Restaurant Rewind

Restaurant Rewind

The industry’s past is packed with tales of scoundrels and heroes, big thinkers and pinheads, colossal successes and dismal failures, breakthrough moves and self-inflicted destruction. Few soap operas pack as much color and drama. Yet those yellowed snapshots provide insights relevant to the challenges of today. Join Peter Romeo, a 41-year veteran of the business with a penchant for restaurant history, as he explores those pivotal moments from the past.

  1. OCT 17

    Don't be surprised if your kids may follow you into the restaurant business

    If the restaurant industry is such a horrible place to make a living, why do so many youngsters follow their parents into the business?  It’s a question that blunts dismissal of the field as the career choice of last resort. The second generation knows exactly what the work entails, having witnessed it firsthand, drawbacks and all, in the people they love.  Yet they plunge ahead, also appreciating the enormous positives that are seldom factored into the public’s perceptions of the trade. It’s why family trees with roots in the business often sport children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews who followed their elders into the field. Why, for instance, has the Brennan clan become synonymous with New Orleans’ celebrated restaurant business? Sure, sometimes it’s a matter of the echo generations having a money machine handed to them. It’s easy to see why three generations of Snyders have stuck with In-N-Out, or why a Marriott is chairman of the lodging empire his grandfather founded.  But Russ Bendel doesn’t own The Habit, and his son is following in the industry veteran’s footsteps. And there are enough similar examples to disprove the generalization that second-generation restaurateurs had their fates sealed by the success of their parents. As this week’s edition of Restaurant Rewind reports, youngsters following in the path of their elders often prove they’re the ones who turn a so-so operation into a success.  The episode examines the phenomenon of multi-generational restaurant families and why the industry has fostered so many outright dynasties. The sheer number of examples—from the Grotes to the Ingrams to the Karchers to the Berkowitzes—shows there’s something about the business that often keeps it in the family. And it’s kryptonite to the widespread perception that the restaurant business is a career path of last resort.

    9 min
  2. OCT 10

    Hurricane Milton was expected to be nearly as bad as Katrina. Here's why the comparison should scare restaurants

    The devastating force of Hurricane Milton has drawn comparisons to the fury Hurricane Katrina unleashed on New Orleans and its famed restaurants nearly two decades ago. Indeed, the 2005 storm has become the benchwork against which all major hurricanes have been gauged in the years since. And there’s no doubt Milton was a major one. Initial assessments say at least six people in Florida were killed in the storm, which struck the state's west coast Wednesday night. About 3 million homes lost electricity. Media coverage shows first responders wading through chest-high standing water to rescue stranded residents, and many residential areas look as if they were bulldozed. Veteran weather reporters are already predicting some parts of the state, the nation’s third largest restaurant market, will need weeks or months to recover a semblance of their pre-Milton conditions. Early on-the-ground reports from government and safety officials suggest Milton was not as devastating as Katrina, which left about 1,400 dead in its wake, but a full assessment of the damage may not be completed for some time. Ditto for the impact on the restaurant trade in particular.  The potential is addressed in this week’s episode of Restaurant Rewind, the podcast that delves into the industry’s past for more color on what’s happening today. Here’s a look at how restaurants fared in the Big Easy during what’s become the yardstick of how damaging a single weather event can be.  It’s not a pretty picture, but it’s a testament to the industry’s resolution. New Orleans’ dining scene came back bigger and better than ever. Here’s to the same happening in Florida.

    9 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The industry’s past is packed with tales of scoundrels and heroes, big thinkers and pinheads, colossal successes and dismal failures, breakthrough moves and self-inflicted destruction. Few soap operas pack as much color and drama. Yet those yellowed snapshots provide insights relevant to the challenges of today. Join Peter Romeo, a 41-year veteran of the business with a penchant for restaurant history, as he explores those pivotal moments from the past.

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