Over the last several months I have been working to open a restaurant/ bar in Savannah, Ga. My name is Brian Toler, I have worked on and off in the food and beverage industry for over a decade. More recently I have managed and operated a bar in the downtown historic district.
I am starting these articles to keep track of my progress and hope that in your own search for information I may be able to help you along the way. Let me begin by saying that this is my first restaurant. I am by no means a chef, nor am I a genius. I do posses some valuable experience, working my way from grunt work to being able to enjoy some of the fruits the hospitality industry has bestowed upon me.
I left my bar job of over a decade in February of 2009, I won’t go into a lot of detail here, but it was time to move on and establish myself as an entrepreneur and owner. Over that summer I bartended at a restaurant on Tybee Island, GA. I had previously made an acquaintance with the bartender and began working in April of ’09. A completely different experience awaited me…FOOD! Up until this point in my career I had never served tables or handled food. When I started in this industry years ago I washed dishes, bused tables, and barbacked. For a long time I had no interest in dealing with people at all. Then I found the light, welcomed the audience and was introduced to bartending.
Food on the other hand was different. Working behind the bar puts you at eye level with the your guest and allows the both of you to interact. I never really cared for waiting on tables. You look down on your guest and for the most part I had trouble trying to identify with them. However, I managed to get through a summer of it and learned many things I will discuss over the next several months, if not years.
I left Tybee in August and in October of ’09 began to work for a mom and pop BBQ and seafood restaurant. Which introduced a whole different experience all together.
Again the purpose of these articles are to track my progress and sometimes doubt. I hope that you will contribute to the articles by suggesting ideas and thoughts as I venture into new waters.
At this time I cannot discuss the locations, concept, or name until all legal is taken care of. I do plan on discussing the idea , developing the business plan and the many, many hurdles ahead. I am in no rush and want only to succeed, but it has to be right.
Thanks for reading…