ever-present) of Steve, the restaurant's sign, some dishes, and the interior of the restaurant:

Contact:

www.tomosushiaustin.com
  
Hours and phone (copied from website above) : "Tomo is open for business Monday through Friday from 11:30-2:30 for lunch, and 5:30-10:00 for dinner. Saturdays they open at 12pm and serve until 10pm. They are located at 4101 W. Parmer Ln Ste E Austin, TX 78727 in the Milwood shopping center. For reservations of 5 or more please contact the restaurant directly at 512 821 9472."