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Walk-In Talk Podcast
Mike Lombardi & Chef Stephen Hicks on Seafood, Trust, and Building Real Vendor Relationships
00:45:01
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- [00:00]
A
Mother's Day has a way of sneaking up on you. But when it does, 1-800-FLowers makes it easy to send mom something beautiful, thoughtful, and worthy of everything she does. Right now with double blooms from 1-800-Flowers, order one dozen roses and get another dozen for free. It's a bigger gesture with fresh, beautiful flowers arranged to make Mother's Day feel as special as she is. Make Mother's Day feel bigger with Double blooms at 1-800-FLowers.com podcast. That's 1-800-FLowers.COM podcast. In this business, everybody talks about product. Who has the best fish, who has the best price, who can get it there the fastest. But the truth is, that's never the whole story. The real story is the relationship behind all that. Who answers the call, who tells you when to hold, who tells you when to buy, who shows up when something goes sideways, and ultimately, who's been doing it long enough to actually know the difference. That's what today is about. Mike Lombardi is third generation in a 65 year seafood business. He didn't read about the industry. He grew up in it, worked in it, built his life in it, and now he's carrying it forward with the same foundation it started on. And across from him is chef Stephen Hicks. Stephen's in it every day. Execution, pressure, expectations, trying to push beyond what people think his kitchen is while still delivering consistency at a high level. And when you're operating like that, the people you trust matter more than anything. Because profitability, product is one thing, but knowing where it came from, knowing how it was handled, knowing who's standing behind it, that's everything. This is about legacy. This is about accountability, and this is about what happens when two sides of the industry actually understand each other. Let's get into it. Chef Steven, welcome back to the show. It's been a minute. You are a friend. You're a beautiful human being. You can cook. All right. You're okay in the kitchen. We'll get into that. Welcome back.
- [02:05]
B
Thank you. Thank you for having us.
- [02:09]
A
What did you do today? You know, I have to tell you, you said, yeah, we're going to do some deviled eggs. And they said, okay, that's what you want to do? You said, are you sure? Because, you know, it's devil. I said, listen, this is Tampa. This is like home of the deviled eggs here. People dig that stuff. For whatever the reason, you did a different. You elevated them. They looked like they should be on the menu at Michaelantes place. I'm just saying I'm going to put it out like that. Mike, where have you been, dude? Okay, so the point is this freaking great job. They were balanced. You made them differently. And you're going to talk about that, what you did to. To prepare this? Actually, you know what? What made them different?
- [02:58]
B
Well, we did a dish that we have on our catering menu that we call the Luxe Bite. And we do a spin on a deviled egg, which we take smoked salmon, fold into the yolk mixture, top it with some osetra caviar, and then some green onions. Keep it real simple. Not a lot of ingredients in there. We let the fish talk for itself and kind of bring the flavor.
- [03:24]
A
This is my favorite time of the year for food. When you get into spring and summer dishes, that is where I like to live. Don't get me wrong. I like the heavier foods for fall and winter, but everything is crisp and refreshing. And, man, that's my palate. And you brought that today. And I've been saying that a lot lately, but it is. It's this time of the year, so the chefs follow. Follow trend. And. And that's. This is what you get. But 2026 has been different. You know, we've really elevated the program over the last year and a half in terms of what chefs are doing. They're watching what previous chefs are preparing, and they're saying, I'm going to level up. I'm going to. I'm going to bring my game. All right, so that was deviled eggs. That was a treat. The main feature. This is a beautiful dish. I mean, flavor profiles are fantastic at two different, like, barbecue sauces. Talk about this dish.
- [04:16]
C
Sure.
- [04:16]
B
I mean, it all starts with the. With the ingredients. And, you know, Mike had brought us some wonderful day boat caught grouper that I think it came off the boat yesterday, from what I understand. And it was cut this morning on his way over. So it starts with that center of the plate. We barbecue glaze that with our porch barbecue sauce. And then we put some butter poached king crab on top of that guy. And then we had a sweet corn puree. And then we did a pan bilge succotash with butter beans, okra, nice bacon. So we. We built the flavors, and then as you. You'll see when. When we roll the pictures out, that it's just kind of layer on layer on layer.
- [05:01]
A
You brought up the pictures. You should be proud of yourself.
- [05:04]
B
Thank you.
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A
Right? I mean, you saw. You saw what they were. What they were looking like.
