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Kreatures Of Habit Podcast
What the Restaurant Industry Taught Me About Life with Andrew Aguero | Kreatures of Habit
01:03:06
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- [00:00]
Michael Chernow
I think it takes a very, very committed human being to be a leader in restaurants. It's like a pirate ship, right? Yeah.
- [00:07]
Andrew
The restaurant industry is one of the few where we, as the leadership, have the opportunity to also, like, not only are you coach on the sidelines, you also can throw the ball. You can make a drink, you can, you know, bus a table. You can go over there and connect with the guests throughout service. Leading by example is such a cliche phrase, but it's non negotiable.
- [00:26]
Michael Chernow
At the end of the day, the only requirement for success in the world of restaurants is that every guest that walks in, walks out 10% happier.
- [00:34]
Andrew
Yeah.
- [00:34]
Michael Chernow
Even just 10% is enough ammunition for someone to walk out and tell their friends and family that they had a great time at that restaurant.
- [00:43]
Andrew
The relentless pursuit of value is just going and finding ways to serve and just simply be serving people food. But beyond that, if you're the friend with a truck, move everybody you can. If you're the friend that is smart with Excel, build as many platforms as many programs for whoever you can without asking anything in return. And when you live a life of service, then people will start chomping at the bit to just give back to you however you need it. This is me as a human trying to help you get to where you want to be. Slowly become the person necessary to just crush it at whatever you're doing.
- [01:15]
Michael Chernow
An entrepreneur straight out of New York City.
- [01:19]
Andrew
Michael Chernow.
- [01:20]
Michael Chernow
What's cracking, Andrew, my guy? I. This is like a. A really cool opportunity in. In the podcast Creatures Habit. Podcast Journey, because you and I met very randomly at a Sun Life Organics in Austin, Texas.
- [01:46]
Andrew
And.
- [01:47]
Michael Chernow
And you. You walked over to me and you said, michael, sure, now. And I was like, yeah. And you just shared with me that you just been a fan of Creatures of Habit and. And sort of followed my journey and we became homies.
- [02:01]
Andrew
Yeah, dude. I mean, it's full circle for me. I remember watching the podcast when you transitioned from, was it born or made? So I remember watching the journey, and I always connected because you were a restaurant guy getting into the wellness space. And that's always kind of been a path that I've been, you know, passionate about. So seeing your journey and seeing you kind of come up, seeing the podcast grow, I remember watching, I think it was you and Brian Maza, either the first or second time, two restaurant guys jamming, you know, making their way through, you know, kind of their next phase of their career. And I told my then girlfriend, now wife, I was like, you know, One day I want to be able to create a habit podcast. Like, that's, that's the goal right there. This, this whole idea of how your habits can stack and impact every area of your life was kind of new to me. I always heard it. So applying it day in and day out, committing to a meal, one every day, I mean, it changed the game for me. So, yeah, it's an honor to be here.
- [02:56]
Michael Chernow
Thank you, man. I. Every time I've met with or have gotten to be a, you know, communicate with somebody that has seen something I've done and, and, and applied it and seen success, it just cements the, the path I'm on, you know, like, and I'm sure you see it too. I mean, you, you are, you, like me, have been operating restaurants in a leadership role for a long time. And I think it takes a very, very committed human being, not necessarily to work in restaurants, but to be a leader in restaurants. It's like a pirate ship, right? Yeah, it's like a real pirate ship. Like, people kind of like stumble into a restaurant, you know, potentially from getting out of jail, from, you know, having a hard life, like a hard grinder life, we find a lot of that in the world of restaurants. And then somehow, some way, we're able to come together and create, if the restaurant is great, an awesome experience that makes memories for people, right?
- [04:07]
Andrew
Yeah, man, It's. It really is a, It's a community in and of itself because there's always room for everybody. There's. No matter what walk of life you come from, it's one of the few industries that is pretty felon friendly. It is, you know, friendly to people who are in transition. One of my favorite parts about it is everyone is kind of en route somewhere. So whether it be they want to go to school, they just graduated, and they're trying to pick up their career, it really is like, hey, this is where I'm at. I want to go there. But this is a good source of income and it's easy to get into it's skills that, you know, I can apply my personality and make a bunch of money. And then a year or two or five or ten years down the road, you're like, all right, now I'm where I want to be. Because the restaurant industry kind of helped me get there. And there's a few of them that are lifers. Some people start there and stay there forever. And, you know, I kind of call them like Peter Pan. They just never really grow up. They just live that life and it's it's good for them. It can make you a decent living for a long time.
- [05:03]
Michael Chernow
What got you into the restaurant biz?
- [05:04]
Andrew
So my mom was a server when I was growing up, and she was waiting tables. Right. When I turned 15, she got me a job at the restaurant she was working at. Started busing, started making good money, and I just. I never left. I'm still busting tables now. And over the course of the last, you know, 14, 15 years, I've been able to work with some really cool concepts and some really cool people and being there for people celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, like, getting to connect with humans on that level because they're there to spend time with each other, and you're kind of a part of the show. It's. It's been incredible. And my favorite part, I think, is, like, there's free food, there's community, and just the relationships you can make. I don't know if there's any industry like it. You also.
- [05:49]
Michael Chernow
I forgot the name of the restaurant you were working at when I first met you was the name of that aba. Abba. Right. So everybody was talking about abba, right? Like, you know, me being a restaurant guy, wherever I travel, I try to eat at the greatest, you know, the best restaurants in. In town. And everybody was talking about ABBA when I got down there. And I didn't know you, and they didn't know me, and I couldn't get a seat. Oh, man, I couldn't get a seat. And. And so when I met you, you were like, yeah, I work. I work over to abba. And. And then I hadn't been down to Austin probably for, like, a good year. And the last time we connected in Austin, you were now working at the. Well, and you were at ABBA for a while. No.
- [06:32]
Andrew
Yeah.
- [06:33]
Michael Chernow
So you happen to have landed at, like, two of the best restaurants in Austin. And I can only imagine that there's a lot of people that want to work in those restaurants. Why do you think you were. Not only us, like, someone working there, but, like, you're running the show in these places. What is it about you that. That these restaurateurs find to be attractive enough to give the leadership position?
- [06:58]
Andrew
Yeah, that's a. That's a great question. A lot of it has to do with, you know, you revert back to, like I always say, overnight success only takes 10 years. So people see, like, my time at Terry blocks my time at abba. And then, you know, now with the. Well, and it really is for. For Austin being the food city, it is, it's a pretty cool resume. Like every time I tell somebody where I work, it's always been, oh wow, I love that spot. Or I love something else within that group. And to go back to like the busting tables. As soon as I graduated high school, I kind of intentionally sought after people and, you know, brands I believed in. Who has the coolest restaurant in town, how do I get hooked up with them, and how can I just kind of get my name in the hat when they started looking to hire? So doing that from ages 18 to 25 landed me with some really cool brands like, you know, Marriott and Hyatt, some really cool restaurant groups. So a few years of that, when you're seven, eight, nine years down the road, you kind of just have a list of like intentionally curated spots built up where my goal was never to work here, so I could work there. It was, hey, Michael's got a cool spot down the street. Me and Michael were friends. I think it could be a really cool opportunity. We jam that for a while and then next thing you know, Michael's buddy is opening up a new steakhouse down the street. Hey, I got a guy, you know, something like that. So the relationships is for sure, 90% of it, 10% just God's grace and favor.
