Katy Knauff & Marceil Van Camp Of Kamp Social House: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Passion Goes a Long Way: You can be the hardest working person out there, but if you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, then your flame will burn out. Passion is the constant fire that keeps a business going, so if you’re passionate about what you’re doing then use that fuel accordingly.
As part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Katy Knauff and Marceil Van Camp, founders of Kamp Social House in Seattle, WA.
Katy is a lifelong restaurateur with a passion for creating memorable experiences for her guests. Her partner in life and business, Marceil, uses her broad background to support the goals of their business. They launched Kamp Social House in July 2022, a bar and restaurant in Seattle, Washington with the motto “Don’t be a Stranger”. Check out www.kampseattle.com for more info about Kamp Social House.
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?
Katy: Sure! I’ve been in the restaurant business for over 20 years. I’ve held almost every position, both in the front and back of the house, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I felt it was time to take my learnings to a new role as restaurant owner.
Marceil: I’ve always been inspired by Katy’s passion for food and the dining experience overall. She’s truly the ‘hostess with the mostess’, so when she started talking about opening our own restaurant, I was all in.
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?
Katy: I love diving into regional culinary specialties and learning as much as I can about what makes something a local favorite. For example, the Boudin Egg Rolls on Kamp’s menu came from a week dedicated to learning about boudin balls by trying out different recipes. I got creative one of those days, and I rolled up some of the boudin mix in egg roll wrappers and air fried them. We had friends over that same day, and the 30 egg rolls I’d made were devoured within minutes. I knew then that the combo was a winner, so I shared the story with our Executive Chef, Bridgett Lewis. She took a good idea and made it great, and it’s now one of the most loved items on Kamp’s shareables menu.
Marceil: I’ll share a poorly kept secret: I’m a terrible cook. Thankfully, I’m surrounded by incredible chefs, including my wife. My relationship with food stems from my curiosity and my upbringing living in various countries. I’m a curious eater, and I’ll try anything once. Becoming a restaurateur for me is about offering exciting experiences to those who maybe haven’t been exposed to lots of types of food. Trying a new food or flavor is a great way to make a memory.
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?
Katy: As an owner/operator, I’m in Kamp daily working alongside my team. So, I went to a table to drop off drinks and I asked the guests how everything was tasting. One of the guests told me that everything was great and that they’d ‘like to tell the owner’, and they asked me to grab ‘him’. This is just one of many examples where an assumption was made about the gender of the business owner, as it’s historically been men in the world of restaurants. It was a reminder to continue to lean into authenticity, and to remain empowered as a female restaurateur to change misconceptions.
Marceil: One of my favorite moments at Kamp was during our grand opening, as it was our first time being open to the public and we weren’t sure who might join us. At one point, I looked over and I saw that at least half of those seated around the bar were local drag performers. It made my heart full to see performers we admire and support doing the same for us. I’ve loved being able to bring queer culture to the neighborhood, specifically via drag brunch, but also just by being open and welcoming to those in our community.
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?
Katy: We’d been looking for a space to launch Kamp for about a year, and initially we went the traditional route of working with a third-party expert in the purchase and sale of restaurants. Unfortunately, we were ‘ghosted’ more than once by business brokers. So, we decided to look for spaces and reach out with purchase offers on our own. The experience was very different when we were able to introduce ourselves right away, versus being introduced by a third party. We were reminded quickly that a lot of our success has come from who we are inherently. So, we leaned into being our most authentic selves when shopping for locations for Kamp. As a result, we landed in an ideal location that came from us simply being us.
Marceil: I agree with Katy that the experience we had working with business brokers was not a good one. I was surprised by this, as I’ve been a part of many business sales and purchases in other industries, but the restaurant world was very different. There was little insight offered into the inner workings of restaurants we were looking to purchase, which made the process much scarier than I’d anticipated. My typical ‘formulas’ for making offers didn’t seem to apply, so when we decided to do the brokering on our own, we leaned heavily into the need for transparency from both parties.
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?
Katy: Be flavor forward. When people experience a flavor for the first time, an imprint is made. I seek to surprise and delight our guests with those first bites by creating flavors that may be new, or flavors that they’re used to experiencing in a different way. Kamp’s Executive Chef Bridgett Lewis shares that same sentiment and it’s a big part of why she was asked to join the Kamp partnership.
Marceil: When Katy and I initially started talking about what Kamp would be, having ‘something for everyone’ was top of mind. When we first told our Executive Chef, Bridgett Lewis, about Kamp, we shared that idea and she ran with it. I’ve seen the premise of inclusivity come alive within our menu, and that’s what keeps guests coming back.
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?
Katy: My perfect meal is anything created by Chef Bridgett Lewis. Bridgett listens to her gut and uses her moxie to create dishes that surprise and delight. It’s why she’s a fantastic partner at Kamp.
Marceil: I love the experience of dining out as much as I love the food. My perfect meal would be me and five friends trying one of everything on a menu. It’s why we created the shareables menu at Kamp, so guests can order one of everything and taste all that Chef Bridgett’s bringing to the table (pun intended).