- [05:09]
B
Yeah.
- [05:09]
C
On the.
- [05:09]
A
Wow.
- [05:10]
B
They were dancing well.
- [05:11]
A
They were dancing incredibly well. Chef you called me, I don't know, a month or two ago, and you said, hey, I have an awesome idea. One of our vendors, stupendous, individual, great company. That's Lombardi Seafood over there in Orlando. Correct. And you said, we'll do fish. It'll be great. Mike's a good guy. I said, yeah, sounds perfect. Plus, you hadn't been here in a long time. As it turns out, Lombardi's provided the grouper, the. The crab, the whole nine yards, all the stuff. I want to give you kudos for putting this together. This was a good one.
- [05:45]
B
Thank you.
- [05:45]
A
Yeah. And it actually fits. What wasn't intentional was that the last couple of episodes, we've been talking about the relationship between the distributor, vendor side of things, combined with the kitchen, like, what that looks like in reality. That segued perfectly into today. Because Lombardi's handles all the porch locations.
- [06:11]
B
Correct.
- [06:11]
A
Right. We're going to get into that today. In fact. I don't want to wait longer. Mike, welcome to the program.
- [06:19]
C
Thank you very much. Pleasure to be here.
- [06:20]
A
You having a good time today or what?
- [06:21]
C
I'm enjoying myself. This has been fantastic. Chef had some fantastic food for us,
- [06:26]
A
I'm thinking, because, I mean, you're obviously listening. You're third generation. You've been doing this a long time where you are. You're going to be somebody who has to be in the building a lot. I know you like to get out. I know you like to do the handshake and talking and the whole thing, but the truth is, you have a lot to do in the facility in order for things to move properly. Today was a field trip for you. This was completely. This is like nothing of what you're used to on a day to day basis.
- [06:56]
C
Not at all. This was kept telling you throughout the whole day. I'm such an honor to be here, and I'm learning so much, and I never get to see this side of it. And absolutely amazed. You guys do a fantastic job. And to sit here and watch chef create a dish was just amazing.
- [07:13]
A
To create it and then do it in a way where it translates onto film and photo.
- [07:19]
C
We talked a little bit about this as we were cooking, but his choice, not only the ingredients, but colors and everything else that made that plate what it was at the end of the day was absolutely fantastic. And it was like watching a piece of art being created.
- [07:36]
A
I agree with that. Especially on dish number two for you, Chef, really? With the porch barbecue sauce would be more of the traditional style, but it didn't even look like traditional barbecue sauce. And then the yellow one was, like, really beautiful stuff, man. Late presentation was. Was fabulous. I just want to, like, hit that again before. Thank you. Mike, you didn't choose the industry the way a lot of people do. You were born into this thing. You know, most people fall into it accidentally. You know, very few people go to school to be in distribution or, you know, today. I guess chefs go to school for it now, but back in the day, it's like last resort. Like, this is kind of where I ended up. When did it stop being something that you were just raised into and start becoming something you felt responsible for?
- [08:25]
C
So that's an interesting question. I appreciate it. I. I tell you, I think I always had a. A feeling of responsibility growing up in the business, because at the time, you know, when I started out, 8, 10 years old, when I'd start coming around, you know, I do odd jobs, I was always expected to do more. Even if it was picking up trash, it was making sure that every bit of that trash was picked up, because my name was Lombardi. So I always felt a little bit of responsibility. But growing up in the business, you never feel like you're really a part of it until later. And I will tell you, probably when I came out of college and came back and started working full time. And at that time, I ran the warehouse, so I was warehouse operations. I was in the thick of it. I was unloading trucks, making sure production was going right. And that feel of, you know, you could let somebody down on both sides. Not only could you let down the chefs at the restaurants, but if you didn't do your job correctly, you're letting down your family as well.
- [09:30]
A
Yeah, that's got to be something at the dinner table. That's not good conversation. No. You blow an inventory, somebody rounds the trucks wrong. Whatever the case, missing pallets, like, whatever the case may be, that's like, I want to go home, unplug, eat my dinner, and not have a conversation about what happened at work today, especially with, like, the father or the grandfather. Side note, did anybody in your family say it like, Lombardi, or is it just Lombardi? Like, where are you guys from originally?