- [08:17]
Michael Chernow
Do you. Is there a dream to have your own restaurant?
- [08:19]
Andrew
At some point, you know, maybe five or six years ago, I thought that that's what I wanted. And then when you're in it for long enough, you kind of, I don't want to say the magic disappears, but you know what it takes to own and operate a restaurant at that point, you know, the stress, you know that it's sun up to sundown kind of work. So funny enough, the next phase of my career, probably the next two or so years, as you know, me and my wife look to start a family really is transitioning to a point where I'm either in a position or in an industry that I can still support, like founder led brands and people I believe in, but not be working 7am to 10pm five, six days a week, because that's the life we live now. So when I was single it was great. Now that I have a wife I like spending time with, I hope she likes spending time with me. It really is not super conducive to that kind of lifestyle as you try to build a family and you know, things like that.
- [09:10]
Michael Chernow
What are the kind of conversations you guys have? Because I'm sure that there's a lot of People listening to this podcast that are in a situation similar to you, or like you're young and you're newly married and you want to have a family. Like, what are those conversations with your wife, even though she's sitting right there. Pretentious.
- [09:29]
Andrew
Yeah. So when I kind of got into a string of opening restaurants, that's kind of been my niche is I got hired on to open a restaurant one time and that turned to 2, 2 turn to 10. And by that point I was just kind of the guy. If you were anywhere within my realm of influence, you would call me to open restaurants because you knew that I've just done it so many times. I kind of have a pretty decent playbook for it now. Openings are pretty much a six month commitment of just all gas, no break, sun up, sundown, just to get it off the ground. So what does that entail?
- [09:58]
Michael Chernow
Walk us through. Like you've done it before. So I know how hard it is to open up a restaurant. You have a playbook for it. Like walk us through it just.
- [10:05]
Andrew
Yeah, so it pretty much starts out like dep on when I get brought in. If you're still developing the concept, then it can be things like menu development, concept development, what are the chairs, what's the silverware, what's the paint on the wall? You go down to maybe 90 days before opening, you're hiring. What positions do we need? How many of them? What's our leadership structure look like? 30 to 60 days prior to open, you're staffing, hiring hundreds and hundreds of interviews. You're finding maybe 10% of your interviews are probably really good candidates and maybe 5% of that will actually accept your job offer. So it was just kind of a numbers game to find really good people once you get open, like all that hard work leading up to it, that's just kind of like the start. You open up the doors and no one knows what they're doing, even yourself included. It's a brand new restaurant, so you're making decisions on the fly. You're putting together SOPs like as mistakes are made and as things happen. So the first 90 days you are just running and gunning, trying to keep everything together and keep everyone afloat. And then the next 90 days after that, right around that six month part, you are stabilizing. You've had your people quit, you've hired you fired, you've trained, and now six months to a year, you're pretty much like things have stabled out by that point. So then you can go on and put your Focus on a new venture or just double down and try to continue to grow that brand.
- [11:22]
Michael Chernow
What do you. So I remember we used to like over hire like 30%.
- [11:26]
Andrew
30%? Yeah.
- [11:27]
Michael Chernow
Is that the number there?
- [11:28]
Andrew
That's for me. If I. If all three of us get the job, one of us is not going to make it. Whether it be by choice of theirs or yours, like you promote them to customer, 30% of the people are just not going to stick around, at least to that opening chaos because you don't have your stuff together by that point. It's hard for, you know, people coming in looking for a waitress job or a bartending job and you're like, hey, I don't have a lot of answers for your questions right now. Like what a guy down the street does. I can make the same money there. And they just jet. So it's easy. You can work it.
- [11:53]
Michael Chernow
Yeah. And also like, you know, opening a restaurant, especially if there's any buzz behind it when the doors open, like, it's basically like. I'm trying to think of like a way it's like drinking water from a fire hose. You know what I mean? Like, you, the. The doors get blown open and you're really putting the restaurant equipment, like. And I'm talking not. I'm talking about like, not just like the kitchen equipment. I'm talking about like the chairs and the tables, outlets. Like everything is getting put to the test in like, it's like basically like supercharged engine, you know, first. First go out the gate, right? Yeah.
- [12:38]
Andrew
There's no way we've done like now if I were to open a restaurant, which I promised my wife three restaurants ago, normal restaurant, so hopefully my, my openings are done. But whenever you open a restaurant, you pretty much like, you rehearse the best you can. You can do all the friends and family you want, but there is no replicating people who don't care that you're new, demanding what they're paying for right now. They came in there, they want their dinner in a timely manner. It's got to be good. And there's going to be hundreds if you're lucky, and you have a really good, strong brand. There's no way to replicate that. The pressure. I think my last, my last really successful opening, we probably had two or three solid friends and family. It doesn't compare to the first Friday night, not even close. There's no way to get that many people involved and bring out that much free food and free drinks. So you got to make some money at some point. Yeah. So there's. You're kind of like rehearsing and you're in the game at the exact same moment.
- [13:32]
Michael Chernow
Walk us through a few nightmarish restaurant stories that you've had to live through.
- [13:36]
Andrew
Oh, yeah, I'd probably say one of my. Within the first five. It was actually a restaurant inside of a hotel. Hotel lobby and brand new hotel everything. Brand new, everything getting put to the test for the first time. First freeze happens around that time. It's like February of God, maybe 17, and the pipes burst on the first floor, flooding the lobby, flooding the restaurant. And here's where it got really hard. The dining room had a guest that was in there who was there traveling for some sort of medical procedure with his mom. And they had all their bags in their room and they're at the lobby restaurant. So the restaurant starts to flood. We start evacuating people out of there. And that poor guy lost all of his medications, all of his mother's medications, like, God knows how much money of just dissolved meds. And they're there for, like, medical trips. Whatever they're going through, they're treating. And there is no easy way to. To replace it, whether it be financially distress and the emotions of like, hey, I don't know how you're going to get this again. We can try to pay for it, but we have to go to the doctor, get a prescription. Like, it's just a whole thing. And in that moment, you're like, man, I'm sorry doesn't cut it. Like, I don't really use a lot of I'm sorry's in my vocabulary. Because it's one, what can I do to fix it now? Like, it's done. I'm sorry, it's not going to go back and make you feel any better. And two, I don't want to ever, like, downplay somebody's frustrations of like, hey, I lost everything I own. I lost my camera, or I lost my clothes. I have a big interview tomorrow. Now my suit is covered in whatever. That right there when I was probably and early 20s, that teaches you, like, one, most issues aren't that big of a deal. People come up to you because their steaks overcooked or their burger has pickles on it. They don't like pickles. Like, it really puts that into perspective. But it also is like, all right, well, if you can handle that, you can handle anything else. The fires, the floods, like, it's all happened to me at some point. So when anything less than a fire or flood happens, it's like, hey guys, we're going to be okay. It's just dinner, just lunch.