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
Katy: I love to throw parties, and I’m inspired by coming up with fun new ways to celebrate. Whether it’s celebrating a major life event, or a happy hour with friends, I aim to find small touches to let the guests know that we’re celebrating them as well.
Marceil: I like to dine out with intention as a means of finding inspiration. For example, we’re looking for a new location for an upcoming project, so I’m making reservations at spots with similar physical spaces to see what they’ve done with it. There are a lot of great ideas out there and experiencing something from a guest perspective keeps me inspired.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?
Katy: Executive Chef Bridgett and I are collaborating on Kamp’s Fall menu, including a new wine and cocktail menu with an emphasis on flavor pairings. We’re excited to continue offering new flavors to our guests, and our menus will rotate based on what’s good during that time of year.
Marceil: I’m working on finding our next space to launch a new concept we’re really excited about. As a sneak peek, we’ll be leaning into creating a swanky space for the lesbian community.
What advice would you give to other restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?
Katy: Don’t overextend yourself or your team and expand only when you’re ready to expand. For example, Kamp is currently closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which a lot of people question. We simply don’t want to burn out our team out for the sake of sales, so we’re happy to expand when we’ve got the right people in the right positions. Only then can we maintain the food and service quality our guests expect.
Marceil: Understand that the ‘to-do’ list is forever growing which means that prioritization is key. I’m often inclined to start with the 2–3 things I don’t want to do and then I can move on to the fun tasks. I’ve had to learn to start each day with a new set of priorities as the restaurant business evolves quickly.
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? Please share a story or an example for each.
Katy:
- Trust Your Instincts: I’ve had to learn that I’m here because of my own decision-making process. When opening a restaurant, you’re opening yourself up to a lot of feedback, shared decision-making and every evolving demands. Trusting my own instincts has been a critical aspect of my success, and it has helped me block out the noise that can be an unwelcome distraction.
- Interviewing is Hard: I say this not to restate the obvious aspects of interviewing that are difficult, such as finding the right people or matching a schedule or a pay expectation. I’ve had to learn that saying no to someone who’s just about the right match can be extra difficult as its so easy to view the minor mismatches as just that, minor. For example, we’ve had to turn away fantastic bartenders and servers because they weren’t a good cultural fit. Finding the best match is important when building a brand and a business, and sometimes that means saying no to someone who’s almost right.
- Don’t Take Feedback: This may sound combative but there’s a difference between feedback and constructive criticism. A restaurant is a public space, and with social media, you’re potentially open to a lot of feedback and suggestions. If we took every piece of feedback we received seriously, we’d have changed the wall color, changed the playlist, moved our host stand and a slew of other things that ultimately don’t change the dining experience. Trust your instincts and let people experience what you’ve created as intended.
- Passion Goes a Long Way: You can be the hardest working person out there, but if you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, then your flame will burn out. Passion is the constant fire that keeps a business going, so if you’re passionate about what you’re doing then use that fuel accordingly.
- If you need this list, then think again about becoming a restaurateur: If you’re reading this article to add tasks to your list as a prospective restaurateur, then you’re probably not ready. The things that make a restaurant a success are based on many factors, and this list is 1/100th of what you’ll need to make it work for you. Opening a restaurant is a very personal process, and ‘success’ is a subjective term. Do what you think will work for you, define your version of success and celebrate your wins along the way.
What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?
Katy: The Roasted Cauliflower Steak is a must try. It’s a vegan option, always vegetarian, and something that was added to the menu as an afterthought during our last menu tasting. Chef Bridgett made it as a special for a friend who’s vegetarian, as we were sampling only options with meat that day. They were blown away, as was the entire table, so it was the last addition to Kamp’s Mains. The flavors are intense, and it’s a unique dish in the sense that it’s not trying to replicate another entree. I order is at least twice a week and it blows my mind every time.
Marceil: For me, it’s the Confit Jerk Spice Duck Leg. This is not only a decadent entrée, but it’s got a fantastic history. Chef Bridgett had been working on this recipe for years, but she hadn’t found a home for it at any of her former restaurants. It found a home at Kamp, and the process Chef Bridgett uses to prepare the duck creates a unique experience. It’s a ‘no knife needed’ kind of dish, and it’s the perfect combination of comfort food mees fine dining.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Katy: I’m a big believer in transparency as it is the foundation of trust, and trust is the foundation of success. We run our business with full transparency with our team, meaning we share P&Ls, we talk about why we make certain purchases, and we discuss hiring as a team. We see transparency in running a business as the way to level the playing field.
Marceil: I echo Katy’s statement about leveling the playing field. Katy and I are open about how we built Kamp, from the finances to the partnerships, as we want our team to learn from us too. We have a team at Kamp of strong, smart and passionate people, some of whom aspire to open their own restaurant someday. We don’t view that as competition, we want them to feel empowered to do so. We share our experiences openly as a means of professional development for those around us, as we seek to learn from others as well. We hope that by being transparent about our business, that others will be empowered to do the same. As they say, knowledge is power, and we want to empower our industry so we can all grow together.
Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!