- [10:04]
C
So my father, born and raised in Tampa. My grandfather up from Pennsylvania, but my grandfather really grew up in the Latin Italian area of Ybor City, and that's really where he grew up. So my grandfather really didn't talk like that, but a lot of his friends did.
- [10:25]
A
Walk and Talk Media is proudly supported by Rack Porcelain usa, creating durable, beautifully designed tableware for Chefs and hospitality professionals learn more@rack porcelain.com I had to ask, you know, because when I went, when I look at the name, it brings me to my own family. And I would just. John, I would, I'd hear my father saying, I would say, hey, you know, I have Lombardi, you know, owner of seafood company Come Lombardi. Oh, I knew a Lombardi back in Brooklyn. That's what he would say. Like they would, it would be like
- [10:54]
C
that where every, every one of his friends the last time ended in a vow.
- [11:01]
A
So being with the father, the grandfather, it's a family thing. And growing up in that kind of an environment, you're going to learn lessons and you're going to get drilled with sayings and just how to do things and what not to do. What's something that they did that you still catch yourself doing today, even without thinking about it?
- [11:24]
C
I often get accused of having a rusting bee face, if you know what I'm talking about. And you know, I'll be walking through the warehouse, I'll be walking through the retail. And I'm just stone faced because all I do is look around. My head's on a swivel. And you know, people say you always look angry, you always look like you're frustrated. And I'm just so focused on making sure that everything is right everywhere I look. And another thing is, absolutely. And I think of this, I think of my grandfather, particularly when I, when I think about this, but when I walk across the parking lot and there's any paper or anything on the ground, absolutely drives me crazy. Now, it's something that my grandfather, from early on, he would make me turn around, walk and pick something up that I walk by.
- [12:12]
A
I think that's one of the best lessons ever.
- [12:15]
C
I also always hear too, it's. If I don't hear that, I hear especially from new employees. Is he always that intense? Is he always that intense?
- [12:23]
A
In the end, a lot of people inherit businesses. Not everyone brings them forward. Obviously you've been instilled so much knowledge, so many positive things from family. You had to figure some stuff out on your own that wasn't handed to you. Talk a little bit about that.
- [12:40]
C
We've been around for 65 years. There was a break in that in early, let's say 2006, the original Lombardi Seafood family broke up and they all kind of went their separate ways. And my dad took back one of the retails and, and then started doing a little bit of wholesale. And when I came back in 2013, so there was this deep yearning for Lombardi's to bring back what my grandfather had created and my dad helped build. And at that time, my grandfather had passed away, so I felt a really big burden on my shoulders to do it and do it right. So one of the things that really, you know, I had to figure out is, yeah, I had the. I had the knowledge of fish, I had knowledge of seafood. I understood where it came from, understood the cycles, I understood the selling. What I really didn't understand or what I had to learn, especially when we were building this and trying to get it to scale, is how to get people is energized and as focused and as detail oriented and quite frankly, excited about your business as you are and as we built this. And, you know, at the very beginning, I was the one. And then when I came back, especially I was the salesperson. And then I would go back when I was talking to people, I was like, you know, I'm not only your salesperson, but I'm the one who buys your fish. I'm the one that's in the cutting room and your fish is being cut. I'm the one loading your truck with that fish. If you've got a problem, that's my problem. And I did that. That was a bunch of responsibility for me. And as we started to grow and I wasn't the one that was loading the truck, and I wasn't the one sitting in the processing all the time. Getting people to care as much as you and get people to understand and have those high standards that you do was the thing that no matter how much time I spent with my grandfather and my dad, who did fantastic jobs on that, you have to learn that on your own. The way you work with people, the way you talk to people, the way you get them to be inspired about things, that does not come easy. That's a learned skill.
- [14:52]
A
Culture comes from the top and not the bottom. The reality is, especially in today, we live in a great time because people have become more personable. In your grandfather's day, it was very. Everything was serious. It was just different. The people were built differently, even in our father's time, but they became relaxed. And then comes Gen X people, and we're a whole different breed of individual as it is. The people today are super out there with all of their. I don't want to say dirty laundry, but everything in their life they put out, Whether it's online, you know, at the break room, you know, like it's. It's everywhere. I didn't grow up like that. I didn't tell anybody anything. I still don't tell any. Believe it or not, we're doing all the social media, we're all over the place, right? Film and podcasts and all the stuff. I still don't talk about my personal stuff, hardly ever. Today you can build a whole company. The. The culture comes from just kind of being cool and sharing about things and. And if you have energy and excitement, single day, it just trickles right down like crazy.