- [15:36]
Michael Chernow
Dude, I haven't thought of this in so long. So I worked at this Korean restaurant, really high end fancy Korean restaurant in Soho when I was like 18, 19. And they used to keep the water bottles, like the big glass water bottles in ice. And I remember I walked over, somebody ordered a bottle of water and I walked over and the tables at this Korean restaurant was, were solid, thick marble tables. And so walk out of tables, like super hoity toity people. And the booths were big. It was like six people open up the bottle of water and go to pour the first glass. And because the bottle was sitting in ice and water, the label of the water bottle flu came right off, like just slipped right off the bottle and the water. The bottle hit the table and exploded and every person at the table just got soaked and there was glass everywhere. And you know, it was, it was probably like one of the scariest moments in my, at that point in my like serving bartending career. And I ran, I ran, booked it, booked it right out of the restaurant. I didn't know what to do. I was so scared because they were screaming and yelling and the GM was there in my face. And I just like thought like, okay, what do I do when I'm getting chased by, you know, the scary people?
- [17:13]
Andrew
Ow. You gotta go, dude.
- [17:16]
Michael Chernow
Somehow, some way, I didn't lose my job.
- [17:18]
Andrew
Wow.
- [17:18]
Michael Chernow
I worked there for a while, but man, I remember that experience. You know, it's like so many crazy things can happen in, in the world of restaurants. Give me another good story. Restaurant story.
- [17:29]
Andrew
You know, it's funny, now that you bring that story up, I have a lot of back in my playbook. I have a pretty much a set list of like pre shifts, my pre shift notes. So you can plug me in any restaurant in the world and I can talk to them about something that would be impactful depending on where they're at in like in their culture and wherever the team's struggling with. If people are late, if people are not going through steps of service. I kind of have like a playbook and, and recipe for most of it. And all of it was written in blood. All of it was made mistakes that were made throughout servers that I've worked with, mistakes made by myself. So one of mine now is anytime I'm refilling water or coffee and I'll tell the story is I've. I watched a server grab a water bottle that we used to have these really big booths in this diner I worked at. And we. I would tell servers every single day, do not put your picture on the booth when you go to take your order. Back before the tablets, you know, pen and paper was the only way. So they put their picture on the booth right above somebody's head sitting there. And it's a pretty wide booth, but still, it's just. It's an opportunity for error. So they put the picture down. The writing. And just one unlucky day, they set the picture down. It falls on top of this mother who has her baby sitting next to her. Her Louis Vuitton purse on the floor soaks her. Imagine going to brunch with your family and a pitcher of ice cold water covers you. Your baby's crying, your purse is wet, and now I'm the guy, I got to fix it. Like, I told you not to do that, but I'm the one that's at fault here. And again, back to the whole, like, hey, how can we make this right? Like, we can pay for your dry cleaning. Like, what? Just tell me what you need and we'll figure it out. So I also have another, you know, similar story with. I say, don't pour coffee on the baby. Same thing. Like, take the cup, the coffee mug off the table. Pour your coffee. I've watched a coffee earn the top from those, like, pour over urns slip off all over the table. You're at lunch or breakfast pouring coffee like that. Let me refill that for you, bozo. Before you didn't put that lid all the way on hot coffee everywhere. Damn. So now when I'm going through my appreciation like, guys, we don't want to put coffee on the baby. We don't want to, you know, soak this mother's brand new hair. Like, all these things, you're like, real stories that have happened, and I've seen it. And that's why we can't just make those. Those habits.
- [19:37]
Michael Chernow
Did you watch the Bear?
- [19:38]
Andrew
Oh, yeah.
- [19:39]
Michael Chernow
What'd you think of the Bear?
- [19:40]
Andrew
I thought. I thought the first. How many seasons are there now for.
- [19:44]
Michael Chernow
I think they're three or four.
- [19:45]
Andrew
I got through the first two. I think the first season, going into the second, I was hooked because it was. It was real. I mean, I grew up with, you know, my GMs back then, you know, 15 years ago, they were very much so if you have time to lean, you have time to clean kind of guys that. There was not a lot of. How do I say this? They could be a lot sterner with us. When I was a Server when I was a busser, when I was a bartender than I could ever be with my team now or whatever want to be.
- [20:12]
Michael Chernow
The culture in the restaurant has not, not necessarily changed by like changed. Forced to change.
- [20:21]
Andrew
Let's.
- [20:21]
Michael Chernow
Yeah, exactly. Sure.
- [20:22]
Andrew
I tell my wife now I'm like, hey, I'm not that old. But after like I'm going into 15 years in this game, I've watched the cycles of the culture, the cycles of eating and drinking habits. So the Bear first and into second season I thought did an incredible job of like the anxiety of the dinner rush and the chaos, the yelling, the pressure that we put on ourselves to perform for this for our guests. I probably, I'm not a big TV guy, so I didn't own a TV until I was married from 18 to 27. I didn't own a TV so I bought it. My wife loves TV. So I got to the first, second season and then I just kind of just got busy with work and I haven't picked it back up. But yeah, I thought the first season did a really good job of just connecting with restaurant people and kind of speaking a language that only, you know what that's like.
- [21:09]
Michael Chernow
Interrupting this episode to share with you that Creatures of Habit finally launched our protein bar. It's called the Daily Bar. It's made with 20 grams of plant based protein, 3 grams of creatine. Yes, you heard that right. It also has 3 grams of creatine. It is incredibly tasty and clean as a whistle. All clean ingredients. Take this opportunity. Hop over to creaturesofhabit.com that's creaturesofhabit.com with a K and use code K O H P O D20 at checkout for 20% off your first order. Back to the pod. I had a. I mean, I think I could sit and talk about restaurant stories forever. I remember I got hired at this restaurant, restaurant that I told you to go to right before we started recording.
- [21:59]
Andrew
And.
- [21:59]
Michael Chernow
And I got hired at this restaurant at 20. And the restaurant, that restaurant has always been sort of this iconic New York City downtown spot. And I wanted to work there because the first time I walked in there, I was probably 18. They were pretty new and that neighborhood hadn't had like the restaurant scene wasn't what it is today. Nowhere near it. Anyway. This place was a hotspot. And I walked in there and as soon as I walked in, I saw Kate Moff sitting at the bar and I was like, okay, I need to work at this place. And I'd already been working in restaurants for Five, six years at that point. And so I ended up getting a job there. And there was always just, you know, New York City, downtown, like, the nightlife. People came to this restaurant.
- [22:45]
Andrew
Yeah, it was a vibe.
- [22:46]
Michael Chernow
It was a vibe. And I remember that first week, and I was a party animal. Party animal. And so was everybody else and the owner and everyone. We partied. And that first week, I got, like, really. I got hazed into the place. Not in, like, a bad way, but so every. Every table that would come into the restaurant would get. And I was behind the bar. So you'd slice this amazing bread, this amazing Italian bread, and then you'd put a big scoop of olives and olive oil in front of every guest. And so behind the bar, I had this massive glass jug of olives and olive oil just full to the top every night. And there was this really attractive girl that came in the first week, and she was, like, totally flirting with me. And I didn't know that she was, like a regular there, but she was always coming in there. And after about 2 o' clock in the morning, the curtains would close in the restaurant, and it was like, party time. And I was all for it at that time in my life. And so one thing led to another. That woman, she goes, there was. There's.
