Daniel Porzel helped open Sauce on the Side with two longtime friends, turning it into a well-known local restaurant. The concept gained national attention with a feature on the Travel Channel’s Food Paradise. Now serving as chief financial officer, Porzel says that despite ongoing challenges in the hospitality industry, the reward comes from seeing customers enjoy the experience.
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Organization: Sauce on the Side
Title: CFO
Age: 48
Hometown: St. Louis
Education: SLUH; SLU – Bachelor’s, Psychology; Lindenwood, Teaching Certification-Elementary
Interests / Hobbies: Love music and going to concerts, movies, and Blues games. Most free time (limited) is spent hanging out with friends and family.
What motivated you to get involved in this work/community/activity? I’ve always worked in restaurants and jumped at the chance to open a place with my two best friends. I spent a lot of time in Clayton before Sauce on the Side working at different Del Pietro bars/restaurants (Kilkenny’s, Luciano’s, Portabella) with my business partner Brendon Maciariello. That’s also where we met our other business partner, Ryan Mangialardo. I also worked at Meramec Elementary for three years and the SummerQuest summer camp for six years. So I’ve always had a little piece of Clayton in my heart for awhile now.
What values or principles guide how you show up in this role/community? Treat others how you want to be treated!
What’s the most enjoyable aspect? Seeing people enjoy their experience at Sauce on the Side. My favorite part of working in restaurants has always been making sure people are happy. I’ve tried to go out of my way to make their day a little better. It’s a chance to have a lot of quick, positive interactions every day.
Can you briefly share a few standout memories? I’ll stick with positive ones, for sure! We’ve had a few celebrities come through the restaurants, which is always kind of cool—DMX, Daniel Tosh, Brad Williams, TJ Miller. I got to be on The Point morning show a couple times, which was really cool. We were on a show called Food Paradise on the Travel Channel back in 2016 and was voted the “No. 1 Cheesiest Restaurant” in America. Another great thing about restaurants is you never know what can happen on a daily basis—both good and bad.
Can you share an insight about this role that most people don’t know? It’s not as easy as you probably think.
What’s one key piece of advice you’ve embraced? You’re always setting an example, whether you realize it or not!
What’s the greatest challenge? Covid has made things especially challenging in an already challenged industry. So it’s even harder now to keep costs down, get good employees, and keep those good employees happy while still paying the bills. There are lots of extra things involved with owning your own business.
Where do you find inspiration? My friends and family for sure! Everything I do is for my family and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my friends.
What are your future plans or ambitions? Hopefully be able to retire at some point and travel. But I’ve also dreamed of having a Lizard Lounge type band that does contemporary songs but in a Frank Sinatra crooner style—matching crushed velvet suits with the frilly tux shirts.
