The Bossticks - How To Develop Real Life Skills & Read People Ft. Craig Susser - Founder Of Craig's LA

Episode Date: June 29, 2023

#584: Today we're sitting down with Craig Susser, founder of Craig's LA. For 23 years Craig Susser worked at LA institution and celeb magnet Dan Tana's, moving up the ranks as server, bartender, maître d', and GM before finally venturing on his own and opening Craig's LA in 2011. Craig sits down with us today to discuss how he worked his way up from a server to becoming the owner of one of Los Angeles's most popular restaurants. He gets into the intangible life-skills that the service industry can teach people, what skills he learned that led him to the top, and gives tips on how to read people & effectively communicate with every type of person. He also gives us the scoop on the celebrities that visit his restaurant & his experience working with some of the most famous people in Hollywood.   To connect with Craig's LA click HERE To connect with Lauryn Evarts click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM To Call the Him & Her Hotline call: 1-833-SKINNYS (754-6697) This episode is brought to you by The Skinny Confidential This episode is brought to you by Vitaclean Vitaclean is a triple-filter, Vitamin-C infused aromatherapy shower head that removes toxins from your shower, prevents product buildup in your hair, and calms skin irritation. Go to vitaclean.co and use code SKINNY at checkout for 20% off shower heads and starter kits.This episode is brought to you by Vitaclean This episode is brought to you by Squarespace From websites and online stores to marketing tools and analytics, Squarespace is the all-in-one platform to build a beautiful online presence and run your business. Go to squarespace.com/skinny for a free trial & use code SKINNY for 10% off your first purchase of a website domain.   This episode is brought to you by the Clean Simple Eats Clean Simple Eats protein powder is non-GMO, gluten-free, 3rd party tested, always grass-fed and made with zero artificial ingredients. You can get 20% off your first order by using code SKINNY at checkout at cleansimpleeats.com . This episode is brought to you Sephora Check out Sephora's wide variety of clean beauty products at sephora.com/clean This episode is brought to you by Vegamour With Vegamour, you're able to have visibly thicker, fuller, shinier, longer hair, all without the harsh ingredients. Vegamour's products are 100% cruelty free and not formulated with any harsh chemicals. Visit vegamour.com/skinny and use code SKINNY at checkout to get 20% off your first order. Produced by Dear Media.

The following podcast is a dear media production. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. Fantastic. And he's a serial entrepreneur. A very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you along for the ride. Get ready for some major realness. Welcome to the skinny confidential, him and her.

Aha. There's so many things that go wrong in the restaurant business. A pipe broke, a refrigerator broke. Electrical went out. Three people called off. all those things happen on a day-to-day basis. And our job when you walk in the door at 7.7.30 is to just, like, everything's perfect. And that moment is what makes it all worthwhile for me.

That's what turns me on. That's the reason we put up with all the things that we put up with. No person in their right mind would not put up at a restaurant. It's insane. Welcome back, everybody. Welcome back to the Skinny Confidential, him and her show. Today we're sitting down with our friend Craig Susser. many of you may be familiar with Craig from the wildly popular restaurant in West Hollywood.

Craig's, it's an absolute staple and iconic place. Lauren and I absolutely go almost every time we're in L.A. Not only that, I had the warm garlic bread post-mated to the hospital when I gave birth to Zaza. I told Michael, if you don't get me that bread, things are going to be rough. I was drinking my mom juice and I had my bread. I was happy as a clam. I think many people are going to find this episode interesting because We have a legendary restaurateur on the show.

He's had a vast career in the service industry. And for anyone that's interested in building businesses in that lane or working in those industries, this is a gold mine. I also think this episode's just cool. He tells stories that were jaw dropping. He opens up about what it's like to work in a restaurant at every single level. And like Michael said, he tells you the ins and outs of building a business. So there's a lot of takeaways in this episode.

I have to tell you this was one of my favorite. favorites because he's so easy to talk to on a mic. It was refreshing, which isn't surprising because he sits at one of the most popular restaurants in Hollywood at the front of it and people just flocked to him. Yeah, this is not just about restaurants. I mean, this has something for everybody, like I said, if you're looking to develop real life skills, the truth about owning restaurants, how to go from a server to owner, how to read people, restaurant etiquette, the importance of different perspectives and experiences obviously with many celebrities that go in there. So there's something for everyone in this episode. Craig, we could talk to him all day long. He's an interesting character,

has a lot to offer to the audience. And with that, Craig, welcome to the skinny confidential, him and her show. This is the skinny confidential, him and her. You don't look like you've got two kids. You got all, look at you. There you go. Your hair looks great, make it looks great. Nails are done. Like, you look, you're on fire. That is a really nice compliment to say that it doesn't look like I had two kids. No, and I've got two kids. I mean, I've got two kids. It's not easy. I was just. How many kids do you have? We have 10 year old twins. Where am we going?

10 year old twins. Just drop it. Let's drop it. 10 year old twins. Do you like having twins? Love having twins, but we don't know any better. So you don't know any other difference. Taylor's porn alert just went on.

Sorry. That's fine. Yeah. I'm just alerting him. He needs to get on and jack off. It alerts them every hour. That's so good. Yeah.

By the way, can you do that every hour? I'm impressed. Oh, Taylor? Yeah, every hour. That's amazing. I mean, that's a gift. He had to because he had to practice. edging because he didn't want to come too fast. So what he did is he would watch.

We've known it since he was 12 and we probably know too much about him. Okay. Okay. So no, no, no. I'm fascinated. I, every, you know, everybody's got their own. Everybody's got their own. So you have two twins, one twin, one set of twins. Yeah, we have, yeah, we have twins. They're 10. Okay. And they are a boy and a girl. And they're great. They're amazing. How hard was it when they were little? My wife handled the, the, load because that is a that is a magic trick you got to remember right when you first have babies you know they wake up they get fed i didn't know it took 45 minutes you know most kids take a while to eat i didn't know that like i thought it was like oh you give a bottle 10 minutes nope it's 45 minutes

and then there's usually some sort of a bathroom event and then there's a diaper and then there's clothing and then they probably have another bathroom event right and so they ruined their clothes and they have to change them again and then they take like a nap for 30 minutes and then they take like a nap for 30 and then it's feeding time every three hours. And you're doing that with two of them. Do you do at the same time? Or you do like one than the other? Well, no.

So we got, we had some really good advice. Not only did we have a night nurse, we had a night nurse that was specialized in twins. So we got them on the same schedule. But even still, my wife was just like, it was Herculian. Yeah, I mean, listen, we have help and we're fortunate to have help. But Lauren and I work at the same time. So we need it, right?

Right. But even with all the help, it's still fucking hard. Yeah. It's hard. I mean, I'm not saying that it's not hard without the help, but it's all hard. But they're amazing. We just took them to, I mean, talk about living a good life because we didn't go anywhere during COVID, right?

So we're kind of saving it up now. So we went to Paris and London. We went to London for three days. We took the channel to Paris for three days. And just to watch them take it in through their eyes was magical. I think that's one of the best things about having kids is you get to like experience things again for the first time through someone else's eyes in a fresh way. My wife would spend summers there, her mother's English, and she would spend summers there.

So she got to take them and do all the things that she remembers doing when she was a little kid. And so she got to take them and get an 99 flake and get a like a shrimp sandwich from, you know. So it was just all those little things that she wanted to do and we did every single one of them. And then just the idea of like the baguettes and the fruit and the coffee and, in Paris was just, you can't explain it. Well, you can't explain the bread from your restaurant so I can understand what you're saying. Yeah, well, that's the goal. I mean, I have to tell you when I gave birth to Zaza, you've heard this so many times from people.

