August 20, 2024 • 21 mins
Kevin & Susan Johnson, CEOS & Co-Owners Of The Grocery & Lola Rose
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
iHeart Media presents CEOs You Should Know. Chef.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Kevin Johnson and his wife Susan are CEOs and co
owners of restaurants The Grocery and Lola Rose. Kevin and
Susan lived in the Holy City in the mid nineteen
nineties and then moved to Northern Virginia to pursue career
opportunities and gain additional culinary experience, with the dream of
returning to Charleston one day. While in Northern Virginia, Kevin
(00:25):
honed his skills at a small number of establishments, including
the world renowned Inn at Little Washington, where he served
as sioux chef for Patrick O'Connell. In two thousand and three,
they moved back to Charleston, and in twenty eleven, their
lifelong dream of opening their own establishment finally came to
fruition and The Grocery was opened. Since opening the Grocery,
(00:47):
Kevin has earned multiple James Beard nominations, national accolades and
helped shape the culinary scene here in the Low Country.
Kevin and Susan recently opened a new restaurant in Mount
Pleasant called Lola Rose. Welcome Kevin and Susan Johnson. Thank you,
Thanks for having us. Yeah, absolutely, thanks for being here. So, Kevin,
(01:07):
where does your passion from food come from?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I kind of stumbled into it, to be honest with you.
I had a late entry into the culinary world, but
took a liking to cooking at home in my late
teens early twenties and then began to discover that perhaps
might want to pursue it in a professional manner.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Now. I always joke, you know, because I wouldn't call
myself a chef. I mean I can cook, I can
put some things together. And everybody always asks you, you know,
where did you how did you Where did you learn
to cook? How did you learn to do that? And
I'm always like, well, I was hungry, right, And that
pretty much boils down to it. It sounds like you
had the same experience.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Right, So I was. I kind of made the choice
in my late teens to be a vegetarian, and at
that point the options weren't quite as bountiful as they
are now a day's you know, I think it's much
more mainstream. So, you know, I went and bought a
few cookbooks and kind of started teaching myself how to
cook through books at home, just out of necessity kind
(02:11):
of like you were saying.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Now you feature local farmers, fishermen, foragers, and artisans in
your restaurants. Does that make life easier for you or
do you find it to be more of a challenge
to find locally sourced ingredients.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I don't know if not doing it or doing it
is either is easier or harder. I mean, we certainly
have you know, you can't just make one phone call
and bring all the ingredients in, so that certainly is
more of a challenge. But you know, as you forge
all these relationships over the years, you tend to know
(02:45):
who has what at certain times of the year, and
you make those calls, and you know, we've built those relationships,
and it allows your menu to have the diversity and
the and the quality that we're looking for now.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
It also helps these the local fliers stay in business on.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Course, right, Yeah, certainly, you know, I mean growing up
in my you know, early in my career, you know,
I just kind of you know, I worked in the
mid nineties, I worked at slightly north of Broad and
frankly was doing these things kind of before most you know,
so to speak, and I just kind of thought that's
the way it was. You know, one person walked in
with the mushrooms, another person walked in with the shrimp,
(03:23):
and so that was kind of embedded in me early on.
But yeah, I mean those not only are you supporting them,
but you build those relationships. You know, you watch their
kids grow up, they watch ours grow up, and you
build the relationships. And I think it makes it creates
much more of a personal connection to the food, not
only for the chef or you know, myself, but also
(03:45):
the cooks. You know, they see all these different people
coming in and I think it creates a lot more
respect for the ingredients.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Absolutely. And you also know where the ingredients come from
right now. You know, even in the grocery store, you
don't know where it's coming from. You buy ramp, it
probably comes from Vietnam, right The vegetables might come from
halfway or all the way around the world. So it's
important to know where those ingredients come from and how
they were raised right exactly. Now, what's the biggest challenge
(04:15):
facing the restaurant industry right now? The restaurant industry, you know,
that's a tough business to be in. What do you
find to be the biggest.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Challenge staffing as the huge.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Challenge I think, you know, I think just the overall
cost of everything, you know. I mean Susan, you know,
she handles a lot more of the administrative role of
our restaurants. But I mean between taxes, insurance, you know,
(04:46):
what we need to you know, pay employees to be
at yeah, labor cost, what we need to pay our
employees to be you know, an attractive option ingredient cost.