- [16:09]
C
No, you're absolutely right. And I think about the, you know, less 11 years that we've been building this thing. 12 years now, building this thing back up. You know, when you're there in it, people respect you because you're doing it all the time with them. It's almost like they catch it from you because you're doing it with them. Then there's a point where you have to step away and they're doing it and they're not seeing as much as. Especially new people come in and he walks in, he does this, doesn't see it as much. And you have to absolutely spend time with them. It gets harder the bigger you get and the more layers that are in there. And you're absolutely right. People are different today. Today you're absolutely right. People need a lot more personal attention. They want to be taught on a very personal level. They want you to spend the time to, you know, teach them what others have been taught. That really a lot of people in the past, they just learn that because they would work alongside somebody. Now they want. And it's not necessarily bad either. They just want to have a lot of very personalized attention for them.
- [17:20]
A
Listen, some people have the it factor and then just some don't. You can teach it, you can show that, but you have to do that in the form of them following you. I used to love going out with the reps all the time. And I would say just stand behind me, just, just watch. Because I didn't go about it in a like, typical format, you know, robotic sort of motion. And you have to be fluid and you have to be able to catch things that are. That are happening around you and use that for your benefit when it's possible. And the only way that you can explain that to somebody is have them. It's like an outer body experience or whatever, like watching from the outside in, right? And then you do that a bunch of times and then you're like, all right, you're up. I'm going to follow you and pretend I'm not here. You know, and then it works.
- [18:10]
C
Yeah, no, that's exactly right. It just depends on the position you're talking about. But, like, in sales, like you're talking about.
- [18:17]
A
Yes, that is absolutely sales focused there. You don't want to do that with somebody that's handling your books. Right. You know, have a good time, you know.
- [18:25]
C
Exactly. Well, you know, I'm. I'm very honored to have my daughter who just came to work with us, started a few months ago, and she's working in sales, and she's been brought up in the business. She understands that she, you know, has a lot to learn. But I will tell you, as we go in and we start talking to customers, the first thing I would tell her is, you know, this is not a sales call. This is not. This is a relationship and a conversation, and we're going to go out and see what we could do and help these people. And one of the first things she said was that didn't go like anything that I thought it would be. She says, I thought we'd be going in and pitching and talking and doing, you know, this is really transactional. And she said it was just a nice, relaxing conversation with people we enjoy talking to. And that's, you know, really what it's about.
- [19:16]
A
And I don't want to taint what you just said with. And that's a terrific sales call, but that's what it is, because it's not really a sales call. It turns into one, you know, by osmosis or whatever. You're going in there as a normal person, and then a chef is like, okay, this person is not a knuckle dragger. This person isn't here to just, you know, sell me another case of something I don't need or whatever. This is different. Right. But I think I say this all the time. The most important thing for somebody on the sales side, really, anybody in the company, is accessibility. If you allow yourself to be found early in the morning and later at night by the people who. That are up at those times with the problems, then nobody's going to touch you. Because hardly anybody does that. They're out there, but hardly anybody does it. That's the distinction.
- [20:14]
C
I'll tell you. I made a decision when I first started this business that we were going to do business with people that we liked. And that's very important. And it's absolutely important. And when we do people, when we do business with people we like, we will absolutely go out of our way and be accessible. Like, you're talking about one of the first things I did that I really, really did not know. I really didn't think it was going to be a good idea. But I put my cell phone on my business card.
- [20:49]
A
Support for Walk and Talk Media comes from Metro Food Service Solutions, trusted by kitchens that need storage and workflow that actually does the job. Learn more@metro.com
- [21:00]
C
okay. Now, as a rep, of course, as an owner of a company, you can get calls all day from everywhere because they can get right to you. You don't have a gatekeeper there. But to this day, I still have my cell phone, personal cell phone on my business card and everybody that gets it has access to me whenever they want.
- [21:22]
A
You're a psycho.
- [21:25]
C
It's true, though. That's how you build a, you know, a good, honest business.