I made this motherfucker postmate your garlic bread. You're not the only one. No, I was like, get that in my mouth right now. I know there's a lot of people that have done that. No, but it's like the sweetest compliment in the whole wide world, right? So there are a number of different reasons to open a restaurant, right? There are some people that want to teach you how to eat. There are some people that want to push the envelope.

They want to show you what they can do with food. They want to take you places that you may never have experienced. And then there's other places like Craigs where I want it to be home. I want it to be comfort. I want you've had a really hard day. Life is tough. I'm getting my favorite thing. And it's going to be the exact same thing.

every time. That's what we set out to do. But that doesn't make those other restaurants good or bad. And a lot of those people were really good friends. And it's just we all understand the restaurant business is like no other business in the world. And I just, I just wish it was a required course that everybody had to do a year in some sort of service industry. Personally, a lot of people will say, oh, yeah, you have to go out and work for a bunch of different people to see what you like. I flip that on its head and say, go work in a restaurant at night, do a service industry job, and then during the day, work on what you're passionate about. So then when you're done with the restaurant industry, if you decide to go somewhere else, at least you've built what you want to build as opposed to working for someone else and not getting the experience that you get from a restaurant because it really is so. multifaceted. You learn to multitask. You learn charisma. You learn body language. You learn people's

moods. You learn how to work with other people, a team. I mean, there's so many things that are so valuable about it. There are so many moving parts that you need to rely on other people and other systems and you don't even realize it. And then as you do it and you get a little bit better at it. I was, who's the guy that wrote the tipping point? Malcolm Gladwell. In one of his books, they go through this experience where the ability to read people, they were doing an experiment on whether married couples would stay married. And it took a really long time when they first started. And then as they got better at it and reading the stimuli, understanding the dynamics, reading the body language, they got to the point where the people running the study could tell you

in just not that long, whether or not they were going to make it. Wow. And we in the restaurant business, if you've been a waiter or a bartender or a matroner, you instinctively size people up very quickly. You know, they're great. They're easy. Watch out for them. They could be dramatic.

Like, you know, he's just like right away, you start doing it. And then also you've got to work with the matron d, the bus boys, the waiter, the bartenders, and the kitchen. So it requires so much going on at once. And nothing happens in your time. It happens when everybody else wants it to happen. And you've got to learn how to adapt. You know, I think like one of the biggest things I observe and maybe observe this as well as an employer is it's really challenging to find great communicators that have empathy and EQ.

There's, you know, they went to a great, you know, they went to a great school. They have, they're very educated. they, you know, tests well. It's hard to find people with great people skills. And I feel like working in a service industry environment helps you develop those people's skills, helps you develop communication skills. Think about the world we live in. We don't have to have people skills.

Yep. You've got everything you want in your phone. Everything happens when you want it to happen now, especially during COVID. I mean, you wanted a certain playlist, you wanted a certain song, you wanted a certain, whatever you wanted, did you want food at a certain time? got whatever you wanted and you really didn't have to deal with that many other people. But it's also one of the things that we miss the most, right? We miss that social aspect. In fact, I would say, you know, before COVID, the business was moving more towards fast casual,

which is good food, service, not so worried about, and we'll kind of create our own social experience somewhere else. COVID kind of brought back the experience of having dinner in a big social environment. Yeah, because it was taken away. Right? So it's really kind of interesting, but but give me a person that is willing, smart, and fast, I'll take them any day in the week. Yeah, over maybe a fancy education. I'm not worried about where you, I'm not worried about any of that.

What I'm, what I need are people that are willing to learn and that are willing to buy in to the system and what I think are, I think our business really lacks is the true spirit of hospitality. Anybody can get you a vodka on the rocks. How magical is it when somebody gets you in the vodka on a rocks? And it feels personal. It feels special. That's the gift.

It's almost like disarming, but like a finessed energy like that the guest feels. It's an exchange of energy. But it's a bit. It makes you happy. It's like you have to want that moment. Right. In other words, there's so many things that go wrong in the restaurant. business. A pipe broke, a refrigerator broke, electrical went out, three people called off,

the fish didn't come in, they didn't get a delivery of whatever. All those things happen on a day-to-day basis. And our job when you walk in the door at 7 or 730 is to just, like everything's perfect. Right. And I'm happy to see you. And that moment is what makes it all worthwhile for me. That's what, that's what turns me on. And so every night, and I don't I don't know if I've ever, I don't know if I've ever told anybody this. So, but I'm about to tell a lot of people at some point during the night for about 10 seconds, I close my eyes and I listen to the noise of the restaurant because there's no other way to mimic that noise. So when it's hustling, it's about 8.30 at night, there's a ton of people in the restaurant. Waiters are whizzing by.

You can hear plates, glasses, dishes. You can hear that conversation. I just closed by. I just closed eyes and I make sure that I never take it for granted. And what do you get from that feeling? That's the reason we do what we do, right? That's the reason we put up with all the things that we put up with. No person in their right mind would open up a restaurant. It's insane. You're dealing with perishable items that are going to go bad in a hot environment

with sharp objects, dealing with people who think they know everything about the business and have an opinion. Oh my God, you sound like my father. that's exactly it's like almost crazy but by the way for some reason I love it

right nobody forced me into it I love it well you're almost romantic about it it like it's almost like a girlfriend yeah it's like I the romance of it is like it's it's romancing people

it's the idea of four people can come in and having a really bad day and they can leave really happy and then I've done my job. I always say to people, like, if you're celebrating something at Craigs, that's amazing. But if you're commiserating about something at Craggs, that's equally as amazing.

And that's what I love about the restaurant is the fact that it functions on multiple different levels. I am a very avid reader of old Hollywood biographies. And in every single one of them, what pops up, chasins. Yeah. Whenever I read about Chasen's, Craigs is the only restaurant that evokes that same feeling for me. Oh, sweet. That's a great compliment.

I mean, it's like, it's an iconic landmark. And it was an iconic landmark. And Craigs is the same vibe. When you were wanting to open a restaurant, and I want to go back to your story, was Chasen's inspiration for you. Yes. It was.

Yeah. I think the whole thing started with Wolfgang Puck, right? Wolfgang Puck was the first celebrity chef. he was the first person. Usually in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, it was restaurant guys like me, restaurateurs that had a 360 degree view of the business. That's not saying that Wolfgang doesn't.

Wolfgang's amazing. He's built an empire. But there was no such thing as celebrity chefs up until then. It was all about creating that environment, that homey environment that people went to to enjoy themselves, right? Then it became about celebrity chefs, about the food, about the experience of how you were going to stretch into eating like black squidding pasta or uni or something that you probably wouldn't eat on a regular basis.

Restaurants generally didn't do that a lot back in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Then the other thing that really has changed, I think our business a lot is the food network. Yeah. People are so much more knowledgeable about food. And by the way, it's fantastic. it keeps us on our game and we have to kind of raise it to the point where we're not only creating comfort food but we're creating comfort food that meets the standards and meets their expectations but they now know the difference between eight different tomatoes and they know the difference

between certain vegetables and and i don't think people had that awareness up until the food network so when you were bartending at dan tannas talk to us about first time is that where it first started That's your first restaurant job? No, no, no, no. I was working, I forget the name, it was a chain of Mexican restaurants out in the valley. I was going to college and like everybody wanted to make quick money. So I learned how to be a waiter.

And so your intent, when you were growing up, was the intention always to go in the restaurant business? No. Okay. No, no. So we moved out here when I was 15, basically spent two years by myself in high school. Like, I'm the new kid from East Coast.