I mean, it's you know, soap pay you know, I
mean all the things that I think the general consumer
doesn't think about, and when they're thinking about perception of value,
(05:08):
I think it's you know, I think those are the
biggest challenges of still being a profitable business, but not
to the point where people are wondering why something is
so expensive, you know. I think people don't question as
much when they go to the store and their box
of cereal is you know, five point fifty instead of
three seventy five. But yet they still want to come
(05:30):
to a restaurant and get you know, this for twelve
dollars or this for eighteen dollars, and it's just becomes
a lot more difficult.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Now, Susan, you had mentioned staffing. Do you find it
hard to keep a consistent staff. And let me ask
you about the passion of young people. Do you think
the passion's still there for you know, the restaurant business,
because a lot of people that are in food and
beverage are very passionate about it.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
I definitely think there are a lot of passionate people still,
especially I would say in the back of the house,
in the kitchen, I mean, because you kind of have
to love to do it to do it, because it's
hard work. Front of the house probably sees a lot
more turnover, but still, I mean, we definitely still have
people that love their job and you know, they want
(06:15):
to be there. And it's just there's just so many
restaurants in the Charleston area, and a lot of the
people that you get are moving here from outside of
the state because they want to you know, they want
to find a new environment. And a lot of times
they get here and they decide, well, this wasn't what
I thought it was, and so you just see a
lot of people coming and going from that perspective. But
(06:38):
it's just I meanly I said, I think it's just
hard because there's so many places in Charleston and they
have a lot to choose from.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Now, do you think we could do a better job
locally of nurturing people? And I bring this up. You know,
where I was brought up, we had something called the
Career Prep Center and if you had plans to not
attend college, at least wanted to see you get a
background in a trade. It was called the Career Prep Center,
and they had a couple of trades. Hvac was one
(07:06):
of them, auto repair, and they had their own restaurant
and the school district actually had a restaurant that was
staffed by high school students and they ran this restaurant
for the lunch hours. You know, you think that that
would be a good idea for something for us to
pursue here locally.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Well, I can't speak to all the schools in the district,
but I know personally because our children have attended Wando
they do a lot of that at Wando. They have
a culinary program there and I don't know so much
if they have a restaurant, but they you know, they
do prepare the kids for that a trade. And I
mean they also do like hvac and plumbing and things
(07:44):
like that too. A cosmetology and what a culture. Again,
I don't think they have a restaurant there, but they
do prepare them for that, and I know that we
have hired a couple of the kids that are in
that program to work in our restaurants. So, like I said,
I don't know of all the high schools in the
area have that, but I know at least one to
m Unpleasant does.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Well, that's that's good to know. And let me ask
you about the philosophy that drives you each day. As
you mentioned that, you know the restaurant industry is, it's
a hard business and you have to be passionate about it.
What's the philosophy that drives you each day? Well, putting
food on the table not only for your customers, but
(08:24):
also for your own family.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, I mean a family of five, that's a philosophy
of motivation, right, you know, I mean no, I think
you know, I've always been a very competitive, passionate. Those
are some positive traits words I guess they would use
to describe me sometimes. But look, you know, I'm I'm
very driven and want to do things in a certain way.
(08:49):
And I think you know, getting up every day is
that's what drives us, you know, I mean we I
was trained by, you know, a couple of great mentors,
and that's embedded in me. And you do you have to,
you know, in a city like Charleston, with so many
incredible dining options, if you're not continually pushing yourself, reevaluating
(09:14):
how you do things, evolving you know, how you do
things not only from a tactical or logistical standpoint within
the restaurant, going back to the financial side of it,
but also continuing to evolve the menu and the service
so that you can set yourself apart from or at
least you know, be considered within the great restaurants of Charleston.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Now you've earned several James Beard nominations. Tell me how
that felt. Were you? Were you surprised by it?
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Were you, like, finally, I would say certainly more surprised.
I mean, you know, I'm certainly familiar with the foundation
and and the what those accolades can bring. I don't
think it was necessarily ever, it wasn't not a goal,
but it wasn't sort of you know, a checklist item.
