Businessman

Failure is an extremely personal thing, and so is success. The problem with people is they don't own their failure, and if you don't own your failures, you're never going to own your successes.

When you're finished, bars are not inherently profitable. You got to work at them to make them profitable.

Any business, no matter what it is, lives or dies by the customer reaction it creates.

I'm a businessman, not a bartender.

The whole point of a bar is, I look in your eyes, you look in my eyes, we've never met each other before, we talk, we get to know each other, have a drink together, and the great end of that story is we get married someday.

A plate of food hits the table, lands right in front of you. One of two things happens. Either you sit up and look at it and react to it, or nothing happens. If nothing happens then that restaurant is stuck in mediocrity forever.

If you can't build a relationship with your customers, you're in big trouble. If you can remember the numbers from the reports and spreadsheets you spent hours poring over in your office, but you can't picture the faces of your customers - you're in big trouble.

When you're on-stage, you're expected to perform in the bar business. You shake hands. You smile. You're all positive energy: you add to your environment. When you walk in the door to the back of the house, that's like a stage door. You're off-stage now.

I think everybody thinks they can have the next $100 million venue. I think there is a bit of arrogance in that.

When a sizable group of customers speak, I always listen! The 'customers' view' is key to my confidence in decisions.

I don't want to hire people who have less of a commitment than I do.

Cocktails and food are social.

My company was based in Palm Beach, Florida, but when 'Bar Rescue' took off, I knew I had to move west. It was a choice between L.A. and Vegas. I have a lot of friends in Vegas, and it became my choice. I'm so glad because I love it here. There's a real sense of community. It's a big town that feels like a small town. Everybody knows everybody.

If a candidate puts together a small business platform, I'll go out on the road for him. You know, I'll support him.

I do a lot of corporate consulting work. I've been doing it a long time.

Excuses destroy success every time.

Failure is an awful thing, and when I look at the common denominator of failure, it seems to always be the same thing: excuses.

If your main reason for opening a bar is to have somewhere for you and your friends to hang out, then build a bar in your basement, and stay out of the industry.

Eating something with someone is the second most sensual and intimate thing you can do in life. The experience can't just be about consumption.

Bars need to be conceived and built for the local audience, not the personal tastes of the owner. Huge mistakes are made with regard to market research and concepts. Research and capital are paramount!