- [24:03]
Andrew
At.
- [24:03]
Michael Chernow
Frank. You'll see tonight, there's a massive. Like, on the bar side of the restaurant, there's a huge communal table. And so she goes, take off your shirt. And I was like, she goes, take off your shirt. I'm gonna give you a full body massage with that oil on the communal table. And I was. And ever. And. And she did. And it was just like, stories like that, that I'll never forget that were just so wild in that world, in that industry, you know, like, nothing can surprise me.
- [24:33]
Andrew
You'll never find that at a bank. You'll never find that in, like, a law firm. I tell people all the time, like, guys, your job's cool, you make a bunch of money, but I get. I get free food, and I get to meet, you know, really cool people. Like, it's hard to beat all the perks of the red. As long as you don't like the sun or anniversaries or friends and family time outside of your job, the restaurant, you could stay forever. But everything else, if you start valuing those things, like, all right, you got to trade off some of these. Like, you know, access to food and drinks. I mean, you know, I don't drink anymore. And I have bottles and bottles and bottles of Premier liquor at my house. Untouched, dusted from just reps showing up. Thanks for your business. Here's a $200 tequila, here's $150 bourbon. And I'm just like, sure, thanks. You know, at that time when I did drink, I still was never really a heavy drinker because of my time coming up in the industry, like seeing what it did to people. But I still partook back then. And now it's just, I mean, we're talking three or four years of just dusty bottles and I'm like, no other job. You just get handed like booze and food and you go to Michael's restaurant, he hooks it up for you, he comes to yours, you hook it up for him like nothing else.
- [25:34]
Michael Chernow
Yeah, I mean, I don't think that there's, I really don't believe like, you know, I'm now that I'm in a different industry with creatures of habit and there's a great founder community out there. But there is, there's nothing that I've come across quite like the world of restaurants where like, it doesn't matter what restaurant you work at, it doesn't matter where you're from if you come to another city. And so I went to, there's a, there's a sushi restaurant that I just went to in Austin. Randomly, someone told me to go check it out. I went to go check it out, sitting at the bar and one of the chefs had a Yankees hat on. And I was like, oh, are you from New York? And he's like, yeah, I'm actually from Staten Island. I was like, oh, I'm from New York too. I was in the restaurant business for years. He's like, oh, what restaurants? I was like, oh, meatball shop. He was like, what? It's like, that's my favorite restaurant.
- [26:26]
Andrew
I'm the meatball shop guy.
- [26:27]
Michael Chernow
And, and, and that was that like the whole entire, like they were setting out, you know, just like there's nothing like it, you know, like the people, people that, you know, everybody that works in that industry, really, there's a camaraderie that's like hard to find in other, in other industries because of, you know, being a founder of a business and CEO company. Like there's, there's a constant pressure. Yeah. But in the world of restaurants getting through like a very hectic Friday night service, it's from like 7 o' clock to 10 o' clock at night. It's a three hour whirlwind of like there. It has to be perfect or else you're gonna suffer. You know what I'm saying?
- [27:17]
Andrew
Like symphony.
- [27:19]
Michael Chernow
It's a symphony. And it has to be perfect unless you're gonna suffer. And it's not. The thing is, is that, like, it's not just the food, it's not just the service, right? Like, there is if the lighting is off, yeah, the. The guests might not experience it, but if the lighting is on, meaning perfect. The guest experience that you feel it.
- [27:46]
Andrew
The music feels very. There's no. Like, I've worked at lots of restaurants. Some of them will try to have like, the kind of different phases where, hey, lunch, you click this, and dinner, you hit that. And the vibes, I've noticed, are the best are when it's just dynamic. You're just feeling the room. The sun is setting, so you're playing with the lights. I go up to the, to the music.
- [28:03]
Michael Chernow
Totally.
- [28:04]
Andrew
I play with the music. He, hey, where is this crowd right now? Are they talking loud? Crank it up. Is this kind of a quieter crowd, kind of an older crowd? Turn it down a little bit. Like, you just play with the dynamics of the service. And even, hey, at seven, it's this. At eight o', clock, everyone's had a few rounds in them. At this point. You can crank it up a little bit and you can just feel the party in there and like, the pulse of.
- [28:21]
Michael Chernow
You know. When I first got hired at Frank Restaurant, there was a bartender there named Dominic. He'd been. He'd been there from the beginning and he taught me a lot, even though he was a maniac and. But he said to me, he showed me something for the first time. He goes, it was like a busy service. And this older couple walked in and they were probably in like their 70s. You know, they walked in and the restaurant is loud. I mean, it's loud. We always played like, if it wasn't like Fugazi or like Biggie Smalls. It was like, you know, there were times where, like, we were playing like Metallica and Megadeth and. Right. And so, like, if you. This older couple walks in and it's like the restaurant is at full scale, like, party, party mode. Eight o' clock on a Saturday. And they walk in and I could just tell, you know, that they were just funky. And Dominic goes, you see that older couple over there? I was like, yeah, yeah. He goes, you know, he goes, who do you think is more important in, in the restaurant right now? That older couple or everybody who's having a really good time? And I personally, like, I didn't know how to answer that question.
- [29:26]
Andrew
But.
- [29:26]
Michael Chernow
But he basically said he's like, we're gonna. I want you to watch me make their night. And he was like giving me a bit of a masterclass on how to do this. He was like, I want you to watch me make their night. Cause they ended up sitting at the communal table over there, which they probably didn't like either. Cause they were surrounded by a bunch of maniacs. Anyway, he very strategically started to transition the music right, from like loud and boisterous to like a little bit less loud, a little bit more reserved. And about three songs down, he put on Frank Sinatra. No one else in the restaurant stopped having the party that they were having. But that couple lit up like firecrackers.
- [30:14]
Andrew
Magic.
- [30:15]
Michael Chernow
They lit up like firecrackers. And we kept Frank Sinatra on for the rest of the time that they were there. And then we slowly transitioned out back to the party.
- [30:22]
Andrew
But.
- [30:22]
Michael Chernow
But it was just such a. It was such an eye opening experience for me because I was like, you are in absolute control of whether someone, a guest that walks into the restaurant has a good or a bad time.
- [30:35]
Andrew
Oh, yeah.
- [30:35]
Michael Chernow
And if you're not totally self aware and like being mindful of it and like watching and seeing who's in the
- [30:41]
Andrew
room,
- [30:43]
Michael Chernow
you could totally lose control. Because at the end of the day, and this is what I've brought over to the, to the creature, to the world of creatures of habit. And at the end of the day, the only requirement for success in the world of restaurants is that every guest that walks in walks out 10% happier. Yeah, it's the only requirement for success. Right. So fucking hard to do because there's so many touch points. But that to me is like how you make businesses successful. Because even just 10%, you would love it to be more. But even just 10% is enough ammunition for someone to walk out and tell their friends and family that they had a great time at that restaurant. And that that marketing doesn't.
