Billy Ramirez Of Fish Shop: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur

An Interview With Martita Mestey

Be willing listen to others and not take things personally. For your vision to be successful, you have to be willing to set your pride aside. Listen to your customers and colleagues and be willing to adjust based on their feedback and expertise. You may love a dish, but if it’s not selling, then you pivot. It’s not personal, it’s business. You learn and move on.

As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Billy Ramirez.

Billy Ramirez is a San Diego-based restaurateur with more than 35 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Currently, he is partner and owner of Fish Shop and PB Shore Club in San Diego. Billy is also a former member of the US Marine Corps and originally from Santa Maria, California. He now resides in San Diego’s Pacific Beach neighborhood and has a boxer named Frank.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restaurateur?

I grew up in the restaurant business — my first job was washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant when I was fourteen years old. I also worked in a 50s diner and as a busser, host, server, bartender, you name it. After high school, I went into the United States Marine Corps, and after being honorably discharged, I returned to restaurants and am now a partner and owner of three Fish Shop locations and PB Shore Club in San Diego and have worked in many others.

The restaurant industry is almost all I’ve ever known and I have always loved it!

Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?

Our concepts are primarily seafood-focused. My business partners and I saw a need for approachable, delicious, fresh seafood in the Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego. We came across a local taco shop in Pacific Beach that wasn’t doing well, so we took them over and opened our first Fish Shop location in 2010. Now, we have three locations — the others in the Encinitas and Point Loma neighborhoods of San Diego.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you became a restaurateur? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?

It’s so hard to pick just one story! One of my favorite aspects of working in the restaurant industry is how we get to connect with people every day, whether that be staff or guests. Interacting with all the different people from all walks of life means there are chances every day to make new memories. However, what each story has taught me over the years is that every day brings adventure and learning opportunities.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?

Exactly one month after opening the first Fish Shop location, the kitchen caught fire in the middle of the night. I got a call from the cleaning crew and had to run to the restaurant in my flip flops and shorts. I actually put the fire out myself! The fire department wasn’t happy about that, but they did credit me with saving the building. We had to move quickly to remodel and times were tough, making daily morning deposits to make sure we could get through it. But, we’ve been open in Pacific Beach since 2010 and have been lucky to be able to expand since then.

In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?

With fish and seafood (and basically anything) freshness and flawless preparation are key. The dish doesn’t have to be complicated, it just needs to be done well. At Fish Shop, we’re known for our expertly-prepared seafood creations made with simple, fresh ingredients. Aside from that, most importantly what keeps people coming back is consistency. Focus on ensuring each dish served is done right — guests should be confident that no matter what they order, or how many times they return, they’re guaranteed to enjoy their experience.

Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?

If I’m eating at Fish Shop, my go-to selections are our Fish Shop Shrimp — shrimp made with our special Fish Shop seasoning, sautéed and served with chipotle aioli dipping sauce, or our Shrimp & Chips or Shrimp Ceviche. If I’m not at Fish Shop, I love a slow grilled tri-tip.

Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?

There are many inspirations in my life — my travels, experiencing other restaurants, following industry trends. For a creativity boost, I frequently get together with friends for drinks to discuss ideas, how we can improve on what we or others are doing. Keeping an eye on social media and continuing to travel keeps creativity flowing, as well.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?

I always look for new projects to explore, but having my hands in Fish Shop and PB Shore Club requires most of my time! So, currently, my primary focus is growing the Fish Shop brand. We’re exploring partnerships that can help our team grow and take the brand to the next level. If we can find the right partner, I’m confident the Fish Shop brand will skyrocket and we can bring fresh, delicious seafood to even more people.

What advice would you give to other restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to learn how to manage yourself. The hardest thing to do in the restaurant business is to learn how to determine between what needs to be done now, what can be done tomorrow and what, honestly, just doesn’t need to get done. Learn how and when to be superhuman and when to pump the brakes.

Thank you for all that. Now we are ready for the main question of the interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Restaurateur” and why?

1. Be willing listen to others and not take things personally. For your vision to be successful, you have to be willing to set your pride aside. Listen to your customers and colleagues and be willing to adjust based on their feedback and expertise. You may love a dish, but if it’s not selling, then you pivot. It’s not personal, it’s business. You learn and move on.
2. You will be your own teacher. Like any industry, the restaurant industry is changing every day — take it upon yourself to be up-to-date on the latest trends, teach yourself the latest technology, be aware of world events. The restaurant business is a conduit to the bigger world out there, so understanding the current landscape is crucial in finding success.
3. You need to be a people person. If you aren’t a social person, or you don’t like working closely with others, this industry is probably not for you. Whether you are front-of-house, back-of-house, management, etc. you will interact with people daily. Being comfortable with — and most importantly, enjoying the social aspect of this job will help you as you interact with guests, colleagues and more.
4. You can’t go at it alone. This industry is tough — you have to learn to trust others with your vision. There is always someone out there who knows more or who is better at something than you are — surround yourself with those people and work with them to bring your vision to life and make it successful. No one will ever do things exactly as you would, but that’s not always a bad thing.
5. Enjoy the ride. As with any job or industry, there will be highs and lows. Enjoy the highs when they happen and learn from the lows. It’s okay to get upset when things go south — you’ll move on and laugh at it later.

What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?

I can’t pick just one! I highly recommend our Fish Shop Shrimp, Shrimp Ceviche or one of our signature tacos.

If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I believe it would benefit everyone to work in the restaurant industry for at least one year. Many don’t realize how much it takes to run a restaurant — it’s way more than just pouring a drink or flipping a burger. From the kitchen staff to clean up, interacting with others, getting your hands dirty, mastering time management, having to be creative, it’s hard work and it takes a village. I believe if everyone spent time working in restaurants, they would have much more appreciation for the craft, effort, time, dedication and teamwork it takes to put out a consistent, on-time, memorable meal and well-run business. The appreciation and understanding could translate to more kindness toward service industry professionals, and the experience working in a restaurant translates to any other industry or business and could help more people be successful.

Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!