“Restaurant Man is kind of the story, an unabridged story of what happened in my life, the good bad and ugly. Some people might glean some life lessons. It is honest, not written as a press release.” PeopleMenKindStoriesMightWrittenHappenedHonestLessonsPressesUglyReleaseRestaurantsLife LessonPress Release Author:Joe Bastianich
“Frankly, Milan kind of sucks as a restaurant city. Its so fashion-obsessed that people dont pay that much attention to the food.” PeopleKindPayCitiesAttentionFashionObsessedRestaurantsMilan Author:Joe Bastianich
“The menu should be part of the entertainment, part of the dining experience. It's kind of like reading the 'Playbill' when you go to the theater. It should be an alluring and interactive document. Does it have burn marks on it from the candle? If you ever get a greasy menu with food stains on it, it's time to run like hell.” IfsShouldKindDoeRunningReadingHellMarkTheaterEntertainmentCandleDocumentsStainsDiningMenusInteractiveAlluring Author:Joe Bastianich
“The general manager is kind of like the step into darkness when you reach the top of the league. As GM, you're responsible for everything, including the maitre d's and the sommeliers - all these people who have their own agendas. But you probably make less than the maitre d' and have a lot more work and a lot more headaches.” PeopleKindStepsDarknessResponsibleIncludingManagersLeagueAgendasHeadacheGeneral ManagerSommelier Author:Joe Bastianich
“I think a lot of people overlook the importance of the menu as a marketing tool and a way of communicating to the customer what the ambition of their restaurant is. Not only the typeface and the design, but what is it printed on? Is it cheap-looking? Is it the right kind of paper for that restaurant?” PeopleThinkingWayKindDesignPaperAmbitionToolsImportanceMarketingCommunicateCustomersRestaurantsPrintedMenusTypefaces Author:Joe Bastianich
“My grandparents in Istria had a frasca, which is about the most basic kind of grocery/restaurant. They sold wine from their own vineyard. I took control of the vineyard, hired a local winemaker, and bought another winery in 1996. We had our first commercial vintage in 1998.” FirstsKindWineLocalsRestaurantsGrandparentGroceriesVintageVineyards Author:Joe Bastianich
“I'm one of three judges on 'MasterChef' with Gordon Ramsay, but I don't want my own show. I'm kind of used to the sidekick gig.” WantKindShowsUsedThreeMy OwnJudgingGigsSidekicksMasterchef Author:Joe Bastianich
“Selling wine is all about sizing people up, and it takes a certain amount of chutzpah. The tableside bottle sell is a very funny thing - you take a look at the guy's blazer, what kind of shoes he's wearing, what kind of broad he's with. Is he trying to be a hero?” PeopleTryingLooksKindGuyCertainAmountHeroSellsWineShoesSellingBroadsBottlesFunny ThingsBlazers Author:Joe Bastianich
“Take the time to shop for yourself and cook. All of this is an investment in yourself, and if you're not going to invest time and money in what you put in your body, then what are you going to spend money on? It's kind of the most important thing.” IfsKindImportantBodyImportant ThingsInvestmentYour BodyCooksShopsTime And Money Author:Joe Bastianich
“There are certain things that make restaurants work and a certain kind of DNA that people who excel in restaurants need. But it's a lot like life, in the sense that you get out of it what you put into it.” PeopleNeedsKindCertainRestaurantsDna Author:Joe Bastianich
“When I stopped looking at food as a reward or a celebration and began looking at food as energy to fuel my athletic ambitions, that really kind of changed the whole world for me. That was the real 'aha!' moment.” WorldKindRealWholeMomentsEnergyChangedAmbitionRewardsWhole WorldFuelCelebrationAthleticAha Moment Author:Joe Bastianich
“Essentially, wines are fermented grape juice, so I'm trying to make the point that the wine world is about scores and marketing and kind of creating a scarce resource where they don't really exist.” WorldTryingKindCreatingResourcesWineMarketingScoreJuiceGrapesScarceScarce Resources Author:Joe Bastianich
“It's kind of like a midlife crisis kind of thing. When you turn 40, you have to run the marathon, while all the parts still work properly.” KindStillsRunningTurnsCrisisMarathonMidlifeMidlife Crisis Author:Joe Bastianich
