September 23, 2025 • 46 mins
The Banter
The Guys discuss whether a cheeseburger is a composed dish. What do you think?
The Conversation
The Restaurant Guys are joined by Dylan Trotter. Dylan shares anecdotes from his unique childhood, his journey into the culinary world, and the challenges and excitement of keeping his father’s legacy alive through pop-ups and potential new ventures.
The Inside Track
The Guys are grateful that Charlie Trotter was so supportive of the early iteration of The Restaurant Guys. They enjoyed sharing their memories of Charlie and talking about Dylan’s rebellious phase.
Mark: I ran to the restaurant business because that's what rebels did when we were kids. They ran to the restaurant business because they were rebelling against everything else. Your rebellious stage, you were trying to run away from the restaurant business, but couldn't make it happen.
Dylan: No, couldn't make it out…but that was really what I needed and I had a great time in the kitchen.
Dylan Trotter on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2025
Bio
Dylan Trotter is the son of the late chef and restaurateur Charlie Trotter. As a teen he worked in his father’s business at Trotter’s To Go in Chicago and later El Bulli in Spain.
After Charlie Trotter’s restaurant closed in 2012 and his passing in 2013, Dylan gradually stepped into preserving and honoring his father’s legacy. Dylan led efforts to revive Charlie Trotter’s namesake restaurant in Chicago. In 2025 he created pop-up events and restored much of the original space—while preparing for a full reopening.
Info
To find out about upcoming events charlie-trotters.com
Follow Dylan on IG https://www.instagram.com/dyltrot/
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (00:11):
Hello everybody and welcome.
You are listening to theRestaurant Guys.
I'm Mark Pascal and I'm herewith Francis Shot.
Together we own Stage Left andCatherine Lombardi restaurants
in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
We're here to bring you theinside track on food, wine, and
the finer things in life.
Hello, mark.
Hey Francis.
How are you?
I'm great.
We have coming on the show,Dylan Trotter, son of Charlie
Trotter, who is as actuallyresurrecting Charlie Trotters in
(00:35):
Chicago and all sorts coolstuff.
So stick around for our guests,but first we will have some.
Chatter among Mark and Francis.
So what are the things aboutgoing to a restaurant like
Trotters?
And we're gonna talk more aboutthis in a couple minutes mm-hmm.
But about going to, you would goand you would have a tasting
menu and you'd be put in thechef's hands.
Yes.
And I loved eating that way.
(00:56):
I think it was a great part ofthe culinary movement Yep.
and some chefs.
you know, when you createsomething, you've created a
masterpiece, right?
Yeah.
Well, today I was watchingInstagram before we were doing
the show Okay.
And I watched, and I'm using airquotes, a chef come on.
(01:17):
And he came on and he startedout the conversation with, do
you have any allergies?
And the person goes.
No, I don't have it.
I'm, I'm not allergic.
He said, then no substitutions.
And I thought, okay, what's,what's happening here?
What kind of creation has hemade?
And he was serving acheeseburger.
(01:41):
And he said, We've worked veryhard on this and it's a composed
dish.
It's a compose.
What?
Okay.
And we've come up with acomposed dish and you are going
to eat it.
The way we composed it, I guessthis guy isn't the owner?
No, he is the owner.
He's the owner chef of this, of,of this restaurant and, and I
watched that and I thought.
(02:03):
You, Dick.
I, that's all I could think ofas I watch this guy.
Come on.
And, and'cause it's acheeseburger.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
You arrogant jerk.
It's a cheeseburger.
Okay.
Most humans in the United Stateshave been deciding what their
perfect cheeseburger is sincethe time they were three years
(02:24):
old.
Okay?
And it, for some people it'swell done.
For some people it's got cheese.
For some people it's gotketchup.
For some people, it's gotmustard.
For some people, it's gotmayonnaise.
Shut up.
All right.
Shut up with your composed dish.
All I, I agree with you thatit's absurd for him to say that
that's a composed dish, but I'mgonna, I'm gonna play devil's
(02:45):
advocate for a moment.
Okay?
That, that I'm gonna tell you toshut up, be nothing new about
that.
But there rarely is theredaylight between our opinions, I
think that is generally true,and I don't want to own the
place like that, but there aresome places that are like.
This is how we make thecheeseburger.
If you like it, you can havethis cheeseburger.
You don't like it, go someplaceelse and get a cheeseburger.
(03:05):
They're like, this is how wemake the drink.
This is what we do.
We don't have decaf.
Sorry.
You can't have decaf.
And you know what?
I don't know.
There's a place in the world forthat.
There's a place in the world forlike this.
I'm, I do this.
This is what I do.
If you like it, take it If youlike, go someplace else.
So what you're saying is thereis a place in a room.
For total dicks?
No, I, I, I think that, I thinkthat some, it's a cheeseburger,
(03:26):
bro.
It's a cheeseburger.
And if you come in and you say,I'd like my cheeseburger with no
cheese, I'm gonna say, sure,yes, me too.
A cheeseburger.
Of course I am.
Okay.
And if I go anywhere andanywhere, anywhere, and I say,
can I have a cheeseburger withno cheese?
And they say, no.
I guess what I'm gonna think,can I tell you something?
(03:47):
Go ahead.
You can't have a cheeseburgerwith no cheese.
Yes, I can.
It's not a cheeseburger anymore.
Yes, I can.
I can have a cheese listcheeseburger.
It's just a hamburger.
It's just a hamburger.
That's all.
No, I think there is a cer therefor certain places like the
Belmont Tavern.
Belmont Tavern in, as inBloomfield.
Bloomfield.
Right.
And like, they don't, they don'thave, I, they don't think they
don't have the cat.
(04:07):
I'm not saying, can I have thechicken Savoy with no chicken?
You know?
No, you're not saying anythingin the Belmont Tavern.
They serve what they serve andthat's what you get.
I.
I'm saying that it's acheeseburger and there's, And
listen, I don't like it whenpeople come in and they
dismantle our dishes.
Okay.
that's not what I'm talkingabout.
Yeah.
Yeah.
okay.
I'm not talking about thecrawfish and crab salad, but I,
I want you to do it without theorange vinaigrette.
(04:30):
that's not what I'm talkingabout.
I.
People have spent their entirelives deciding how they like
their cheeseburgers.
Mm-hmm.
So for you to tell me it's acomposed dish, I I agree.
That's absurd.
And it only has to be this way.
You, you're, you're, you're overthe top.
You think too much of yourself.
I agree.
I agree that that's absurd.
But, but at the same time,token, the greasy spoon who's
(04:51):
like, like the Belmont Tavern.
You want decaf?
No, you can't have decaf.
I'm okay with it.
But what I'm lamenting at thesame time, and this is counter
counterintuitive, right, basedon what I just said, is the
tasting menu of, here's thething.
Yeah.
We spent hours and hours anddays and weeks working on making
(05:11):
it just so in this perfect waywhere it's gonna be a perfect
mouthful and you're gonna have24 perfect mouthfuls during the
next three and a half hours, andyou're gonna put yourself in our
hands.
That's a different thing and Imiss that.
Mm-hmm.
I miss mm-hmm.
Restaurants like CharlieTrotters, which was at one time,
(05:32):
number one, restaurant in thecountry, in America for sure.
Okay.
And regarded that wayeverywhere.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think, I think Trotter passedthe torch to Keller.
Mm-hmm.
And that was, that was the, theevolution of the best American
restaurant was universallyrecognized.
And I, and that.
Restaurant, and I'm so excitedto talk to Dylan Trotter later
(05:53):
in the show and to talk abouthow important restaurants like
that were in the lexicon of.
Yeah.
And what was happening in themovements?
I mean, it realized thatTrotters had the first
vegetarian or, or firstvegetable tasting menu, which
later became a vegetarian menuin, in the country.
(06:14):
And people like Roxanne Klein,who then opened her vegan raw
food restaurant in Larksburg,California, came out of
Trotter's Kitchen.
Yeah, yeah.
And so many people came fromthere and got their base
knowledge of food and cuisineand.
this tremendous learning placeand brutally hard, right?
(06:38):
Yeah.
Brutally hard place to work.
and you watch the show The Bearand you know that one of the
characters there is based afterCharlie Trotter.
Mm-hmm.
You know, and it's the characterthat both made the main
character great.
And made him crazy.
Yeah.
At the same time.
You know, I recall, um, that oneof the things that Tr Trotter
(06:58):
also got, I mean, he was a chef,but he was also like the, there
hadn't been restaurants like, Ithink probably before Trotter,
you would look to Joe Baum, whoran the Palace of the Seven
Caesars and, and all those greatrestaurants in New York that
were themed restaurants.
But it wasn't like that FrenchMichelin stard level of, of
attention to detail.
(07:18):
Mm-hmm.
And not just in, in a newcuisine, but I remember that.
Now whether this is true or not,I don't really know, but the
legend was that if there were,there was this lint on the floor
or one of the things chart Iused to hate.
When you had that, uh, little,little bit that artificial
sweetener mm-hmm.
That there would be like alittle bit of it on the, on the
floor, the corner that was tornout, that you would see that on
(07:40):
the carpet.
That he didn't want peoplewalking through and wanting us
waiters who were touching yourfood to be seen reaching down to
the floor in the middle of thedining room.
So he put double sided tape onthe bottom of their shoes and
didn't have them walk over topick it up.
Yeah.
He talked about it.
He talked about that with us onour show.
Yeah.
I think it's, I.
I still, I'm not sure itactually happened, although he
said it, it happened, but it,but either way, it's the idea of
(08:01):
making it.
invisible, making all themechanics invisible, making sure
that you had a totally curatedexperience, which that was
great.
I, I loved it.
And you know, I'm not talkingabout the cheeseburger when I
talk about, when I talk aboutthis kind of menu.
Yes.
But for Charlie Trotter, he, itwas, and, and you and I feel
(08:22):
this way and have talked about alittle bit on the show.
It was personal.
Yeah, yeah, of course, ofcourse.
It was personal.
It was him.
You were getting a piece of himevery night in his dining room
with his food.
I'm so excited that that Dylan'sgonna give us all a little piece
of, of Charlie back again.
And you should stick with usbecause Dylan's gonna do that in
(08:43):
just a moment.
You can find out more aboutus@restaurantguyspodcast.com.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (08:48):
Hey there everybody.
Welcome back.
You know, few restaurants haveleft as deep a mark on American
Dining as Charlie Trotters inChicago, and today we are
talking with Dylan Trotter,Charlie's son.
Charlie was a great friend ofthe restaurant guys appearing on
our show a couple times andreally helping us to get
established as a nationallyimportant food podcast in the
beginning.
So we're grateful to Dylan andhis family.
(09:08):
Dylan has a distinguished careerof his own, having worked front
and back of the house atrestaurants like Lbu Lee, GT
Fish Oyster, and GT Prime.
Now he's taking on theextraordinary task of renovating
and reopening the very spacewhere his father's restaurants
once stood, financing therestoration himself, and
bringing in many of Charlie'sclosest friends and colleagues
for pop-up dinners and breathingnew life into the landmark of
(09:31):
American cuisine.
He's also digitizing hisfather's cookbooks and cooking
shows, and ensuring Charlie'svoice and vision continue to
inspire the next generation.
And we couldn't be happier thathe's our guest today on the
restaurant.
Guys, Dylan Trotter.
Welcome to the show.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (09:44):
Thank you guys so much for having me.
it's an honor to get to speakwith you.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (09:48):
No, the honor's, all ours and, you
know, your dad was superimportant to us.