(10:08):
And it certainly feels great to be recognized in the
company of so many other great chefs. But you know,
it's it's more about just going in and trying to
execute things in a way that kind of go you know,
as I said before, just trying to continually set ourselves
apart is more of a goal than the accolades, although
(10:30):
they certainly feel great.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Absolutely, I can't deny that.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Well, congratulations, sure, thank you, thank you. And let me
ask you about, you know, influence, because I was having
this conversation the other day and you know, I don't
mean to be and I'm not complaining or crying. I'm like,
I never really had in this business anyway, a mentor,
because I was always younger than everybody else and it
was a highly competitive business, and nobody took me under
(10:57):
their arm and said, hey, kid, came here is what
you do, right. I certainly had several people along the
way that I learned some things from, but nobody I
would consider a true mentor. Did you have a mentor?
And who was the biggest influence on your on your leadership?
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Sure? Go back to Frankly. I mean, he's kind of
one of the pioneers of Charleston cuisine. I walked into
his restaurant with absolutely no experience and asked him if
I could have a job.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
Well, I think you actually got the job because my
cousins worked with someone that owned the restaurant, and I
think it was more like, Okay, I'm hiring you, let's
learn how to cook.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
So you know, he took me in and you know,
just the way he I mean, if anybody leads by
example with certainly him, and he embedded you know. I
think I worked there a couple of years and just
the work ethic and the team building and camaraderie and
the respect for ingredients. H that was all kind of
(12:03):
embedded in me in those first two years of really
my cooking career, you know. And then uh, going to
Virginia and working at the Inn a little Washington, then
you're you you know, I've I have this you know,
work ethic and you know, being a team player that's
been embedded to be by Frank. And then you go
(12:25):
work for Patrick O'Connell, who is the absolute most detail oriented,
over analyzing, finding a fault in everything. Uh chef uh.
And I think you know, kind of the hybridization of
the two of them is what I can you know,
attribute a lot of the way I cook and the
(12:47):
way I lead, and and a lot of our success
is based on getting to work for both of them.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Now, has either of these two gentlemen ever visited your restaurants?
Speaker 3 (12:58):
They have, Uh, Frank, Frank has come come in a
good bit. I've cooked for him, and I don't get
nervous cooking for many people, but when he walks in,
it's a it's a different ballgame for sure.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Absolutely well, and I'm sure it's you know, it's satisfying
to be able to say, look, Frank, what you helped
me to achieve?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
It is it's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
That's great. Yeah, Now, what advice would you give to
an aspiring chef and or restaurant owner?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I think, don't do it.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Don't do it, That's what I was going to say.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Well, you know, people, you know we have we have
three boys of varying ages from teenagers into their early twenties,
and and people often ask, you know, do you think
any of your kids will get into the business, And
my responses, I certainly hope not. No. I mean, it's
it's it's very it's very rewarding. I wouldn't change it
(13:54):
for anything, but I do understand how challenging it is.
You can be very good at it and still not succeed.
I guess that's true with any field, but I feel
like there's just so many variables in the restaurant industry
that make it very challenging. You know, as far as
young aspiring cooks or chefs, I think it's very important
(14:17):
to really look like your early days in cooking are
a sacrifice. They're very hard. You know, you're starting out
from the bottom and working your way up, and I
think it's very important that you feel like you're getting
something out of it, don't you know. So work for
a place that you feel like you're getting a return
(14:38):
on your time and investment. I mean, you are getting paid,
but it's very important that you feel like you're learning
and you're getting something out of it, as opposed to maybe, oh,
well I can go work over here and you know
they're going to pay me more. But are you getting
in the end, is it going to be more financially
(14:59):
value for your time at a different place that might
be paying you more. You know, I'm not saying we
underpay people, but I think it's just very important that
you evaluate and understand that you know, the employment choices
you make kind of shape your future. If you're going
to be in this field for a long.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Time now, I know being restaurant owners is all consuming,
or it can be. Anyway. Do you guys get any
free time? What do you do when you're now working?
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Not a lot of free time?
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Yeah, not a ton. I like just spending time at
the house, hanging out, love playing golf, going to the beach.
But really you work a lot, and then when you don't,
you want to take advantage of those times. Our kids
have always played sports. You know, there's nothing I like
more than going to that and enjoying you know the
(15:49):
competitive nature of that, but really it's just being outside
and hanging out.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Yeah, And it's tough running your own business, and you know,
I would say that we'll see if you agree that
sometimes you have to or most of the time, actually
you have to put the business ahead of everything else,
including even your family sometimes, don't you.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Yeah, it's you know, you know, you miss you miss
out on some things sometimes and it does make it tough.