I'm literally, it's 1978. I'm wearing jeans in a Springsteen t-shirt. And they're wearing puffy jackets and corduroy shorts. And they're like, who's that? And what's Springsteen? And I'm like, okay, where am I? And then, you know, it's a tough age to move. You're 14 or 15.

You're just got your first girl, maybe, you know, you're maybe having a first drink. And now you're the stranger and you're not included in any of that stuff. Spent a couple years doing that. And then went to Cal State Northridge, communications degree, business minor. Need to make some money. My first job actually was Burger King.

I have a soft spot for. My first job was McDonald's. Let me tell you something. I could make a whopper in eight seconds. But my favorite, my favorite part was working the drive-through. Because if you work the drive-thru on Fridays and Saturdays late, oh my God. There was like.

People fight over the drive-through position. You'd be surprised. I used to go through the drive-thithel. You'd be surprised what a, some people would do for a free burger. That can be a lot of different things, Craig. Let's just say we had fun. Taylor's getting inspired. Yeah, yeah.

There you go. It's almost the hour. I almost turn the alarm. Anyway. But yeah, so, because I say that to my kids. I tell them that was my first job and they kind of look at me like, huh? I'm like, you see this restaurant? It didn't exist.

12 years ago, it was on a piece of paper. Like, it just didn't exist. exist and their brains can't compete that. And I love that, but I also want to make sure that they understand the work ethic that we have and that my wife has. And I wasn't born with any of this, you know, and that's why I think I'm so grateful for it as well. But yeah, Burger King was first job. I delivered drugs for a pharmacy in Woodland Hills. Um, glad you had a pharmacy, that you were just saying I delivered. Yeah, no, and I was, but I was, I was, Michael have a similar. No, but by the way, I was so naive. I didn't even understand what was in the bad.

So I never went snooping. I don't know. I don't know if I was working in the farm. Now I'd be like, what's in that bag? Like I didn't, I didn't do any of that. I was so straight lace back then. Only thing for me is I don't know if there was a pharmacy involved, but we can glaze over that.

Anyway, it's all good. Now all those street drugs are legal pretty much. But anyway, so did that and then, you know, I was in college just trying to make some money. And it was literally, it wasn't El Dorito, but it was something like that. And it was literally one of those places where you put chips and sauce on the table and then you just, the menu had pictures. I mean, like, I, it wasn't high end. And then I started, I got involved in an acting class here in town on like Robertson and Pico,

all these like famous working actors and stuff like that. And I was 19 and I was just like, wow, where am I? I mean, this little black, I mean, it was probably the size of this room. And it was just all these people whose faces I knew and they were doing incredible work. It was like the place they worked out at. Like, who are we seeing? People like Tom Selleck were in there like, you know, Anthony LaPalle was a classmate. Like there were people that were in.

involved in that place. And it was just a lot of character actors and a lot of familiar faces. And this is where they, they worked out, right? Because the TV work that they were doing probably wasn't as rigorous. And I don't know how. So then I got a, I knew I needed to get another job. And I got, I got a waiter's job at a place called Antonio's, which was like the only high-end Mexican restaurant on Melrose, like Melrose and Gardner. I remember meeting Antonio and I remember his wife saying something like, why? Meaning, why hire him? Like, he clearly doesn't know anything. And I just remember Antonio saying, he's going to be fun. And there was a waiter there named Rudy, who was like the first professional waiter that I had ever met in my life. Like, he had that

charisma, the flare. He read people. He knew what they wanted. And that's where he started to kind of teach me what to look for before I even got to the table. What are some of those things that you like well, well, well, here's a perfect example. Now, days, if I come to your table to say hello and ask how everything is, I pretty much already know because I've already been watching the table. So I know if you're having a good experience. I know if you're having a good experience, which is thankfully 99% of the time,

then we're great. We're having a different conversation. But every once in a while, I'll be like, Michael, what's wrong? And you'll be like nothing. And I'll be like, what's wrong? Kind of wasn't what I was in the mood for. It doesn't quite tell. Don't worry about it. Give it to me. What do you want? Like, I know there's a problem with your dish before I even came to the table. That all gets traced back to people like Rudy that taught me that you can read people if you're just paying attention. You just have to have the desire and you have to be paying

attention. There's so much information that we get that's nonverbal. Also, I feel like, universally, I don't know if it's still like this, but it used to be people want their drink. That's like the first thing they want. Like the second they sit down, I'm like, well, and then halfway when their drinks up, what, you want another one? You want another one? How about, it's the greatest trick in the business. A big stiff cocktail and hot bread. You're 50% of the way home. A hundred percent, but sometimes you sit down at a restaurant, welcome to Craigs. I know, but sometimes you're at a restaurant, not Craigs. You do have big stiff drinks. And you sit down and you're waiting for 30 minutes for a drink.

I'm like, get me my drink, please. No, no, no. How many times did you turn around as a bartender, right? You're attractive. You turn around three guys walk in the door and you automatically know which one's going to be trouble. Yeah, you've got to feel energy, right? You know it. If you've done it for six months, maybe a year, year and a half, all of a sudden, those, those things start to come alive and you know.

I mean, as soon as four people walk in the door, you kind of get a, you kind of get a feeling as to, as to which way it's going to go. So Rudy taught you a lot of the finesse with the clients. Yeah, kind of understanding, you know, don't bring the ketchup after you bring the French fries. You know? So true. Right. You got to anticipate.

Like, oh, my God, dinner's coming. Do they all have silverware? You know, oh, that one's getting soup. Do they have a soup spoon? Like you've just got to keep playing offense. And it's like, oh, I better go, I better go give that table silverware. and then because they're going to need drinks and then that table's going to be clear

and I need to do dessert. So I need to one, two, three. So you learn too how to prioritize which is so important if you're building a business. When you say it, it makes so much sense, but everyone's thinking right now like all those times and all those restaurants you go to and that stuff's just not thought about

and you know, you have a bad experience. And how about the fact that if I position myself correctly, I can see you, I can see you, and I can see them. Now, I may be waiting on this table, but I can see you and I know you need something. And you've already caught my eye. So now you're relaxed. If I'm standing away from you and I'm talking to this table and you can't

get my attention, your stress level starts to go up. So it's not even a matter that I got you what you needed yet. It's just that you know that I know you that you need something. It's the knowledgement. It's the little things, right? It's like a bartender. When you were a bartender, you'd be busy pouring 15 drinks and somebody would be like waving it. You'd be like, I got you. And then they would calm down. And then the the most, you know, furiating thing is they're waiting five minutes for you to come over. You finally come over and you go, what do you want?

And then they go, hey guys, what do you want? And you're like, seriously? Like, I just, it's like the people that pull out their money at the actual window in the

drive-thru. You've been waiting 10 minutes in line. Have your money ready. There's so many little things that you could write a book about, like little tiny mannerisms. Yeah. Well, I like, I mean, we were talking briefly before we started this and you were saying, you know, that you believe it's important for everybody to work in this industry, not only to learn people, but also to develop empathy. Like, you would never write a terrible Yelp review or poor Yelp.