Yeah, so realizing the, in thebeginning, Francis and I would
have guests, you know, everyshow, just kind of like we do
now, but your dad was the firstreally famous chef we had that
we didn't already know who waswilling to come on our show.
(10:11):
And he really broke the ice fora lot of people because in those
days, and frankly, it stillhappens now.
Everybody wants to know who wason your show, who else was on,
who else was on before they wantto come on.
So before Danny Meyer came on,he wanted to know who was on
Before, you know, Thomas Kellerwas on.
He wanted to know who was on,and the answer was always, well,
Charlie Trotter was on.
(10:32):
And then everybody would belike, okay, Charlie was on, I'll
be on your show.
Yeah.
Yeah.
He was really, and that's, andwas such a big start for us, a
very important, meaningful guyfor us.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (10:40):
Well, um, you know, now, I can say
that I was on your podcast andtherefore I can get onto other
podcasts.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12-2 (10:47):
I think you're, you're we're a
legacy.
it was really tremendous.
I just wanna say, and then, andthen your dad did one other
thing is that, he evidentlyliked our podcast and he told a
lot of people we were great,which is terrific, and
especially in 20 years ago, tohave Charlie Trotter saying,
you're great.
That will do good things foryour reputation.
the show was really taking offand becoming nationally
important, but our staff waslike, it's like when your
(11:07):
parents do something cool,you're like, you don't believe
that it's that cool?
And I think you might know whatwe're talking about.
and we had our staff went out, acouple of our members of our
staff went out to Chicago andwere having dinner at Trotters.
And they knew they were in therestaurant business and they
said, where you're from?
They said, we're from NewJersey.
And they said, oh, do you knowthe restaurant guys?
Like we work for the restaurantguys.
And your dad had played ourepisode for his staff.
(11:29):
And so the last people toconsider the restaurant guys an
important show were our ownstaff.
And it was due to you and yourdad as well.
Finally one who convinced themthat it finally won them over.
dylan-trotter_2_0 (11:39):
unbelievable.
I mean, um, and, and this isgoing back.
2005
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (11:43):
2005.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Wild 2005 is when we started theshow.
So,
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (11:48):
2020 years.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (11:49):
so what was it like growing up?
Charlie Trotter's son, man, he'sthe most important chef in
America at the time.
what was that like?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (11:58):
Um, it was, it was normal for me.
I, I knew no other life, uh, soI, I thought everything I was
experiencing was just run of themill, but, uh.
it couldn't be further from thetruth.
It was an extraordinary,childhood and you know, and I
didn't, I didn't appreciate ituntil later.
I always thought that I, youknow, oh, maybe I don't know
too, too much about this orabout that, but just being
(12:19):
around my dad, I was absorbingthis, um, knowledge and
information and, and just thiscool charisma.
I mean, he was a one in, Ialways say, a one in 10 million
kind of person, because.
don't make it like that
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (12:33):
You could probably use a bigger
number than that.
Yeah, I think it would be fair.
So that's, you know, I, I read alot of your, your story and for
me it was very parallel.
'cause my dad was, an innovator,an entrepreneur, and somebody
who really, really liked reallygood food and.
I was a 10-year-old kid whowasn't sure cheese belonged on a
(12:55):
hamburger, you know, uh, it was,it took me a long time to kind
of grow into all the cool foodsthat my father was showing me.
I saw some of that.
And you, you're sitting next tosome of the, the world's famous
chefs and your dad's like, yougotta eat it.
Right.
so tell us about.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12- (13:12):
Tetsuya, Wata, I mean, uh, you know,
going to Sydney, Australia at,13 years old to eat, uh, at
Tetsuya, and my dad's like.
You better eat everything onthis plate.
The chef is sitting next to youfor dinner in his own
restaurant.
And, um, you know, it just,whoa, like, uh, it was, it was a
really special thing.
And getting to try, I was apicky eater basically until that
(13:36):
trip.
It was the trip to Australiathat up my palate.
'cause I, I always wanted plainTurkey sandwiches with the crust
cutoff.
And then, uh, my, my dad's like,this is the trip.
Like, you know.
Crash course, you must eateverything.
And, uh, ever since then, it'slike, you know, organ meats, you
know, insects, whatever it is, Ithrow it my way and try
(13:58):
everything at least once.
Guinea pig,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (14:01):
Yep.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2 (14:01):
alpaca, whatever it might be.
I.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (14:03):
That was my dad's rule too.
You had to try everything.
You had to try everything.
Unfortunately, once it was onyour plate, you had to eat
everything that was on yourplate.
Mm.
So if you took it, it was onyour plate.
There was no wasting anything.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (14:14):
And yeah, my dad certainly, did that
for a lot of people.
He exposed a lot of people, tocuisine.
I mean, three times a week in,in this very room, I'm sitting
in the studio kitchen, which iswhere, it's, it's a house.
it's still feels very homey inhere.
the kitchen's in front of me,you can't see it, but it's kind
of like a Martha Stewart.
In-home kitchen for like filminghis PBS series.
(14:37):
the kitchen sessions withCharlie Trotter, three seasons,
behind me, you know, room forone big dining room table that
could seat 20.
And so three times a week hewould have, 20, Chicago public
school students in here to havethe same meal that the paying
guests were having next door.
just to expose them not just tothe cuisine, but the service,
(14:59):
and to let them ask questions.
to the cooks who would presentthe food to the wait staff and
the sommelier, you know, thesekids would be trying things just
like me when I was a kid that,I'll try one little bite of,
liver, this, this, lamb's tongueor something.
But, uh.
You know, asking a lot ofquestions, and it was a learning
experience for everybody and forthe staff who were put on the
(15:20):
spot that they have to do,public speaking, even if it's to
high school students, you stillget nervous.
Um, you, you gotta talk to aroom full of people and you
gotta know, how to, presentyourself and, and articulate,
what you do to pursue excellenceon a daily basis.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (15:35):
You know, and to anyone who that
seems maybe a little trivial,like, oh, you know, is that
really what high school studentsneed?
Yeah.
I think for a lot of studentswho.
Maybe it wasn't in theircultural background or they
didn't have the money to wind upbeing in a place like Charlie
Trotters.
If you as a teenager can becomfortable in a dining room,
and we always say this about therestaurant, I mean, I never
(15:56):
walked into a fine diningrestaurant until I was applying
for a job.
Um, and by I learned about howto be in this environment and
how to exist in this environmentand then command this
environment.
There's a lot business dealshappen in restaurants.
The way that things happen inrestaurants is related to
business and culture and, andif, if young people are taught
(16:19):
to navigate food and thisculture in western restaurants,
that's a, that's a big skill.
And it was great that your daddid that.
love that.
I love that, so important toindoctrinate the, the next
generation and, and give peoplethat, you know, you talk about
giving people a leg up, right?
and we talk about privilege andbeing underprivileged.
One of the ways that people areunder privileged is they don't
(16:42):
get to experience how.
This works.
And a lot of stuff happens inrestaurants, and I think that's
what Francis was alluding to.
Yeah.
The business deal, theinterview, all those things
happen in restaurants and ifyou're comfortable in that
setting, that gives you a leg upin those deals in.
dylan-trotter_2_08-1 (16:59):
Certainly.
And um, and, and it wassomething that.
Even being around it, you don'trealize that it might be
affecting you until years later.
It's like, you see, um, otherpeople and, who might not be in
the restaurant industry and, yourealize I actually know more the
average person because I wasaround it.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (17:20):
Yep.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_13 (17:20):
I didn't, I kind of doubted myself
and now I, I try not to,because.
it's a special thing to, to begrowing up in this world and,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (17:29):
you were in a very special place and
there's a lot that comes withthat, and some of it is
responsibility, right, that youhave now, but some of that was
that the, the.
Cool stuff that you were exposedto early, at an early age.
So when you were a kid, what wasit like you came after school to
the restaurant and like how wereyou immersed in the restaurant?
How did that work with yougrowing up?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (17:50):
YY I mean, I, yeah.
After school I would come to therestaurant and, you know, it's,
less than a 10 minute drive.
It's like an eight minute drivefrom my school to the
restaurant.
It's cl it was closer than ourhouse.
So I would come here you know,my dad would pick me up, he'd
swing out of a meeting, pick meup.
Uh, he drove my grandfather's1990 Burgundy Jaguar.
And, uh, it was the one that hadlike the automatic seat belts
(18:13):
that would go up.
Um, but it was, it was prettyold.
And like even, you know, by2000, the floor under the
passenger seat had like rustedout so you could move the floor
mat and see the road But,anyway, so I would, uh, come
here up in the office upstairs.
Um, you know, he had the chessboard set up in the office.
(18:34):
We'd always play chess.
Uh, managers would come in, youknow, having him double check
menus and so, you know, you haveto call this person or, you
know, there's a meeting with,with, uh, you know, a new deal
over here or, you know, he'dhave to run out, come back,
staff meal.
I'd get to come downstairs andhave staff meal with everybody.
Um.
the-restaurant-guys (18:53):
tremendous.
A lot of good stuff happens atstaff meal every day.
dylan-trotter_2_08- (18:57):
Definitely.
And you see how many people whowere like my brothers and
sisters'cause my dad was like afather figure to them.
So, you know, 30 cooks and 30front of the house, uh, more.
I mean it was, um, it was anarmy of people over here.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (19:13):
The other thing, and this has really
changed.
Okay, so one of the things thatthat used to happen at Family
Meal, that doesn't happen thesame way at Family Meal anymore,
that we still talk about the,the restaurant, and.
Who's coming in and what's gonnahappen that day.
But there was a time, so beforeyou start having your meeting,
when everybody's eating, therewas a time where the staff would
(19:37):
be talking to each other.
And so much of that time now isspent with them looking up,
catching up on their phone,catching up on whatever they
missed while, while we weredoing setup.
Yeah.
whatever email or text thatthey're trying to catch up on.
And they don't use that time totalk to each other anymore.
And it's, it's really, you cansee how it's affecting their
(20:00):
relationships with each other.
Mm-hmm.
And negatively.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (20:03):
it's unfortunate and it's like, even,
even now, I'm like noticingthere, I'm gonna put that there,
noticing that my phone is on thecounter and it's like a
subconscious, you're alwaysglancing at it.
I, I just had to go and hide it
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (20:17):
Yeah.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (20:18):
um.
It's, it's terrible.
And you're at dinner even evenat dinner with friends and, and
people are looking at theirphone.
But I find if you have, I haddinner last night with a former
trotter manager and, with one ofmy millennial friends and my
girlfriend.
And because he, he was soengaged and so excited to be in
town and, and part of our, uh,recent dinner, telling us
(20:41):
stories, regaling us with theseincredible stories that we were
so.
up in it.
There was no way we could lookat
the-restaurant-guys_2_0 (20:47):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (20:48):
it was a wonderful thing.
So it helps to have someonefrom, from your generation who,
isn't so conditioned.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12-2 (20:55):
I think he just called you old
friends.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm, I think that's, I thinkthat that's what he did.
Right.
But like a, like a,
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (20:59):
just like 10 years older than me.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (21:01):
like a vintage wine mark.
Like a vintage wine.
So, so how do, now you come ofage and you decide to enter the
restaurant business, was thereever an idea that you wouldn't
enter the restaurant businessyourself?
Or was it a direct line?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (21:13):
Yeah, I mean, there was a lot of ideas
because my dad said, whateveryour heart tells you.
Do what you love.
And, I, I didn't exactly find mycalling, You know, kind of have
some rough teenage years andrebellious phase and, um, I love
drawing and sketching in mynotebook and, I played tennis
and piano and, um, I was on thechess club, but it, um, you
(21:37):
know, it just, I wasn't reallyfinding my calling.