But there's just certain times where if if you're not
doing it, who else is And the answer is typically nobody,
So you kind of have to make those choices.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
I think that's what we signed up for.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
But well, I was going to say, I guess the
bonus in the situation is that he is mostly in
the restaurant and I do most of the work from home.
I'm not in the restaurant for most of the time,
so when there is a situation where he can't be there,
I'm there for the kids, so it's not like they're
sitting at home by themselves alone. That's the one good
(16:50):
thing is that it has allowed us to do that.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
So you've guys have found a way to strike a balance. Yes,
I believe.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So, you know, I think there's certainly a multitude of
reasons why. You know, being in business with your wife
is rewarding. But you know, as a chef prior you know,
working for other people, you know, I always took the
approach that, you know, of that sense of ownership, that
I was going to do as much as I could
and work as much as I could. So when you're
(17:18):
actually finally doing it, you know, putting that much effort
into it, But then it's for ourselves. There's certainly a
you know amount that there's certainly something there that's really rewarding.
You know that we're getting to because there were there
were a lot of sacrifices between where we are now
and and and where we started. And it's nice that
(17:40):
at least she can work from home. You know, we're
doing this for ourselves as opposed to you know, me
working for somebody else and her having to be at work.
So at least our dual working income is a little
bit more enjoyable now. Well, and that's good. And you
also have the satisfaction of knowing that you built something.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Yeah, definitely together. Yeah, it's very rewarding. Now, do you
guys have any plans for any further expansion?
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Not at this time.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
It's like, don't ask me. Yeah. I always joke with
my wife because I'll be so proud I just got
done with a project, and she'll say, well what about that?
You know, I'm like, can I just bask in the
glory of finishing this one thing before we move on
to the next.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
You know, I think, you know, you look at restaurants
kind of like kids right in a certain way, And
I mean, how many people are looking to have another
kid when they have a six or seven month old
at the house?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
You know that's right?
Speaker 4 (18:33):
Well, I always send them emails about properties that are
available and I'm like, what am I thinking? Why am
I even looking at them?
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Well, you can't get it out, you know, once it's
in your blood, you can't get it out.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Of it, right, And you know, I think going back
to staffing and attracting good people, you know, I think
one of the there were a lot of reasons, but
I think one of the main reasons to open a
second place is is diversifying yourself. Right, So in giving
people new opportunities, it doesn't just give you know, gives
myself a new opportunity to be more of a I say,
(19:04):
I switched my role from an owner, from a chef
slash owner to owner slash chef, but that it gives,
you know, somebody that's been working with us for a
long time a new opportunity to move up, or you know,
somebody to transfer to a new location that's been with
us for a few years and they want to keep
working for us, but maybe not at that particular place.
(19:26):
So having more than one place allows new opportunities for
a lot of people, and hopefully that's another way to
attract you know, great employees.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Well that's that's fantastic. Now for people who have not
been to both restaurants. What's the difference between the grocery
and Lola Rows.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
You know, I think the ingredient structure is very similar
and the inspiration you know, for dishes, so you know
where's we're using ingredients of our region, but we're more
inspired by the Mediterranean, you know. I think grocery, the
grocery is a you know, it's downtown. It's a little
(20:03):
more I guess, sophisticated to a certain degree. Whereas Lola
Rose we try to you know, our goal there was
to try to take the similar approach to ingredients you know,
and bringing in the Mediterranean, but doing it in a
little more of a casual environment. Still having a professional approach,
(20:24):
but we want you know, we're deep in Northern mount Pleasant.
We want to have families come in on a Tuesday night.
We want people to have it as a Friday night
where they can get a downtown experience, so to speak,
but in a little bit more of a casual environment,
but get great beverage offerings, get some great food. And
the food's there a little more casual, it's you know,
(20:47):
much more driven by you know, wood fired pizzas and
fresh and extruded pastas and so there's a similar ingredient structure,
but we just a more casual environment.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
I think overall, it's all about family, fun and food, right.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Chef Kevin Johnson and Susan Johnson, CEOs and co owners
of the grocery and Lola Rose. I really appreciate your
time and good luck with your restaurants, and thanks for
being here today.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yeah, we enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
You've been listening to iHeart Radios CEOs you should know,
heard every Tuesday and Saturday morning right here on this
iHeartRadio station.
