The Story Behind “The Restaurant”

#BehindTheFood

SGV Threads
Aug 25, 2017 · 4 min read

(Sample of how we are going to be featuring restaurants in the SGV.)

It doesn’t take much to realize that The Restaurant serves some of the best food in the area. One bite of their delicious food and you know that you’ll be coming back for some more.

(Picture of Food from The Restaurant)

Only what you didn’t realize is that the place you sat in, and the food you tasted was made possible by some pretty amazing people who are wildly passionate about what they do. So much unseen love and hard work goes into what The Restaurant provides for the people that walk through their doors and that all began with one owner and his dream he had since childhood:

(Picture of owner)

Fred Threads is the founder and co-owner of The Restaurant. Before owning a food joint, Fred always had a deep conviction that he would do something amazing through his passion for great dining experiences. Only he could never really quite paint that picture in his head because he felt like he was stuck at his part-time job pushing carts at The Grocery Store.

“I really didn’t know where I was headed. I knew my passion, I knew what I wanted to do, I just didn’t know how to get there.” — Fred Threads

He had been working at The Grocery Store for 3 long years. He graduated from the SGV Culinary School but had no success at even getting an interview for a job in a restaurant. Every single place he applied to didn’t even give him a call back. Frustration set in, and Fred felt embarrassed he couldn’t seem to land a job. He hung his head when anybody asked him what he did for a living. He just couldn’t accept that even after going to school, he was a 24 year old pushing carts. He knew he was meant for more.

What really separated Fred from everyone else, however, was grit and an absolute passion for finding and creating the best combination of ingredients for his favorite dishes. After having some hard conversations with his loved ones and friends, he decided to take matters into his own hands and began cooking and catering out of his own tiny apartment kitchen. Even though his food was amazing, his only customers for an entire year were friends and family.

Over the next 2 grueling years of pushing carts, creating in the kitchen, and saving his pennies from any job he could find, Fred came applied and was granted the amazing opportunity to open his first pop up shop at the 626 Night Market in the summer of 2012. He stuck to his guns and created his best dishes the absolute best way he knew how to.

I had to treat the 626 Night Market like any other client. I kept it simple, I didn’t try anything new. I stayed true to myself and what I knew best. — Fred Threads

It’s safe to say it was a huge success as customers raved about his food. For the first time in his life, Fred felt the overwhelming taste of success and his vision became clear. “Hardwork, quality, and transparency” was what The Restaurant needed to be all about, because that was what he was all about.

“It was simple for me once I stopped thinking so much and realized that I needed to put my own values into my company. Once the true me showed itself in my food and in my business, it became so much easier.” — Fred Threads

After another two years of pop up shops and eventual food trucking, The Restaurant finally opened its first permanent location in 2014 in the San Gabriel Valley. Since then The Restaurant has become a beloved treasure of the area. The Restaurant not only serves up some of the best food in town, but they shout a message of “hardwork, quality, and transparency” that was brought on by Fred’s journey, and it inspires their employees and the surrounding community. The Restaurant has made a huge different in its town and now donates 10% of all profit from The Restaurant to culinary and elementary schools in the San Gabriel Valley,

We can’t ever forget that it all started with one person who had a vision to make a difference in their life: Fred Threads

(Picture of owner and restaurant/food)

Join us on this journey as SGV Threads strives to see the people #BehindTheFood throughout the San Gabriel Valley.
Real people, real lives, real food.

SGV Threads: Uniting the San Gabriel Valley one bite at a time.

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SGV Threads

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Shedding light on the great area we call home. Your local guide for all things awesome in the San Gabriel Valley.

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