- [31:24]
Andrew
You can't buy it, you can't pay for that. I think. You know, it's funny you mentioned the music. One of my favorite. It's like a drug for me. And it's what's kept me in the industry, like year after year after year. Is the middle of the dinner rush, 7:30, Friday night. I'll see somebody, maybe even more than one, if I'm lucky, kind of singing the song that's playing over the speakers. I'm like, yeah, the vibes are really on right now. I'll turn it up just a Little bit. I'll see people pull out their phone, Shazam. And oh, what song is this? I love this. And like that right there is creating like the food's good, the drink's good. When the music and the service and every touch point is hit, it's, it's magic. That's hard to recreate without all of the small invisible, the lighting, the, you know, how mindful your waitress is of your experience. Like all these little things that it's really hard to put into the playbook. It's hard to teach. The lighting, the music and the vibes. That one is just, it comes with time.
- [32:14]
Michael Chernow
What are some of the greatest lessons in leadership you've learned? How has your leadership changed over, over the years in restaurants, what do you think is the, is the most successful sort of style of leadership?
- [32:25]
Andrew
For me, I always say that the team will do what you do and say what you say faster than they will do what you say. And the restaurant industry is one of the few where we as the leadership have the opportunity to also, like, not only are you coach on the sidelines, you also can throw the ball, you can make a drink, you can, you know, bus a table, you can go over there and, you know, connect with the guests throughout service. So we have the ability to be on the front lines with them. At least if you're like an in store operator. When you're above that, it's a little bit different. But if you're inside the restaurant, they're watching how you interact with guests, how you answer questions. They try to order something off the menu, like, do you say yes or no? How many of those kind of exceptions do you make to try to make somebody's experience? Like, hey, we don't normally do this, but I got some eggs back there, we'll make them for you tonight. I know your kid only eats eggs. Don't worry, I got you right. Those moments to create the magic and create those memorable experiences, being that gold standard, for better or worse, like, your team's never going to really be better than you at those things. So, you know, I think leading by example is such a cliche phrase, but it's non negotiable, especially when you're working with a bunch of misfits from all walks of life who you would never have in a room together except for this moment. And they have to listen to you, who has been so far removed. It's been so many years since I've been a server. They know that. And it's how well can I relate and Engage with them and still show them. Like, hey, I could still do this. I can make a margarita with the best of them. I can bust a table just like you can. And we're going to do this together every night for, you know, 10 hours.
- [34:00]
Michael Chernow
Do you think the staff in the restaurants that you run fear you or love you?
- [34:06]
Andrew
If between those two, love, for sure. I've never been able. One, I've never been in a position where I have the desire to make somebody afraid. But two, I'm. I'm an emotional leader. So, like, 90 of my day, I'm having these conversations from a person, like a place of, like, hey, you know me. You know that I want what's best for you. And I'm telling you right now that if you don't tighten this up, like, it's not gonna be good for you here. But anywhere, like, if you're late every single day when you get to your new job after college, like, your boss there isn't going to tolerate it either. And I'm only going to, you know, teach you things here that you can use at your next job. So don't think that this is for me. If you show up five minutes late, my day still goes on. But if you have the habit of showing up late, I promise your car is dirty, and I promise you have dishes in the sink, and I promise you're overdue for an oil change. Like, if you have these habits of just putting things off, it's going to bite you in the butt later. So, like, help me help you, because I want you to be successful. And the only way for you to be successful anywhere, including here, is for you to slowly become the person necessary to just crush it at whatever you're doing. Like, help me get you there. So those are the kind of conversations I have five days a week with people who are late or not doing their side work. They're not busting, whatever it might be, just all the same 10 problems. But I have those day in and day out. And slowly but surely, month over month, they all start coming together because they know. They know it's true no matter what. I'm not trying to be right. I'm just telling you the truth. Like, whenever they go to their car and it's filthy and they have McDonald's wrappers in the passenger seat, they're like, man, he got me. Like, he's. He's right. I am falling behind on a lot of these things. Inducing anxiety, inducing stress. That's just unnecessary.
- [35:44]
Michael Chernow
Do you, like, try to get to know Your team outside of. Not, not like hang out with them outside of work necessarily, but like, do you try to understand more about their lives?
- [35:56]
Andrew
Oh, I make it mandatory. I tell all of my, my leaders underneath me that they have to know at least a few key things about everybody, whether it be their significant other's name, their dog's name, what they do for fun. Whenever I onboard a new team member in their manila folder, back when, before everything was digital, I would write on the inside of it, Michael has a wife and two boys, he has two dogs, he likes Creature bars. And his favorite drink is, you know, whatever, whatever. His favorite energy drink is. Like, what's something that I can use later? And then five months down the road I'm in a good mood. Like, you know what, let me pick up a few of these things on the way there. I grab a Diet Coke and a Red Bull, I'm like, hey, this is, this is for you. It's Friday night, let's kill it today. And it's just stuff where it's like, wow, I forgot I told him a year ago that I love Skittles or whatever. It might be just something that shows like, hey, I see you. And I see you beyond the position that we hold. And that's every conversation that we have that are these challenging conversations comes from a place of, this is not your boss talking to, like you as an employee. This is me as a human trying to help you get to where you want to be. And I promise it's not going to get there with all of these habits that you're continuing to show.
- [37:03]
Michael Chernow
There's like so few businesses in existence that are as human capital intensive as the restaurant business, right? Like, you can have a 2,000 square foot restaurant that if it was a retail store, would require one or two people to manage, right? You can have a 2,000 square foot restaurant.
- [37:22]
Andrew
50.
