Rover’s Restaurant 2808 East Madison Seattle, WA 98112 T: 206-325-7442

Chef Thierry Rautureau, known to many as The Chef in the Hat, began his journey into the culinary world as a young boy apprenticing in the French countryside. Today he is both Chef and Owner of Rover’s Restaurant in Seattle, WA. He describes how he matured from an unfocused youth to a successful and highly praised chef and restaurant owner.

Interview
Antoinette Bruno: What were your early career goals?

Thierry Rautureau: When I was young, it was to get out of school, work, and travel. To be fed well and have a roof over my head. Then, after working with some of the great chefs in the world and discovering people doing beautiful things all over, I wanted to find my creative outlet in a job that I could grow in. Then, I wanted to open my own fine-dining restaurant where the ambiance was like dining in my own home. Now, it’s to keep my wife and kids happy!

These goals I am able to verbalize after the destination, in retrospect. When I started, like many young people, my goals were unfocused and cloudy.

AB: How did you develop your Trademark?

TR: Four years ago I got a hat for Christmas from my wife. I loved it and wore it all of the time. One night, I came into the dining room from the kitchen and forgot to take off the hat. A good customer of mine saw me and said, “Look, a chef in a hat!” And it just sort of stuck.

AB: How has this helped your business?

TR: Any Trademark helps because it is branding, it is name recognition. I am trying to develop a line of products in the future, and the Trademark will really help that in the marketplace. Is my business better than it was before the hat? No. We suffered an economic slump. But the hat is a form of advertising. You need to keep the same image out there over time to develop the recognition that will get you through the hard times.

AB: Given the current economic climate, how do you get customers to go out to eat?

TR: I call it a “re-chameleon of self.” Over the years, I have changed many skins, but I have always kept to the same basic goal. I have had to adapt to culinary and economic trends. When I started, the menu was à la carte. Then it changed to 5-course meals. Then I added vegetarian tasting menus, an 8-course grand tasting menu. Now I am going back to à la carte to create the smaller plate dining that is popular now. You need to give customers choices - allow them to play around with different foods. I want them to trust me, and if they do, they will have a good meal. We study the dining trends, and have discovered that the diner wants more personal choices. And we just re-shift our menu to offer this. The small plate trend also helps those who can’t regularly fork out $150 - $200 for a grand meal.

AB: How do you maintain leadership in your kitchen, even when you are away from it?

TR: I rely on my sous chef tremendously, as well as the other cooks, the front-of-the-house, and the office people. We are a small restaurant – 49 seats – and when I hire I have to look for people who have an understanding of what we do and who want to be a part of it.

AB: How do you meet the changing needs and expectations of customers while balancing your own vision?

TR: My vision is consistency in the quality of the food. I believe we have achieved that over these 16 years. And I never will jeopardize that. It’s important to ask your customers what they want, and to listen and then reassess yourself accordingly. You have to constantly question, constantly re-invent yourself. Not change the cuisine, but your approach.

AB: As a chef and a businessman, is there conflict between the creative side and the business needs? How do you balance that?

TR: It’s stressful. And I don’t always balance it that well. Only a few chefs can pretend to be good businessmen. The proof is in the pudding – look at how many go out of business! A restaurant is easy to open but hard to keep. What kicks my ass out of bed every morning is the knowledge that tonight I can cook what I want. It makes the business part of it palatable. If I had a choice, I would have more people in the office to follow up with customers, but there is only so much money to go around. It’s hard. I always feel like I am behind.

AB: What advice would you give regarding raising capital for a new restaurant?

TR: Don’t put your house or much of your own money on the line. Use just a little to entice the investors. The best chef in the best location can fall because he puts too much of himself on the line. You should find investors who don’t want to be partners. And when you do raise money, borrow at least 150K more than you need, because, trust me, you will need it at the beginning.