And then.
know, I was, I was dealing witha lot of family issues and, My
dad getting sick, and everythingpassing away when I was 22.
So I, and he knew what he wantedto do when he was in his early
twenties.
He.
was about 21 when it, I think itclicked for him that he loved
cooking just for his collegeroommates.
(21:59):
Um, and that was where, wherethe passion came from.
But for me, I found over thelast 10 years that my passion
has really come from, you know,I don't wanna say forced, but it
was my dad was trying to get meto just do something.
So as a, you know, 14, 15 yearsold, uh, I was working at
Trotters to go his to go store.
Um, I felt it was too muchpressure to officially get on
(22:22):
the payroll at Charlie Trotters.
It was a little intense overhere, and I would put these
expectations.
I'm his son, I should knoweverything.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (22:30):
My kids felt exactly the same way
and still feel the same waywhen, when they're here.
Mm-hmm.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (22:35):
to go was like a little more easy
going.
You just, kind of.
You're in the back.
There's not guests like, yellingat you.
You're just like preparing thesesandwiches and packaging them
and a little more easy and youcan kind of get the ropes of
here's how you make more basicthings, salad sandwiches, soups,
and so that was nice.
getting thrown into L Bully at17 was a bit of hardcore
(22:58):
exposure therapy.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (22:59):
did that happen?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (23:01):
well it was one of those things where
my dad just said, You know,right as the school year ended
when I was 17, we're we'releaving, uh, tomorrow we're,
we're going to Europe, so packyour bag.
I'm like, not really anexplanation.
then, um, we show up in Spain,Barcelona, drive up to Roses,
had dinner at Bule, 36 courses.
(23:22):
stuff.
And, This is, yeah, 2008.
then he, he, you know, leaves meat the hotel and says, all
right, you're gonna be living atthis hotel for the next three
months.
And I'm like, what?
And it's like, yes, you're goingto work tomorrow, where we just
had dinner.
So, uh, that was crazy.
I mean, I wasn't, I, I, Icouldn't even appreciate the
food back then.
(23:43):
I was just sort of absorbing.
Socially being with these 50cooks, only 10 of them spoke
English, going to the disco techafter work every night.
I was, I was 17 and this oneAustralian guy gave me his,
expired driver's license.
that said I was over 18 so Icould get into disco tech,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (24:03):
That's awesome.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2 (24:04):
getting exposed to Europe was, was
crazy.
But,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (24:06):
So when you're Charlie Trotter's
kid, what happens is your choiceis to work at BU Lee or run
away.
Yeah.
Those, that's, that's what yougot.
You got those two choices.
Mm-hmm.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (24:16):
know, then, um, I, you know, I mean,
I, and I wasn't back in theindustry after that until right
after he passed away, like,within four or five months when
I was, like really depressed,sulking at the bar at GT Fish
and Oyster, that's a GI chef,Giuseppe Tin Tori's restaurant
who.
Was a sous chef and chef tocuisine at Trotters.
(24:38):
Um, he worked here for sevenyears and, you know, he came up
to me and I was sitting thereand he is like, you know, Dylan,
what are you doing?
he could tell that I neededlike, some help and was like,
you come work in the kitchentomorrow.
Like, okay, yes chef.
And so that got me back andreally, you know, before it was
kind of like I.
(25:00):
I was just Charlie Schroder'sson.
And I, you know, he's just a kidand we don't need to ride him
too hard this time, you know, Iwas an adult.
I was just another hook on theline, and I had to contribute to
the team.
If there was, you know, ifanything was wrong at my
station, that was my fault and Iwas letting the team down.
They would have to come and fixthe problem.
(25:21):
And step away from theirstation.
So it was like a real, you haveto pick it up because there's
people depending on you.
and so that was really what,what I needed at the time, uh,
to feel like I was part ofsomething.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (25:32):
You said you had a rebellious stage
and remember very well myrebellious stage.
I ran to the restaurant businessbecause that's what rebels,
that's what Rebels did when wewere kids.
They ran to the restaurantbusiness because you know, you
were rebelling againsteverything else.
Your rebellious stage, you weretrying to run away from the
restaurant business, butcouldn't, couldn't make it
happen.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (25:51):
No, couldn't make it out.
but yes, it was, you know, goingback to, uh, structured life was
back at the
the-restaurant-guys_2_0 (25:57):
Mm-hmm.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (25:58):
So, that was really what I needed
and I had a great time in thekitchen.
you know, finally once it clicksfor you, there's like emotional,
um, breaking points and then youget through that and you're a
much better person for it, andthen you can work.
Fast and with diligence and thatwas great.
And then after, like a year of,in the kitchen, uh, my second
(26:18):
year there, I switched to thefront of the house and was
running food.
And I felt that, well, I've beenhands on with the food.
I know the dishes so well that Ican explain this to the guests
in detail if they wanted, Sothat was fantastic.
And I sort of realized that Ihad a more of a natural ability
for the front of the house.
it just came a little more easyto me talking to people and
(26:40):
occasionally it would be like,oh, I, we ate at your dad's
restaurant.
I'm like, oh, incredible.
So, it was fun to hear otherpeople's stories about Trotters
and, went to Los Angeles for ayear, worked at a huge
steakhouse out there, BOASteakhouse.
Um, like over 400 seats
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (26:56):
Wow.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (26:57):
was all about, take out the stakes
as fast as you can, get them tothe table as fast as you can.
Um, it was high volume and itwas, you know, then tableside
Caesar salad.
So it was fun to do a littletableside presentation for the
guests.
Um, but while you also had tolike do it quickly, try to be
charming, balance all thesethings, you don't wanna feel
(27:19):
like.
You're rushing through them, but
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (27:21):
But your other tables might be
giving you the stink eye whileyou're, while you're making
somebody else's Caesar saladacross the room.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-20 (27:28):
right.
And then one person says, okay,I want mine with no anchovies.
And someone else says, I wantmine with no mustard.
And you know you're, boy, Igotta make five salads right
here.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (27:38):
if you don't mind if, I hope this
isn't too personal, but whenyour dad got sick and then,
Francis (27:42):
andpassed away.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (27:43):
That must have been a real rift in
your life and, the restaurantthat he founded and your family.
Can you tell us about thatexperience?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (27:50):
Um, I mean, yeah, just, you know,
basically, yeah, it wasdevastating.
I mean, um, even though we knewhe had some serious medical
issues, um, in the few yearsleading up to it, nobody saw it
coming.
especially not me.
I mean, I was, maybe I wastrying to run away from it.
Um,'cause it's hard to acceptthat, you know, the person that
(28:11):
you looked up to your whole lifeas the, you know, the one who
supported you througheverything.
who was like Superman could everget sick or falter or, I think I
was bearing my head in the sand.
And then, you know, the reality,it just hit, on one day.
So, uh, it was, it was not good.
it, it sort of tore everythingapart and, uh, you know, family
(28:33):
relationships fell apart.
You know, the restaurant wasgone and you, you find out who
your real friends are real quickbecause the people who were
there for the fame andeverything like that, I mean,
and that was kind of happeningthe restaurant closed anyway,
but it was really serious afterhe was gone.
know, there's a lot of peoplewho love to be near the
(28:55):
limelight and everything likethat.
And once he was gone, they, theywere gone.
And, um.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (29:00):
Yep.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (29:01):
But the people who stuck around,
that's who you knew, who werelike your, the real family.
And not necessarily related byblood, all the, guys who worked
on the restaurant building allthese years, it was open.
They're basically, we, liked togo by their first name and their
trade.
It was John the painter, al theelectrician.
(29:22):
Frank, the plumber and theseguys, were always here.
So John, the painter though,especially, I was especially
close to him.
and my dad really loved himbecause he would, paint all the
walls and everything in, in, inthe restaurant at the house, in
the front of the restaurant, outon the exterior.
And my dad would say, look atwhat John does.
He meticulously draws the linewith the brush.
(29:44):
He doesn't even need painter'stape.
Just right where the moldingmeets the floor.
so I would actually work jobswith John the painter as his
assistant.
so we, we got close and he wasalways there for me after my dad
passed.
there's, there's a handful ofpeople like that I can count on
one hand who were there for me,
the-restaurant-guys_2_0 (29:59):
that's,
Mark (30:00):
A tough
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (30:00):
lesson as a young man to, to find out
that some of those people whowere surrounded.
You were not surrounding you forthe best reasons, you know, for
the right reasons.
It's, it's, it's a verydifficult thing to go through
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (30:14):
And well, it's, and it's not
necessarily that, everyone whowas no longer around had bad
intentions
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (30:20):
Sure.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (30:21):
there for
the-restaurant-guys (30:21):
Absolutely.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2 (30:22):
There's a lot of folks who they were
struggling on their own paths inlife and, or maybe they were too
young to give me a hand.
I now, I'm trying to get to bemore and more in a position to
help other people, but I'm stilltrying to help myself first.
So I get that there's people outthere that I should be trying to
help.
But I need to get my ownbusiness off the ground first
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (30:44):
have a chance.
I, I suspect you'll have achance to help those people if
you want to.
Well, actually, if you stickwith us, we're gonna come back
on the other side.
We're gonna talk with Dylanabout what he's doing.
They're actually doing dinnersin the old Charlie Trotter space
and bringing it back to life ina lot of different ways.
It's super exciting and superfun.
And if you come back in theother side, you can learn all
about it and you can always findout more about
us@restaurantguyspodcast.com.
(31:04):
Hey everybody.
Welcome back to us talking withDylan Trotter Dylan.
So you are resurrecting the veryspace that housed Charlie
Trotter's two addresses inChicago that sat dormant for a
long time.
How is it possible they satdormant for so long and didn't
get converted to another use?
Uh, and and what have you had todo to bring them back and what's
(31:25):
the state of it right now?
When can we come to dinner?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (31:28):
Well, uh, you could come to dinner
September 28th.
But we're doing these popups,sometimes once a month,
sometimes twice a month.
we're not open full-time yet.
Um, how did it come to be, thatnothing happened here?
I couldn't say for sure.
I was not really calling theshots, back in the day.
you know, I, it was verydifficult once something shuts
(31:49):
down.
You've got, that were built 145years ago, converted into
restaurants.
you know, not easy to bring backonline.
Um, o only in 2020 did I, uh,get to the decision making power
to, do whatever I thoughtnecessary with the buildings.
(32:11):
And so the first thing I did wasI moved in.
Um, I, up in the, the, theformer office, that's where I
live now, and, just converted itinto a little, bachelor pad.
And, uh, that's great because I,I needed to be on site 24 7
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (32:28):
just about to say the, the first
thing you learn when you as ayoung restaur is you're gonna be
there a lot.
Yeah.
So if you're already livingthere, that's a, that's a good
jumpstart.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (32:37):
it's the best commute in the world.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (32:39):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And the worst.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (32:41):
but then the building needed a lot
of work, uh, starting from theexterior.
I mean, uh, tough pointing.
The, the masonry work on the, onthe sides of the building that
support this, the wholestructure, the roofing, you
know, these vines in thebackyard had overtaken
everything.
They'd overtook the garage, the,the siding of the building, the
wood siding would rotted out.
(33:02):
Then the vines had gone from upthe backyard up over the
building, over the roof, ontothe other side, onto the
neighbor's property.
the, the whole thing, it took along time.
like I said, roofing brickwork,um, even like all, all the
painting on, on the, on thefront, the tr the trellis where
the vines grow, you know, allthe rust on the railings for the
wheelchair ramp, everything.
(33:23):
You know, it's the things youdon't think about.
They all needed to be broughtback to life and we're still
working on it to this day.