- [21:30]
A
No, it's terrific. But. Yeah. So any layer of management or touches before you were erased, that's it. It's straight beeline to boss man. Yeah, okay. It's really great when you get to choose who you work with in a sort of similar scenario. I won't name places, names, faces, any of that stuff. We had a female driver and there was a chef who was out of line with this driver. And it gave me pleasure to call the chef to tell him we're no longer doing business. I'll come down, we'll talk about it in person, but we're done. What an amazing experience that was because he didn't deserve the efforts that we as a team were providing. When you can choose who you work with because your standards, because your output, how the business is conducted, you're in another stratosphere. And that's an amazing feeling. When we had our pre call, you said something that stuck with me. You're not trying to be the least expensive guy in the block. You're trying to be the value. So when a chef trusts you that you feel responsible beyond delivering the product, how did you arrive to that thinking?
- [22:52]
C
Basically, you know, you learn that you really want to work with people you want to work with. You can go out and earn business on being the cheapest guy out there. You can earn business. And there's plenty of other vendors that do that. They go in and they drop their price to get in the door and then they raise them over time. We've all seen that. Every chef has seen that out there. We don't look at look at it that way. We don't look like we're going to go out and buy the business. We look like we want to build partnerships and relationships. So at the end of the day, when we built this business, we said in a non pretentious way, we want to choose our customers and we want to work with customers that want to work with us. And building that partnership is absolutely fundamental to what we do today. Absolutely. And so, yeah, price is important, especially today. I mean, the price increases that we've seen across, you got chefs that are in owners that are fighting inflation and menu prices. And a lot of these guys have printed menus. So it's hard. It's really hard. So we have to be competitive. There's no way we have to be competitive, but we're fair. But I'm not always going to be the guy who's going to be a dime under everybody else or a quarter under everybody else. Why are you going to buy from us is because hopefully you'll see the absolute quality that is mandated that we have and that relationship that we are not only going to just be a vendor who shows up and brings your seafood, but we're going to be there when you need us. Okay. If markets are going up or down, we're going to be there as a consultant. We're going to tell you when to look at something, when to buy something, when you should hold off on buying. The season's going to open when it's not. These are all things that, you know, I really look at it as a partnership. I keep saying that word, but it's more than a relationship to me. It's a partnership because I'm very invested and vested in my customer success. We want to be there for the long run. You know, what chefs have to do in a restaurant from scratch, from the very beginning to the very end, what service is done is a lot of work. There's a lot of work that goes into it. But you know what? From the we have to do and source the seafood from around the world and then work on getting it logistically brought to our place and then make sure that the quality is there, because sometimes it shows up and the quality is not there and you can't do anything about it. And then, except for refuse it, but we can't reproduce it. I used to tell somebody as well that, you know, unlike selling beef or chicken, I can't go count my chicken or my beef in my yard. I mean, it's fishing. We don't know what comes in until the boat comes in. So at the end of the day, all those things can go wrong. Finally, when we're talking chef to myself or to one of my sales reps, there's an absolute mutual respect because I know their job is hard and they respect what I do is hard. And at the end of the day, we've got to work together. We've got to be able to partner to make both sides work. So we're not always going to be the cheapest because there's a lot going on. But at the end of the day, what I can provide to you or what we can do, or what a vendor should be doing, I should say, if we're just talking about vendors in general, is they should be partnering and working on behalf of their customers to make that sliver of their business not a headache for them.
- [26:08]
A
I so much appreciate older companies, seasoned companies, family run operations that keep up with the times. Nothing worse than 60 year old operation that just fell into the dust. They're there, they're hardly alive. Life support. But you see it in the faces of the people that work there. You see it in the decorum of the establishment. You can just, you smell it. Nothing is better than a company that has the age that says we're still relevant and we put the effort into staying relevant. That's a winner. Chef, when you started working with Mike, what was the moment you realized that this is a little bit different and not just another vendor?
- [27:02]
B
Yeah, I would say it was probably in my first week.
- [27:06]
A
Chef, did I tell you that I loved your food today? Did I tell you that I have a story? I just wanted to remind you.