iHeart Media presents CEOs You Should Know. Chef.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Kevin Johnson and his wife Susan are CEOs and co
owners of restaurants The Grocery and Lola Rose. Kevin and
Susan lived in the Holy City in the mid nineteen
nineties and then moved to Northern Virginia to pursue career
opportunities and gain additional culinary experience, with the dream of
returning to Charleston one day. While in Northern Virginia, Kevin
(00:25):
honed his skills at a small number of establishments, including
the world renowned Inn at Little Washington, where he served
as sioux chef for Patrick O'Connell. In two thousand and three,
they moved back to Charleston, and in twenty eleven, their
lifelong dream of opening their own establishment finally came to
fruition and The Grocery was opened. Since opening the Grocery,
(00:47):
Kevin has earned multiple James Beard nominations, national accolades and
helped shape the culinary scene here in the Low Country.
Kevin and Susan recently opened a new restaurant in Mount
Pleasant called Lola Rose. Welcome Kevin and Susan Johnson. Thank you,
Thanks for having us. Yeah, absolutely, thanks for being here. So, Kevin,
(01:07):
where does your passion from food come from?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I kind of stumbled into it, to be honest with you.
I had a late entry into the culinary world, but
took a liking to cooking at home in my late
teens early twenties and then began to discover that perhaps
might want to pursue it in a professional manner.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Now. I always joke, you know, because I wouldn't call
myself a chef. I mean I can cook, I can
put some things together. And everybody always asks you, you know,
where did you how did you Where did you learn
to cook? How did you learn to do that? And
I'm always like, well, I was hungry, right, And that
pretty much boils down to it. It sounds like you
had the same experience.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Right, So I was. I kind of made the choice
in my late teens to be a vegetarian, and at
that point the options weren't quite as bountiful as they
are now a day's you know, I think it's much
more mainstream. So, you know, I went and bought a
few cookbooks and kind of started teaching myself how to
cook through books at home, just out of necessity kind
(02:11):
of like you were saying.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Now you feature local farmers, fishermen, foragers, and artisans in
your restaurants. Does that make life easier for you or
do you find it to be more of a challenge
to find locally sourced ingredients.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I don't know if not doing it or doing it
is either is easier or harder. I mean, we certainly
have you know, you can't just make one phone call
and bring all the ingredients in, so that certainly is
more of a challenge. But you know, as you forge
all these relationships over the years, you tend to know
(02:45):
who has what at certain times of the year, and
you make those calls, and you know, we've built those relationships,
and it allows your menu to have the diversity and
the and the quality that we're looking for now.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
It also helps these the local fliers stay in business on.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Course, right, Yeah, certainly, you know, I mean growing up
in my you know, early in my career, you know,
I just kind of you know, I worked in the
mid nineties, I worked at slightly north of Broad and
frankly was doing these things kind of before most you know,
so to speak, and I just kind of thought that's
the way it was. You know, one person walked in
with the mushrooms, another person walked in with the shrimp,
(03:23):
and so that was kind of embedded in me early on.
But yeah, I mean those not only are you supporting them,
but you build those relationships. You know, you watch their
kids grow up, they watch ours grow up, and you
build the relationships. And I think it makes it creates
much more of a personal connection to the food, not
only for the chef or you know, myself, but also
(03:45):
the cooks. You know, they see all these different people
coming in and I think it creates a lot more
respect for the ingredients.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Absolutely. And you also know where the ingredients come from
right now. You know, even in the grocery store, you
don't know where it's coming from. You buy ramp, it
probably comes from Vietnam, right The vegetables might come from
halfway or all the way around the world. So it's
important to know where those ingredients come from and how
they were raised right exactly. Now, what's the biggest challenge
(04:15):
facing the restaurant industry right now? The restaurant industry, you know,
that's a tough business to be in. What do you
find to be the biggest.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Challenge staffing as the huge.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Challenge I think, you know, I think just the overall
cost of everything, you know. I mean Susan, you know,
she handles a lot more of the administrative role of
our restaurants. But I mean between taxes, insurance, you know,
(04:46):
what we need to you know, pay employees to be
at yeah, labor cost, what we need to pay our
employees to be you know, an attractive option ingredient cost.