- [37:23]
Michael Chernow
That's 50 people, right? That you're jamming in there to make everything work, right? And I tell this story that, like, I try to explain to people, people like, why is the restaurant business so tough? You know, somebody walks into the gap, right? I want to buy a pair of sweatpants, similar price to a check average in a restaurant, right? 60 bucks, 70 bucks per person, whatever it is, sweatpants, sweatshirt, you're probably going to spend somewhere between 50 and $100. Similar price to somebody sitting down in a chair in a restaurant with a group of people going to order a bunch of food and dinner. 50 to 100 bucks. Walk into the gap, push the door open, maybe there's a security guard there, like just at the door. Maybe there's not. Maybe that security guard, if he is there or her there, or if she is there, like, acknowledges you or says hello. Most of the time they don't. So you walk into the thing you're looking for, the section of, like, where you're going to find your item that you're looking to buy. You walk over to that section that you think is there. Maybe somebody addresses you on your way over there. Most of the time they don't. Most of the time you just pick up some stuff. At some point throughout your journey. If you're not, like, quick, quick enough and like, grab the thing and just walk over to the counter, maybe somebody in the. In the store will say, hey, can I help you find something? And you can either say, no, I'm just browsing, or yes, very specifically, I'm looking for this thing. They'll walk you over, help you pick out a thing. You know, maybe they'll walk you to the fitting room if you want to try it on. Maybe they won't. And if they do, a really good one will wait for you to get out of the fitting room and say, you know, that looks really good on you. I love that color on you. That looks really good. So you're interacting now with potentially two people, potentially zero people. You are certainly going to interact with the cashier. So you walk over, you bring the sweatshirt over, you put it in front of the cashier. They ring you up. 70 bucks. Put it in a bag, say, thanks so much. Would you like your receipt? And you go, right. Not a lot of training required for that. Pretty simple, right? That's the conversation you have with them. Did everything go okay? Everything went okay. Great. It's going to cost you 70 bucks. You ring it up, put it in the bag. Would you like your receipt? Okay. Out the door. $70 check average. In a retail store, you definitely spoke with one person. You might have spoken with 3. 70 bucks. Restaurant. Walk into a restaurant. Typically there's a host stand. Typically there's one or two hosts there. Two people. They're going to ask you if you have a reservation, you don't have a reservation, and then you are going to be led to your table. Most of the time, if they're. If your table's not ready, they're going to say, okay, you should make your way over to the bar. Grab a bar, grab a drink with the bartender. Two bartenders behind the bar. You've got a bartender that's. That's running the bar. And then you got a service. Bartender, traditionally on a busier restaurant. So now you've got four people. You talk to two hosts, two bartenders. What you don't realize is that there's a bar back at that bar too. So you got a bar back. So now you're five people. Haven't even. Haven't even ordered anything yet, right? Get a drink ordered. Bartender makes your drink. Or you get sat to the table. Sit down at the table. Busboy walks over, drops a couple of glasses of water on your table. Thanks so much for coming in. Your server will be here shortly. Little training that goes into that. Not a ton, but a little bit of training that goes into that. Server walks over to the table, starts walking you through your menu and the drinks that they have that they recommend, right? Because recommending drinks is super important at a restaurant. So now there's a lot of training involved, right? Hosts need training. Bartenders need training on drinks. Bar back needs to make sure that he's trained to make sure that all of the supplies are ready to rock and roll. Busboy, not as much training, but getting there. And then server shit. Tons of training, weeks of training, right? Order a drink. Drink now goes back to the bartender. So now we're at seven people. You've just sat down. Finally, you're ready to make your food order. Server says, can I get, you know, you guys ready to order? Let me talk to you guys about the specials just in case. Or maybe they hit the specials first. You place your food order. Food order now goes. Server brings it over to the pos. P.O. s, goes to the kitchen, which has five people in it traditionally.
- [41:24]
Andrew
Right?
- [41:25]
Michael Chernow
Five people now. Now you're at 12 people to. To. To get the order in. What you also don't realize as a guest in the restaurant is that there's. There's a kitchen downstairs or behind the wall that also has three dishwashers and. And a few prep cooks. So we're at, you know, 18 people,
- [41:43]
Andrew
70 bucks, and they still have the audacity to say the meatballs are $18.
- [41:48]
Michael Chernow
Yeah.
- [41:49]
Andrew
It's like, man, if you knew the symphony. We had to compose for our prep person to make the sauce for our saute guy, to saute the meatballs for our baker to finish the bread, all to compose it for. Then the food runner to bring it to you. Like the army that went into just that first bite. That is. I mean, I'm not convinced. There's too many harder industries, at least in terms of how much work that goes into it. For how much, like, net profit you bring in. But there's very few more fulfilling concepts than somebody taking that first bite and being like, man, this guac is fantastic. Best apple crumble I've had. Best sandwich in town. Like, those moments right there are really what keep people.
- [42:27]
Michael Chernow
Dude, that apple crumble at the well is off the chart.
- [42:29]
Andrew
I'm glad you liked it. It's my favorite dessert we have.
- [42:31]
Michael Chernow
Thank you for sending me that. Yeah, probably shouldn't say that on.
- [42:35]
Andrew
I've got a few India's there, but it's fine. Don't worry about it.
- [42:37]
Michael Chernow
Have you. Have you tried the creature bar yet?
- [42:39]
Andrew
The deli bar? Yeah, we have probably six in our luggage right now.
- [42:42]
Michael Chernow
Amazing. I'm gonna have one if you want. Yeah, by all means. I. So I know that. That the world of wellness is knocking on your door. It's something that you're passionate about, and I know that it's a. It's a direction that you want to walk in. Talk to us about that. Like, the transition from restaurant to. To potentially, you know, thinking about this. This larger world of wellness.
- [43:06]
Andrew
Yeah, so I've always been into it. I been lifting weights since I was in, like, the fifth grade. It was something that my uncle and I got into. He was a big, like, father figure in my life. He passed away when I was in middle school. So from that point on, lifting weights was always something that I knew I wanted to carry on for me. I like the way I felt, like, the way I looked because of it. But it was also a way to, like, kind of a head nod to like, hey, thank you for this. Like, I. I wouldn't be here without you, and I would not definitely be in the gym or as well versed. So from middle school to high school, I was always just a big, like, weightlifter. Always into it. Not a very big guy. But for my, like, pound to pound, I was always really strong. So it was just a good feeling playing sports, knowing that you're lifting with the big guys. Get into the restaurant industry. 16, 17, 18. And I see everyone, like, you know, beer belly smashing pizza at 2am and I'm like, man, I. At that time, I didn't know I was going to be in it for the next 10 years. But I knew that if I was going to do this, I didn't want to do it like that. I've taken the matte shots, I've had the 1am Hot Pockets. I've had it all, and I've done it, and I see where that leads to so probably two or three years into my like adulthood, early 20s, I was like, you know what, I'm not going to have this metabolism forever. Let me start like taking care of it and just being more mindful of what I'm putting into my body. Try to work out as often as I can. Working 9am to 10pm is not super conducive for working out, but if you really try, you can get something in on your days off or find a 24 hour gym and just hit the treadmill. Like there's ways to get it done. So it's always been something that's been a really big part of my life. More so is my cornerstone of keeping me in the industry. It was never intended to be a way out. It was more so how can I make this sustainable? There is, I see them doing it and that's not a good way to live forever. So if I'm going to be in the industry for a long time, how can I take care of my body, take care of my sleep and take care of my mental health? Like it's, it's a really challenging industry to, to care for yourself when your entire life is built on caring for others. So kind of segway into that. As you know, I get a little bit older, 25, 26, 27, I'm like, you know what, I really am enjoying this weightlifting and I'm seeing the evolution of restaurants kind of become one with health and wellness. I remember 2016, I told my then girlfriend, I was like, hey, write this down a few years from now. I don't know how many but mocktails are going to be the way in the future. Long before they were on any menu, it was just for me when I'm like, you know what, I don't want to drink, but I want something that's not a Coke or Sprite. I would love. I'd made them at home and I saw every so often a bartender be able to whip up a non alcoholic something. They're just pulling the liquor out, essentially a bunch of mixers and I'm like, hey, write this down. 2016 mocktails are going to be the way of the future. I don't know when, I don't know how, but just I really believe in that 10 years later you don't go to a nice restaurant without an ulterior drink that's not soda or not booze. So now mocktails are like a part of the core menu. You have to have one, you have to have some selection. So seeing that early on I knew I was like, these are going to come together someday. Where long before health and wellness restaurants really existed. I just have no doubt that people are going to want to go out, have a good time and not be miserable afterwards because they just smashed like six slices of pizza. So watching that evolution for the last 10 years, I can just see where it's headed to the future and social experiences and wellness like events, wellness brands are going to continue to skyrocket. And now that I can have that foresight which I had back then, I'm like, you know what, I want to be in on that because I genuinely love caring for myself. I love me and my wife go to the gym together, we feel better, we continue to look better. You know, I have a hot wife. I don't ever want to let go of myself because I want her to find me attractive too. So yeah, that's really just where my passion has, has started to shift from. I used to love and live and die by like the bites of food. It was like my drug. I never was into hard drugs, but I was an emotional eater. Hard day at work, smash a cheeseburger, hard week at work. I ate like whatever just made me feel better. The dopamine hit. So going into an out of that season of my life is more so okay, I understand I had a hard week. How can I take care of myself regardless what are my standards and non negotiables of. I got called in just last week. I worked on my day off from 8am to 10pm how do I care for myself on those days and make sure that I can do this another year, a year after that, the year following and cheeseburgers and pizza every day, it's not going to cut it.