- [27:13]
B
Thank you. Yeah, it was pretty much within the first couple of weeks of me being a new employee with the porch. And Mike had taken the time, I guess he had heard that I was new to the company and that I was coming in to help, you know, build the, build the business and improve things and help grow with the company. And he took the time to come out with my actual rep at the time, introduced himself, took the moment to ask me what I was working on, what my immediate goals were, and if there was anything that he could be of help with. And, you know, I immediately shared some ideas about some fish products that I had. And, you know, it's funny, he looked me in the eye, shook my hand, gave me his business card and I was like, met the owner and fun enough. A week later he showed back up by himself. I think he was maybe having lunch next door and came in to follow up on the questions that I'd asked him before. And so it was kind of off to the races from there. And he's always been a part of, you know, supporting us when we do things like the walk and talk show that we did with you a couple years ago. He was very gracious to donate product to that. He's always involved in our employee parties at the end of the year, things like that. He's, he always asks me when he's in for lunch. Hey, what are you working on? Recently we've been working on a power lunch that's a kind of a, a smaller version of dishes, but at a nice delivered price. And we've been pushing the chefs to come up with this menu so that we're going to have a destination lunch special. So Friday's fish and chips and so on and so on. So he, he, he's really been, hey, how can I help you with, you know, what you're creating, what you're rolling out, how you're trying to, to grow the company and grow people's interest in what you have going on here.
- [29:09]
A
Jay, if you're listening, missed you today. You were going to come, you didn't show up. I'm a little, I'm not going to say I'm upset because I get it. Things happen. Next time, be here or be square. I'm just saying, chef, you're building something that goes above what the concept actually is. And that does take extra efforts from the people you're buying from. For somebody who's not in the business or for somebody who's just now finding their way around this industry, why is it important to have these relationships with vendors?
- [29:42]
B
He's constantly asking what we're working on, what he can help be a part of to make us successful in, even in the catering aspect of things. Because that's our big push this year, is to really get out and get the, the catering business up and above what it was and has been. And we're doing a really good job with that. And a lot of times it's, you know, I'll get a pop up for the weekend and it's Thursday and I know that if I need to make those Lux bites, the deviled eggs, and I can call Mike and anything specialty as long as I give him the time and lead time. He's always very helpful and trying to, to help.
- [30:22]
A
Working in perishables is awful. Support for Walk and Talk media comes from Crab Island Seafood Dip. Creating chef driven crab dips made with real seafood and bold flavor. Learn more at Crab island seafood dip.com There's a lot of great things. Don't get me wrong, the food distribution side of the business is its own gigantic, amazing animal. There's beautiful days. And then there's just abject anguish. Just. Just happens as it is. It's perishables. And there's nothing worse than bringing in fresh product that doesn't move, that has to go to the freezer. You just lost your tail. The same as there's issues in a warehouse, you got issues in a restaurant galore. Million things that go wrong every day. Am I wrong to say that as a chef gets more experienced, they're looking for the vendors that go out of their way to support. Forget product knowledge, simply, literally support. Shorted products happen. Late, trucks happen. Picking the right vendors in the face of those challenges are going to save you.
- [31:45]
B
Yeah, I mean, as we all know, in a kitchen, things can happen, and they do happen. I've always heard the saying that it can always get worse, and sometimes it does. And, you know, you're kind of in a vulnerable moment at that point, and you're looking to see who you can trust to help with whatever it may be, whether it be, I need product, I was short of product, or where's my truck, things like that. Because the fast pace in the kitchen, we're like, we need the answers quickly so that we can react. And the audience being the guest does not feel the hiccup that's going on in the kitchen.
- [32:29]
A
Mike, how does that weigh on you when you hear chef talk like that? How does that touch your ears?
- [32:35]
C
I feel it. I understand it. You know, things go wrong in the warehouse, too. So those. Those trucks that you expect to be there at 4am with the shipment of. Of fish that's supposed to be going out to chef later on that truck and being processed or whatever it is that doesn't show up or shows up when it's not what it's supposed to be or the quality is not there. So I understand that. And when you build those relationships with your chef, you know, I was thinking about something you were talking about earlier, and you were asking, chef, and you talk about service. I don't look at service as me putting something together for a chef and delivering it. That's just one small piece of service. Surfaces being there when they have a question, services being there when they've got a special request by a client. Services being there when everything is going wrong in that kitchen and they need help. If I'm going to be their vendor that they look out for and want to talk to and want there to be a partnership, they're going to call me, and whatever I can do, I will do. It's not always possible but if it is possible, we're going to go out of our way to do that. That's what services.
- [34:03]
A
Everybody talks about scale and growth and expansion and that's the focus. Let's go to another KPI meeting. Relationships don't often scale that way. How are you holding on to trust? As things get bigger and as the business increases, as volume picks up, needs are greater.