I mean, it's you know, soap pay you know, I
mean all the things that I think the general consumer
doesn't think about, and when they're thinking about perception of value,
(05:08):
I think it's you know, I think those are the
biggest challenges of still being a profitable business, but not
to the point where people are wondering why something is
so expensive, you know. I think people don't question as
much when they go to the store and their box
of cereal is you know, five point fifty instead of
three seventy five. But yet they still want to come
(05:30):
to a restaurant and get you know, this for twelve
dollars or this for eighteen dollars, and it's just becomes
a lot more difficult.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Now, Susan, you had mentioned staffing. Do you find it
hard to keep a consistent staff. And let me ask
you about the passion of young people. Do you think
the passion's still there for you know, the restaurant business,
because a lot of people that are in food and
beverage are very passionate about it.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
I definitely think there are a lot of passionate people still,
especially I would say in the back of the house,
in the kitchen, I mean, because you kind of have
to love to do it to do it, because it's
hard work. Front of the house probably sees a lot
more turnover, but still, I mean, we definitely still have
people that love their job and you know, they want
(06:15):
to be there. And it's just there's just so many
restaurants in the Charleston area, and a lot of the
people that you get are moving here from outside of
the state because they want to you know, they want
to find a new environment. And a lot of times
they get here and they decide, well, this wasn't what
I thought it was, and so you just see a
lot of people coming and going from that perspective. But
(06:38):
it's just I meanly I said, I think it's just
hard because there's so many places in Charleston and they
have a lot to choose from.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Now, do you think we could do a better job
locally of nurturing people? And I bring this up. You know,
where I was brought up, we had something called the
Career Prep Center and if you had plans to not
attend college, at least wanted to see you get a
background in a trade. It was called the Career Prep Center,
and they had a couple of trades. Hvac was one
(07:06):
of them, auto repair, and they had their own restaurant
and the school district actually had a restaurant that was
staffed by high school students and they ran this restaurant
for the lunch hours. You know, you think that that
would be a good idea for something for us to
pursue here locally.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Well, I can't speak to all the schools in the district,
but I know personally because our children have attended Wando
they do a lot of that at Wando. They have
a culinary program there and I don't know so much
if they have a restaurant, but they you know, they
do prepare the kids for that a trade. And I
mean they also do like hvac and plumbing and things
(07:44):
like that too. A cosmetology and what a culture. Again,
I don't think they have a restaurant there, but they
do prepare them for that, and I know that we
have hired a couple of the kids that are in
that program to work in our restaurants. So, like I said,
I don't know of all the high schools in the
area have that, but I know at least one to
m Unpleasant does.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Well, that's that's good to know. And let me ask
you about the philosophy that drives you each day. As
you mentioned that, you know the restaurant industry is, it's
a hard business and you have to be passionate about it.
What's the philosophy that drives you each day? Well, putting
food on the table not only for your customers, but
(08:24):
also for your own family.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, I mean a family of five, that's a philosophy
of motivation, right, you know, I mean no, I think
you know, I've always been a very competitive, passionate. Those
are some positive traits words I guess they would use
to describe me sometimes. But look, you know, I'm I'm
very driven and want to do things in a certain way.
(08:49):
And I think you know, getting up every day is
that's what drives us, you know, I mean we I
was trained by, you know, a couple of great mentors,
and that's embedded in me. And you do you have to,
you know, in a city like Charleston, with so many
incredible dining options, if you're not continually pushing yourself, reevaluating
(09:14):
how you do things, evolving you know, how you do
things not only from a tactical or logistical standpoint within
the restaurant, going back to the financial side of it,
but also continuing to evolve the menu and the service
so that you can set yourself apart from or at
least you know, be considered within the great restaurants of Charleston.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Now you've earned several James Beard nominations. Tell me how
that felt. Were you? Were you surprised by it?
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Were you, like, finally, I would say certainly more surprised.
I mean, you know, I'm certainly familiar with the foundation
and and the what those accolades can bring. I don't
think it was necessarily ever, it wasn't not a goal,
but it wasn't sort of you know, a checklist item.