Half the things that people say about waiters, two waiters, two bartenders, about restaurants, I guarantee you 99% of those wouldn't be written if they actually worked in a restaurant. Now, that being said, some of them are valid. And you can actually learn as an owner and as a chef about those comments. And you're looking for like a common thread. I don't think this is not me saying that those things shouldn't exist. I'm just saying, God, you know, good Lord. You know, everybody's very critical of an actor or an actress until you actually do it yourself and you realize you're doing it in front of 250 people. They've spent four hours lighting it. And now you're supposed to have a vulnerable

moment and you're across from maybe a major movie star. I mean, there's so much stimuli that's coming, right? And you're supposed to have this like real moment and you don't realize how difficult it is until you've actually done it. What's the most absurd thing you've heard on Yelp? Just a little tangent for a second. What is something where you're like, I can't even believe No, they're, you know, they're, oh my God, you've got to go, is that reminding him to watch porn? That is reminding Taylor. I'm the only, I'm the only professional one in the room that has my phone off. All these, these doves, Lauren Taylor, exactly, you know, we've only done 600 of these episodes.

You think they would have got it by now. No, seriously, but, you know, the rollers working. I'm going to write a yell for you. The rollers, by the way, my wife's got one. I use it. Oh, my God. I'm going to give you one. You're kidding me.

I'm 50, whatever. I need every, all the help I can get. It reminds me. Have you seen that meme where there's the big fat guy on the couch with like the Coke and the popcorn and he's watching MMA? And he's like, idiot, I would have done a spinning back guy. It's like that kind of thing. It's kind of like the same thing. It was like, you know, when we're watching football and you're like, get out of the way, get out of the way. And then you actually talk to some of them because we're fortunate enough to have them come in. It's like you realize how big they are. They're huge and they run like a four two.

Like they're 310 pounds and they're six foot eight. You're not getting away from them. And these quarterbacks are like, they're big guys too. And sometimes you're like, how could you be so stupid? I'm like, it's just fascinating. We all don't have the perspective, right? And I just think we're so quick to criticize. And we live in this world where it's just so easy to hide behind some sort of username and say something really snotty about somebody instead of saying something kind or

compassionate or easygoing. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't be criticized. when you do something wrong or you don't deliver what you should deliver. But I think it's just become really, really easy. Like, like, how many times I forget it's a comedian that would say, you'll literally call somebody horrible names because they cut you off in traffic, right? They're a moron. They're stupid.

They're this. They're that. And all they did was like, you would never say that if you were walking by them on the street. No. And it's the same thing in the restaurant. Like, people say things on Yelp that they would never say to me. because if you're in the restaurant and I can actually fix the problem, that's what I'm going to do.

I'm in the people pleasing business. Yeah, no, I mean, that would be too obvious and boring, though, I think. I think some people just are maybe having a bad day and they need an outlet to project. No, and I totally get it. I'm not even, I mean, Yelp's not even what we're talking about. I'm just saying like, it's like, look, if you're not enjoying something, if you didn't like your drink or your bread or your pasta or whatever, like, tell me. No one's ever complained about the bread. Got it.

I mean, come on. No, it's a, A, E, B. But, okay, the greatest thing I have witnessed, one of the greatest things I have witnessed, a waiter was walking back to the kitchen with a chicken parmesan. And I said, what's up? And they said, she ordered chicken parmesan and didn't know there was cheese on top. Is it okay?

Was that someone who's listening? No, I just, I just, because you can't, what are you going to, really? Should have written bad, yelp review? No, it doesn't matter. That is something I would do. It's just, you know, it's just, I don't, people are funny. I have a beauty tip, a hot tip for you, and it involves your shower, specifically the water that's coming out of your shower.

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And they didn't like the fact that there was some new kid in there. And they took it out on me. And it was one of those things where they like, tear you down and then they build you back up and realize that you, you become a really good server and bartender from that abuse. And one of the reasons I was hired at Daninas was because I didn't have any bad habits because I didn't have any habits. And remind me of the history of Dananus.

What was it before you joined? So they opened in 1965 or 66. and it was kind of... Another iconic place. Yeah, he started out at La Scala, when La Scala and Beverly Hills was a big deal. Like, there was four or five people that jumped out of there and started their own restaurants.

And I don't think it was going, it was going okay. And then what really ignited the fire was the Trubidor kind of kicked, kicked in the gear in 69 and 70, and it was right next door. And people would perform, and then they would go to Tanas and say,

hey, can we get something to eat? they'd be like, no, we were closed. And Tanna was smart enough to say, we should stay open for all these people who want to come in after the concert, but they didn't realize who they were talking to. This is Linda Ronstat, the Eagles, like they, Elton John, like they don't realize.

They're all young kids. They're just starting out. And that little decision, Tannis became their home, right? So there's, there's, there's a legendary history. So flash forward to like 19, I don't know, 86. and you're coming into a place that's now 15 years old, 18 years old, and there's all these, like, heavy hitters that are coming in there. And they're like, who's this? And he doesn't know anything about me, and he doesn't know that I like this kind of water

and that kind of drink. And, you know, so like now... And when you say heavy hitters, is this celebrity clientele or just high net network individuals? No, it's managers, agents, producers, everybody, actors, musicians. Like, it's not so much the celebrity clientele. It's the people that support. the celebrity clientele that make them.

People that make this city. Yeah, yeah. So, but I don't know who they are. I don't know who the power players are and I'm just this idiot from New Jersey who doesn't know anything about anything. And then you slowly start to get, you know, the education of LA and how kind of LA works. And so I took to it.

I was a young actor running around town getting a little bit of work and then I just kind of kept, I don't know, failing upwards in the business that. that I didn't really have intentions for. I went from a back waiter and bartender to a front waiter. And then I worked like what we used to call the hot corner, which was like where all the VIP sat. And I did that for six or seven years. And I was a weekend bartender.

And then in 2002, the matrily retired. Dan asked me if I wanted to be the major d. And that was very nerve wrecking. And something happened. And it was literally like a fish being dropped in the water. Like I didn't know how I knew how to do it, but I knew how to do it. And I was really good at it. What do you think it takes to be good at that position?

I think it's an understanding of all the different elements. So being a bartender helped my perspective, being a waiter, help my perspective. And then reading people and understanding who to sit where and when. This is a small place too. Yeah. How many seats is that? That was only 17 tables. Yeah.

So it's really, really tight. And it was built back before all the handicapped. CAP ADA rules. So I mean, it was like, it was tight and it's red. And so like, you get two cocktails in you and it's red. Like it's just, it's nuts. Like, I've gotten, I've gotten loose in there for sure. Yeah. So, you know, and it just was a different world. But you, you learn quickly what works and what doesn't work and who you better be taken care of and how LA works. And so in 2010, I was going to buy it. I was going to buy a piece of it. I was going to buy the whole thing and that didn't work out. That's a long dramatic story. But a lot of people said,

you should just go open your own place. And so I did. And with the help of, you know, half of the money was me and my family and half of it was investors. And we started out, we opened January 12th, 2011. It was a huge rush for the first two or three months, which is kind of normal for a restaurant because everybody wants to rush in and give you their opinion, right? It's going to be fine or it's not going to be fine, and it happens today. I mean, literally, people come to me after a restaurant's been open for two weeks, and they're going, oh, my God, great.

It's so bad. I'm like, seriously, can you give them a minute? It takes, like, three months, four months, five months to become a well-oiled machine to where you're actually, you know, you've got that choreography going on. And you're saying, like, when it closed during COVID, then when it opened and then closed again.

Yeah, it's just like relax. So I give people a wide berth. I don't like haters. I don't hate on restaurants. I'm a big proponent of, we've all become friends. I've helped other restaurants open around me. Like I don't,

I don't think it does anybody any good. The investors, did you go to customers or did you, you went to customers? So there was people that already knew and believed in you from seeing. Yeah, and I wasn't asking, you know,

I made the money for these people, probably negligible. And it was just a matter of, you know, A lot of people said to me, I hate the restaurant business. It's the worst investment in the whole wide world, but I'm investing in you. Going back to Dan Tanas, what was your first celebrity power player experience that you can really remember? Like, what's a story there that you think about often?

