Last month, chefs and empire-builders Danny Bowien, Andy Ricker and Michael White got together for a panel on restaurant expansion. Now some footage from that panel is online, and it is full of advice and anecdotes from all three chefs on the influence of branding (and the media) on opening a new restaurant, the responsibilities of a cook, a chef or a CEO, plus the unique difficulties of opening in a new city. As Ricker puts it, "You don't want to just go in and go, "Blam-o, I'm doing this here because I want to." As for opening day nerves? Bowien swears that somehow it all works out "if you can power through" when shit is hitting the fan. Here, go watch.
Video: Restaurant Expansion
· Restaurant Expansion [Vimeo]
· All Video Interludes on Eater [-E-]