Um,'cause then after theexterior was done.
was like the interior.
And we also, you know, I, Ididn't have any air conditioning
when I first moved in upstairs.
It was so hot, get the new ACunit, H-H-V-A-C, uh, furnace,
(33:44):
plumbing, hot water tanks,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (33:46):
Well, and you had to
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (33:47):
this,
the-restaurant-guys_2_ (33:47):
kitchen, right, and bring the kitchen
back as well.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (33:49):
yes.
Yeah.
So, and, and that, and the, thekitchen was really like the
last.
The last year, um, I spent onthe kitchen, uh, the commercial
kitchen.
'cause there's also the studiokitchen.
Um, so commercial kitchen, it,it's like these, the bone ranges
from 1996.
All the equipment in there isfrom when, when my dad renovated
in 90, 96, 10 years after theybuilt the first kitchen.
(34:14):
And so all the refrigeration,all the ovens, is from 96.
So to, it's all custom built,like into a, cement curb.
So with the, the tile work goingup the curb so that it's easier
to clean.
You could power wash the hotlineon the floor and everything.
And, uh, but you can't just,it's not like today's countertop
(34:35):
refrigerators.
You can't just wheel them out.
When they break and wheel in anew one.
We'd, we'd have to teareverything out and knock down
the wall just to get the ovensout.
the-restaurant-guys_2_0 (34:43):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (34:44):
the refrigerator's out.
So I'm like, we need to repairthese things.
Um, so like new copper lines andnew condenser units on the roof
and, learning how bonnets workand the, the guts of it, the,
igniter valves and the thermalcouplings,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (34:57):
those of you who don't know, the bone
range was simply the oven stove,kitchen console to have, but
they're all custom made and inplace, and this is exactly the
problem when they're that oldand you're trying to repair
them.
It's all, it's all a custom job,but.
It's also the most prestigiousrange you can set yourself in,
in front of, but so can you tellus about some of the popups that
(35:18):
you've been having, who've beenpartnering with, who's been
coming in to do cool stuff at atyour spot and what are you gonna
call it?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_13 (35:23):
I mean, for these popups we're
sticking with Charlie Trottersbecause it's, it, you know, the
vibe in here is very much whatit, what it used to be.
And, it's sort of this classic,feeling ki like the James Beard
House perhaps.
our first, guest chef, To, tokick everything off right as the
kitchen was ready to go.
And just as the dining roomskind of felt like they were
(35:44):
almost there, was Chef Bra Akiof Alinea, Alinea.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (35:48):
Who was a, who was a student of your
father for a long time?
Mm-hmm.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (35:53):
the number one guy in Chicago, after
my dad closed.
so it was super cool to have himin here.
He was already doing a trottertribute menu at his restaurant
next,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (36:03):
Yep.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (36:03):
every four months changes their menu.
And, that was going really well.
We had worked together on thatfor four months and I said, Hey,
what you wanna come do it here?
And it was like a last minutething.
We got the permit to do, do thepopup a day before the first
dinner.
We had already sold tickets.
We're like, where's the permit?
Come on.
And,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (36:22):
We need deadlines.
We're restaurant people.
We need deadlines.
That's just the way it is.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (36:27):
so that we did it for two weeks and
it went so well.
We said let's do another twoweeks.
So
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (36:31):
Nice.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (36:31):
full month
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (36:32):
That's terrific.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (36:33):
that was amazing.
Kicked it right off.
And then, since then, in March,John Shields from, uh, three
Michelin Smith, uh, and theloyalist is his, uh, more casual
gastro pub in the basementthere.
he's another Trotter alumni, um,worked here with his wife Karen.
I think they met in the kitchenhere.
Um, so there's a lot of, a lotof couples who met in the
(36:54):
kitchen or in the front of thehouse at Trotters,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (36:56):
what's planned for the rest of the year
and into to 2026.
How many of these, how manyweeks a year do you think you're
gonna be open with popups?
And when do you think if allgoes well, you'll be able to
actually open again full time?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-20 (37:08):
We're, yeah, we're doing one to two a
month.
I mean, yeah, we had JohnShields, Justin Cogley, uh, of
Aber, Jean, and uh, uh, Carmelby the Sea.
Um, Nancy Silverton has come andcooked.
Um, I mean, there's many more Ican't even name, but we're,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (37:23):
That's a pretty good lineup so far.
Yeah, you're doing.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (37:26):
uh, but, uh, you know, we, we're
doing like one to two a monthand, uh.
Uh, you know, we're gonna do afew more, um, you know, up until
the end of the year.
But I think the idea is to tryto get something going full-time
here.
Five, be open five to six days aweek.
And, you know, the restaurantlandscape has changed so much
(37:47):
since my dad's time.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (37:48):
It's.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (37:49):
for the, of course, for these
special events, people wouldlove to do these, 7, 8, 9 course
dinners.
But I think for a permanent.
Fixture may be just in thestudio kitchen.
We do a, a real CharlieTrotter's dinner for like 16
people, but next door in themain building.
I believe it needs to be a morecasual concept
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (38:11):
Yeah.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (38:12):
that, that the price point's a little
easier.
And sometimes it's not even justthe price, but even people's
time.
People kind of these days don'treally wanna do a three hour
experience.
a lot of them, them wanna be inand out in, maybe an hour, maybe
an hour and a half.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (38:26):
For me, what I see is a, it's a
control thing.
People are, are so much lesslikely, and we talked about this
with, with one of the, on one ofthe live shows, people are so
much less likely to just putthemselves in your hands.
Than they used to be.
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's when,when we look back over the 33
years we've been doing this, wehad a, in the early days we had
(38:48):
an eight course tasting menu, orfive course tasting menu, or
three course tasting menu, andthen our, a la carte menu, and
half of our guests were doingone of the tasting menus or
more.
Um, now if we, if we put out atasting menu, it's 10%.
I mean, it's, it's, and we don'tdo it that much because, so, so
many people want to control whatthey do, their time.
(39:08):
how many courses they're gonnahave, exactly what they're gonna
eat.
My friend wants to eat this.
I don't eat this.
it's not the same as, as it usedto be, where, let me put myself
in your
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (39:17):
And I, I appreciate that wisdom and
I, I could learn a thing or twofrom you guys.
I'd, I'd love to come out thereand, and dine and, and, and, and
hear what advice you might havefor me because, it's a, it's a,
it's a rough landscape.
but I, I am, I'm confident inthe, in the brand of Charlie
Trotters.
And even if we do, you know, mydad had other spinoff sort of
things.
He had Bar Charlie in Las Vegas.
(39:38):
Uh, which earned a Michelin starin its first year.
And that was like an Oma Casasushi restaurant.
He had a restaurant c uh, likethe letter C in Mexico at the
one and only Palm Mia hotel.
Um, so more o ocean, a la carte,um, you know, and Trotters to go
where I worked.
So take out, you know, grainsalads, uh, pasta, cold pasta
(39:59):
salads, rotisserie chicken.
Um, there's a million differentways to go, so maybe putting my
own spin on it.
Making something more casual,but you know, a tip of the hat
to the legacy, uh, while stillgiving maybe for, for a select
number of guests, the, the realoriginal experience.
You have a standing invitation.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (40:17):
to come out dinner with us anytime.
You're out on the, do you evermake it out to the East coast?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (40:22):
oh yeah.
I, I, I love it out there.
Boston, New York,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (40:25):
Great.
Well, we're, we're not far fromNew York City.
You I'd love to sit down withyou in our restaurant and raise
a glass to your dad.
Uh, and also we wanna come seeyou.
So how will our listeners findout about, what's going on?
with your place and with thepopups that might be coming up,
and how do they stay
Francis (40:42):
apprised of what's going on.
and
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (40:43):
when you're gonna get open?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (40:45):
Well, um, you know, the, the easiest
way is to follow me on myInstagram at Dil Trott, so it's
D-Y-L-T-R-O-T, dil Trott.
But, uh, that's where Iannounced our upcoming popups
and have a link on there.
Um, they, they do get sold outlike the day of, which I'm super
blessed that that happens.
(41:05):
Um, I'll actually, I'll send anemail to our newsletter before I
post on there.
So that's who gets the firstchance to get tickets
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (41:13):
If you're driving in your car right
now and you can't write thisdown, you can always go to our
show notes.
We're gonna put all thisinformation on this show so you
can follow, uh, what's going onin Chicago at the same time.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (41:22):
and sign up for our newsletter.
It's charlie trotters.com.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (41:26):
So I heard a rumor that you are
putting together your father'sold PBS show and somehow gonna
re-release that wonderful,wonderful three year, show.
He did spill the beans a littlebit there.
What's going on?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (41:39):
Well, you know, we're still working
out the details, but, uh,Melanie Kosaka, who was the
producer of the KitchenSessions, um, she lives in
Honolulu, but we filmed somefootage for a pilot and, uh,
interviewed Chef Keller, um,chef ATTs and a, and a handful
of others.
just to put a pilot together.
We're pitching that around.
We're gonna re-release theoriginal, uh, series, but we're
(42:01):
also gonna do a new series whereI would go and interview, second
and third generation, kids, butnow adults like myself who are
in the restaurant industry orrestaurant adjacent.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (42:12):
that's great.
I love it.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (42:13):
to hear, you know, how do you
preserve your family's legacy,but also put your own
fingerprint on
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (42:19):
That's amazing.
Well, you have, I mean, you havea unique story, but at the same
time, I'm sure that it, it is arelatable story for a lot of
people whose parents have beendoing this for a long time.
Right.
dylan-trotter_2_08- (42:30):
Definitely, I mean, it's, they, our parents
influence us more than anybody.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (42:33):
Dude.
Well, Dylan, it's been amazingtalking to you and, we're happy
to spread the word about thecool stuff you're doing out
there.
And don't be surprised if weturn up in Chicago at hopefully
one of the popups before you getopen Completely.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (42:45):
Okay.
I'll email you guys first beforethe tickets sell
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12-2 (42:47):
I love it.
I love it.
I love it.
Terrific.
Thank you Dylan.
We'll be back in just a moment.
Don't go away.
You can always find out moreabout
us@restaurantguyspodcast.com.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (43:15):
Hey there.
Welcome back.
very cool.
Absolutely.
Very cool.
I, I love it.
It's a ton of pressure though,that kid's under a lot of kid,
kid.
That young.
Yeah, that man is under a lot ofpressure.
He is.
Kids today.
Big, big shoes to fill.
Yeah.
Big shoes to fill.
And it looks like he's ready.
Yeah.
To do it.
Smart, smart, way to look atthings.
You know, it reminds me, it doesmake me feel like an old man,
(43:36):
but I think we've done a fewthings, right?
And we're gonna invite him tomaybe do a collaboration dinner
with us and our chefs.
So don't be surprised if you seea trotter dinner here in New
Brunswick, New Jersey.
Absolutely.
so we have, Dylan Trotter,Charlie, Dr.
Trotter's son.
We have Augustina Hobbes mm-hmm.
Who we're doing, doing wine withPaul Hobbs' daughter.
Yep.
We have Grace Corson, KathyCoon's daughter.
(43:58):
Mm-hmm.
who else have we got?
We've got, George Henry'snephew.
Yep.
Michael.
And, uh, it just means we're oldfricking guys, but honestly, it
warms my heart to see.
We always talk about it's an oldfashioned way of doing business.
You know, it's the, here's thewhole chain of production.
You see it right here.
when you see it pass on fromgeneration to generation in a
small business like that, Ithink it's very hard to do and I
(44:19):
think it's a great thing to do.
Well, this business is not foreverybody, so not every.
Business is gonna get passed tothe next generation.