I mean, the biggest power players probably were Lou and Edie Wasserman. He was the chairman of MCA Universal. Probably the most powerful guy in town. Nice? Like, elegant, not somebody you wanted to play with, but very, very, Very nice, but very nice. And then his wife, Edy was, was great. And I, I did something.

They were, they were entertaining, uh, two people and somebody asked me, this is where just the stupidity is just amazing. So somebody asked me about a dish and they said, is it good? I said, no, it's horrible. That's why we have it on the menu. And the entire table froze and Eadie left. And then the entire table left. And then I was like,

Like, like, you have those moments where like a sweat breaks out on your brain. You're like, oh, my God, I'm dead. You know, and I wasn't dead. And then I was their waiter every time they were in the restaurant. And how old were you at this point? Oh, God, it was probably 24. Okay, so you're so young. Yeah, yeah.

And then, you know, I, you know, and so you just, that's where your, your personality and your being kind of comes out and you're just there by the grace of God. Like, I literally, this is the other way it could have gone. what did you just say? You're fired. Like it literally, you're talking about 1987 or 88. That's the way it went. Like, people just got fired on the spot.

I feel like, especially for a lot of younger people, and we're like on the, we're born in 1987, but we're kind of like on the cusp, right? Are you really? Yeah. That's disgusting. We're a little on the cusp. We're like, I remember, I would say maybe a harsher time a little bit, right?

Like, I remember when I was. It was honest. Yeah. I guess that's a good way to say it. They didn't pony punches. Yeah. And I feel like maybe we've gotten away from being that honest now, which I don't know, I go back and forth.

I don't know if it's so helpful. I remember a table. I remember at daytime is literally coming over. And the guy said to me, what's that? And I said, it's broccoli. He goes, I ordered asparagus. And I go, oh, he goes, are you a fucking idiot? Does that look like asparagus?

And I'm like, nope. And I just picked it up and got it. But that's the way they spoke. And that was totally acceptable. And I didn't even blink. I was just like, oh, yep, I'm an idiot. I'll get back. And then you just took care of it.

See, I go back. I would fly on TikTok now. No. I go back and forth at this stuff because the bartender, literally, I was a waiter. The bartender, Mike, who I adored and taught me so much and unfortunately passed away during COVID due to COVID. Heartbreaking, but affected so many lives. Like the most magical bartender you've ever met in your life.

and the reason you talk about hospitality. Like, he is the image I have in my head. But I remember I was young and I was like stupid and I was across the thing and I must have ordered something and it wasn't right. And literally Mike didn't even think about it. He said, hey, stupid. And literally the entire restaurant turned around. Like they didn't know who he was talking to.

He's like, I'm talking about the stupid in the corner. It's like, that's just the way it was. Like, you couldn't do any of that today. I go back and forth with this stuff though because, okay, that's an extreme example. You couldn't get away. But I also think it builds such character, right? And I, like, you, listen, I'm going to get. I'll start talking to you like this at home.

TikTok is going to. Hey, stupid. But here's the thing. I think that there's a, and I hate to be generational, but Lauren mentions TikTok because I think there's a lot of very young people on there that can't fathom someone speaking to them like that. Well, it also hardened you a little bit. That's what I'm trying to say.

It shapes you because you, you have two choices. You either sink or swim. What I try to say to my siblings and what I want to do for my children is, I would rather have somebody say the thing that they're thinking to my face as opposed to just running around thinking it all the time without me being able to address it. No, they're going to get an assumed username and they're going to say it about you on a forum. Yeah. And like, I just think it's important because, and I was telling, I won't say who. I was telling someone the other day, I'm like, listen, my delivery can sometimes be off. And this is a very personal conversation. No. But I was saying, you know, like, we've had long conversations. Yeah. A lot of my thought process is like, Sometimes maybe I'm the person that says what a lot of people are already saying. They're just not saying it to you.

And I was saying that to the person. Yeah. And I think it was a helpful conversation because there was like a moment where it clicked in the person. You should go bartended d'antana. But do you get what I'm saying? Like it was a bartender. I don't see how people can address things if they don't, if they're not aware of things.

You should have like. Yes. I'll do it. I'll go first. Oh my. You'd be great because you were a bartender. I know. No, I can make a drink.

I can make a drink. I can make a drink. But most importantly. He just, with that, so what he just said without saying anything was he just called into play, your work ethic. No, not my work ethic. No, no, no. She was an incredible worker. Maybe nobody worked harder.

My drink making skills. Drink making. Who the fuck care? So, pour some vodka on the rocks. Show a tit. A nipple. Bend over. Give a smile.

Here's a thing. I mean, throw a nap, cocktail napkin under there. She can get away with it. Come on. Tell a joke. Hired. I just can't look. But as the employer, I'm like, I don't see anything.

I was a regular patron at the bar. bar shoes in and I can't tell you how many drinks. You kept coming back and you married me. So I did something right. I cannot tell you how many drinks I drank with dish soap in the in the cocktail glass. You do something right. I do something right. That's for sure. I would just say, I think you should have guest bartenders. I make the drinks in the house now. Okay. So now Craigs. Yeah. You're open with Craigs. I feel this by the way. That's a vibrator. I'll give you one before you leave for your way. It's great. During sex, great. It's great. He hasn't used it as he? No. You never know. I'll hear you a fresh one. We'll find a fresh one. Craigs, I feel like, blew up because

so many celebrities and influencers went in and posted naturally and organically, which is rare. A lot of these people get paid millions of dollars to post. I mean, you have the Kardashians throwing birthday parties and closing down the restaurant. You have Chris Jenner in there, pictures. I mean, you have a lot of different influencers and celebs. How did that happen? Was it all organic? Yeah.

I mean, I think we kind of all grew up together, right? So I was 22 years old when I started at Santas. I was 43 when I opened my own place. And I think the town, L.A. loves people that put it all out on the line. Right? So they knew that I was leaving a pretty good job and I was going to open up my own restaurant. And it's a very, you're all in, right? You've got, you put all your money in.

You've got no, you're, there's no safety net. And people respond to that. And they, and I think that they love to see when people take real risks. And, and, and I've been, I was really lucky. A lot of people supported me. And they wanted to see me succeed. And even in the beginning when the food was a little inconsistent and the service was a little consistent, they were still coming back a lot. And they knew that I was going to get it.

Like I wasn't like, I didn't put my foot in the sand and say, well, this is the way it is, whether you like it or not. I go, no, no, no, you're right. And so it developed a lot. And, and, and I credit a lot of people, like Chef Kirsten, he was the second chef, took over, I think September that year. And thank God, he's been a great partner in crime. My wife could not have been more, I mean, supportive. I mean, who looked at at a 44-year-old person and says, you should go out on your own in the riskiest business in the world. When you've got a lot of people that are that supportive, what happens is those life moments. We talked about birthdays, celebrations, deaths, all those things, those life moments.

Think about how many life moments you've celebrated at a restaurant. Yeah. It's grounds for a celebration, but you're also right. It is a place where you want to commiserate if you have a bad day. Jerry Winshop died. the one year anniversary, six of us had sat at a table, his favorite table, had the Spani Clam Show, which is named after Jerry. And that's, we were celebrating somebody's deaths.