- [47:36]
Michael Chernow
You know what's so interesting that you, that you bring up is what's crazy to me is, you know, I, I. Fitness has been such a big part of my, my life. It is my mental health medicine. So is eating clean and healthy when I'm having a bad day and I'm looking for a, like a way to like indulge, indulge. You know what I do, which is it might sound corny, but I like work out. Yeah, you know, I work out and because that, you know, like health is a habit. Right. And ultimately when you find these habits and rituals within the world of wellness, within your own personal health journey, you know, you might hate working out for the first three months, but once you understand, once you start to feel the ramification and the results of going to the gym, the gym and training hard and eating well, you become hooked on how that makes you feel.
- [48:44]
Andrew
It's a drug.
- [48:45]
Michael Chernow
It's. It's basically a drug. And the beauty of, is it, of it is that it's not going to kill you. It's actually going to bring life into your existence.
- [48:53]
Andrew
Yeah.
- [48:54]
Michael Chernow
And so there are so many people that might be rolling their eyes right now as I say that, like, oh God, like, who the hell loves to work out all the time? And the fact of the matter is, is that like my happy place straight up is banging weights around. It's just my happy place. Like, I love it. I love it. And it was not, and I'm here to say that was not always the case. It just simply was not. Like I had to. I kind of think about a habit or, or a new thing that that is, is outside of the instant gratification bucket as a three prong approach. Typically for the first one to three months, anything that you're trying that's new, that is going to require commitment, that is ultimately going to be this sort of like long term gratificational outcome is a chore. And no one, the word chore is the worst.
- [49:55]
Andrew
It's a bad word.
- [49:55]
Michael Chernow
It's a bad word. Nobody wants chore. Nobody wants it.
- [49:58]
Andrew
Sure.
- [49:58]
Michael Chernow
Nobody likes doing chores. My kids, when I say chores, they scram.
- [50:03]
Andrew
Stuff you have to do.
- [50:04]
Michael Chernow
Yeah. Chores is something that, that, that you have to do that could be boring. That doesn't bring joy. You know that in for kids, it's, it's like almost like punishment.
- [50:18]
Andrew
Right.
- [50:18]
Michael Chernow
I gotta do my chores, man. So it's a chore. Right. But, but once you get like, once you start committing and you start to understand that like, wait a second, this is like, I'm starting to feel a little different about this. I'm starting to look a little different. While I've committed to doing this, that the chore graduates to a habit. And habit could be anywhere from three months to three years. Because there are some things like, I have a friend who runs 10 miles every single day, does not take a day off. Every single day, he runs 10 miles. His name is Ken Rideout. He's a nut. And I'm here to tell you that like, I guarantee you there are many days where he's just like, ugh, God damn, I don't want to do this. But it's a habit that he knows brings him ultimate joy and happiness. Once you do a habit for a long enough period of time, it then becomes your lifestyle and your identity.
- [51:22]
Andrew
It's an identity? Yeah, I was just gonna say it's just who you are. This is who I am. This is what I do. Now.
- [51:29]
Michael Chernow
You literally built like I have become the habit guy.
- [51:31]
Andrew
Yeah.
- [51:32]
Michael Chernow
You know, like people look to me
- [51:33]
Andrew
as your identity now is. You're the habit guy.
- [51:35]
Michael Chernow
As the habit guy, you know, and, and you know, I think that there are so many ways that we can talk ourselves off the ledge. Right? Like, our ego is so powerful. Our ego is so, so, so powerful. And it's a part of our psyche that we think, we actually believe is not us. Like, it is the voices in our head that say we suck at times, that we're not good enough, that we're not going to make it, that we don't have what it takes, that we're not enough, tall enough and fit enough, handsome enough. Those voices that show up. Yeah, those are our voices fabricated by us. They are us. It's no one else, you know, and like people will say, oh, the negative self talk or the, the voices in my head. Like you actually have control over the volume of those voices. You know, you wrote the script.
- [52:38]
Andrew
It's like it's your voices, it's your thoughts you're allowing to entertain 100%. And like I. My wife gets so mad at me when we have this conversation. But, you know, we'll both have a hard day and she's like, I still have to go to the gym. And I'll be like, no, you get to go to the gym. And in that moment it's like, no, I don't want to hear that right now. But we both go to the gym. It's 10, 11 o' clock at night. Like, we have a gym right by our house. We have a small home gym I'm building out, but we have a 24 hour, like, you know, pretty generic commercial gym. And 10, 11, 12 o' clock at night. It's not abnormal for us to be there because we just did not have the time. You know, she works in restaurants as well at night. She has her own lashes business during the day. So at any given day we could be working sun up to sundown, and then you get home, it's 10 o', clock, you haven't eaten. Like, oh man, I still have to work out. It's like, or I have the opportunity to go and better myself. I get to do this because some people, like, not everyone can afford multiple gym memberships. Not everyone can afford the time to sacrifice between 12, 12am and you know, 1am to go work out. There's A lot of luxury. We have to be able to do this. It's like, yeah, I, I need to go work out, but I get to go work out.
- [53:42]
Michael Chernow
This is an opportunity. And also, by the way, you guys don't have kids yet. And I'm so, I'm so excited for you to have kids. But now you can do that, right? Exactly. Now you can.
- [53:49]
Andrew
You have the luxury. That's what I'm saying. We're not always going to have that, and it's only going to get harder from here. We both know that. So taking those opportunities to really solidify the identity of, this is who I am, this is what I do, and nothing gets in the way of that, no matter what I follow. I think it's Caroline's husband, right? He has like, a whole business dedicated to dad helping dads find their fitness. And every morning I check my Instagram, there He is at 5:30, you know, hitting his bike, doing his bench press. And it's like, listen, if you put your mind to it and like, don't give yourself a way out, you can get it done. It might be four hours of sleep, you might have, you know, two days staying up all night with the baby, but you can get it done if that's who you are.
