Gerard Craft continues to impress.
Probably the smartest way for a restaurant owner to maintain a core person (and conversely, not lose them to the competition) is to offer them a percentage of the business. According to a press release received this afternoon, Craft did just that, but went one step further--a giant step--he offered one of his key players sole ownership of Taste by Niche, one of his plum properties. Craft remains an investor in the project.
Adam Altnether, Exec Chef at Brasserie by Niche, will take over the new Taste by Niche, the relocated Taste, Taste 2.0, when it opens next door to Brasserie "no later than January 2011." Altnether staged at the flagship Niche during his final semester at the Culinary Institute of America, took a job there after graduation, and worked his way through Craft's organization for the past two years. Craft apparently saw something that he liked; Altnether did as well.
Time and time again, I've seen non-tenured chefs get lured away by the next fast-talking, promise-the-world, restaurant owner, leaving a void in their wake. Andy White's departure several years ago from Off the Vine comes to mind...that restaurant went into decline and closed not long after White's departure.
But why did Craft let loose of a unique concept, one that received scads of local plaudits, to say nothing of three mentions this summer in national publications? "My plate is incredibly full right now," he said, "plus I have a a wife and 2 kids that I like to see every now and then. Adam is the guy who can take Taste to another level. He will be part of the next huge splash in this town." Sauce magazine saw it the same way, naming Altnether "one to watch" back in July 2009. Read more about today's announcement in Sauce here and STLtoday here.
So, Mr. Restaurateur, remember today's lesson: If you want to hold onto a valuable chef or manager, offer up a piece of the action--maybe not the whole thing, but a piece--or be prepared to accept the consequences. Believe me, this scenario pays dividends...it hit yours truly one very stressful night years ago in our restaurant, when I said to myself "wait, you can't walk out...you're an owner."