Lauren and I both devoured his book in literally one day. What a crazy life. Right. But, but, but so they, do they build people like that anymore? I don't, that's, well, that's what I'm saying. Like that was, by the way, when Jerry called and I picked up my phone and I saw his name, it was 50-50. it was like hey kid i love you or are you out of your fucking mind why because it was either he

needed something and he loved me and everything was going well or somebody had come in and had a great experience and he wanted to tell me about it and that was a good thing or i had done something wrong or had read something wrong and he wanted to let me know about it like what give us an example of what you did that's wrong not taking care of somebody that i should have taken care of you know one of the One of the biggest beatings I ever took was from him when I first opened the restaurant and some things weren't right. And he called me out and just said, you know, he called me to the house, which was frightening. Literally just like went down a list of things that he thought were not great. Wait, wait, wait a minute. He makes you come to his house to go to go through the

critique. Yeah, yeah. I, I just. This is a lot. So I just recently told this story. So it's Saturday night before Oscars. It's our first Oscars. It's probably not well mapped out in the book. And the bar has now backed all the way up to the to the first tables. That's how busy it is. You can't walk in the door. We didn't, we didn't book it right. And we didn't realize how busy we would be on the first Oscars. We were six weeks old. It was the first time Jerry came in with his family and they sat, you know, down and had dinner. And nothing happened that night. And I wasn't quite sure how it was going or whatever, but they look fairly happy. And that was it. And then 10 o'clock that morning, Sunday morning, I get a phone call from Susie, his girlfriend, and he says,

um, hey, Jerry wants to see it. And I'm like, cool, when? Now. Like now, he goes now. I get really anxious. I call Mike Melbourne, who's a really good friend. And I go, Mike, he goes, already got it, already got the phone call. Come get me. I go, I'm coming to get you. He goes, come get me. So I come get him and then I pick him up and he's holding a French dip. I go, we need a French dip? He goes, yeah, we're going to need a French tip. So I'm literally going out of the house. Why a French tip?

Because he loved French tips. Okay. So, and Mike's chef made a good French dip. So we're going up and I'm like, Mike, what's going on? He goes, this is probably going to be, this isn't going to be good. He goes, but don't worry, just what he's going to say is probably accurate. It's just going to be a little hard to hear. So I'm like, I'm like, okay, so we go up.

I just told this story on Mike's son Will's podcast. So we go up to the house and Jerry gives us a hug. How are you? Good to see you. And we sit down and he literally just right between the eyes. But he didn't like about the entrance, the noise, the steaks, the pasta, everything. And to tell you the truth, he wasn't wrong. It was unnecessarily uncomfortable, but the restaurant that he experienced is not the restaurant

you know now. So what you're saying is the criticism that he gave you was incredibly constructive because it evolved into the restaurant. But Jerry was willing to do that. So he actually sounds like a really good friend. It sounds like Michael, a great friend, but his delivery is off. For the younger listeners, you have to Google Jerry Weintraub and look. I mean, and if you haven't read his book, the people that are really,

I feel interested, it's phenomenal, but this is like an iconic character. Right, but a lot of people wouldn't, first of all, they wouldn't bother. Secondly, a lot of people wouldn't take that criticism today. They would, they would say that you're being a bully, you're being this, you're being that. Like, they would say all kinds of things and dismiss you instead of actually going, oh my God, is there validity into what you're actually saying? And he was right. But this is my point, though, where I go back and forth.

There are critiques that I want to give sometimes to people that I work with that I can't give in this environment because to your point, many can't take it. And then what happens is you kind of end up washing those people out because they just can't handle the feedback. You know, everyone knows what I'm talking about. Careful. This is what I'm saying. I'm saying, don't look at her. I'm saying the things that everybody thinks. But what happens is when you find somebody who's maybe got a soft shell like that that can't take the feedback, you have to find somebody that can and you kind of filter those people out. So I think we're getting to a time where people aren't, they're not able to get real critical feedback.

Right. And then improve because we're living in an environment now where people's feelings are put ahead of, you know, what's actually needed. Correct. Right. So, so the tagline on that was like, I'm like, what about the bread? And he goes, oh, bread was good. Like it was just really funny.

But hold on, I just, one last question about this character was, he was not involved in the restaurant outside of just being a patron. Yeah, no, no, no. He was an investor. Okay, he was an investor. Okay, because I was wondering, like, this guy's just a patron. Yeah, well, no, he was,

okay, okay, okay, he was bigger, he was bigger than that. He was, he was a legendary figure in my life. Okay, okay. In a lot of people's lives. And, and, you know, he, he was, he was rough and tumble, but he was great. Okay, I figured, I just needed to clarify that he did,

because I thought he would, but it wasn't about the money. Like, he didn't mean anything. With what he does was to edit scenarios and refine. And so it makes sense that he came in and edited and refined what he saw. But he also knew what would work and what wouldn't work, and he also didn't want his friends coming in there and having the same experience. And also, it seems like he really cared about you and that's his love language. But that's what I don't discount.

Right. Right. So that's what I want to hear. So if, like going back to where we started, if you're having dinner and you're not happy, tell me, I'm going to fix it. That's the business I'm in. What mistakes do you think people in the service industry make consistently or restauranteurs, make when opening a new establishment? They don't really understand the back end of the restaurant.

I don't think they understand how difficult it is. You've got rent, insurance, air conditioning, water, workers comp, ELPI, refrigeration. Like, there are so many expenses that people don't realize that are involved in the business. And then I think a lot of people are undercapitalized because they think, well, I'll just get to the where I get open and then everything will be fine. And it doesn't really work like that. Right. So I think a lot of people are undercapitalized. I think they have a naive understanding of what's going to work and what doesn't work. I fortunately, and I don't know even know where I got it from, but I was willing to make sure that you were happy, not me

in the dishes that you're eating, right? And that's still today. We still come up with dishes is that I chef and I, chef usually comes up with a dish and we chitch out about it. And I'm like, that's amazing. And then I, let's put it up as a special and see how people respond. Because I'm not the final arbiter. You, you are. Right.

And so I think people have to, more restaurants have to get to the idea that you're not delivering something that you want. Yeah, it's your perspective. And hopefully they're going to enjoy it. But ultimately, if they're not buying it, they're not coming back. When I got pregnant, with towns, I decided to switch basically all my skincare and makeup to clean beauty. So what I did is I went on Sephora and they have such a wide variety of clean makeup brands

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on the skin and also makes your skin feel plump and look really hydrated. If you're looking to switch up your makeup products and you want just clean, lovely makeup products, you have to check out Sephora.com slash clean. Check out Sephora. You can learn more and visit Sephora.com slash clean. That's sephora.com slash clean. You can learn more and visit sephora.com slash clean. That's sephora.com slash clean. Something that I think is so underrated when it comes to growing thick, fuller, shinier, longer hair is actually dealing with the scalp. Scalp health is a thing I've been reading all about it.

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and the one that targets the scalp health is called Vagamore Grow. Okay? They sell this. It's so popular. Every 15 seconds on their website. That's how amazing it is. I've noticed when I put this in my hair. I'll like wrap it in a sleek bun. I'll notice the next day my hair already looks healthier. And I really think it's because instead of just working on the hair, this works on your scalp. Like I said, give yourself the hair you never thought you could have with Vagamore for a limited time. The skinny confidential him and her show, listeners, get 20% off your first order. You're going to go to vagamore.com slash skinny and use code skinny at checkout. That's V-E-G-A-M-O-U-R.com slash guinea code skinny to save 20% off your first order.