- [34:22]
B
Well, for us it's, it's, it's almost like the, the measure twice and cut once type thing. Before we roll out a new menu, we, we test it, we train our employees, we run them in specials, you know, same thing with, with catering. And you know, it's not that we're at a slow pace, it's that we're at a guarded pace that, so when the, when we are drinking out of a fire hose that we're able to drink that out of the fire hose.
- [34:49]
A
How do you hold on to the trust with your supplier as this expansion is taking place? Because the truth is you, in order to grow, you got to cover your eyes sometimes you literally have to cover your eyes and know that somebody is going to be there to do the right work, right? Because you can't cut your, you can't cut yourself up into 10 pieces to be in 10 places. So you have to trust. You just have to do it. Four out of five hospitality professionals have faced at least one mental health challenge during their career. Stress, burnout, anxiety. These are everyday realities in kitchens, dining rooms and bars across North America. The Burn Chef Project North America is here to change that. They provide free, anonymous support, direct care training and self care resources designed specifically for chefs, servers and hospitality staff. From therapy services to educational modules, they're answering the call for help in one of the toughest industries. It can't be done alone. Your financial support makes this possible. Ensuring that every hospitality professional has access to the tools they need to thrive. Join the movement in breaking the stigma. Email uscanada theburntchefproject.com for donation details and mailing information or learn more about the mission at the burnt chef project.com you have to trust your team, you have to trust your suppliers. Just is what it is. How do you feel about that?
- [36:15]
B
But I, I think it all comes down to starting with the communication piece of it that you know, these are things we're changing for the growth of our restaurant and our catering business. You know, it helps if they know that they need more product for what we're about to do. So I think a lot of that is communication and keeping that Trust that he's going to deliver on what I'm expecting to do.
- [36:39]
C
I think Chef nailed it. It's communication. Not only communication, but it's that. That constant open line of communication, whereas they're thinking of stuff that he has the ability to pick up the phone and call me. I have been with customers who have made major decisions to. To menu changes as they grow and as they try to scale. And some of those menu changes come with put on a product when that product is out of season and or two weeks of being out of season, and they're looking to run it through the summer, and that product's just not going to be available or it's going to be hard to get, or you will get an imported rather than a domestic type of product. That stuff is crucial. And as they scale, as they get bigger, they. They don't intentionally do these things. They just get so busy. And so I think, like Chef said, that communication and going, hey, you know what? I'm putting seafood on this menu, and I need to talk to my partner. I need to talk to my seafood partner. Let me find out what Mike thinks about these. And then I always open that door to give them as much information. Ultimately, at the end of the day, it's going to be their decision to do at their business. But if I'm there to help them, absolutely. It just makes everything go better in the long run.
- [37:58]
A
This is going to be for both of you. And it sounds cliche, but it's not because it's real. So everybody here at the table, we're not kids. We've been through. We've been through it. We've done a lot of stuff, and we're not done yet. There's a lot left to go. But you can start thinking about, you know, when I get out of this thing, how are people going to remember me? Jeff, how do you want to be remembered?
- [38:24]
B
As someone that was very service and customer focused and looking for that smile on the guest face when they're either eating our food or getting superior service or enjoying their cocktail that they got that was handcrafted by our talented bar bar team. You know, hospitality has always been in my blood, and it's pretty much all I've done all my life. And it's one of those things when. When you get bit by the bug, your only report card is really to that guest satisfaction. And the fact that the guest comes back, you know, at the porch, Winter park, we've been open for 12 years now, coming up, which is very hard for a Restaurant to do these these days, usually it's about two, three years and they're, they're done. Jay and Frank have prided themselves on taking care of the guests, hiring only the best people to deliver that. And that's, that's their secret sauce is, is hospitality and they, they hire like minded people. So, yes, I would like to be known for my hospitality, Mike.
- [39:35]
C
For myself, I, it kind of boils down to two things for me. I really hope my customers really think that they, or working with a good person, that I always really tried to do what was in their best interest. And then when it comes to the business itself, I just wish that everybody would look back and go, you know, he did his grandfather and his dad proud. He did the family proud.
- [40:02]
B
I would say one thing that kind of shows our community how iconic the Lombardi product and businesses. His old building is now a, a CrossFit center. And they're so well known in the community. It said Lombardi Seafood on the side of it. They put the CrossFit logo right beside of it to the right and left. The Lombardi's up there because that's the Lombardi's building. That says a lot to me.