- [54:31]
Michael Chernow
I want to finish the podcast by sharing this, the story of how you and I have come to be sitting in these chairs together and how,
- [54:46]
Andrew
like,
- [54:48]
Michael Chernow
I'm not saying this at all from like a. What you did, you know, coming up to me at Sun Life, and then how you and I have stayed connected and the person that you are, the personality that you are, your commitment to creatures of habit, the way you talk about it, you share about it, you are like a light. You're a light. Thank you. And you know, a lot of people ask, you know, how can I get closer to this person that I've been following for a long time, or how can I. How can I make. How can I build my. My network to be around people that I am more excited to be around as I grow as a human, you know, and like, the only reason why you and I are sitting here is because you have proactively reached out to me. And when you saw me, you came up to me and you had no shame and no fear and, And. And like, you and I, because of how special that is and how
- [56:01]
Andrew
much
- [56:01]
Michael Chernow
I believe in you as just a human being. When I decided that I was going to launch Sober Fit dude, the coach, the coaching business, and Cat and, And Kat really was like, you know, you're gonna need to have somebody to help you because of how busy you are. And the first person I thought of was you out the gate. The number one person I was like. And it just came to me just like that, because I. Cause you are. Just how you walk through life is inspiring to me and I'm sure to many others, and especially now after this podcast, like, people are gonna, you know, see that, you know, you are this, like, very, like, you're just like this. This genuine, authentic human being that, like, genuinely cares about the team that he leads, the life that he leads. I mean, before we started, you asked if we can pray, and no one's ever done that on this podcast before. No one has ever said, hey, before we hit go, can we just say a little prayer? And like, man, that's you, dude. Like, that's you. And so. So you're working with me at Sober Fit dude, right? And it's early days and it's light, but, you know, I just wanted to mention to you so that, you know, dude, you're a special dude. And whatever you do, I know is going to be successful. It already is, obviously. But I just cannot wait for you to have kids and for you and your wife and you to experience what that is. Because, you know, your wife, I had never met her before she walked in, dude, she had the brightest smile, just like, life and energy just, like, exuding from her. And you just as a genuine guy. I know, like, you guys are gonna be the best fucking parents, you know, I'm just. I was so excited to have you on the show, dude, just to jam about restaurants, because I don't really get people on the show to talk about restaurants, though I should, because I have so many years in that world.
- [57:51]
Andrew
It's like a whole other life now.
- [57:53]
Michael Chernow
It's a totally different life.
- [57:54]
Andrew
And I think one thing that if I. If I shared something with anybody that has made the biggest impact on my relationships is one like, don't be afraid to be a fan of your friends. So if you have a person or, you know, they have a business that they believe in, share it. It costs nothing. Like, if you can't buy their product, then just tell the world about it, because you believe in that person and you believe in what they're doing. And being a fan of your friends has built so many relationships of no matter what they're doing. My buddy who's a barber, I tell everybody in Austin to go see my boy because he's the best barber in town. And even if he's not the best barber in town. He's the best barber to me. So I'm making sure that I am just out there fanboying for anybody, being an advocate for everybody I believe in, and then just relentlessly pursuing opportunities to provide value in my relationships with my team, with my. You know, I don't like to consider, like, a network more. So it's just. I call everybody my friend. So how can I provide as much value to as many people as possible? Do that for a lifetime, and you just. You reap, you know, in abundance, more than you can really hold.
- [58:56]
Michael Chernow
Dude, I think that that's the best way to drop the mic on this one, dude. Be a fan of your friends. Like, I love that. I really love that. And I think. I think if there's one thing that anybody listening to this podcast can take away is that exact that philosophy. Be a fan of your friends. Because I've got. I've come across far too many friends who just don't want to see you wind, you know, and it's a weird thing, right?
- [59:21]
Andrew
Good is not better than me. Yeah, I want you to do well. Just. I don't want you like that. Well, I don't want to be watching from down here.
- [59:27]
Michael Chernow
I love being a fan of your friends. Is there anything you want to say before we. We. We close this thing up to anybody listening that, you know, maybe in the restaurant business and struggling or, you know, just out there in the world that, that you just would love to. To have them remember this by. Outside of being a fan of your friends, because I do think that's amazing.
- [59:45]
Andrew
That's a great one. No, I think the relentless pursuit of value is something you can apply wherever you're at, to wherever you want to be. Just going and finding ways to serve. Like, I. It's easy to say because I'm in the industry. I'm in the service industry. So obviously, like, having ways to serve can just simply be serving people food. But beyond that, if you're the friend with a truck, move everybody you can. If you're the friend that is smart with Excel, build as many platforms as many programs for whoever you can without asking anything in return. And when you live a life of service, then people will start chomping at the bit to just give back to you however you need it. You don't have to go out looking for. For networking or looking for favors. You already have kind of a repertoire of. Of people just in your circle because you've just given and given and given and served for, you know, years Hopefully.
- [60:35]
Michael Chernow
Dude, you're one of the best guys, man. You just are.
- [60:38]
Andrew
Thank you. Back at.
- [60:39]
Michael Chernow
You're a lucky woman. Straight up and down, dude. We're honored to be lucky.
- [60:43]
Andrew
First time in New York just to come see you, dude.
- [60:45]
Michael Chernow
I, I can't wait to send you to a few of my favorite restaurants.
- [60:49]
Andrew
I can't wait to check it out. And then my boy back here, when he moves to Austin, we're gonna hook it up for him. So as soon as he gets down there across the Red river, he already knows he's got a friend in Texas. That's it.
- [60:57]
Michael Chernow
Let's go.
- [60:58]
Andrew
That's all you need, guys.
- [61:00]
Michael Chernow
What a fun, light hearted, just like story packed podcast reminiscent about the world of restaurants. But you know, something that I don't talk enough about is that this idea that the restaurant business really is where I cut my teeth in learning how to be human and humble and you know, you never know who you're talking to. You never know who's across the table from you. You never know who walked through the door and damn. Being a fan of your friends, I'm like that. I'm gonna make that the, the, the slogan of the rest of February. Like really, really, Michael, like really go out there and be a fan of your friends. Like anything your friends are doing, really support, like really, really just support. And I love it. I love that. Man, I feel so good right now. It's been a pretty big day of podcasts and Andrew's the last guy on and man, I'm so happy about that because sometimes on these days I could feel a little, a little kicked at the end of the, at the end of a four or five and man, I'm full. I'm filled up right now. I'm feeling really good and I know that you guys listening to this podcast most likely feel the same way. The only rent I ask you to pay is share the podcast with someone who you like, love or think might want to listen to it. If you're feeling like unbelievably generous, you can write us a five star review and a rating and a five star review that helps us grow the podcast for sure and hit that subscribe button. Aside from that, I just asked you to do a lot of work, but just know that it's all from a good place. I love you. I appreciate you guys. Thank you so much for being on this journey with us in this community. Creatures of habit, if you haven't tried the Daily Bar, get your hands on one. Until the next one, y'. All peace,
- [63:01]
Andrew
Sam.