My husband Kevin Leach's dream was to open a neighborhood steakhouse. He wanted to serve seasonal and sustainable food and wine. He wanted to create a beautiful environment with friendly service.
In January 2020 after much planning and renovating, a friend asked when the restaurant would open. Kevin said, jokingly, "Just a few more weeks. Only the plague could stop us now."
Well, we all know the plague came. In the form of Covid-19.
Pacific Standard Prime opened in August 2020. We were only allowed to seat guests on the 9 tables on our outdoor patio.
This month we're celebrating 3 years in business. The restaurant was just named favorite steakhouse in the South Bay of Los Angeles (that's the repost below). I'm grateful to our customers and local community.
I'm so proud of Kevin and the amazing team of 50 people he created. It's a difficult road, and he and the team have persevered through a LOT.
I don't post much about the restaurant. In part, it's because I have my own separate business, and the topics don't always align.
I think of the restaurant as a major client. I handle HR, finance, events, marketing (with our daughter Cameron Leach taking the lead now), and whatever else needs to be done.
Our son Connor Leach is also involved. During the school year at UCLA, he comes home on weekends to work as a brunch cook.
Here are some leadership lessons I've learned.
1. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GREAT PEOPLE. We are truly blessed with a great team of employees. They enjoy working with each other and creating a memorable experience for our guests.
2. WHATEVER CAN GO WRONG, WILL GO WRONG. Renovation delays. A global pandemic. Plumbing problems. Power outages on a busy Saturday night. Food inflation. Labor shortages. It's constant problem solving.
3. PEOPLE ASK THE STRANGEST QUESTIONS. Just one example: "Why can't I order only a half a burger? I can do it on the Westside all the time." I'm still wondering exactly where that restaurant is. And who will order the other half of the burger.
4. SOME PROBLEMS HAVE NO SOLUTION. We get a lotta love on Yelp. But sometimes, as in all businesses, we get the occasional 1-star review. These are fascinating exercises in human psychology and striving to make it right. Sometimes, though, there's no mutually satisfying solution. You try your best, and then you let it go.
4. THE SMILES MAKE IT WORTHWHILE. Last night we had people in who were celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, out-of-town guests, college acceptances and graduations. To play a role in making these celebrations special and memorable is what makes the hard work of a restaurant so meaningful.
I have stories galore from this business. You can't make up some of the crazy stuff that happens. So I'm starting to write a memoir about the experience. My daily LinkedIn posting schedule is developing my content creation muscles.
To wrap up, what's YOUR favorite restaurant and what makes it special?
#leadership
#restaurants
#chasingdreams
Thank you LA South Bay community for voting us FAVORITE STEAKHOUSE!
You are the reason the Pacific Standard Prime team works so hard to bring you seasonal and sustainable food and wine.
Owner Kevin Leach, Executive Chef Christine Brown, Sommelier Peggy Kearns Dean, WSET Diploma Candidate and the whole team are grateful for you!
Today we are featured in the 2023 DAILY BREEZE & BEACH REPORTER Readers' Choice Awards. https://lnkd.in/gwWcRDCH
If you're in the Redondo Beach area, stop by for dinner or Sunday brunch. We'd love to see you!
For reservations, visit our website at pspsteak.com or OpenTable.
#redondobeach
#steakhouse
#grateful
Account Manager at OpenTable
1moAwesome!!!