NYC’s Restaurant Industry — Behind The Scenes
So you’ve always wanted to know what it’s really like to work in a New York City restaurant, huh? I stopped by The Gander on 18th St between 5th & 6th Ave to see what goes on behind the kitchen doors.
The New York City Restaurant Business
The restaurant business is famously fast-paced, high-energy, and demanding — so imagine what it must be like to manage one in the city that never sleeps. New Yorkers expect only the best service that money can buy, in terms of both speed and quality.
As a consumer, it’s so easy take our experience of restaurant service for granted, assuming that this type of top-notch service is just like any other nine-to-five job. On the contrary, it takes lots of time, hard work, and some highly trained, dedicated individuals to pull off such an operation.
To get a closer look, I decided to check out The Gander for a swanky lunch appointment, a little taste testing, and to speak with the Wine and Beverage Director, Andrew Lakin. Thanks to Lakin, I got the scoop on what really goes on behind the scenes at a New York City restaurant.
The Makings of a Restaurateur
Andrew Lakin comes from a large Italian family based in Norwalk, Connecticut, about an hour outside of the city. He gained a huge appreciation for food and wine while making vino with his uncles for family holiday parties when he was growing up — enough wine for the 80 people that they had over for Christmas every year!
He later fell in love with the restaurant business while working in a restaurant throughout high school, then through bartending just to pay the rent after graduating college with a Biology degree. He was given the opportunity to be a General Manager and run a restaurant at the ripe age of 23, and the rest is history.
Andrew went on to work for the famous Lidia Bastianich for many years when he was just starting out, and eventually worked hard enough to open his own restaurant with Andrew Carmellini, a sophisticated Italian eatery called A Voce. But that was not to be his only success: Carmellini went on to open many other restaurants, such as The Dutch and Bar Primi. Lakin also worked with Rich Torrisi, who later opened Parm, Carbone and Dirty French.
It’s obvious that this guy has worked with a lot of talented people in the business, and I was about to find out that’s no coincidence.
Round One: Drinks (and …Tell Me About The Gander)
Chef Jesse Schenker wanted to open an approachable, neighborhood-friendly, casual spot for regulars to find a home, and The Gander was the result of that dream. Andrew has been with his latest restaurant since they first opened their doors in April of 2014.
He calls the regular patrons of The Gander a truly “mixed bag,” composed of 20 and 30-somethings, employees that trickle in from the nearby Spotify and Cole Haan headquarters, and older clientele as well. The killer Happy Hour specials bring in a good crowd, available from 2:30pm-7pm and featuring $25.00 bottles of Rose. With a bar room, a dining room, and private event space downstairs with its own bar and kitchen, there’s a little something for everyone.
The Real NYC Restaurant Business
The restaurant business in the Big Apple is notoriously fiercely competitive. With over 100,000 restaurants, Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs contain the finest talents in the industry, including some of the world’s greatest chefs. Surprisingly enough, Andrew explains that, in spite of the competition, there is a strong sense of comradery among the owners nonetheless. He has loads of friends that are Beverage Managers at other restaurants with whom he regularly meets to get drinks and share ideas.
Andrew tells me that he enjoys working in this business due to his lifelong love of food and drinks, and that he has a passion for good service and atmosphere as well. He loves entertaining and making people happy, and this gig is the perfect place to do exactly that. His least favorite thing? The hours. His job demands six days a week, most of them going from 10:30am to 11pm.
So what does the average day of a Restaurant Wine and Beverage Director look like? Andrew tell me that as soon as he gets to the restaurant in the morning, the first thing he does is to analyze last night’s sales. Then, he spends some time updating the wine and cocktail list, makes himself available if anyone needs help, and assists servers on the floor for lunch.
The better part of his day, though, is spent entertaining liquor distributors and winemakers who come in to sell him their latest libations. He tastes new wines every day, hoping to find one worthy of being added to their extensive wine list, which already consists of over 1,000 selections. Then, around 5:00pm, he hosts a meeting with all of his staff to go over service notes and any changing items on the menu. Next thing you know, he’s on the floor for dinner service.
Who Works Here?
I wanted to know what it takes to work in a New York City restaurant. Andrew informs me that, as a casual fine dining restaurant, they really look to hire people with extensive experience working in the New York City market.
According to Andrew, experience in the restaurant business in almost any other city just isn’t the same. They recruit people that know food and wine and are passionate about it. They also want people with a great attitude — this means someone who can smile, be exceptionally personable, and make every guest that walks in the front door feel welcome.
When asked about what it’s like to manage so many people, he stresses that the range of people that work in the restaurant business tends to be very diverse. Workers in the industry are often supporting other passions, so it can sometimes be stressful to get everyone on the same page and moving in the same direction. Andrew adds, though, that everyone at The Gander works together very well, and proudly assures me that he has a really strong staff.
Two Last Questions…
What’s something that out-of-towners don’t know about the NYC restaurant business? Andrew doesn’t think guests don’t always realize just how much goes into making it all come together. The staff has to know every ingredient in every dish, be able to identify every wine, and be incredibly knowledgeable about all of the cocktails on the menu. He says they also may not realize that there is an actual career path that working in the restaurant business can open up — it can be so much more than just a day job!
And what’s Andrew’s number one favorite thing about working in a New York City restaurant? He says it’s the sheer amount of people he meets every single day that you would never come across in any other situation. There are new conversations, friendships, and business relationships to begin everywhere you turn. The personal interaction that comes with this business is truly what keeps him engaged.
So Could I Ever Do It?
I don’t think I could ever manage a popular New York City restaurant, but Andrew Lakin is clearly a pro, given how delicious my meal at The Gander was. I think I’ll leave it up to the professionals and go in for a visit every once in a while!