V-E-G-A-M-O-U-R dot com slash skinny code skinny. What do you think makes a great restaurant great? Because, I mean, especially in this city, you see a lot of stuff open and clothes, and there's very few that last as long as you or some of the others. What do you think that differentiators? I wish I had, I wish I could bottle it because I've seen great restaurateurs and great chefs in great locations come together and it just doesn't work. And then I've seen some people that just open up in a corner of a mini mall and it,

it's on fire. So there is no like magic bullet. What I do know is that you better love it and it better turn you on. And that true hospitality, that real warmth that you can impart to people is what I think is probably the differentiator. Yeah, I think about, I don't know if this makes sense. I think about great restaurants the same way I think about great hotels. We all know, like, you can go into a very fancy, expensive hotel that lacks warmth and it lacks hospitality.

And you're like, yeah, this is, you know, this five-star establishment with all the fixtures and all, and you can tell they threw all the money at it. But it just doesn't feel, I don't know. It feels sterile. And then there's those other places where you go and they feel like home every time. And it feels like, you know, like you left just yesterday, right? How's that? Oh, it's like hitting all five senses. And I think you're right.

It's like, do you go with him? Yeah. Should I go? Who should I go with? I don't know. I'm just saying it seems like such a waste. I know and his delivery while I'm trying to eat. I mean, Jesus Christ. But you've never really thought about like what that, like what that essence or what that thing is? Yeah. So here's a perfect example. So when we were designing the restaurant, we had a great architect, Jay Charles and David Friedman who built all the woodwork and my friend Bob Teslemy, who was the contractor. turn, you're trying to do it, you know, as cheaply as possible, but you're trying to create a vibe, right? So our whole goal was, what does a 1940s New York style restaurant look like in LA in 2010 without being a cartoon?

So what does that feel? Like, what is it like, if you were to walk down, you know those great old restaurants, you'd walk down the steps in the middle of Manhattan? And you'd be like, you come in and you're like, Jesus, how long has this place been here? That's what we were going after. And then using materials that wouldn't age it, right? Because we've all done those things where you're in love with a texture or a look or a stone or a tile. And you're like, four years later, you're like, what was I thinking?

This is disgusting. It's like my haircut from a week ago. I like, like, so, you know, did you ever look at yourself like from four or five years ago? And you look at your hair and your clothes and you're like, I don't understand. The same thing about all those materials. But we had to make decisions because we had limited budget on what was important. And I was infirm on it and still am that we spent money on the things that you actually touched. So the booths are really expensive.

Smart. The woodwork is expensive. The bar was expensive. The lighting. So inexpensive, $750. A fixture. And then there's people like, I remember there was a restaurant called Morano. It was down the street from where we are now.

And they spent like $2 million on like Marano glass lights fixtures. And I was just like, it was stunning, stunning. But nobody ate there. And I remember thinking like nobody eats the lights. You know, pay attention to the food. Like when you slide into a booth and it feels right, it's like a hug. And then the dishware, the silver. underwear, the glasses, all the things that you touch are really, really important.

The people who serve you at your restaurant, though, do have a sparkle, too. Good. Yeah, everyone that I've ever, and I've eaten there a lot, has a sparkle. Hopefully, what we've done is we've inserted them into a system, but let them be themselves. Yes. Right. So they're not little, they're not repeating a script. Paparazzi are all outside the restaurant.

it's absolutely crazy. No, by the way, there is a private way in and out that I can protect people. So they're not even getting, they're not even getting half of them. And the people that are, they are getting pretty much want to be gotten. Got it. And it's really kind of one of those infuriating experiences because I'm Switzerland. If you want to go out and get publicity, God bless, I don't have anything to do with it. And there's no way to stop it.

Like we've even had conversations with the police in the city. they have every right to be on that sidewalk. They know their rights. They know exactly what they're allowed to do and what they're not allowed to do. Even if they like, so they can't, I'm assuming they can't block your entrance and stuff like that. They kind of, they can't,

but what are we going to do? Call the cops every two minutes. They're blocking the entrance. Yeah, they ain't coming. I can't, right? So I have a private way in, in and out of the back that,

that, so there's a lot of people that use that. And by the way, I'm a huge fan of most of these people, and they deserve all the accolades that they're getting. And I'm, I never take it for granted that somebody wants to come and eat there. Last time I was there, J-Lo, Larry King, another table has got Randy Gerber, George Clooney. I mean, there's some major celebrities in there.

How do you train a staff to deal with these huge names in a way where they're not like shaking when they put the plate down? It's not that you just don't throw them to the wolves, I assume. Yeah. So, well, I mean, I think a lot of our staff has been there for a really long time. We have very little turnover. In fact, during COVID, we didn't lay anybody off. Wow, good for you. So we had everybody.

In fact, everybody's like, how did you get staff after everybody came back from COVID? And I'm like, well, we didn't lay anybody off. But I didn't realize that there was going to be a staffing shortage after COVID. I just did it because I hate when people say, oh, we're like family, you know, until the shit hits the fan. And then, no, you're not family. See you later. Like, no, you've got to be family. So that's why we kept everybody.

And also I didn't know how long this thing was going to last. But I think what happens is you get comfortable with the fact that it's an exciting restaurant. And what you need to understand is that they're just people and they want a good dining experience. And how to enable them to have that without getting too caught up and actually who they are. And so I think the older servers are used to it now. They've kind of gotten, you know, I don't know if you ever get really used to it. And then the newer ones, sometimes I'll have a word with them or the matrily, I'll have a word with them saying, you know, so-and-so is going to be sitting on table six.

Just take it easy. Just go easy. What if they tried to ask for a selfie? That's a no-no. No, I would literally murder them and sit in jail happily. Okay. Would you scream, hey, stupid across the line? You can't.

Yeah, yeah. Take a selfie. No, but it's like it's, you've got to be really careful. It's all in their handbooks, right? There's no social media posts. There's none of, none of that stuff. And it's just like, I don't even take pictures with them. Yeah.

I never post about a celebrity eating in there unless they've posted about it. Right. Probably why you're so successful. Well, I want it. I want it to be a private place. Like, whatever happens in Craig should stay in Craigs. And there was, there was one time where there was a group of celebrities in there. And it was really unfortunate because I didn't know it.

But there was a website, a blog. Oh, Just Jared. Just Jared. Yeah. Right, right. So I think his name is Jingle Jared. I don't know his name. No.

Taylor, Jewel Jared. No, Jingle Jared's the music guy. Just Jared is the, yeah. No, Jingle Jared's a great guy. He moved to Nashville and I love him. Let's get that straight because I don't really bad mouth on the show. We love Jingle Jared on the show. Just Jared.

Just Jared. Which I didn't have any personal, like, I didn't care, but I didn't know who he was. And he was in the restaurant. And I didn't know that. And so the next day it was all over the papers, who was in the restaurant, who they were talking to, who was table hopping. And everybody thought I was in on it. And I wasn't. I had nothing to do with it.

And I took the heat for it. But I want what happens in that restaurant to kind of stay in that restaurant. And for every one of, for that one bed experience, there's been a thousand others that haven't been in the rest. So you're not going to tell Michael about my boyfriend that you've seen me with. Who are you? And you're not going to tell Lauren about my boyfriend. Okay. But by the way, that is very

important. Culturally sensitive. No, it's important that if you, I would think for what you do, if you see something, I am, well,

look, I, you know, I, I, I learned very early on that you can never get in trouble by not opening your mouth. So always say less than necessary.

Yeah. In fact, my wife, literally like, you know, she'll see something in the trades the next day. Because every, you know, she'll say how was Monday. How was Wednesday? I was right. I'm like, oh, it was good.