Right, right, right.
So I, love it when I seesomebody kind of ready to grab
that mat and well, and you knowwho else we saw with the
Brennan's when we were down inNew Orleans?
Mm-hmm.
It's another family businessthat goes from generation to
generation.
That's been like fourgenerations.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's amazing.
So kudos to them.
(44:39):
Kudos to him.
Keep your ear to the ground.
Because probably we're gonna dosomething with a Stage Left,
trotter collaboration.
that was a super fun time.
Hope you've enjoyed the timewith us and Dylan Trotter.
I'm Mark Pascal.
I'm Francis Shot.
We are the restaurant guys.
You can always find out moreabout
us@restaurantguyspodcast.com.
Hello everybody and welcome.
You are listening to theRestaurant Guys.
I'm Mark Pascal and I'm herewith Francis Shot.
Together we own Stage Left andCatherine Lombardi restaurants
in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
We're here to bring you theinside track on food, wine, and
the finer things in life.
Hello, mark.
Hey Francis.
How are you?
I'm great.
We have coming on the show,Dylan Trotter, son of Charlie
Trotter, who is as actuallyresurrecting Charlie Trotters in
(00:35):
Chicago and all sorts coolstuff.
So stick around for our guests,but first we will have some.
Chatter among Mark and Francis.
So what are the things aboutgoing to a restaurant like
Trotters?
And we're gonna talk more aboutthis in a couple minutes mm-hmm.
But about going to, you would goand you would have a tasting
menu and you'd be put in thechef's hands.
Yes.
And I loved eating that way.
(00:56):
I think it was a great part ofthe culinary movement Yep.
and some chefs.
you know, when you createsomething, you've created a
masterpiece, right?
Yeah.
Well, today I was watchingInstagram before we were doing
the show Okay.
And I watched, and I'm using airquotes, a chef come on.
(01:17):
And he came on and he startedout the conversation with, do
you have any allergies?
And the person goes.
No, I don't have it.
I'm, I'm not allergic.
He said, then no substitutions.
And I thought, okay, what's,what's happening here?
What kind of creation has hemade?
And he was serving acheeseburger.
(01:41):
And he said, We've worked veryhard on this and it's a composed
dish.
It's a compose.
What?
Okay.
And we've come up with acomposed dish and you are going
to eat it.
The way we composed it, I guessthis guy isn't the owner?
No, he is the owner.
He's the owner chef of this, of,of this restaurant and, and I
watched that and I thought.
(02:03):
You, Dick.
I, that's all I could think ofas I watch this guy.
Come on.
And, and'cause it's acheeseburger.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
You arrogant jerk.
It's a cheeseburger.
Okay.
Most humans in the United Stateshave been deciding what their
perfect cheeseburger is sincethe time they were three years
(02:24):
old.
Okay?
And it, for some people it'swell done.
For some people it's got cheese.
For some people it's gotketchup.
For some people, it's gotmustard.
For some people, it's gotmayonnaise.
Shut up.
All right.
Shut up with your composed dish.
All I, I agree with you thatit's absurd for him to say that
that's a composed dish, but I'mgonna, I'm gonna play devil's
(02:45):
advocate for a moment.
Okay?
That, that I'm gonna tell you toshut up, be nothing new about
that.
But there rarely is theredaylight between our opinions, I
think that is generally true,and I don't want to own the
place like that, but there aresome places that are like.
This is how we make thecheeseburger.
If you like it, you can havethis cheeseburger.
You don't like it, go someplaceelse and get a cheeseburger.
(03:05):
They're like, this is how wemake the drink.
This is what we do.
We don't have decaf.
Sorry.
You can't have decaf.
And you know what?
I don't know.
There's a place in the world forthat.
There's a place in the world forlike this.
I'm, I do this.
This is what I do.
If you like it, take it If youlike, go someplace else.
So what you're saying is thereis a place in a room.
For total dicks?
No, I, I, I think that, I thinkthat some, it's a cheeseburger,
(03:26):
bro.
It's a cheeseburger.
And if you come in and you say,I'd like my cheeseburger with no
cheese, I'm gonna say, sure,yes, me too.
A cheeseburger.
Of course I am.
Okay.
And if I go anywhere andanywhere, anywhere, and I say,
can I have a cheeseburger withno cheese?
And they say, no.
I guess what I'm gonna think,can I tell you something?
(03:47):
Go ahead.
You can't have a cheeseburgerwith no cheese.
Yes, I can.
It's not a cheeseburger anymore.
Yes, I can.
I can have a cheese listcheeseburger.
It's just a hamburger.
It's just a hamburger.
That's all.
No, I think there is a cer therefor certain places like the
Belmont Tavern.
Belmont Tavern in, as inBloomfield.
Bloomfield.
Right.
And like, they don't, they don'thave, I, they don't think they
don't have the cat.
(04:07):
I'm not saying, can I have thechicken Savoy with no chicken?
You know?
No, you're not saying anythingin the Belmont Tavern.
They serve what they serve andthat's what you get.
I.
I'm saying that it's acheeseburger and there's, And
listen, I don't like it whenpeople come in and they
dismantle our dishes.
Okay.
that's not what I'm talkingabout.
Yeah.
Yeah.
okay.
I'm not talking about thecrawfish and crab salad, but I,
I want you to do it without theorange vinaigrette.
(04:30):
that's not what I'm talkingabout.
I.
People have spent their entirelives deciding how they like
their cheeseburgers.
Mm-hmm.
So for you to tell me it's acomposed dish, I I agree.
That's absurd.
And it only has to be this way.
You, you're, you're, you're overthe top.
You think too much of yourself.
I agree.
I agree that that's absurd.
But, but at the same time,token, the greasy spoon who's
(04:51):
like, like the Belmont Tavern.
You want decaf?
No, you can't have decaf.
I'm okay with it.
But what I'm lamenting at thesame time, and this is counter
counterintuitive, right, basedon what I just said, is the
tasting menu of, here's thething.
Yeah.
We spent hours and hours anddays and weeks working on making
(05:11):
it just so in this perfect waywhere it's gonna be a perfect
mouthful and you're gonna have24 perfect mouthfuls during the
next three and a half hours, andyou're gonna put yourself in our
hands.
That's a different thing and Imiss that.
Mm-hmm.
I miss mm-hmm.
Restaurants like CharlieTrotters, which was at one time,
(05:32):
number one, restaurant in thecountry, in America for sure.
Okay.
And regarded that wayeverywhere.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think, I think Trotter passedthe torch to Keller.
Mm-hmm.
And that was, that was the, theevolution of the best American
restaurant was universallyrecognized.
And I, and that.
Restaurant, and I'm so excitedto talk to Dylan Trotter later
(05:53):
in the show and to talk abouthow important restaurants like
that were in the lexicon of.
Yeah.
And what was happening in themovements?
I mean, it realized thatTrotters had the first
vegetarian or, or firstvegetable tasting menu, which
later became a vegetarian menuin, in the country.
(06:14):
And people like Roxanne Klein,who then opened her vegan raw
food restaurant in Larksburg,California, came out of
Trotter's Kitchen.
Yeah, yeah.
And so many people came fromthere and got their base
knowledge of food and cuisineand.
this tremendous learning placeand brutally hard, right?
(06:38):
Yeah.
Brutally hard place to work.
and you watch the show The Bearand you know that one of the
characters there is based afterCharlie Trotter.
Mm-hmm.
You know, and it's the characterthat both made the main
character great.
And made him crazy.
Yeah.
At the same time.
You know, I recall, um, that oneof the things that Tr Trotter
(06:58):
also got, I mean, he was a chef,but he was also like the, there
hadn't been restaurants like, Ithink probably before Trotter,
you would look to Joe Baum, whoran the Palace of the Seven
Caesars and, and all those greatrestaurants in New York that
were themed restaurants.
But it wasn't like that FrenchMichelin stard level of, of
attention to detail.
(07:18):
Mm-hmm.
And not just in, in a newcuisine, but I remember that.
Now whether this is true or not,I don't really know, but the
legend was that if there were,there was this lint on the floor
or one of the things chart Iused to hate.
When you had that, uh, little,little bit that artificial
sweetener mm-hmm.
That there would be like alittle bit of it on the, on the
floor, the corner that was tornout, that you would see that on
(07:40):
the carpet.
That he didn't want peoplewalking through and wanting us
waiters who were touching yourfood to be seen reaching down to
the floor in the middle of thedining room.
So he put double sided tape onthe bottom of their shoes and
didn't have them walk over topick it up.
Yeah.
He talked about it.
He talked about that with us onour show.
Yeah.
I think it's, I.
I still, I'm not sure itactually happened, although he
said it, it happened, but it,but either way, it's the idea of
(08:01):
making it.
invisible, making all themechanics invisible, making sure
that you had a totally curatedexperience, which that was
great.
I, I loved it.
And you know, I'm not talkingabout the cheeseburger when I
talk about, when I talk aboutthis kind of menu.
Yes.
But for Charlie Trotter, he, itwas, and, and you and I feel
(08:22):
this way and have talked about alittle bit on the show.
It was personal.
Yeah, yeah, of course, ofcourse.
It was personal.
It was him.
You were getting a piece of himevery night in his dining room
with his food.
I'm so excited that that Dylan'sgonna give us all a little piece
of, of Charlie back again.
And you should stick with usbecause Dylan's gonna do that in
(08:43):
just a moment.
You can find out more aboutus@restaurantguyspodcast.com.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (08:48):
Hey there everybody.
Welcome back.
You know, few restaurants haveleft as deep a mark on American
Dining as Charlie Trotters inChicago, and today we are
talking with Dylan Trotter,Charlie's son.
Charlie was a great friend ofthe restaurant guys appearing on
our show a couple times andreally helping us to get
established as a nationallyimportant food podcast in the
beginning.
So we're grateful to Dylan andhis family.
(09:08):
Dylan has a distinguished careerof his own, having worked front
and back of the house atrestaurants like Lbu Lee, GT
Fish Oyster, and GT Prime.
Now he's taking on theextraordinary task of renovating
and reopening the very spacewhere his father's restaurants
once stood, financing therestoration himself, and
bringing in many of Charlie'sclosest friends and colleagues
for pop-up dinners and breathingnew life into the landmark of
(09:31):
American cuisine.
He's also digitizing hisfather's cookbooks and cooking
shows, and ensuring Charlie'svoice and vision continue to
inspire the next generation.
And we couldn't be happier thathe's our guest today on the
restaurant.
Guys, Dylan Trotter.
Welcome to the show.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (09:44):
Thank you guys so much for having me.
it's an honor to get to speakwith you.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (09:48):
No, the honor's, all ours and, you
know, your dad was superimportant to us.
Yeah, so realizing the, in thebeginning, Francis and I would
have guests, you know, everyshow, just kind of like we do
now, but your dad was the firstreally famous chef we had that
we didn't already know who waswilling to come on our show.
(10:11):
And he really broke the ice fora lot of people because in those
days, and frankly, it stillhappens now.
Everybody wants to know who wason your show, who else was on,
who else was on before they wantto come on.
So before Danny Meyer came on,he wanted to know who was on
Before, you know, Thomas Kellerwas on.
He wanted to know who was on,and the answer was always, well,
Charlie Trotter was on.
(10:32):
And then everybody would belike, okay, Charlie was on, I'll
be on your show.
Yeah.
Yeah.
He was really, and that's, andwas such a big start for us, a
very important, meaningful guyfor us.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (10:40):
Well, um, you know, now, I can say
that I was on your podcast andtherefore I can get onto other
podcasts.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12-2 (10:47):
I think you're, you're we're a
legacy.
it was really tremendous.