- [40:33]
A
That speaks volumes.
- [40:35]
C
It is pretty deep. Yeah. They chose to keep it as a, as a local landmark.
- [40:40]
A
I mean, listen, we got a lot of really cool stuff going on. Funny story, we were in New York for the restaurant show last month and ChefWorks, the chef apparel company, they sent us a bunch of cool stuff. Didn't get to see any of it because it ended up getting lost at the hotel. And I literally just got the package like two days ago. Super stoked about it. Really beautiful stuff. And I, and I wanted to genuinely thank Holly and Aaron over there for, for putting that out and sending it. It was really cool. And I think there's going to be awesome stuff coming up with them. I don't want to be premature in saying that, but I'm actually sporting a badass shirt right now. This session of Walk and Talk Media is made possible by Citrus America, delivering fresh Florida citrus and juice solutions to food service professionals nationwide. Learn more@critrusamerica.com we also have our 200th episode coming up in June, like the week of June 8th. And did you know about this?
- [41:46]
C
No. Am I supposed to know about it?
- [41:54]
A
I guess not. I didn't know which way you wanted
- [41:57]
C
me to go there.
- [41:58]
A
That's okay. Listen, be honest. Know. So we got this, this, this is coming up. It's 200 episodes. You know, most podcasts go like three. They're three and out, you know.
- [42:10]
C
Well, first of all, congratulations. That's an amazing feat.
- [42:13]
A
Thank you.
- [42:13]
C
Really exciting for you.
- [42:15]
A
Say thank you, John. Get John shaking his head. Okay, that works. That absolutely works. It's really. It's surreal because it. John will tell you, this is grueling stuff. It's fun. Don't get us wrong. Like, this is. This is a good time. This isn't, you know, doing an inventory in, you know, 30 degree coolers or whatever for five hours. This is different. But it's a lot of work. It's a lot of mental maneuvering. And then, of course, all the editing and everything. This is an amazing thing. I don't believe it. So we got chef Thomas Manzik over at the Tampa Club. He came up with the idea that we're going to do a party. We're going to do like a. In the business mixer, right? Light food, cocktails, and it's going to be at Tampa Club, which is on the 42nd floor of the bank of America building in downtown Tampa. What a beautiful place.
- [43:19]
C
The view is going to be amazing.
- [43:20]
A
It's. I mean, it's the best views in Tampa. I mean, you. I don't think you get better views anywhere like that, especially with an. With a functioning restaurant, like, it doesn't exist. So I am formally inviting the both of you.
- [43:33]
C
Well, thank you.
- [43:33]
B
Awesome. I appreciate it.
- [43:35]
A
Yeah, this is invite only. I am doing that on the show. I'm formally inviting and is going to be terrific. And we're gonna film it. It's gonna be like, you know, this is done walk and talk style, like, so it's. It's gonna be dope. Just saying.
- [43:52]
B
That's awesome.
- [43:52]
C
Well, I'm excited about that. And, you know, I will tell you anything you need, just ask. I'll be glad to help you out.
- [43:58]
A
I'm gonna see what's on the menu. Maybe we'll figure, you know. Oh, man. You know what? Thank you, Cisco, for coming through with a giant donation for that event. For. For the event. We're going to talk.
- [44:10]
C
Yeah, absolutely.
- [44:11]
A
All right, so listen, you guys are awesome. I sincerely appreciate you both coming out. Chef, you're with the two banger dishes, John with the photography. How do we. How do we find you, Mike?
- [44:21]
C
So my Instagram is @lombardisafood, and you can reach me at my email@mikelombardis.com and your cell phone too, because that stays on the card.
- [44:32]
A
Okay. All right, Chef, how do we find you?
- [44:35]
B
You can look us up in the Warner park location at Porch WP and then our South Orange location is at Porch, so.
- [44:44]
A
Excellent. John. I expect to see photography expeditiously, sir. I mean like rapido, Moy. Rapido.
- [44:53]
B
Okay.
- [44:54]
A
All right. I appreciate y'. All. We are out. Sam, Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host. You seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements or run a pre produced ad like this one across thousands of shows. To reach your target audience in their favorite podcasts with Libsyn Ads, go to libsynads. Com. That's L, I B S Y N Ads. Com Today.