(10:08):
And it certainly feels great to be recognized in the
company of so many other great chefs. But you know,
it's it's more about just going in and trying to
execute things in a way that kind of go you know,
as I said before, just trying to continually set ourselves
apart is more of a goal than the accolades, although
(10:30):
they certainly feel great.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Absolutely, I can't deny that.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Well, congratulations, sure, thank you, thank you. And let me
ask you about, you know, influence, because I was having
this conversation the other day and you know, I don't
mean to be and I'm not complaining or crying. I'm like,
I never really had in this business anyway, a mentor,
because I was always younger than everybody else and it
was a highly competitive business, and nobody took me under
(10:57):
their arm and said, hey, kid, came here is what
you do, right. I certainly had several people along the
way that I learned some things from, but nobody I
would consider a true mentor. Did you have a mentor?
And who was the biggest influence on your on your leadership?
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Sure? Go back to Frankly. I mean, he's kind of
one of the pioneers of Charleston cuisine. I walked into
his restaurant with absolutely no experience and asked him if
I could have a job.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
Well, I think you actually got the job because my
cousins worked with someone that owned the restaurant, and I
think it was more like, Okay, I'm hiring you, let's
learn how to cook.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
So you know, he took me in and you know,
just the way he I mean, if anybody leads by
example with certainly him, and he embedded you know. I
think I worked there a couple of years and just
the work ethic and the team building and camaraderie and
the respect for ingredients. H that was all kind of
(12:03):
embedded in me in those first two years of really
my cooking career, you know. And then uh, going to
Virginia and working at the Inn a little Washington, then
you're you you know, I've I have this you know,
work ethic and you know, being a team player that's
been embedded to be by Frank. And then you go
(12:25):
work for Patrick O'Connell, who is the absolute most detail oriented,
over analyzing, finding a fault in everything. Uh chef uh.
And I think you know, kind of the hybridization of
the two of them is what I can you know,
attribute a lot of the way I cook and the
(12:47):
way I lead, and and a lot of our success
is based on getting to work for both of them.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Now, has either of these two gentlemen ever visited your restaurants?
Speaker 3 (12:58):
They have, Uh, Frank, Frank has come come in a
good bit. I've cooked for him, and I don't get
nervous cooking for many people, but when he walks in,
it's a it's a different ballgame for sure.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Absolutely well, and I'm sure it's you know, it's satisfying
to be able to say, look, Frank, what you helped
me to achieve?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
It is it's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
That's great. Yeah, Now, what advice would you give to
an aspiring chef and or restaurant owner?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I think, don't do it.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Don't do it, That's what I was going to say.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Well, you know, people, you know we have we have
three boys of varying ages from teenagers into their early twenties,
and and people often ask, you know, do you think
any of your kids will get into the business, And
my responses, I certainly hope not. No. I mean, it's
it's it's very it's very rewarding. I wouldn't change it
(13:54):
for anything, but I do understand how challenging it is.
You can be very good at it and still not succeed.
I guess that's true with any field, but I feel
like there's just so many variables in the restaurant industry
that make it very challenging. You know, as far as
young aspiring cooks or chefs, I think it's very important
(14:17):
to really look like your early days in cooking are
a sacrifice. They're very hard. You know, you're starting out
from the bottom and working your way up, and I
think it's very important that you feel like you're getting
something out of it, don't you know. So work for
a place that you feel like you're getting a return
(14:38):
on your time and investment. I mean, you are getting paid,
but it's very important that you feel like you're learning
and you're getting something out of it, as opposed to maybe, oh,
well I can go work over here and you know
they're going to pay me more. But are you getting
in the end, is it going to be more financially
(14:59):
value for your time at a different place that might
be paying you more. You know, I'm not saying we
underpay people, but I think it's just very important that
you evaluate and understand that you know, the employment choices
you make kind of shape your future. If you're going
to be in this field for a long.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Time now, I know being restaurant owners is all consuming,
or it can be. Anyway. Do you guys get any
free time? What do you do when you're now working?
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Not a lot of free time?
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Yeah, not a ton. I like just spending time at
the house, hanging out, love playing golf, going to the beach.
But really you work a lot, and then when you don't,
you want to take advantage of those times. Our kids
have always played sports. You know, there's nothing I like
more than going to that and enjoying you know the
(15:49):
competitive nature of that, but really it's just being outside
and hanging out.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Yeah, And it's tough running your own business, and you know,
I would say that we'll see if you agree that
sometimes you have to or most of the time, actually
you have to put the business ahead of everything else,
including even your family sometimes, don't you.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Yeah, it's you know, you know, you miss you miss
out on some things sometimes and it does make it tough.