I just wanna say, and then, andthen your dad did one other
thing is that, he evidentlyliked our podcast and he told a
lot of people we were great,which is terrific, and
especially in 20 years ago, tohave Charlie Trotter saying,
you're great.
That will do good things foryour reputation.
the show was really taking offand becoming nationally
important, but our staff waslike, it's like when your
(11:07):
parents do something cool,you're like, you don't believe
that it's that cool?
And I think you might know whatwe're talking about.
and we had our staff went out, acouple of our members of our
staff went out to Chicago andwere having dinner at Trotters.
And they knew they were in therestaurant business and they
said, where you're from?
They said, we're from NewJersey.
And they said, oh, do you knowthe restaurant guys?
Like we work for the restaurantguys.
And your dad had played ourepisode for his staff.
(11:29):
And so the last people toconsider the restaurant guys an
important show were our ownstaff.
And it was due to you and yourdad as well.
Finally one who convinced themthat it finally won them over.
dylan-trotter_2_0 (11:39):
unbelievable.
I mean, um, and, and this isgoing back.
2005
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (11:43):
2005.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Wild 2005 is when we started theshow.
So,
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (11:48):
2020 years.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (11:49):
so what was it like growing up?
Charlie Trotter's son, man, he'sthe most important chef in
America at the time.
what was that like?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (11:58):
Um, it was, it was normal for me.
I, I knew no other life, uh, soI, I thought everything I was
experiencing was just run of themill, but, uh.
it couldn't be further from thetruth.
It was an extraordinary,childhood and you know, and I
didn't, I didn't appreciate ituntil later.
I always thought that I, youknow, oh, maybe I don't know
too, too much about this orabout that, but just being
(12:19):
around my dad, I was absorbingthis, um, knowledge and
information and, and just thiscool charisma.
I mean, he was a one in, Ialways say, a one in 10 million
kind of person, because.
don't make it like that
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (12:33):
You could probably use a bigger
number than that.
Yeah, I think it would be fair.
So that's, you know, I, I read alot of your, your story and for
me it was very parallel.
'cause my dad was, an innovator,an entrepreneur, and somebody
who really, really liked reallygood food and.
I was a 10-year-old kid whowasn't sure cheese belonged on a
(12:55):
hamburger, you know, uh, it was,it took me a long time to kind
of grow into all the cool foodsthat my father was showing me.
I saw some of that.
And you, you're sitting next tosome of the, the world's famous
chefs and your dad's like, yougotta eat it.
Right.
so tell us about.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12- (13:12):
Tetsuya, Wata, I mean, uh, you know,
going to Sydney, Australia at,13 years old to eat, uh, at
Tetsuya, and my dad's like.
You better eat everything onthis plate.
The chef is sitting next to youfor dinner in his own
restaurant.
And, um, you know, it just,whoa, like, uh, it was, it was a
really special thing.
And getting to try, I was apicky eater basically until that
(13:36):
trip.
It was the trip to Australiathat up my palate.
'cause I, I always wanted plainTurkey sandwiches with the crust
cutoff.
And then, uh, my, my dad's like,this is the trip.
Like, you know.
Crash course, you must eateverything.
And, uh, ever since then, it'slike, you know, organ meats, you
know, insects, whatever it is, Ithrow it my way and try
(13:58):
everything at least once.
Guinea pig,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (14:01):
Yep.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2 (14:01):
alpaca, whatever it might be.
I.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (14:03):
That was my dad's rule too.
You had to try everything.
You had to try everything.
Unfortunately, once it was onyour plate, you had to eat
everything that was on yourplate.
Mm.
So if you took it, it was onyour plate.
There was no wasting anything.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (14:14):
And yeah, my dad certainly, did that
for a lot of people.
He exposed a lot of people, tocuisine.
I mean, three times a week in,in this very room, I'm sitting
in the studio kitchen, which iswhere, it's, it's a house.
it's still feels very homey inhere.
the kitchen's in front of me,you can't see it, but it's kind
of like a Martha Stewart.
In-home kitchen for like filminghis PBS series.
(14:37):
the kitchen sessions withCharlie Trotter, three seasons,
behind me, you know, room forone big dining room table that
could seat 20.
And so three times a week hewould have, 20, Chicago public
school students in here to havethe same meal that the paying
guests were having next door.
just to expose them not just tothe cuisine, but the service,
(14:59):
and to let them ask questions.
to the cooks who would presentthe food to the wait staff and
the sommelier, you know, thesekids would be trying things just
like me when I was a kid that,I'll try one little bite of,
liver, this, this, lamb's tongueor something.
But, uh.
You know, asking a lot ofquestions, and it was a learning
experience for everybody and forthe staff who were put on the
(15:20):
spot that they have to do,public speaking, even if it's to
high school students, you stillget nervous.
Um, you, you gotta talk to aroom full of people and you
gotta know, how to, presentyourself and, and articulate,
what you do to pursue excellenceon a daily basis.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (15:35):
You know, and to anyone who that
seems maybe a little trivial,like, oh, you know, is that
really what high school studentsneed?
Yeah.
I think for a lot of studentswho.
Maybe it wasn't in theircultural background or they
didn't have the money to wind upbeing in a place like Charlie
Trotters.
If you as a teenager can becomfortable in a dining room,
and we always say this about therestaurant, I mean, I never
(15:56):
walked into a fine diningrestaurant until I was applying
for a job.
Um, and by I learned about howto be in this environment and
how to exist in this environmentand then command this
environment.
There's a lot business dealshappen in restaurants.
The way that things happen inrestaurants is related to
business and culture and, andif, if young people are taught
(16:19):
to navigate food and thisculture in western restaurants,
that's a, that's a big skill.
And it was great that your daddid that.
love that.
I love that, so important toindoctrinate the, the next
generation and, and give peoplethat, you know, you talk about
giving people a leg up, right?
and we talk about privilege andbeing underprivileged.
One of the ways that people areunder privileged is they don't
(16:42):
get to experience how.
This works.
And a lot of stuff happens inrestaurants, and I think that's
what Francis was alluding to.
Yeah.
The business deal, theinterview, all those things
happen in restaurants and ifyou're comfortable in that
setting, that gives you a leg upin those deals in.
dylan-trotter_2_08-1 (16:59):
Certainly.
And um, and, and it wassomething that.
Even being around it, you don'trealize that it might be
affecting you until years later.
It's like, you see, um, otherpeople and, who might not be in
the restaurant industry and, yourealize I actually know more the
average person because I wasaround it.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (17:20):
Yep.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_13 (17:20):
I didn't, I kind of doubted myself
and now I, I try not to,because.
it's a special thing to, to begrowing up in this world and,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (17:29):
you were in a very special place and
there's a lot that comes withthat, and some of it is
responsibility, right, that youhave now, but some of that was
that the, the.
Cool stuff that you were exposedto early, at an early age.
So when you were a kid, what wasit like you came after school to
the restaurant and like how wereyou immersed in the restaurant?
How did that work with yougrowing up?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (17:50):
YY I mean, I, yeah.
After school I would come to therestaurant and, you know, it's,
less than a 10 minute drive.
It's like an eight minute drivefrom my school to the
restaurant.
It's cl it was closer than ourhouse.
So I would come here you know,my dad would pick me up, he'd
swing out of a meeting, pick meup.
Uh, he drove my grandfather's1990 Burgundy Jaguar.
And, uh, it was the one that hadlike the automatic seat belts
(18:13):
that would go up.
Um, but it was, it was prettyold.
And like even, you know, by2000, the floor under the
passenger seat had like rustedout so you could move the floor
mat and see the road But,anyway, so I would, uh, come
here up in the office upstairs.
Um, you know, he had the chessboard set up in the office.
(18:34):
We'd always play chess.
Uh, managers would come in, youknow, having him double check
menus and so, you know, you haveto call this person or, you
know, there's a meeting with,with, uh, you know, a new deal
over here or, you know, he'dhave to run out, come back,
staff meal.
I'd get to come downstairs andhave staff meal with everybody.
Um.
the-restaurant-guys (18:53):
tremendous.
A lot of good stuff happens atstaff meal every day.
dylan-trotter_2_08- (18:57):
Definitely.
And you see how many people whowere like my brothers and
sisters'cause my dad was like afather figure to them.
So, you know, 30 cooks and 30front of the house, uh, more.
I mean it was, um, it was anarmy of people over here.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (19:13):
The other thing, and this has really
changed.
Okay, so one of the things thatthat used to happen at Family
Meal, that doesn't happen thesame way at Family Meal anymore,
that we still talk about the,the restaurant, and.
Who's coming in and what's gonnahappen that day.
But there was a time, so beforeyou start having your meeting,
when everybody's eating, therewas a time where the staff would
(19:37):
be talking to each other.
And so much of that time now isspent with them looking up,
catching up on their phone,catching up on whatever they
missed while, while we weredoing setup.
Yeah.
whatever email or text thatthey're trying to catch up on.
And they don't use that time totalk to each other anymore.
And it's, it's really, you cansee how it's affecting their
(20:00):
relationships with each other.
Mm-hmm.
And negatively.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (20:03):
it's unfortunate and it's like, even,
even now, I'm like noticingthere, I'm gonna put that there,
noticing that my phone is on thecounter and it's like a
subconscious, you're alwaysglancing at it.
I, I just had to go and hide it
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (20:17):
Yeah.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (20:18):
um.
It's, it's terrible.
And you're at dinner even evenat dinner with friends and, and
people are looking at theirphone.
But I find if you have, I haddinner last night with a former
trotter manager and, with one ofmy millennial friends and my
girlfriend.
And because he, he was soengaged and so excited to be in
town and, and part of our, uh,recent dinner, telling us
(20:41):
stories, regaling us with theseincredible stories that we were
so.
up in it.
There was no way we could lookat
the-restaurant-guys_2_0 (20:47):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (20:48):
it was a wonderful thing.
So it helps to have someonefrom, from your generation who,
isn't so conditioned.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12-2 (20:55):
I think he just called you old
friends.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm, I think that's, I thinkthat that's what he did.
Right.
But like a, like a,
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (20:59):
just like 10 years older than me.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (21:01):
like a vintage wine mark.
Like a vintage wine.
So, so how do, now you come ofage and you decide to enter the
restaurant business, was thereever an idea that you wouldn't
enter the restaurant businessyourself?
Or was it a direct line?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (21:13):
Yeah, I mean, there was a lot of ideas
because my dad said, whateveryour heart tells you.
Do what you love.
And, I, I didn't exactly find mycalling, You know, kind of have
some rough teenage years andrebellious phase and, um, I love
drawing and sketching in mynotebook and, I played tennis
and piano and, um, I was on thechess club, but it, um, you
(21:37):
know, it just, I wasn't reallyfinding my calling.
And then.
know, I was, I was dealing witha lot of family issues and, My
dad getting sick, and everythingpassing away when I was 22.
So I, and he knew what he wantedto do when he was in his early
twenties.
He.
was about 21 when it, I think itclicked for him that he loved
cooking just for his collegeroommates.
(21:59):
Um, and that was where, wherethe passion came from.
But for me, I found over thelast 10 years that my passion
has really come from, you know,I don't wanna say forced, but it
was my dad was trying to get meto just do something.
So as a, you know, 14, 15 yearsold, uh, I was working at
Trotters to go his to go store.
Um, I felt it was too muchpressure to officially get on
(22:22):
the payroll at Charlie Trotters.
It was a little intense overhere, and I would put these
expectations.
I'm his son, I should knoweverything.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (22:30):
My kids felt exactly the same way
and still feel the same waywhen, when they're here.
