Feb 2, 2022
Matt Faul Of Wolverine Management: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restauranteur
Understand that everything that goes into this and your success has to do with your surroundings and who is along for the ride.
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 Matt Faul.
Restaurateur and Pennsylvania native, Matt Faul, is enhancing Florida’s culinary scene with fresh new concepts and approaches to bar and dining experiences. As one of the visionaries behind the South Florida favorite, Agave Bandido, Faul and the Wolverine Management Restaurant Group are expanding their presence within the food and beverage industry, as they launch more of their successful concepts nationwide.
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?
The idea and inspiration behind our concept came to me while I was working as a bartender in my early 20s. I loved making and seeing the guests happy and enjoying themselves. During that period, I really developed a passion for curating and cultivating experiences for our guests; that motivation alone allowed me to take things a step further by learning the back end of things. Learning the ins and outs of the restaurant industry sparked my move from Pennsylvania to Florida, joined forces with Wolverine Management Restaurant Group here and I haven’t looked back.
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?
Right now, the main focus is on our brand Agave Bandido which is a Mexican-inspired restaurant, both from the kitchen and cocktail standpoint. We recently brought on a chef who has been a phenomenal addition with experience in multicultural cuisine.
The goal is to take the high-volume dining experience and energy concept that you would typically see in a big city/downtown atmosphere to a densely populated suburban market, allowing the demographic the opportunity to experience Mexican inspired bar and kitchen with all of the elements of a downtown style restaurant.
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?
Since opening Agave Bandido, I would say the most interesting thing that has happened and still happens on a regular basis, is guests asking the question of why an American guy from Pennsylvania moved to Florida to open a Mexican restaurant. As a restaurant group, we heavily follow industry trends. We tracked the high-volume Mexican inspired kitchen and bar trend that downtown areas in South Florida were providing to their demographics and saw a direct need for the same style concept in suburban areas. With our restaurant group already owning The Brass Tap and Unit B Eatery + Spirits in Pembroke Pines, we knew this area would make a great fit for our first Agave Bandido. The constant support from Pembroke Pines and the surrounding area residents has been unbelievable. This encouragement is the reason why we have decided to grow the brand and take Agave Bandido to other like minded areas, such as Sarasota and Orlando.
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?
For me, it was moving down here from Pennsylvania and learning the demographics of South Florida. The way things are done here can be different from up north. It’s very heavily populated down here. Every single day you’re seeing new people and you have to execute to the fullest, 100%, every day. Up north, it is very much a “regulars” driven industry, seeing the same people every day so you’re building on those relationships more. Down here, regulars are still a very important aspect of our restaurants, however it’s more dense, creating much higher foot traffic, so overcoming this obstacle is ensuring the team is ready to execute, including yourself, for every guest, every time.
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?
It’s a mix of understanding the industry and trends while also bringing in the correct team to execute those trends. We brought on a very creative and well-known chef that has really taken that end of things to a different level. He understands that people want to see high-end, well-presented food that have proper garnishes and over-the-top plating which is what separates Agave Bandido from other like-minded restaurants. People love to take photos of our dishes and post them to their social media which proves to us that what we’re doing is working.
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?
My perfect meal is what we call our “Bandido Taco”. It’s a crispy cheese shell, stuffed with chicken or barbacoa, and topped with pico, avocado crema, cotija cheese, pickled Fresnos, and red roasted garlic. They are extremely popular amongst our guests and truly one of my favorite things on our menu. Order two or three of those with a few of our signature cocktails, and you have yourself a perfect meal!
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
My inspiration is very much team-driven. For our “Bandido Taco”, for instance, we wanted to create a taco that was specific to the brand. We played around with a couple of different things and when the chef presented me with this, we fell in love with it instantly. It works with every protein we have. Every single ingredient boasts flavor and every single guest absolutely loves it. For our entire menu, creativity comes from bouncing ideas off each other, especially from our talented culinary team, who understand cultural cuisine and what it means to execute in unison.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?
We are! We’re working on quite a few extremely exciting projects. We finally have the opportunity to implement our brunch concept, which we have carefully harbored and curated to be such an amazing experience. From 10:30am until 3pm, on Saturdays and Sundays, we will offer our Bandido Brunch. Everything is over-the-top and packed with high energy and an even livelier atmosphere. We can’t wait to execute our new large-format cocktails and amazingly beautiful and delicious food for brunch. We are beyond confident that this is going to elevate Agave Bandido to another level. Pembroke Pines and the surrounding suburban areas are striving to find experiences that match the atmosphere and aesthetics of “going downtown” for brunch trends. Now, we’re giving the community a reason to stay local. Get ready for the Agave Bandido Brunch, starting February 20th!
What advice would you give to other restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?
Surround yourself with a great team. Take care of your team. Make sure they understand that you’re willing to grind it out with them and that they are home with your company. Don’t ever take them for granted and hone in on the fact that they are the reason your business is successful. Show them why they are a part of your brand and not someone else’s.
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?
- Don’t take your employees for granted.
- Surround yourself with other industry professionals and people who you consider more successful. Constantly strive for more out of yourself.
- Don’t become complacent about where you’re at in business or life.
- Make sure your creative mindset never goes away and constantly challenge yourself.
- Never lose the passion for the guest experience and guest reaction, this is what makes our industry so exhilarating.
What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?
Our Pulpo Bandido for sure! It is fire roasted octopus, served over potato medley, Spanish chorizo, rainbow radishes, and pickled onions. Coated and torched with Agave Guava glaze. It’s amazing and extremely flavorful. I’ve had multiple guests tell me they didn’t enjoy octopus until they had this dish.
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.
Honestly, if there’s one thing I’ve learned during the pandemic situation is to not take anybody or anything for granted. That’s the movement. Make sure you understand that every single day is something you should make the most out of. Don’t take things lightly. We’ve been very fortunate to stay on top of this pandemic because of our great team and constant support from our guests. Understand that everything that goes into this and your success has to do with your surroundings and who is along for the ride.
Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!