But there's just certain times where if if you're not
doing it, who else is And the answer is typically nobody,
So you kind of have to make those choices.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
I think that's what we signed up for.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
But well, I was going to say, I guess the
bonus in the situation is that he is mostly in
the restaurant and I do most of the work from home.
I'm not in the restaurant for most of the time,
so when there is a situation where he can't be there,
I'm there for the kids, so it's not like they're
sitting at home by themselves alone. That's the one good
(16:50):
thing is that it has allowed us to do that.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
So you've guys have found a way to strike a balance. Yes,
I believe.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So, you know, I think there's certainly a multitude of
reasons why. You know, being in business with your wife
is rewarding. But you know, as a chef prior you know,
working for other people, you know, I always took the
approach that, you know, of that sense of ownership, that
I was going to do as much as I could
and work as much as I could. So when you're
(17:18):
actually finally doing it, you know, putting that much effort
into it, But then it's for ourselves. There's certainly a
you know amount that there's certainly something there that's really rewarding.
You know that we're getting to because there were there
were a lot of sacrifices between where we are now
and and and where we started. And it's nice that
(17:40):
at least she can work from home. You know, we're
doing this for ourselves as opposed to you know, me
working for somebody else and her having to be at work.
So at least our dual working income is a little
bit more enjoyable now. Well, and that's good. And you
also have the satisfaction of knowing that you built something.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Yeah, definitely together. Yeah, it's very rewarding. Now, do you
guys have any plans for any further expansion?
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Not at this time.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
It's like, don't ask me. Yeah. I always joke with
my wife because I'll be so proud I just got
done with a project, and she'll say, well what about that?
You know, I'm like, can I just bask in the
glory of finishing this one thing before we move on
to the next.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
You know, I think, you know, you look at restaurants
kind of like kids right in a certain way, And
I mean, how many people are looking to have another
kid when they have a six or seven month old
at the house?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
You know that's right?
Speaker 4 (18:33):
Well, I always send them emails about properties that are
available and I'm like, what am I thinking? Why am
I even looking at them?
Speaker 2 (18:40):
Well, you can't get it out, you know, once it's
in your blood, you can't get it out.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Of it, right, And you know, I think going back
to staffing and attracting good people, you know, I think
one of the there were a lot of reasons, but
I think one of the main reasons to open a
second place is is diversifying yourself. Right, So in giving
people new opportunities, it doesn't just give you know, gives
myself a new opportunity to be more of a I say,
(19:04):
I switched my role from an owner, from a chef
slash owner to owner slash chef, but that it gives,
you know, somebody that's been working with us for a
long time a new opportunity to move up, or you know,
somebody to transfer to a new location that's been with
us for a few years and they want to keep
working for us, but maybe not at that particular place.
(19:26):
So having more than one place allows new opportunities for
a lot of people, and hopefully that's another way to
attract you know, great employees.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Well that's that's fantastic. Now for people who have not
been to both restaurants. What's the difference between the grocery
and Lola Rows.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
You know, I think the ingredient structure is very similar
and the inspiration you know, for dishes, so you know
where's we're using ingredients of our region, but we're more
inspired by the Mediterranean, you know. I think grocery, the
grocery is a you know, it's downtown. It's a little
(20:03):
more I guess, sophisticated to a certain degree. Whereas Lola
Rose we try to you know, our goal there was
to try to take the similar approach to ingredients you know,
and bringing in the Mediterranean, but doing it in a
little more of a casual environment. Still having a professional approach,
(20:24):
but we want you know, we're deep in Northern mount Pleasant.
We want to have families come in on a Tuesday night.
We want people to have it as a Friday night
where they can get a downtown experience, so to speak,
but in a little bit more of a casual environment,
but get great beverage offerings, get some great food. And
the food's there a little more casual, it's you know,
(20:47):
much more driven by you know, wood fired pizzas and
fresh and extruded pastas and so there's a similar ingredient structure,
but we just a more casual environment.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
I think overall, it's all about family, fun and food, right.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Chef Kevin Johnson and Susan Johnson, CEOs and co owners
of the grocery and Lola Rose. I really appreciate your
time and good luck with your restaurants, and thanks for
being here today.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yeah, we enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
You've been listening to iHeart Radios CEOs you should know,
heard every Tuesday and Saturday morning right here on this
iHeartRadio station.
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