Mm-hmm.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (22:35):
to go was like a little more easy
going.
You just, kind of.
You're in the back.
There's not guests like, yellingat you.
You're just like preparing thesesandwiches and packaging them
and a little more easy and youcan kind of get the ropes of
here's how you make more basicthings, salad sandwiches, soups,
and so that was nice.
getting thrown into L Bully at17 was a bit of hardcore
(22:58):
exposure therapy.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (22:59):
did that happen?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (23:01):
well it was one of those things where
my dad just said, You know,right as the school year ended
when I was 17, we're we'releaving, uh, tomorrow we're,
we're going to Europe, so packyour bag.
I'm like, not really anexplanation.
then, um, we show up in Spain,Barcelona, drive up to Roses,
had dinner at Bule, 36 courses.
(23:22):
stuff.
And, This is, yeah, 2008.
then he, he, you know, leaves meat the hotel and says, all
right, you're gonna be living atthis hotel for the next three
months.
And I'm like, what?
And it's like, yes, you're goingto work tomorrow, where we just
had dinner.
So, uh, that was crazy.
I mean, I wasn't, I, I, Icouldn't even appreciate the
food back then.
(23:43):
I was just sort of absorbing.
Socially being with these 50cooks, only 10 of them spoke
English, going to the disco techafter work every night.
I was, I was 17 and this oneAustralian guy gave me his,
expired driver's license.
that said I was over 18 so Icould get into disco tech,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (24:03):
That's awesome.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2 (24:04):
getting exposed to Europe was, was
crazy.
But,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (24:06):
So when you're Charlie Trotter's
kid, what happens is your choiceis to work at BU Lee or run
away.
Yeah.
Those, that's, that's what yougot.
You got those two choices.
Mm-hmm.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (24:16):
know, then, um, I, you know, I mean,
I, and I wasn't back in theindustry after that until right
after he passed away, like,within four or five months when
I was, like really depressed,sulking at the bar at GT Fish
and Oyster, that's a GI chef,Giuseppe Tin Tori's restaurant
who.
Was a sous chef and chef tocuisine at Trotters.
(24:38):
Um, he worked here for sevenyears and, you know, he came up
to me and I was sitting thereand he is like, you know, Dylan,
what are you doing?
he could tell that I neededlike, some help and was like,
you come work in the kitchentomorrow.
Like, okay, yes chef.
And so that got me back andreally, you know, before it was
kind of like I.
(25:00):
I was just Charlie Schroder'sson.
And I, you know, he's just a kidand we don't need to ride him
too hard this time, you know, Iwas an adult.
I was just another hook on theline, and I had to contribute to
the team.
If there was, you know, ifanything was wrong at my
station, that was my fault and Iwas letting the team down.
They would have to come and fixthe problem.
(25:21):
And step away from theirstation.
So it was like a real, you haveto pick it up because there's
people depending on you.
and so that was really what,what I needed at the time, uh,
to feel like I was part ofsomething.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (25:32):
You said you had a rebellious stage
and remember very well myrebellious stage.
I ran to the restaurant businessbecause that's what rebels,
that's what Rebels did when wewere kids.
They ran to the restaurantbusiness because you know, you
were rebelling againsteverything else.
Your rebellious stage, you weretrying to run away from the
restaurant business, butcouldn't, couldn't make it
happen.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (25:51):
No, couldn't make it out.
but yes, it was, you know, goingback to, uh, structured life was
back at the
the-restaurant-guys_2_0 (25:57):
Mm-hmm.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (25:58):
So, that was really what I needed
and I had a great time in thekitchen.
you know, finally once it clicksfor you, there's like emotional,
um, breaking points and then youget through that and you're a
much better person for it, andthen you can work.
Fast and with diligence and thatwas great.
And then after, like a year of,in the kitchen, uh, my second
(26:18):
year there, I switched to thefront of the house and was
running food.
And I felt that, well, I've beenhands on with the food.
I know the dishes so well that Ican explain this to the guests
in detail if they wanted, Sothat was fantastic.
And I sort of realized that Ihad a more of a natural ability
for the front of the house.
it just came a little more easyto me talking to people and
(26:40):
occasionally it would be like,oh, I, we ate at your dad's
restaurant.
I'm like, oh, incredible.
So, it was fun to hear otherpeople's stories about Trotters
and, went to Los Angeles for ayear, worked at a huge
steakhouse out there, BOASteakhouse.
Um, like over 400 seats
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (26:56):
Wow.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (26:57):
was all about, take out the stakes
as fast as you can, get them tothe table as fast as you can.
Um, it was high volume and itwas, you know, then tableside
Caesar salad.
So it was fun to do a littletableside presentation for the
guests.
Um, but while you also had tolike do it quickly, try to be
charming, balance all thesethings, you don't wanna feel
(27:19):
like.
You're rushing through them, but
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (27:21):
But your other tables might be
giving you the stink eye whileyou're, while you're making
somebody else's Caesar saladacross the room.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-20 (27:28):
right.
And then one person says, okay,I want mine with no anchovies.
And someone else says, I wantmine with no mustard.
And you know you're, boy, Igotta make five salads right
here.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (27:38):
if you don't mind if, I hope this
isn't too personal, but whenyour dad got sick and then,
Francis (27:42):
andpassed away.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (27:43):
That must have been a real rift in
your life and, the restaurantthat he founded and your family.
Can you tell us about thatexperience?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (27:50):
Um, I mean, yeah, just, you know,
basically, yeah, it wasdevastating.
I mean, um, even though we knewhe had some serious medical
issues, um, in the few yearsleading up to it, nobody saw it
coming.
especially not me.
I mean, I was, maybe I wastrying to run away from it.
Um,'cause it's hard to acceptthat, you know, the person that
(28:11):
you looked up to your whole lifeas the, you know, the one who
supported you througheverything.
who was like Superman could everget sick or falter or, I think I
was bearing my head in the sand.
And then, you know, the reality,it just hit, on one day.
So, uh, it was, it was not good.
it, it sort of tore everythingapart and, uh, you know, family
(28:33):
relationships fell apart.
You know, the restaurant wasgone and you, you find out who
your real friends are real quickbecause the people who were
there for the fame andeverything like that, I mean,
and that was kind of happeningthe restaurant closed anyway,
but it was really serious afterhe was gone.
know, there's a lot of peoplewho love to be near the
(28:55):
limelight and everything likethat.
And once he was gone, they, theywere gone.
And, um.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (29:00):
Yep.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (29:01):
But the people who stuck around,
that's who you knew, who werelike your, the real family.
And not necessarily related byblood, all the, guys who worked
on the restaurant building allthese years, it was open.
They're basically, we, liked togo by their first name and their
trade.
It was John the painter, al theelectrician.
(29:22):
Frank, the plumber and theseguys, were always here.
So John, the painter though,especially, I was especially
close to him.
and my dad really loved himbecause he would, paint all the
walls and everything in, in, inthe restaurant at the house, in
the front of the restaurant, outon the exterior.
And my dad would say, look atwhat John does.
He meticulously draws the linewith the brush.
(29:44):
He doesn't even need painter'stape.
Just right where the moldingmeets the floor.
so I would actually work jobswith John the painter as his
assistant.
so we, we got close and he wasalways there for me after my dad
passed.
there's, there's a handful ofpeople like that I can count on
one hand who were there for me,
the-restaurant-guys_2_0 (29:59):
that's,
Mark (30:00):
A tough
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (30:00):
lesson as a young man to, to find out
that some of those people whowere surrounded.
You were not surrounding you forthe best reasons, you know, for
the right reasons.
It's, it's, it's a verydifficult thing to go through
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (30:14):
And well, it's, and it's not
necessarily that, everyone whowas no longer around had bad
intentions
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (30:20):
Sure.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (30:21):
there for
the-restaurant-guys (30:21):
Absolutely.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2 (30:22):
There's a lot of folks who they were
struggling on their own paths inlife and, or maybe they were too
young to give me a hand.
I now, I'm trying to get to bemore and more in a position to
help other people, but I'm stilltrying to help myself first.
So I get that there's people outthere that I should be trying to
help.
But I need to get my ownbusiness off the ground first
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (30:44):
have a chance.
I, I suspect you'll have achance to help those people if
you want to.
Well, actually, if you stickwith us, we're gonna come back
on the other side.
We're gonna talk with Dylanabout what he's doing.
They're actually doing dinnersin the old Charlie Trotter space
and bringing it back to life ina lot of different ways.
It's super exciting and superfun.
And if you come back in theother side, you can learn all
about it and you can always findout more about
us@restaurantguyspodcast.com.
(31:04):
Hey everybody.
Welcome back to us talking withDylan Trotter Dylan.
So you are resurrecting the veryspace that housed Charlie
Trotter's two addresses inChicago that sat dormant for a
long time.
How is it possible they satdormant for so long and didn't
get converted to another use?
Uh, and and what have you had todo to bring them back and what's
(31:25):
the state of it right now?
When can we come to dinner?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (31:28):
Well, uh, you could come to dinner
September 28th.
But we're doing these popups,sometimes once a month,
sometimes twice a month.
we're not open full-time yet.
Um, how did it come to be, thatnothing happened here?
I couldn't say for sure.
I was not really calling theshots, back in the day.
you know, I, it was verydifficult once something shuts
(31:49):
down.
You've got, that were built 145years ago, converted into
restaurants.
you know, not easy to bring backonline.
Um, o only in 2020 did I, uh,get to the decision making power
to, do whatever I thoughtnecessary with the buildings.
(32:11):
And so the first thing I did wasI moved in.
Um, I, up in the, the, theformer office, that's where I
live now, and, just converted itinto a little, bachelor pad.
And, uh, that's great because I,I needed to be on site 24 7
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (32:28):
just about to say the, the first
thing you learn when you as ayoung restaur is you're gonna be
there a lot.
Yeah.
So if you're already livingthere, that's a, that's a good
jumpstart.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (32:37):
it's the best commute in the world.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (32:39):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And the worst.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (32:41):
but then the building needed a lot
of work, uh, starting from theexterior.
I mean, uh, tough pointing.
The, the masonry work on the, onthe sides of the building that
support this, the wholestructure, the roofing, you
know, these vines in thebackyard had overtaken
everything.
They'd overtook the garage, the,the siding of the building, the
wood siding would rotted out.
(33:02):
Then the vines had gone from upthe backyard up over the
building, over the roof, ontothe other side, onto the
neighbor's property.
the, the whole thing, it took along time.
like I said, roofing brickwork,um, even like all, all the
painting on, on the, on thefront, the tr the trellis where
the vines grow, you know, allthe rust on the railings for the
wheelchair ramp, everything.
(33:23):
You know, it's the things youdon't think about.
They all needed to be broughtback to life and we're still
working on it to this day.
Um,'cause then after theexterior was done.
was like the interior.
And we also, you know, I, Ididn't have any air conditioning
when I first moved in upstairs.
It was so hot, get the new ACunit, H-H-V-A-C, uh, furnace,
(33:44):
plumbing, hot water tanks,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (33:46):
Well, and you had to
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (33:47):
this,
the-restaurant-guys_2_ (33:47):
kitchen, right, and bring the kitchen
back as well.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (33:49):
yes.
Yeah.
So, and, and that, and the, thekitchen was really like the
last.
The last year, um, I spent onthe kitchen, uh, the commercial
kitchen.
'cause there's also the studiokitchen.
Um, so commercial kitchen, it,it's like these, the bone ranges
from 1996.
All the equipment in there isfrom when, when my dad renovated
in 90, 96, 10 years after theybuilt the first kitchen.