Because that's it. Like, that's good. And then like, give me the juice. And then the next day she'll be like, you know, like, but Donna, leaving Craig. She's like, really? Really? And I'm like, I have to get better at it because I'm not trying to freeze her out. I'm just so used to being kind of quiet about what goes on.

And so I have to be better at telling her what's going on. As a matter of fact, it just came up the other night. I was saying Brian Cox, because we watched the session, and I was like, It's such a great show. It's such a great show. She won't watch it. I don't know. I will watch it if I get a second to myself.

And I'm, she's busy raising your kids. I know, mother. I mean, it's unbelievable. I was meditating. Won't you send her to say you see your ranch? Yeah, alone. No, no. Listen, I catch her, like, doing all sorts of things on her own time.

Okay. She goes to an Asian foot spa for like three hours. It's not the things that Taylor does on his own, but it's... Taylor, no. So we were watching Secession, and I was really upset. A certain character got killed off, and I just thought, like, it was really kind of a bummer because I just like the things that come out of his mouth. Filarious.

Because it's just, you just never know what's coming. And I thought the writing was so great. And I just going to miss that character. But he was in the restaurant, I think with one of the show creators, like four or five months ago. And I go, God, he was... I wonder if that's what they were talking about when they were in. I go, I don't know. No, but they were so nice, but I didn't want to bother them.

And like, I just said hello and kind of like walked away. And my wife was like, so Brian Cox was in the restaurant, you didn't tell me? I'm like, there I go again. Like, it was such an unforced error. Like I, it happened five months ago. And there was another perfect excuse of like just not chinchering about stuff. Before you go, tell us about your ice cream. I have to go.

I'm having so much fun. You don't have to go. You are, I have to tell you you're great on a mic. If we didn't have a time cut off, I'd do another hour. You can come back on the podcast. I feel like we can mind you for story after story. No, look, I think, you know, look, anybody that can advocate for the restaurant business

and advocate for the restaurant workers, I'm happy to do that anytime. Because I think it's such a great, talented group of people that don't get enough credit. And a lot of people take it for granted how hard it is and what chefs go through. And you got to understand something. A broccoli that you,

order, if you get the right order, not the asparagus, the broccoli that you order, the chef has to order it at 10 o'clock the night before. It has to get delivered at 7 in the morning the next day. It has to get received, taken, cleaned, put away. Then it has to get cooked. Then somebody has to come along and take your order correctly amongst 150 other orders and then has to fire it at the right time and all those things have to hit the tray at the same time and walk to your table by really great professionals in our business, then that broccoli hits your table. And all of those things have to happen in order for you to have a successful dinner. And every once in a while, it's not perfect. And somebody will literally call everybody out for it. And I'm like,

there's a lot going on. Remember that next time you order broccoli. Yeah. Back to, uh, you have to tell us about the ice cream. Why you launched it, what's your favorite flavor, what they should buy, and can we do a giveaway? You can, yes, we can do a giveaway. So the ice cream is a natural extension of the fact that, like, we have a pretty sizable vegan section of the menu because I believe that if six people are coming to the restaurant, I want all six to be able to find something to eat. And if one of them is vegan, I want them to feel comfortable.

That was my original modus back like 10, 11 years ago. Now, I just think the plant-based world is getting bigger and bigger. I am not allergic to anything. I'm not gluten, dairy, lactose intolerant, anything. But I don't particularly feel great when I eat ice cream. I just get, I get tired. So I wanted an ice cream, and chef and I worked on an ice cream where can we make a great ice cream that happens to be vegan, not the other way around.

And so what we did was made it a really rich, scuba, creamy, totally vegan ice cream that's made out of cashews. And it's spreading across the country. I mean, we've been working on this long and hard. We're now at Whole Foods in the Southwest. Bristol, Gelson's mothers. We're in markets up in Seattle. We're in central markets in Texas.

We're in Publix down in the southeast. And now we're working on something, hopefully, in the Northeast, because a lot of people in New York are. Can they order online? They order online at craigsvegan.com. I personally would start you guys with the cold brew coffee. It's with Chamberlain coffee, too. It's a little collab.

And then I also love the Melrose, mint chip. It's so good. Yeah. And it's important to mention, too, that, you know, I obviously, I'm not plant-based and I'm happy to eat plant-based, but a lot of times people don't put the thought you've put into this in the ingredients. And so you're like switching over to something that maybe is, it doesn't have dairy, but it doesn't taste good. Right. So your stuff tastes good. Right. So the whole point is, this isn't just for the vegan community, right? It's, you may have had a steak for dinner. You may have had, you know, and then, okay, I'll have some

vegan ice cream. There's people that go, we're at fast. burger and Johnny Rockett. So if you go and order a vegan shake, you might have had a regular hamburger, a beef hamburger, but you order a vegan shake because you know what, I'm just, all of us in life are making these decisions about how to balance what we do. And then we're having fun with Emma Chamberlain and we're having fun with tinks and doing a Sunday. And it's just, it should be joyful and it and it should be light and bright. And the ice cream's been a passion project of mine. Chef Kirsten came up with a recipe. He's done a great job. Yeah, now we're in like 1,600 retail outlets across the country.

What you're doing is incredible. You are such an icon in L.A. I know this ice cream. It's already blown up, but it's going to blow up even bigger. I feel like it's the new age hog and dogs. That's quite a compliment. Now I'm really hungry for your restaurant. Now I'm like thinking about all the food.

This ice cream, you guys, you got to try. My daughter loves it. It's so good. Sweet. And a lot of people have got their kids on it instead of regular ice cream because it, I mean, look. We're all trying. It is better. It's trying to keep our head above water.

There's a lot going on in the world. Can we do a giveaway to do like a big pack to someone? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, all you guys have to do is follow at Craigs L.A. On Instagram. Or at Craigsvegan. At Craigsvegan. And do at Craigs L.A.

At Craig's L.A. And Craig's L.A. and Craig's vegan. Yeah. And then we'll come up with, what are we going to do? Just tell us your favorite takeaway from this episode on my latest post at Lauren Bostick. And we should pick what? 10. Oh, 10.

We should pick 10 people. Wow. I don't think anyone's ever picked 10 people. I don't know. Let's do it. If we're going to do it, let's do it. 10 people get to win a box of Craig's ice cream. All you have to do, like I said, is follow at Craigs L.A.

and at Craig's Vegan. Tell us your favorite takeaway on my latest post. And then I didn't even ask you this off air, but do you want to do some kind of code for the audience to shop? Oh, yeah, we should talk about that. Like a 10% off code. Let's do a 10% off code on what would be the phrase. Skinny, Skini Craig? Skinny Craigs.

Bad delivery. Yeah, bad delivery. Don't get him involved. I won't get him involved. Because that could get... Things will get sticky. It could get... Oh, my God.

We're trying to sell some ice in. All right. How about... How much is skinny? Skinny. 10% off, go shop. We'll set it up for you guys. Craig, you can come back anytime.

I truly can have gone so many different directions. Anytime you want to come back on your invite. Open invite. I love it. What a pleasure. Thank you, both. Thank you. Wait, don't go.

The skinny confidential. planners are back in stock, which is so exciting because they were sold out. You guys sold them out. We didn't have them forever. They're back. And we're going to give one away. Especially after this episode, everyone needs a plan in the morning to execute their business. This is perfect. All you have to do is tell us your favorite takeaway of this episode with Craig on my latest post. Thank you guys for listening. Make sure you've rated and reviewed the podcast on Apple Podcasts. And also you can listen or watch us on YouTube.