(34:14):
And so all the refrigeration,all the ovens, is from 96.
So to, it's all custom built,like into a, cement curb.
So with the, the tile work goingup the curb so that it's easier
to clean.
You could power wash the hotlineon the floor and everything.
And, uh, but you can't just,it's not like today's countertop
(34:35):
refrigerators.
You can't just wheel them out.
When they break and wheel in anew one.
We'd, we'd have to teareverything out and knock down
the wall just to get the ovensout.
the-restaurant-guys_2_0 (34:43):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (34:44):
the refrigerator's out.
So I'm like, we need to repairthese things.
Um, so like new copper lines andnew condenser units on the roof
and, learning how bonnets workand the, the guts of it, the,
igniter valves and the thermalcouplings,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (34:57):
those of you who don't know, the bone
range was simply the oven stove,kitchen console to have, but
they're all custom made and inplace, and this is exactly the
problem when they're that oldand you're trying to repair
them.
It's all, it's all a custom job,but.
It's also the most prestigiousrange you can set yourself in,
in front of, but so can you tellus about some of the popups that
(35:18):
you've been having, who've beenpartnering with, who's been
coming in to do cool stuff at atyour spot and what are you gonna
call it?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_13 (35:23):
I mean, for these popups we're
sticking with Charlie Trottersbecause it's, it, you know, the
vibe in here is very much whatit, what it used to be.
And, it's sort of this classic,feeling ki like the James Beard
House perhaps.
our first, guest chef, To, tokick everything off right as the
kitchen was ready to go.
And just as the dining roomskind of felt like they were
(35:44):
almost there, was Chef Bra Akiof Alinea, Alinea.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (35:48):
Who was a, who was a student of your
father for a long time?
Mm-hmm.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (35:53):
the number one guy in Chicago, after
my dad closed.
so it was super cool to have himin here.
He was already doing a trottertribute menu at his restaurant
next,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (36:03):
Yep.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (36:03):
every four months changes their menu.
And, that was going really well.
We had worked together on thatfor four months and I said, Hey,
what you wanna come do it here?
And it was like a last minutething.
We got the permit to do, do thepopup a day before the first
dinner.
We had already sold tickets.
We're like, where's the permit?
Come on.
And,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (36:22):
We need deadlines.
We're restaurant people.
We need deadlines.
That's just the way it is.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (36:27):
so that we did it for two weeks and
it went so well.
We said let's do another twoweeks.
So
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (36:31):
Nice.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (36:31):
full month
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (36:32):
That's terrific.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025 (36:33):
that was amazing.
Kicked it right off.
And then, since then, in March,John Shields from, uh, three
Michelin Smith, uh, and theloyalist is his, uh, more casual
gastro pub in the basementthere.
he's another Trotter alumni, um,worked here with his wife Karen.
I think they met in the kitchenhere.
Um, so there's a lot of, a lotof couples who met in the
(36:54):
kitchen or in the front of thehouse at Trotters,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (36:56):
what's planned for the rest of the year
and into to 2026.
How many of these, how manyweeks a year do you think you're
gonna be open with popups?
And when do you think if allgoes well, you'll be able to
actually open again full time?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-20 (37:08):
We're, yeah, we're doing one to two a
month.
I mean, yeah, we had JohnShields, Justin Cogley, uh, of
Aber, Jean, and uh, uh, Carmelby the Sea.
Um, Nancy Silverton has come andcooked.
Um, I mean, there's many more Ican't even name, but we're,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (37:23):
That's a pretty good lineup so far.
Yeah, you're doing.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (37:26):
uh, but, uh, you know, we, we're
doing like one to two a monthand, uh.
Uh, you know, we're gonna do afew more, um, you know, up until
the end of the year.
But I think the idea is to tryto get something going full-time
here.
Five, be open five to six days aweek.
And, you know, the restaurantlandscape has changed so much
(37:47):
since my dad's time.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (37:48):
It's.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (37:49):
for the, of course, for these
special events, people wouldlove to do these, 7, 8, 9 course
dinners.
But I think for a permanent.
Fixture may be just in thestudio kitchen.
We do a, a real CharlieTrotter's dinner for like 16
people, but next door in themain building.
I believe it needs to be a morecasual concept
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (38:11):
Yeah.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (38:12):
that, that the price point's a little
easier.
And sometimes it's not even justthe price, but even people's
time.
People kind of these days don'treally wanna do a three hour
experience.
a lot of them, them wanna be inand out in, maybe an hour, maybe
an hour and a half.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (38:26):
For me, what I see is a, it's a
control thing.
People are, are so much lesslikely, and we talked about this
with, with one of the, on one ofthe live shows, people are so
much less likely to just putthemselves in your hands.
Than they used to be.
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's when,when we look back over the 33
years we've been doing this, wehad a, in the early days we had
(38:48):
an eight course tasting menu, orfive course tasting menu, or
three course tasting menu, andthen our, a la carte menu, and
half of our guests were doingone of the tasting menus or
more.
Um, now if we, if we put out atasting menu, it's 10%.
I mean, it's, it's, and we don'tdo it that much because, so, so
many people want to control whatthey do, their time.
(39:08):
how many courses they're gonnahave, exactly what they're gonna
eat.
My friend wants to eat this.
I don't eat this.
it's not the same as, as it usedto be, where, let me put myself
in your
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (39:17):
And I, I appreciate that wisdom and
I, I could learn a thing or twofrom you guys.
I'd, I'd love to come out thereand, and dine and, and, and, and
hear what advice you might havefor me because, it's a, it's a,
it's a rough landscape.
but I, I am, I'm confident inthe, in the brand of Charlie
Trotters.
And even if we do, you know, mydad had other spinoff sort of
things.
He had Bar Charlie in Las Vegas.
(39:38):
Uh, which earned a Michelin starin its first year.
And that was like an Oma Casasushi restaurant.
He had a restaurant c uh, likethe letter C in Mexico at the
one and only Palm Mia hotel.
Um, so more o ocean, a la carte,um, you know, and Trotters to go
where I worked.
So take out, you know, grainsalads, uh, pasta, cold pasta
(39:59):
salads, rotisserie chicken.
Um, there's a million differentways to go, so maybe putting my
own spin on it.
Making something more casual,but you know, a tip of the hat
to the legacy, uh, while stillgiving maybe for, for a select
number of guests, the, the realoriginal experience.
You have a standing invitation.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (40:17):
to come out dinner with us anytime.
You're out on the, do you evermake it out to the East coast?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (40:22):
oh yeah.
I, I, I love it out there.
Boston, New York,
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (40:25):
Great.
Well, we're, we're not far fromNew York City.
You I'd love to sit down withyou in our restaurant and raise
a glass to your dad.
Uh, and also we wanna come seeyou.
So how will our listeners findout about, what's going on?
with your place and with thepopups that might be coming up,
and how do they stay
Francis (40:42):
apprised of what's going on.
and
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-1 (40:43):
when you're gonna get open?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (40:45):
Well, um, you know, the, the easiest
way is to follow me on myInstagram at Dil Trott, so it's
D-Y-L-T-R-O-T, dil Trott.
But, uh, that's where Iannounced our upcoming popups
and have a link on there.
Um, they, they do get sold outlike the day of, which I'm super
blessed that that happens.
(41:05):
Um, I'll actually, I'll send anemail to our newsletter before I
post on there.
So that's who gets the firstchance to get tickets
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (41:13):
If you're driving in your car right
now and you can't write thisdown, you can always go to our
show notes.
We're gonna put all thisinformation on this show so you
can follow, uh, what's going onin Chicago at the same time.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_ (41:22):
and sign up for our newsletter.
It's charlie trotters.com.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12- (41:26):
So I heard a rumor that you are
putting together your father'sold PBS show and somehow gonna
re-release that wonderful,wonderful three year, show.
He did spill the beans a littlebit there.
What's going on?
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (41:39):
Well, you know, we're still working
out the details, but, uh,Melanie Kosaka, who was the
producer of the KitchenSessions, um, she lives in
Honolulu, but we filmed somefootage for a pilot and, uh,
interviewed Chef Keller, um,chef ATTs and a, and a handful
of others.
just to put a pilot together.
We're pitching that around.
We're gonna re-release theoriginal, uh, series, but we're
(42:01):
also gonna do a new series whereI would go and interview, second
and third generation, kids, butnow adults like myself who are
in the restaurant industry orrestaurant adjacent.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (42:12):
that's great.
I love it.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-2025_1 (42:13):
to hear, you know, how do you
preserve your family's legacy,but also put your own
fingerprint on
the-restaurant-guys_2_08 (42:19):
That's amazing.
Well, you have, I mean, you havea unique story, but at the same
time, I'm sure that it, it is arelatable story for a lot of
people whose parents have beendoing this for a long time.
Right.
dylan-trotter_2_08- (42:30):
Definitely, I mean, it's, they, our parents
influence us more than anybody.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08- (42:33):
Dude.
Well, Dylan, it's been amazingtalking to you and, we're happy
to spread the word about thecool stuff you're doing out
there.
And don't be surprised if weturn up in Chicago at hopefully
one of the popups before you getopen Completely.
dylan-trotter_2_08-12-202 (42:45):
Okay.
I'll email you guys first beforethe tickets sell
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12-2 (42:47):
I love it.
I love it.
I love it.
Terrific.
Thank you Dylan.
We'll be back in just a moment.
Don't go away.
You can always find out moreabout
us@restaurantguyspodcast.com.
the-restaurant-guys_2_08-12 (43:15):
Hey there.
Welcome back.
very cool.
Absolutely.
Very cool.
I, I love it.
It's a ton of pressure though,that kid's under a lot of kid,
kid.
That young.
Yeah, that man is under a lot ofpressure.
He is.
Kids today.
Big, big shoes to fill.
Yeah.
Big shoes to fill.
And it looks like he's ready.
Yeah.
To do it.
Smart, smart, way to look atthings.
You know, it reminds me, it doesmake me feel like an old man,
(43:36):
but I think we've done a fewthings, right?
And we're gonna invite him tomaybe do a collaboration dinner
with us and our chefs.
So don't be surprised if you seea trotter dinner here in New
Brunswick, New Jersey.
Absolutely.
so we have, Dylan Trotter,Charlie, Dr.
Trotter's son.
We have Augustina Hobbes mm-hmm.
Who we're doing, doing wine withPaul Hobbs' daughter.
Yep.
We have Grace Corson, KathyCoon's daughter.
(43:58):
Mm-hmm.
who else have we got?
We've got, George Henry'snephew.
Yep.
Michael.
And, uh, it just means we're oldfricking guys, but honestly, it
warms my heart to see.
We always talk about it's an oldfashioned way of doing business.
You know, it's the, here's thewhole chain of production.
You see it right here.
when you see it pass on fromgeneration to generation in a
small business like that, Ithink it's very hard to do and I
(44:19):
think it's a great thing to do.
Well, this business is not foreverybody, so not every.
Business is gonna get passed tothe next generation.
Right, right, right.
So I, love it when I seesomebody kind of ready to grab
that mat and well, and you knowwho else we saw with the
Brennan's when we were down inNew Orleans?
Mm-hmm.
It's another family businessthat goes from generation to
generation.
That's been like fourgenerations.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's amazing.
So kudos to them.
(44:39):
Kudos to him.
Keep your ear to the ground.
Because probably we're gonna dosomething with a Stage Left,
trotter collaboration.
that was a super fun time.
Hope you've enjoyed the timewith us and Dylan Trotter.
I'm Mark Pascal.
I'm Francis Shot.
We are the restaurant guys.
You can always find out moreabout
us@restaurantguyspodcast.com.
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